Cooper Clay

Cooper Clay

Mississippi => Bayview

Family:

• Father: Kevin Clay, ambitious, puts pressure on Cooper, doesn't get along with Coopers sexual orientation
• Mother: Mrs. Clay
• Brother: Lucas, 12y
• Grandmother: person of trust for C.

Social life

Jake

• Was Cooper's friend once
• Became a fake-friend
• embarassed that Cooper is gay

• jealous regarding Cooper's baseball-skills

Addy

• Good friendship throughout the whole book
• Friendship gets closer and more important
• Cooper trusts her

• Stays by her side when she loses her friends

Luis

• best friend
• also in school baseball team
• true friend
• always kept supporting Cooper
• spend a lot of time together (e.g. at the gym)

Keely

• First half: Coopers girlfriend
• Second half: ex-girlfriend
• Cooper broke up due to his relationship with Kris
• very supportive

Kris

• German underwear model
• Coopers boyfriend (secret during first half of the book)
• he makes him smile
• Cooper feels like a real person around him
• supportive and trustworthy

Character traits

• kind, caring, mindful
• helpful
• passionate, ambitious
• charismatic
• sports-loving and talented
• selfless
• loyal
• accepts others/ doesn't judge
• afraid of being himself
• afraid of others' opinions

School

• on the baseball team
• sports star
• legend since middle school
• Homecoming king

• priority is baseball not homework/school
• scouted by many colleges
• admired by others

Dreams, aims, wishes

• playing college football
• being accepted and loved by his father

• being accepted as a gay baseball player

• getting along with his sexual orientation

Development

• Was very shy and secretive about his sexual orientation.
• Lied about his baseball skills to make others think he improved very quickly.
• Became much more open over time.
• Started expressing his sexual orientation in public without fearing to be judged by others.
• Realized that it's important to live an honest, authentic and open life

Opinions about him

• like a brother
• brave and calming
• gentlemen
• protects him

• talent god-given
• respected
• people are willing to defend him
• jealousy

• respectful and friendly
• accepts everyone and does not judge
• protective of friends
• appreciates friends and family

• Page 171: "And Cooper, who's defended me at school even though there's no real friendship between us."
• Page 209: "My life isn't mine anymore."
• Page 230:"I'm not ashamed of Chris. I'm not. But it's complicated."
• Page 259: "You losers seriously give a crap about this? Get a life."