Jessie Holmes

Jessie Holmes is the 16-year-old protagonist of the novel. Originally from Chicago, Jessie moves to Los Angeles shortly before the novel begins with her father to live with her new stepmother and stepbrother. Jessie's mother died slightly over two years before the beginning of the novel, an event which still haunts her and causes friction in her relationship with her father.

Jessie is intelligent and perceptive, though is often very self-critical of herself as well. She frequently compares herself to her new classmates and notes her shortcomings, especially physical ones, though she simultaneously strives to be self-assured and confident. This is especially true in the latter part of the novel, after she visits Chicago and decides she will not be weak anymore. Other characters often describe her as strong and independent, qualities which she doesn't always see in herself but that others perceive.

She has a complicated...