Pat

PATELLA (PAT) :

Age at the time of the novel: 14

Place in the family: 2nd oldest, 1 yr behind Brian, 2 yrs ahead of the twins

Before the novel starts: Pat, a new freshman at Sebastian HS, feels inundated with the hype surrounding her brother's admittance to varsity. She is less than enthusiastic, since she feels like Brian has been virtually ignoring her since school started. After witnessing their popularity at Seb, Pat and Diana began calling Brian and his friends The Fab Four, a nickname they got from TV special about the Beatles. Her cousin and best friend, Diana, convinces her to join the yearbook staff, appealing to Pat's interest in writing and claiming that they'll meet lots of people.

1. Diana Aaron: is Pat and Brian's cousin, daughter of Heather's sister Julia. She and Pat have been best friends, but Pat thinks Diana has started to pull away from her and towards the lure of The Fab Four and their popularity.

2. The Fab Four: Pat nicknamed Brian, Richard, Anne and Maria the Fab Four after watching a special on the Beatles. She mean it as an on the sly comment to share with Diana, but somehow it got all over school.

3. Danny Willis: Brian's arch nemesis on the basketball team. He was all primed to be the big Senior star when "C" mania steals some of his thunder. He takes his aggression out by making racial jokes in Brian's hearing and hitting on Pat, which really strikes a nerve. Other varsity starters and Danny hangers-on include: Ben Kranich, Mike Beaudroux, and Clint Vick.

The Family Page