Hard for a Girl

Noelle Preston, 16 years old, lives a life filled with rejection and suffering. Her alcoholic mother ignores her, her stepfather is a constant source of terror, and her spoiled stepsister only adds to her misery. The only being she ever felt close to was Shadow, her little black cat, who, like her, was rejected by the world. They were two lost souls, alone in a world that didn't understand them. But at 13, she watched her stepfather kill Shadow right before her eyes, simply because he had scratched June. Since that day, Noelle has learned to endure without crying. But the pain is still there, ready to explode.