[cara]

In fourth grade, my parents signed me and my brother up for ski lessons. Each Saturday morning for two months, we loaded into the mini-van with our gear and two closest neighborhood friends to meet at the local junior high. From there, we'd take school buses up to Snoqualmie Pass for the day. I wasn't a very good skier and my friend quickly decided she wanted to hang out with the older, public school girls. After our morning lessons, she'd go ski with them and I'd go off on my own exploring the lodge, walking around the ski area, and heading back to the bus early to eat my lunch and bide my time. One afternoon on the way home, we were invited to sit in the back of the bus with the older girls. My friend was so excited. I remember them asking me questions about things I had no idea about. They would laugh at me and ask more questions. I remember being confused and feeling as if they were speaking to me in another language. At one point, they asked if I knew what a virgin was. When I said I didn't, they mischievously told me to ask my mom when I got home. "You're embarrassing me," my friend said in the van when we got off the bus. I was hurt and angry she didn't stick up for me and retorted, "YOU'RE embarrassing ME!" Later, I did ask my mom what a virgin was. Together, we looked it up in the dictionary. I still didn't understand and shrugged it off. I didn't really care and I'm sure she was relieved I wasn't asking any further questions.