Character Interview: Cole from Bitter End

As much as I love interviewing hot boys, I recently had the chance to interview a guy who, while hot, is also a little harder to get behind. Why? Because despite the fact that there are good things about him, this particular boy also has a habit of hitting his girlfriend. I have to admit, this was a more challenging, but really interesting interview to do. And with that, I bring you Cole from Jennifer Brown's Bitter End.


What was it about Alex that first drew her to you, out of all the girls at your new school?

There was a certain shyness about Alex that I really liked. Not to say she was an easy mark or anything so sinister, but just that I'd been with some girls in the past who were kind of all about wanting to be with the "hot athlete," and that gets old really fast. There's always this pressure to perform, perform, perform. I was getting it at home, I got it at school, I got it from my coaches, I got it from everywhere. But I didn't get it from Alex. Plus we had a similar sense of humor, and with her being a poet, I knew I could talk to her about my songs and she wouldn't think it was stupid. She brought out a side of me I was afraid to show other people in my life. Alex was...no, is something special.

While many readers can understand your dislike of Zack, the male best friend of your girlfriend, what is it about Bethany that sets you so on edge?

It's impossible to separate those two, Bethany and Zack. She may have seemed like she was just innocently hanging out in the background, but she was fueling things behind the scenes. She was talking to Zack, talking to Alex, trying to convince everyone that I was bad for Alex from the very beginning. She didn't like me. It was a vibe I got. And the feeling was mutual. The three of them...they're like an steel triangle. You can't penetrate it, and if you try, they try all the harder to hold you out. I just wanted to be with Alex. They kept me from that, every chance they got. They tried to turn Alex against me every chance they got. If Bethany would have just left us alone, I would have had no problem with her.

How much of your home life do you think contributes to your actions?

I guess I don't have the best home life. I don't really have much of a mom. My dad's kind of always in our faces. But I'm not going to go around crying into my beer about it. Nobody has a so-called perfect home life. This wasn't about my home life. This was about my relationship with Alex and it's complicated and I can't just point to Brenda and say, "Oh, she's the reason I am the way I am." I'm not some little wimp who always needs to blame someone for their mistakes. My home life is fine. Let's just leave it at that.

Who is your role model?

Wow, that's a tough question. I'm not sure I have one. I never really thought about that before now.

If you could say one thing to Alex, what would it be?

I'm so, so sorry. But I've said it before. She doesn't believe me anymore. I guess I can't really blame her at this point. But that doesn't make it any less true.

Knowing the impression of you readers will likely leave with, considering your role in the book, what would you want to say to them?

I know it sounds impossible, but I really do love Alex. I always will.


Thank you, Cole, for taking your time out, and thanks for Jennifer sharing!

Make sure you guys all check out Bitter End, out now. It's powerful but fantastically well done, and definitely a must