It's been a few months since Feasting with a Silver Spoon finished up so here are a few refreshers.
Jack Pierce - 15. Attends Porter-Gaud, a private college prep school. Typical SAT scores are more than 300 points higher than national average. Tuition last year was $30K.
Christie Pierce - Jack's mom. Married twice. She divorced Victor Strzok when Jack was little. Married Ronnie Pierce, who provided for the family financially, but spent little time with them. He died young. Christie is engaged to Dane Isdris
Dane - Yankee. Cardio pulmonary surgeon at MUSC. Moved south to Charleston a couple of years ago.
Franklin Pierce - Jack's brother - older by 10 years and recently married to Karen.
Sally Hinkleman - Jack's first love. Her father moved the family to Nashville. This didn't go over well with Sally or Jack.
Kim McTighe - Jack's second girlfriend. 16, and a junior at Porter-Gaud. She's perfect. You can ask anyone.
Pat and Mary McTighe - Kim's grandparents. Kim's biological parents and older sister died in a car crash. Her grandparents have been raising her.
Veronica - Christie Pierce's good friend. Recently went through a divorce. (She hit on Jack and Kim let her know he was off-limits. Their relationship has improved tremendously).
Melanie Middleton - Kim's best friend and fellow cheerleader.
Bobby Claire - Jack's friend and fellow swimmer.
Lori Newsome, Lisa, Allie, and Annie are fellow cheerleaders.
Vince Delinger - Porter-Gaud graduate and former QB.
Doctor Hank Legare - Dane's good friend, orthopedic surgeon and a bit of a health guru.
Coach Miller - Swim coach
With the departure of Sally, and new romance with Kim, they have been through an emotional wringer. Recently, Kim and Jack were T-boned by a drunk driver. Kim's parents were killed by a drunk driver. Kim and Jack both spent time in the hospital. Both have a very dim view of drinking.
This is not a typical cast of characters. The neighbors are affluent and Porter-Gaud is very definitely an elite school with highly motivated students. The standards are very high. Within that environment, someone rises to the top. I understand that this environment is very unusual for some readers to get their arms around. It is, however, very real.
I hope this helps those who've read the first story get back on track. For those that haven't, this will not be enough to bring you up to speed.