Behind the Net

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use, mental illness, and sexual content.

Pippa Hartley is a protagonist and point-of-view narrator. She is two years younger than Jamie and was two classes behind him in high school. She had a crush on him at that time, drawn by his physical appearance, but felt that as a good-looking, popular, confident athlete, he was out of her league. Pippa says of herself, “I was the dorky music girl, always hanging with the band kids” (10). She was friends with Zach Hanson, who was in her class at school and also interested in music. In 10th grade, Zach demonstrated his interest in a romantic relationship, and Pippa reciprocated. She remained involved with him in college and after that, spent two years following Zach as he toured performing his music.

Pippa has sparkling blue-gray eyes, freckles, and hair that’s a caramel color between brown and blonde. Her voice is expressive and can be a bit raspy, which adds interest to her singing. She enjoys writing music, but her confidence took a hit when Zach and his manager laughed at a song she performed for them.