The book Weird Girl and What's His Name, by Meagan Brothers can relate to teenagers because many teens go through emotional struggles and don't think about other peoples feelings. All the characters in this story make mistakes that hurt friends and family members. For example, the two main characters Lula and Rory break rules that they have created within their friendship, and both friends break the most important rule involving trust. After they break this key promise they don't know how to start over.
Lula acts without considering others' feelings. Lula doesn't think of Rory when she runs away. Obviously she was hurt when Rory lashed out about her being all up in his business. Still, she should have known better than to go to her teacher's house and try to kiss her and then run away. She should have known that running away wasn't going to make anything better with anyone else and it most definitely wasn't going to help herself. Lula wants Rory to want her even though she knows he is gay, and by running away she thinks the impossible will happen. She is so caught up in her own confusion she doesn't think how she is hurting Rory and her family by disappearing. Eventually she realizes she made a mistake but she can't undo it.
Rory also doesn't think of Lula's feelings when he resents her for running away, even though he knows that she loves him. After reading her journal when she runs away, he realizes how she has always felt about him. After knowing this he should contemplate how she feels and be a little more kind and understanding of why she did what she did. The least that Rory could do was show a sign of forgiveness towards her because he knew she felt horrible already for putting everyone through such a scare. Rory is under pressure because of his problems with Andy and holds a grudge against Lula for no particular reason. He acts thoughtlessly and hurts the feelings of his friend.
Another example of a hurtful action is made by Rory's ex-boyfriend, Andy. Andy knows that he cannot continue his relationship with Rory yet he continues to show him affection. Andy doesn't know how much Rory loves and cares for him, even though Rory makes it clear through his actions. Andy is satisfying himself after his divorce without considering Rory's feelings at all. When Andy finally decides that he has to stop seeing Rory he ends the relationship harshly without worrying about Rory's feelings. This shows that adults, not only teenagers can take the wrong action when they go through emotional struggle with friends and family. Although Andy is not a teenager he is acting like one.
In conclusion, when teenagers and adults are going through emotional struggles they often make decisions without thinking like Rory, Lula and Andy do. It is not only characters in books that make thoughtless decisions, everybody makes mistakes. Some that can be forgiven and others that cannot.
