Because Leslie is in constant conflict within and about herself, she believes she does not fit in anywhere. In order for her to feel as though she belonged at her school, she believed she had to stop being herself. It seemed as if all the girls at Barrow were "graceful and slender" while she was fat at 5'5" and 125 pounds. Leslie also believed that the girls at Barrow were frightened of her because she was from the West Side of New York and her father was a musician. She believed she was the exact opposite of all of the girls at Barrow.

At home, Leslie's turmoil and frustration not only continued, but grew.

Leslie says about her mother, "I miss her sometimes when I'm in the same room with her! Like I'm not really with her. And another thing—I get homesick sometimes, which wouldn't be strange...