Her friends had obviously been warned about me and no one dared touch the subject . It was much like having the elephant in the room and everyone taking turns bathing it , but no one actually talking about the fact that they were bathing a naked elephant in the middle of the room . It was a bit insane . " Would you like some dip ? " mother would ask me . " No , Mom . I ' ve had enough dip to last me 87 more parties .

Question: Why might her friends be avoiding discussing the subject ?
Answer: They might be trying to avoid being sensitive .They might be trying to avoid offending me .They might be trying to avoid protecting me .They might be trying to avoid coddling me .