Cassie Howard

Grew Up… with an alcoholic mother, an absent dad, and her younger sister Lexi. Cassie is beautiful, but her looks have also been a curse. She was sexualized at an early age and had to deal with creepy family members hitting on her.

Profession… high school student at East Highland School. With her best friend Maddy Perez, Cassie is on the cheerleading team. She tries to be a good friend to Maddy, including comforting her during her best friend's difficult home life.

Interests… complicated beauty routines done at 4 am.

Relationship Status… dating Christopher McKay, who is in college. Other than the fact that he likes to choke her during sex, he’s a pretty good boyfriend. At least for now.

Challenge… overcoming her need to seek validation in romantic relationships and making good decisions. Some of Cassie’s friends are dealing with drug addictions, but Cassie has another addition that is just as damaging: her addition to love. Cassie loses herself to win over boys, and she never gets the true love she’s looking for. Cassie has deep-rooted abandonment issues relating to her father that cause her to be a people pleaser. She is completely wrapped up in herself and her struggles, to the point where she doesn’t seem to realize the power she possesses. As her friend Rue says about Cassie, "She fell in love with every guy she ever dated. Whether they were smart or stupid or sweet or cruel, it didn't matter. She didn't like to be alone."

Personality… sweet, insecure, and emotional. Cassie wears her heart on her sleeve, and that makes her vulnerable to a lot of heartbreak. And she tries so hard to win over men in her life that she often loses sight of who she is. As she honestly admits, "I feel like love is super dark and no one ever talks about it." Cassie is having some dark moments, and we hope she can find the light soon.