Penny and Aggie

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Cast of Characters

(SPOILER WARNING! This cast list contains some information revealed in the course of the stories.)

		Penny Levac A trendsetter within her high school, a trend-watcher outside of it. Penny has long since mastered the "game" of high school popularity. Boys want her, girls want to be her. But she has only a few real friends, and is beginning to question her long-held career goals of acting, modeling and trophy wifedom.				Aggie d'Amour Aggie is eccentric, easy to approach but hard to know. She likes being the weird one, the one no one can predict, and cultivates creative and political interests like poetry, art and animal rights. She hides considerable sadness about her mother's passing, and her crush on Marshall can reduce her to red-faced incoherence, but her wry wit carries her through most situations, and she's beginning to make friends she can count on.

		Sara Penny's best friend, and her only friend who argues with her on a regular basis. Sara has recently faced up to something she's long denied-- her own homosexuality-- and has come out to Penny, but not to their mutual friends. Soon thereafter, she changed her look and began drifting into Aggie's more gay-friendly circle. Both Penny and Sara worry that Sara's new "identity" may mean the end of their friendship, but that hasn't happened yet.				Michelle Penny's other best friend, who supports her in nearly all things. Her father's interest in publishing has put a strain on her finances, making it more difficult for her to relate to Penny's group. Michelle desperately wants a boyfriend, and after a long string of hopeless crushes, she's set her sights on Stan.

		Karen A former ugly duckling whom Penny and Aggie helped transform into a swan. She wasn't especially grateful. After sixteen years of loserdom, she finally has attractive looks and savoir faire, and relishes her newfound power over girls and boys alike. She considers her relationship with Marshall her greatest achievement. Karen has plans to challenge Penny's "alpha status," but fortunately knows nothing about Aggie's crush on Marshall. Marshall and Karen attend a different high school than Penny and Aggie.				Marshall The object of many girls' affections, and Karen's boyfriend. Marshall has a lot of poise and self-reliance, which conceals his insecurities from everyone but those who know him best. Quite comfortable expressing his love for Karen, but quite uncomfortable with displays of raw, unromantic lust. As a runner and a weight trainer, Marshall knows the human body well, but seems to prefer keeping his own under firm control.

		Stan A fast-talking go-getter, Stan plays the game of life to win. His self-serving side is usually evident and he uses obnoxious nicknames, but many forgive him easily, because he genuinely loves to see people smile, which makes him especially successful in class politics and with girls. Stan has a serious, borderline-homoerotic hero-worship of Rich, a rival's jealous dislike of Penny, and a breezy contempt for Aggie.				Jack Seemingly Stan's wingman for life, quiet and self-effacing where Stan is loud and self-promotional. Jack's scrapper side only seems to come out under the influence of alcohol.

		Rich A man's man of sixteen, Rich had ambitions to "have" the most popular girl in school and to become a professional skateboarder. He captured Penny's interest and maybe even her heart before pride and peer pressure split them up. After a near-death experience left him with crushing medical expenses, he left high school to seek his fortune and to seize a second chance at making things work with Penny.				Duane A clever writer, magazine editor, class president-elect and cute nerd, Duane is friends with Aggie but had a serious thing for Penny. He's rarely been seen since she broke up with him, perhaps burying himself in his work.

		Brandi Although she's hooked up with many boys, Brandi is very secure and mature, and has had no problem remaining good friends with Stan after they both moved on to other partners. Also a friend to Penny, she does her best to remain nonpartisan in high school's balkanized culture.				Katy-Ann An upbeat Christian, Katy-Ann may be too mature for her own good: her broad perspective on life sometimes blinds her to the importance her friends put on their own problems. Still, it lends her an air of sophistication which lets her fit in with Penny's group, though her wacky artistic side wouldn't be out of place with Aggie's.

		Nick Aggie's father is that rare animal, a genuinely cool parent. A math teacher at a school other than Penny and Aggie's, he's at ease with teens and adults. He's less at ease with the prospect of dating again, not only because he misses Aggie's mom but because he doesn't want to hurt Aggie's feelings. Parenthood comes first for him.				Charisma An extremely athletic woman in her thirties, Charisma owns and manages Bronzo's Gym. She had Marshall young, without planning on it, got her tubes tied soon afterward, and continued a long string of largely physical relationships. Whoever he was, Marshall's father is long gone. Charisma cannot conceal her impatience with parenting, which has poisoned her relationship with her son and ultimately ended her relationship with Nick.

		Lisa As self-consciously weird as Aggie. Lisa's passions are more pop-cultural than political, but once she and Aggie got the chance to talk, they bonded almost instantly. Lisa's angst-free, easygoing attitude has done Aggie a world of good.				Meg Before Karen, before Aggie, Penny's archenemy was Meg, whom she compromised with embarrassing photos. Meg wants revenge and, worse, is willing to bide her time to get it.

		Samantha When rumors circulated that Penny was a racist, Samantha bought into it and never stopped believing afterward. Now conspiring with Meg and Karen.				Cyndi Cyndi has been seen consorting with both Penny and Karen. No one yet knows if she's picked a side.

		Melody Seen only in flashbacks and photos, Aggie's mother has been gone for three years but still exerts an influence over her and Nick. It seems she was a protestor, and a hippie long after it was fashionable.				Tharqa Despite a superficial pleasantness, Tharqa seems to lack in ethics what she makes up in body mass. Along with Charlotte and perhaps Helen, one of the "omega wolves" of Penny and Aggie's high school.

		Charlotte Seldom seen without a gigantic crucifix necklace, Charlotte practices a stark brand of Christianity which can't conceal her deep, abiding, free-floating rage, a rage which finds outlets in cruel, dangerous pranks but seems directed inward as well as outward. She doesn't appear to be above fantasizing about Marshall.				Helen Helen was close to Penny before Penny found "cooler friends," then to Charlotte and Tharqa before incurring Charlotte's wrath, and is currently close to Aggie and Karen but doesn't really fit in with their self-confident cliques. Her only relationship ended due to her boyfriend's lack of interest. Such fortunes mean that Helen craves validation and approval. She consciously prefers "being used" to being discarded.


Fred and Daphne The most public "gay couple" in Penny and Aggie's high school. Fred seems to enjoy "living the cliches" of being a homosexual male, including makeovers, skin care and a general buoyancy. Daphne has selective fashion-blindness, a bit of a devious side, and a lot of sexual frustration.		Bob and Elmer Little is known about these guys. Not especially smart or popular or driven or tough, so they rarely factor into the struggles between players like Penny, Aggie, Karen and Stan. They do seem to have a mean streak.

Lynda
Penny's
brainy
mom.

Rob
Penny's
downbeat
dad.

Finister
Aggie's
curious
rat.

Charles
Penny's
aristocratic
cat.

Note: Rob appears to have been quite active in earlier life, until a blood pressure problem slowed him down, after which he lost a lot of his zest. Penny's desire not to live by his example has influenced some of her decisions. A chain of events has led Penny to believe that Rob is having an affair with Charisma, which she considers a welcome development-- at least now, she believes, he isn't a complete couch potato.

Thank you to Olivera T. for coloring the cast page :)

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