Rue Bennett

Profession... A “student,” if you want to be generous. Unfortunately, addiction is a full-time job, and Rue spends a lot of her days looking for opportunities to get high. Besides, school has never been her strong-suit. Between the ADD and her anxiety attacks, it can be hard to put much into her learning. Her real education happens out there, anyway.

Interests... Taking care of her little sister and being a good influence. For some ungodly reason, Gia thinks her older sister Rue is the absolute epitome of cool, which gives Rue nothing but guilt. Not only can she barely take care of herself, now she also has to look out for Gia. Rue can’t stand to see Gia make the same bad decisions as her. It seems like picking the wrong crowd might run in the family.

Relationship Status... something of a mess. Rue got off to a bad start and hasn’t really recovered since. In the past, she had a habit of getting involved with boys she didn’t really like. She was definitely promiscuous, with drugs frequently playing some sort of role. Now her love life is a bit more complicated, as she’s slowly falling for her best friend Jules -- who is after Nate. Jules was the one who told Rue to stop using drugs. There had always been a tension between them, but watching Jules go after Nate became too much for Rue. They did share that awkward kiss one night -- but Jules assured her they could just act like it never happened. For now, they’re playing it cool.

Challenge... staying sober, finding meaning in her life, and tending to her mental health. Rue’s challenges run deep, and involve recurring issues from her past. Her drug use has always been linked to her troubles with anxiety. She’s been overprescribed and under-supervised her entire life. For Rue, drugs have always been linked to self-medicating some sort of physical or mental pain. If she’s going to really flourish into the person she’s meant to be, she’ll have to tend to those underlying wounds first. Anything else will feel like a band-aid on a broken leg.

Personality... searching and mercurial. Rue has the strangest mix of wisdom and totally self-destructive impulses. It’s probably since she’s seen so much in her few years. Obviously, she’s had her regretful moments, moments where she’s lashed out and alienated people who want the best for her. But she’s still got the spark that attracts people to her. Once she lets you into her circle, she’s a funny, deadpan, sarcastic person who really doesn’t take herself all that seriously. Will she able to stop isolating herself long enough to let the right people in?