The narrator, Sierra, shares a story about her struggles with a rare condition called trimethylaminuria, which causes her body to produce a strong fish-like odor. She recalls her experiences with bullying, humiliation, and social isolation as a result of her condition.
As a child, Sierra was popular and participated in beauty pageants, but she also engaged in mean behavior towards others, including a girl named Audrey. When Sierra developed the condition, she became the target of ridicule and bullying.
Despite her initial efforts to hide her condition, Sierra eventually opens up to Audrey, who surprisingly befriends her and even helps her to understand her condition. Audrey's father, a doctor, diagnoses Sierra with trimethylaminuria and reassures her that she is not "dirty or diseased."
The story takes a positive turn as Sierra learns valuable lessons about friendship, kindness, and acceptance. She comes to realize that people who accept her for who she is, despite her condition, are the ones she needs in her life.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Sierra, had a condition that caused her to smell like rotting fish.
2. She started developing this condition when she was in seventh grade.
3. Sierra's mom took her to the doctor, but the doctor dismissed her concerns and told her to take better care of her body.
4. At school, people would cover their noses and avoid her because of the smell.
5. Sierra's teacher asked her to leave the classroom because of the smell.
6. She was homeschooled for a while, but then started attending a small private school.
7. At this school, she met a girl named Audrey, whom she had previously bullied.
8. Audrey had allergies, which made her immune to Sierra's smell.
9. Sierra became friends with Audrey, but she was afraid to go to Audrey's house because she didn't want her parents to smell her.
10. On her birthday, Audrey and her dad surprised Sierra with a trip to a water park.
11. Sierra ran away because she was ashamed of her smell, but Audrey and her dad caught up with her and revealed that her dad was a doctor.
12. The doctor diagnosed Sierra with trimethylaminuria, a rare condition that causes a person to smell like fish.
13. Audrey and her dad accepted Sierra for who she was, and they went to the water park together.
14. Sierra learned a valuable lesson about friendship and kindness from her experience.