Meena never realizes that Anita lied about the person on the commercial to make her family life seem more exciting than it actually is. Anita’s lie aims to impress her friends Sherrie and Fat Sally and, perhaps, also to test Meena’s credibility, ridiculing her in front of older girls. This first interaction with Anita thus sets the tone for Anita and Meena’s future relationship, which will remain marked by Anita’s efforts to dominate and humiliate others. Part of the reason why Meena goes along with this is because she is flattered to spend time with older girls, without realizing that Anita will never allow it to become an equal friendship.