I think the question here isn't what the readers think of alleged promiscuity (or even actual) so much as what the writer wants to communicate to the audience using that. What do they think of promiscuity? What do they believe their audience thinks of it? That's the real question.
For some reason I wasted nearly two hours this morning trying to come up with a way to diffuse the debate that wouldn't agitate anyone, or take three paragraphs, couldn't do it. Good job.
If I were to take a guess at it, I'd hold the author to a higher standard of realism. I'd say the gossip is intended to be exactly like real gossip: It represents the desires of the people who spread it more than the reality of who it's about. Girls in school see this girl who's popular with boys, get jealous, spread nasty rumors, like clockwork. She does have a lot of trouble forming strong mutual bonds with her boyfriends, though, for whatever reasons. Like MC's friend said, it would make you want to think there's something wrong with her character, but I think that's a short sighted way to look at it. Rather than her not having lasting relations with boyfriends, I'm more concerned with her not having lasting relations with regular friends, due to their jealousy, which really isn't her fault. She probably doesn't have anyone to talk with, or to give her good advice. Anyone who does give her good advice would probably call her a bitch or a slut while doing so, how would she be able to listen to the advice of someone who hates her? In the end, people really are just a product of their environment.
So my guess about what the author intends is for MC to take the place of someone who can give her real advice, from a place of legitimate caring. Seeing Nika cry, it's telling us that MC is the only one who can see her as an actual person. That's the direction I'm looking forward to.
last edited at Jun 6, 2017 9:47PM