ANNIE

 

Annie grew up in a small town in Connecticut. She grew up in a big house. Her mother is a local junior high school teacher. Her father is a fireman. Her father is secret drinker. He would always get drunk when she was little and then fight with her mother. He would beat her mother, almost every week she had new bruises. Annie never understood why is it that her mother stayed with him. As Annie grew older her hate for her father also grew. She has an older brother. He is seven years older then her. When he was twenty he raped a girl Annie’s age. Now he is in prison in Connecticut. When Annie was in junior high school she had her first crush on a boy that was in the same class as her. He even told her that he liked her and would like to see her one-day after school. They decided to meet after classes in the schoolyard. When she showed up at the spot, he was waiting for her with his friends. They beat her, threw stones at her, ripped off her clothes and tried to rape her, and probably would’ve if the janitor didn’t show up. The boys ran away. Annie thought that she was saved, but the janitor locked her in the bathroom and raped her himself.

 

Annie became a very private, quite person. She never had a lot of friends and tried to stay away from boys. When she got to High School she met Ms. McManus. She was her English teacher. Ms. McManus became the only person who Annie considered a real friend. They would talk for hours. Ms. McManus became Annie’s role model and an inspiration. Annie wished that her mother would be more like Ms. McManus.

 

In her junior year of High School Annie met Elizabeth. She was Annie’s first love. Both of them experienced these feelings for the first time. Elizabeth was the first person Annie shared a kiss with. Annie believed that they were soul mates. She believed that they were going to run away together from this town as soon as they get done with High School. Then Elizabeth’s parents decided to move. So the girls had to say good-bye to each other. They stayed up the whole night talking, hugging and making love. They knew that they might never see each other again.

 

Things got really bad at home. During her senior year in high school Annie applied to a college in New York and got in. As soon as Annie got done with High School, she called her grandmother in New York and asked her if she can come live with her.

 

Annie doesn’t keep in touch with her parents. She only calls them on holidays. She hasn’t spoken with her brother for years. She came to New York to start a new life. Her grandmother loves her. She is her father’s mother and feels guilty for what her son has put Annie through. She is happy that Annie is in school. She gave her a room all for herself and lets her borrow a car anytime she needs.

 

 

 

ISABELLE

 

Isabelle grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother is a lawyer and her father is a detective. She is the only child. She is spoiled by both of her parents. She went to all girls’ catholic school all her life. That’s why when she was choosing college she knew that she is not only going to study, but she is also going to have a great time, experimenting and partying. She was never allowed to date, but she did anyway. She fell in love with a boy when she was a senior in High School. They secretly dated for seven months. She went to prom with him and slept with him that same night. He went away to college, promised to write and he did. However she realized that she is young and it’s all about who is here right now. She also wanted to go away to school, but when she was doing her research she realized that the best school for her major is here in New York, so she decided to go here and go away for her masters. She went to her friend’s party once and she saw two girls making out. That fascinated her. That looked like so much fun, and she knew for sure that this would be the perfect way to rebel against both of her parents. She forgot about these girls shortly.

 

 

CHRIS

 

Chris grew up in upstate New York. In an “America dream” family. He had a working father and a stay home mother. He had a baby sister and a dog. They lived in a big house in suburban America, where neighbors come over for a barbeque and people say “hello” to you on the streets. His father was a good man. He spent a lot of time with his kids. However, when Chris did something wrong “What are you a fagot?” These words would come out of his father’s mouth. When Chris turned twelve, two boys who were nineteen and eighteen were spotted making out in the park. Chris’s father was fuming. When Chris asked his dad what was the big deal, his father beat the shit out of him and told him that a man should be with a woman and a woman should be with a man. Chris met Linda when he was twenty-three. He knew that all he wanted in life was to be a detective, be married to Linda, have a child and be like his dad. His father passed away a year after Chris’s and Linda’s wedding. His last words were: “son, I’m proud of you.”

 

Chris and Linda decided to move to Brooklyn, New York. Chris was offered a job there that looked like a great opportunity. So they moved to Brooklyn and two years later had Isabelle. Chris always regretted the fact that they are not raising a child in suburbs, but his career was doing great and so was Linda’s so he decided that Brooklyn is not that bad.

 

Isabelle became everything to him. Even though he wanted a boy, when it turned out to be a girl he was still very happy. He wanted her to want to be like him. Just like he wanted to be like his dad.

 

 

LINDA

 

Linda grew up in upstate New York. Always had a dream of becoming a lawyer and moving to Manhattan. Her mother brought her up. Her father passed away from lung cancer when she was six. She went to college, got her bachelors then went to law school. She met Chris and fell in love. Everything was going so perfect. Chris told her that he got offered a job in Brooklyn. It wasn’t Manhattan, but she didn’t care. She had Isabelle two years after living in Brooklyn. She had complications during pregnancy so the doctor told her she can’t have any more children. She was very worried. She knew how bad Chris wanted to have two-kids: a boy and a girl. So she decided not to tell him. She just told him that they have one child now, and it’s time for her to focus on career. He was very understanding. Her and Isabelle surprisingly were never close. It was a mother and a daughter relationship. They were never like sisters.

 

 

PROFESSOR

 

The professor is very serious about teaching. Nothing is more important than education. The professor brings the same discipline to her classroom that was learned from growing up in Catholic school as a child.