Rebecca had been the most popular girl in school. She was a beautiful blonde fifteen year old with the biggest smile you've ever seen. She enjoyed participating in school activities and never complained about anything. She studied hard, received great grades, and loved school and life. She enjoyed doing many things with her friends and had gone on dates with boys. They loved to sleep over at each other's houses, share jokes, and played their favorite games like Twister and Old Maid.

In the summertime riding horses in the mountains was their favorite activity. They sang to their heart's content silly songs, country songs, and contemporary songs. Some of their favorite songs were: "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain," "Home on the Range," and "You Are My Sunshine". They would ride in the mountains for a week, sit by a fire, and tell their favorite stories. They would sing these songs and others while they were sitting around the campfire. One day while they were sitting by the fire, a group of boys they didn't know came upon them. One of them decided to push her into the fire. As soon as her clothes caught on fire, one of her friends threw water on her. She received huge blisters and burns on her face and most of her body.

After receiving hospital care, she was an outsider. She felt ugly, could not smile, and felt no one could ever like her again. During the summer this happened, her parents tried to get her to go to counseling, but she refused. She wouldn't express her feelings to her parents. She would hide in her room for hours on end, cry a lot, and sometimes refused to eat. She lost a lot of weight.

The next school year Rebecca did not want to go to school, but she went anyway. Some of her classmates laughed at her because of how she looked. She didn't pay attention to her teachers, didn't complete her homework, and received poor grades. She would not participate in any activities. She was an outsider with no friends at all.

In the middle of the school year, a new family with six children moved in. One of the children named Leslie was her age and had a bad skin disorder which she developed as a toddler. She was also a blonde girl. Since she developed her disorder so young, her friends loved her unconditionally. When Rebecca met Leslie, she knew they would become best friends. They spent a lot of time of together, and Leslie helped Rebecca pick up her grades somewhat. She encouraged Rebecca to get counseling with others that look the way she did. This time she accepted. Throughout her two month long counseling sessions, she learned to feel better about herself.

She tried to make new friends a little at a time. She told her classmates why she looked the way she did and to put themselves in her shoes. One by one, they learned to accept her. She no longer cried about how she looked, and nobody laughed at her anymore. Still, she would never be the most popular girl in school anymore. She refused to do anything fun with anyone than Leslie. They laughed together, cried together, and shared their deepest feelings with each other about the way they looked. They shared each other's burdens, wiped each other's tears, and were always there for each other. Both of their horses had the same name: Betsy. They often rode their horses around their neighborhood. Sometimes they rode each other's horse. They rode their bicycles together and waved at whoever might be watching them.

On one of their bike rides, they met a boy named Harold who was blind in one eye, stuttered, and also had a bad skin disorder. He told them he had no friends and was an outsider. He had recently moved into their neighborhood. He quickly became friends with Rebecca and Leslie. Both of them wanted Harold to be their boyfriend. They found out he also had a horse named Betsy. They dated Harold one at a time on picnics and drive-in movies. Harold knew he would always be friends with both Rebecca and Leslie. As time went on, he decided it was time to choose which girl would be the girl for him.

Harold chose Rebecca because he had a few more things in common with her then he did with Leslie. On one of their picnics, he gave her a rose and a promise ring. He got on his knees and asked her to be his girlfriend. Of course, she accepted. They decided to have a long engagement and get married when the time is right. Harold made Rebecca feel like a new person in some ways. She was so glad they found each other.