She always drew thick clear lines between herself and such girls, and her mother was simple and kind enough to believe it.

Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right. Her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn’t much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it.

– from “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates

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