Niall is an aloof, intense presence at Red Rock. He’s hot, sophisticated, intelligent and a talented athlete so he’s probably well respected, but he keeps his circle small. Niall doesn’t exactly wear his heart on his sleeve, but he’s an intensely romantic person with a very long-term and hopelessly unrequited crush on one of his straight male friends. He helps process these feelings through poetry, which he can often be seen reading, or heard quoting- he writes his own too, but keeps this as secret as the crush itself. Outwardly stoic, Niall struggles with both anger and depression almost as intense as his other feelings.
Hobbies: Reading and writing (especially poetry), athletics, whiskey and wine tasting, music (especially classical and jazz)
HAYDEN PRESCOTT*
Hayden is probably one of the most vocal students at Red Rock, despite not actually holding many genuine convictions. Instead, he’s a compulsive contrarian, constantly playing devil’s advocate and looking to debate any even slightly contentious topic that gets brought up in his earshot. He tries to maintain the image of a cool, logical orator who’s above ideology and emotion, but it’s actually quite easy to wind him up- a favourite hobby of your kid might be getting him to change tack halfway through an argument by suddenly agreeing with him and forcing him to flip sides. His argumentative nature and smug demeanour will have cost him the friendship of almost every one of his classmates, but he’s fine with that… at least, that’s what he tells himself.
*Hayden's surname might change to fit with Candy and Mercy (and anyone else who joins the dynasty)
Hobbies: Debate club, trivia and general knowledge, current affairs, pop culture (mostly arguing about it online)
ROWAN CARTWRIGHT
Rowan is, at least outwardly, a very relaxed and laid-back girl, who can fit quite easily into different friend groups, though she has her favourites who she’s very close with. She has a troubled home life and severe anxieties about the future but doesn’t tend to bring that up; most would know her as almost implacably laid-back. She plays guitar and loves music, primarily hippie fare and alt-rock with relaxed, mellow vibes. She doesn’t like being alone and spends most of her free time at festivals, parties or just hanging out with friends in the city or out in the desert.
Hobbies: Guitar, festivals and live music
JAMES SCOTT
People’s first impressions of James are often “that kid who’s weirdly into military history”, but most who get to know him beyond that regard James as one of the nicest people they know. He’s unfailingly polite and friendly with a strong sense of right and wrong, the archetypal all-American boy. With interests ranging from video games like shooters and map games to sports like baseball and fishing he’s probably a fixture in various friend groups and clubs. James is actually quite conservative and religious, but few people realise that; he keeps his opinions to himself and hates the idea of offending people. He is unashamedly patriotic, though. James is too geeky and enthusiastic to be genuinely “cool” but he’s not the sort to have many enemies either.
Hobbies: Military history, wargaming, civil war re-enactment and miniatures, baseball, fishing, shooting
ASH GREEN
Ash has no shortage of potential enemies at Red Rock; they’re a generally grumpy misanthrope and a vegan with no time for meat-eaters. They do manage to keep the worst of their pent-up anger under wraps though, so they might not have alienated literally everyone. Ash has more or less given up on society and doesn’t much care about politics or economics, though they do have far more empathy and humanity than they like to admit. The few friends they might have need to pass a rigorous values test but once they’re in the circle, Ash has moments of genuine loyalty and affection.
Hobbies: Bodybuilding, animal rights and environmental activism, biology