Free A Girl's Life Online by Katherine Tarbox Page B

him.
    VALLLEYGUY: I’m going to a Super Bowl party over the weekend.
    KATIE26: Football is my least favorite sport, except for the Super Bowl halftime show. Remember when Michael Jackson did that heal-the-world thing? I was in fifth grade. I sobbed through all of it. Nobody lets me forget it, either. Every year around Super Bowl time the people in my family sing that song and ask me if I need a tissue.
    VALLLEYGUY: You know, football’s an easy sport, and I could teach you about it, that way you could like it more.
    KATIE26: Did you play in high school or something?
    VALLLEYGUY: No, but I did date a few cheerleaders.
    KATIE26: Cheerleading is another sore subject with me.
    VALLLEYGUY: Why?
    KATIE26: I am totally against it. The little outfits make the girls into sex objects. And besides, women should play sports themselves, not just bounce around in response to men.
    VALLLEYGUY: I think you’re wrong about some of it. I mean, some cheerleading is very athletic. They have competitions and everything. Look at the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
    KATIE26: I’d rather not.
    VALLLEYGUY: Okay, I get it.
    KATIE26: The cupcakes are done. I gotta go.
    VALLLEYGUY: Okay, Katie, when will we talk again?
    KATIE26: I’m really busy, but I’ll look for you every time I’m on-line.
    VALLLEYGUY: Me too.
    KATIE26: Bye then.
    VALLLEYGUY: Okay. Bye birthday girl. Have a great day! I’ll be thinking of you.
    KATIE26: I’ll be thinking of you too. Bye!
    Our calls became an everyday occurrence, along with the e-mails. Talking to Mark was easy, and every day I looked forward to it. I was more open with him than I had been with anyone else before. I usually revealed much more about myself than he did, but this didn’t bother me. I thought this was normal. From the articles I had read in women’s magazines about how to get men to open up, I thought girls always divulged more than guys. I liked it that he listened, and that he was very funny. He had an intelligent sense of humor, which I found attractive.
    VALLLEYGUY: What do you like on TV? he asked me one night.
    KATIE26: I know it’s silly, but I love The Simpsons.
    VALLLEYGUY: That’s not silly.
    KATIE26: But it’s a cartoon.
    VALLLEYGUY: The writing is actually very sophisticated. A lot of what they are doing is a spoof on other TV shows or things in society. I mean, Krusty the Clown is a takeoff on all those clown shows that were on TV when your Mom was a kid.
    KATIE26: That’s so weird.
    VALLLEYGUY: But it’s a parody. It’s saying, Look at the violence that kids laugh at. Look at how they are manipulated to accept it.
    KATIE26: I know.
    VALLLEYGUY: Even the way Mr. Burns treats Homer is a commentary on work. Every time Homer walks into Mr. Burns’ office, Mr. Burns can’t remember his name. Homer’s worked for him for years, but he can’t ever remember his name.
    KATIE26: And I thought I was immature for liking that show.
    VALLLEYGUY: A lot of adults love that show, Katie. A lot.
    Talking to Mark always made me feel good. This made keeping him a secret all the more painful. He was the best thing in my life, and hiding him didn’t feel right at all. I needed to resolve my growing feelings about Mark, one way or another. I was either going to have to give in to my growing feelings of love and affection, or let go of him. Soon I would be going to Italy on a school trip. I decided to use this time away from him to settle matters in my mind, and in my heart, once and for all.

Apart

    K aren and I had signed up for the school trip to Italy in August, before we found out her brother was ill, before it became clear that we were drifting apart. When the time came to go, I hoped the trip would give us a chance to get closer again.
    I also intended to use the time alone to think about Mark. I was a little worried about how much time we were spending together on-line and on the phone. When I told him I was going away, he