I think that the purpose of Daly's "Sixteen" is TO SERVE AS A LESSON TO OTHER GIRLS.
At 16, you think you know everything there is to know just like the character in the story. She always say's "I know...." and because of what she knew, she had expectations. She expected that the boy she met in the skating rink will call her after spending time with her, walking her home, and telling her that he'd call. She was emotionally invested but she got disappointed. The boy did not call and in the end of the story, she knew that he will never, ever, call.
