A teenage girl, Tara, talks to her mother, Sandy, about changing herself to impress a boy, Charlie. Sandy shares her own story about trying to impress a boy, Freddy, by changing her appearance and behavior. However, things take a turn when Sandy's overprotective father disapproves of Freddy. Sandy and Freddy try to set up her father with their school principal, Miss Everle, but their plan backfires, and they accidentally set their target's house on fire. They manage to escape without being caught, but the guilt consumes Sandy. Eventually, Miss Everle is revealed to be a con artist, and she gets arrested. Sandy confesses everything to her father, and they reconcile. She decides to leave Freddy and move to Texas with her father. In the end, it is revealed that Sandy's story is a cautionary tale for Tara, and that she eventually marries Freddy, who has changed his ways.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Sandy, was in a relationship with a boy named Freddy.
2. Sandy's father is overprotective and controlling.
3. Freddy and Sandy came up with a plan to set up her father with their teacher, Miss Everle.
4. Miss Everle was dating another man, but Freddy and Sandy broke them up by smearing lipstick on the boyfriend's shirt.
5. The boyfriend was kicked out of Miss Everle's house, and she started dating Sandy's father.
6. Freddy and Sandy broke into the boyfriend's house to gather evidence, but they accidentally set off a fire.
7. The house burned down, and the boyfriend was rescued by the fire brigade.
8. Freddy and Sandy kept the incident a secret to avoid getting in trouble.
9. Miss Everle turned out to be a con artist who had been stealing from Sandy's father.
10. The police arrested Miss Everle and took her away.
11. Sandy and her father decided to leave the city and move to Texas.
12. Freddy confessed to the police about the fire, but it turned out to be caused by a short circuit.
13. Freddy was fined for trespassing and let go.
14. Sandy left Freddy and moved to Texas with her father.
15. Sandy decided to become a writer and wrote a story about her experiences with Freddy.
16. The story was based on real events, but with some changes, including the names of the characters.