Courtney Smith is another one of the freshman. We learn early in the book that she is into Brendon. They go out for a while, but break up when they aren’t on the same grounds of what they want out of the relationship. They still stay friends though. Courtney is part of what they call the “Smokers and the Skippers.” She sees school as a place for making friends. She would rather be any place but school, except home.

Courtney is the sister of Ann. Neither of them get along with their mom and stepfather. Courtney is never really punished though. She whines about it and gets let off. Her parents know Courtney’s flaws, but choose to ignore them. They pretend like nothing is going on with her.

One of the big issues with Courtney is sex. It’s something she dreads and wants to get out of the way. With her boyfriend Nat, he seems to understand that it’s not something she wants to do, but forces it upon her in one way or another. Soon after the event they break up. She’s relieved she got it out of the way. She just saw it as a stepping stone into the real world.

Courtney wants to move in with her real dad. The problem is that her mother and stepfather don’t want her to. All in the same breath, they’ll tell her that she is forced to though. They do this as some kid of a threat to her. She hopes that she can go live with him though. The life she is living in Reston is hard on her. Her stepfather beats her. She doesn’t get it as bad as Ann though.

Courtney seems to have a turn around. Her priorities seem to change as she develops a grasp on reality. Many of her habits stay the same, but she realizes that school is essential. She is now looking into college and what she needs to accomplish. She just hopes that it isn’t too late.