`` and then came middle school and the severe unpopularity commenced in earnest , but the nice thing about being on the near end of the cool curve is that periodically people will take pity on you , such as sixth grade 's katherine the kind , a sweetheart who wore a frequently snapped training bra and whom everyone called pizza face due to an acne problem that was n't even that bad , and who eventually broke up with me not because she realized i was damaging what minuscule social standing she had but because she felt that our month-long relationship had hurt my academic pursuits , which she believed to be very important .