Character Sketch: Sheri

Sheri sat down on her pink chair at her pink desk and opened the new book she had checked out from the library. She had found it lying on the floor near the Young Adult section and thought it looked interesting. It was titled "Getting to Know Yourself." The subtitle was "How to identify the problem areas of you and fix them." She knew she had problems, everyone did, and she liked to fix things a lot. It sounded like the perfect book.

Although the librarian had given her a funny look when she went to check it out, the old man hadn't stopped her and had just commented, "They're starting younger and younger each day..."

Sheri puzzled this over as she walked home. By the time she got home, all she could figure out was that the old man must not have gotten to know himself till later in life.

Sheri started reading the first chapter.

Chapter 1: Surveying Yourself.
Before you can fix yourself, you need to know yourself. Read through the following questions and write down your answers. Keep your answers nearby as your progress through the book.

Sheri pulled a light pink notebook from her cherry pink backpack on the floor and opened it an empty page. From the coral colored pen holder, she pulled out a frilly hot pink pen. Ready to write, she read the first question.

1. What do you look like? Be very detailed? Do you have any scars? If so, where did they come from? What other odd traits do you have?

She thought on this for a moment and began to write.

I have straight light brown hair that hangs past my shoulders. I have grey-green eyes. My skin is lightly tanned. Nothing on my face, no freckles or warts. I am 4' 11" which is average height for a 12 year old girl. I think I weigh 95 pounds. I have short stubby fingers, which makes a great fist. My teeth are pretty straight, which is good because I didn't want to wear braces.

I do have a scar on my right leg, above my knee. It was a bicycling accident. My dad and I were out bicycling one Saturday morning and we were going around a corner. I went around it too fast and fell. I skidded a few feet on my right leg, the bike trapping me. It was bad enough that it need 7 stitches.

She re-read what she wrote, thought for a few more moments and then read the next question.

2. Think about your past. What has happened in the past that makes you who you are today? Were you divorced, abused, loved, cared for, pushed away, etc?

Sheri’s eyes went wide at the question, “Divorce… I’m too young to even be married! And no, I have not been abused… well… there is Alan, what a bully…” she poised her pen above the paper and wrote furiously about Alan.

A bully named Alan has picked on my since the day we met in second grade. I have no idea why, except maybe because I wear pink and he always makes fun of me, calling me Pinkie and other stupid names. It wasn’t so bad at first when it was just him, but by fourth grade he had a group of boys who followed him around. That just seemed to make him meaner. And now we’re in eighth grade, you’d think he’d have grown out of it. It’s too bad, too, because he’s kinda cute.

Sheri paused a moment, surprised by what she had written down, “I think he’s cute?” she questioned herself, “Yuck!” She shivered and pushed the odd thoughts aside.

I am very loved by my mom and dad. My mom is gentle and quiet, and very caring. My dad cares too, but he’s got a bit of a temper. He yells at me and mom sometimes, but then always apologizes. Both of them have taken care of me, giving me what I need and sometimes what I want. I have learned from them the value of things in life. It’s not all about the most expensive toy or having what your friends have. The important things are love, trust and respect. That’s what they say to each other all the time. It’s an affirmation, they told me, to get the idea to stick in their minds so they don’t forget and hurt each other, or me.

The only other person I can think of that has influenced me, and not for the better, is my cousin Jay. He and his dad, one of my mother’s brothers, lived nearby when I was younger. So Jay and I hung out a lot. And that’s where I learned some fighting techniques, how to punch, dodge and roll. Jay’s the one who taught me how to stand up to Alan. While I know it’s not good to fight, knowing how to avoid being hit has come in very handy. Unfortunately, sometimes my anger gets me all wild and my fists go flying. Anyway, they lived here for almost 3 years and then moved on, about a year ago, to wherever his dad’s next job was.

Again, she read over what she wrote and thought it was pretty complete.

3. What kind of temperament do you have, and why do you think that is? Does it have something to do with your past?

She laughed when she read the question. She glanced over what she had already written and thought about how she could write more on the subject.

I have a quick temper. I think I get it from my dad because he’s also quick to anger. But I used to have a lot of my mom’s shyness and quietness. I still do, but when I feel that something wrong is happening and that I can do something about it, I’ll step forward and, unfortunately, usually let my fists speak for me. My ability to fight was learned from Jay, a cousin who lived here for a few years.

She felt that pretty well summarized what she had already addressed. The next questions looked like it had several points to cover.

4. How would you react in the following situations?
         a. A divorce
         b. Someone cheating on you
         c. A robbery
         d. Finding out that someone you love loves you back
         e. Winning the lottery (what would you do with the money?)
         f. You have been wronged in some other way - do you forgive easily?

Sheri blinked and re-read the question. Oh, boy. This is definitely written for an adult. Well, I should still give it a try. I do have opinions, even if I’m just a tween. Putting pen to paper, she wrote.

A. I would react very badly if my parents got divorced. I would cry and plead with them not to split up. I would ask them to go see a shrink, to work out their problems. I’ve seen too many of my friends with broken homes and how unhappy they are. If I ever get married, I will make sure that I am marrying the right man because I will not get a divorce. They are messy and painful, and I wouldn’t want to subject my kids to it. I plan to have a very long engagement.

B. If someone cheats on me, I would tell the teacher because cheating is wrong. I know I’m smart, but copying my answers is not how you learn. As for the other kind of cheating, if I ever have a boyfriend and he cheats on me, I’d drop him like a hot potato. A radioactive hot potato. He obviously doesn’t care about me or our relationship.

C. I would try to stay very calm in a robbery. I’ve seen too many reality cop shows where some bystander tries to be the hero and gets shot for it. I believe in standing up for what’s right, but not if it endangers me or others, especially not when someone has a gun.

D. I think it’d be gross if I found out that a boy loved me. I know I’ll grow out of it, but boys are just jerks right now, like Alan. I’d sock that guy in the face if he told me he loved me. If he does love me, well, he sure has a horrible way of showing it. Yuck!

Maybe in a few years, when I’m in high school, I’d be overjoyed to learn that someone loved me. Just not Alan, never, not in a million years!

Sheri leaned back in her chair thoughtfully. Her chest felt a little weird thinking about Alan and love… She shook her head violently and almost fell out of the chair, “No way!” Pushing the horrific thoughts aside, she moved to the next item.

E. I can’t win the lottery because I’m too young, but if I could win, I’d give some to my parents to pay off the house. They are always worrying about paying the mortgage. I’d also save some for college because I know my parents haven’t been able to save much for me. I’d also replace my dad’s beat up old Chevy truck with some new sleek 4X4 monster truck. Well, maybe not a monster truck, but a good hauling truck. After that, I’d have a party with my friends at a pizza place, as long as it’s not Chuck E Cheese's. After that, I’d want to take them all shopping – to all of the thrift stores in the area! Woohoo, that’d be fun. I love the little treasures and oddities you can find there.

F. I don’t forgive easily. I know that’s a problem. I had a very good friend last year, but she lied to me and I haven’t talked to her since. I think it goes along with my temper, I hold a grudge. I also hold onto my pain. I still feel hurt when I think of how she lied to me, right to my face, even when I knew the truth. I had lost my favorite pink pen. She told me she hadn’t seen, but the next day, I saw her with a pen just like mine. I wasn’t going to say anything until I overheard her laughing and telling some girls how she had stole this out of my bag. I confronted her about it, but she continued to lie to my face. And the other girls didn’t say anything either. I haven’t talked to any of them, but now that I think about it, I think those girls turned her against me. Those girls are known for stealing and lying.

Sheri sighed as she reflected on this last revelation. She yawned as she looked at the clock. Almost dinner time, she’d better hurry and answer the last question.

5. What kind of friends do you keep, if you keep any? Do you actually trust your friends, or are they there for convenience?

Sheri smiled, thinking about the odd friends she tended to have.

I have a few close friends. They are each odd, in their own way, but so am I. I think I am learning to be more careful about who I trust, but I also don’t want to go through life alone. I hope I never use anyone, though I know I can’t say I never will. I prefer to have a few close friends than a whole lot of people I know. I see kids who have a lot of so-called friends, and they never seem to be close. It makes me wonder if they do it on purpose so they don’t have to get close so they can’t be hurt. I couldn’t stand that, being so alone in a crowd. Maybe that’s why I drift towards the loners?

"Sheri..." her mother's soft voice called up the stairs, "It's time for dinner..."

"Coming!" Sheri called back as she stretched her arms. She gazed at the book for a moment and thought: This is weird stuff, but I think I do know myself a little better now. She stood and walked to her bedroom door. And even though I haven't done half the stuff it asked about, thinking about it now will hopefully prepare me for those moments in the future.