What is Nicole's main focus in the novel, Girl Gives Birth to Own Prom Date?

Nicole knows that she has a fairly plain face and an unshapely body; she masks what she feels are physical flaws by the unobtrusive use of makeup and by carefully chosen clothes.

She knows how important it is to look good or be thought to look good since her ranking in the Time Zone's social hierarchy almost wholly depends on being regarded as pretty. Given her focus on social climbing, it is not surprising that she is somewhat self-absorbed; add in her parents' very rancorous divorce and the mystery of why they have broken up, and her obsession with the prom becomes understandable. She has some control over the social part of her life, whereas she has little control over the rest of it.