The Adolescents

I really Rachel Kushner style of writing in this. It gets to the point and the scenes described are detailed. However this story made me side eye the main character. She ended up in some questionable situations and I couldn't understand why there weren't any responsible adults in this story.

“...Despite being in eighth grade, was somehow old enough to drive and had a car. R treated me like a sexy woman, although we both knew I was a dork and a child of eleven.” Why is she dating? She's 11 and this boy is in the 8th grade clearly was left behind a few times.

She then dates a boy during the summer of 6th grade (which should put her at roughly age 12) and the boys foster father provides them with alcohol.... why?

As she gets older she crushes on a boy who almost rapes her. Then she crushes on a boy named A, she dodged a bullet with him because it is implied that he's a rapist. “A was a violent misogynist, who took from girls what could not be taken back.” In addition to that, he is also a misogynist who may have murdered someone.

This short piece definitely was heavy and the entire time I blamed everything on absentee parents.