Shawna Greene has been Cassandra Economos‘ best friend since sixth grade. They make a blood pact, binding them as sisters. Born in 1979, Shawna is a foster child who is raised by the Muellers. She was abandoned as a newborn outside Whitehouse County Courthouse, and her name is a play on the guy who found her, Shawn Green. She longs for a family of her own and hopes to have kids someday.
While no one knows her exact heritage, Shawna is teased in school for being biracial. She also is the only one among her friends not to have a boyfriend in high school, which she attributes to her background.
She attends Oehrlein School of Cosmetology in Peoria and gets her cosmetology certificate in 1998. After graduation, she works multiple jobs to pay the rest and make ends meet.
She dates Glen in 1998, Chad in 1999/2000, and Spencer in 2000.
Shawna moves to Vienna-on-the-Lake in 2003 to be closer to Cassie. A few months later, she meets Jason Wright whom she marries on July 16, 2005. The couple have two daughters, Alyssa born in August 2006 and Mia born in August 2009.
In 2019, Shawna takes an ancestry DNA and learns her background. She is of Norwegian, German, Irish, Afro-Mexican and Nahuas decent. Her mother is named Debbie Grimsrud and lives in DeWitt, Iowa, about 48 miles from Sterling. Her father is Francisco Maldonado, a Mexican migrant worker. They were 15 and 20 when they met and gave a newborn Shawna up because Debbie’s parents disapproved of the relationship.
Born in April 1979 in Sterling, IL, Jennifer Anderson has been friends with Cassandra since the sixth grade.
Following her father’s infidelity in 1993, Jennifer moved 15 house down from Cassandra with her mom and younger sisters, Jessica and Courtney. Her parents divorced that same year, and her father left with his girlfriend for a job in a different part of the state. He will not see his daughters again until 2002. Mrs. Anderson, with no other means to support her household, accepted a position as a vet tech at Tiffany’s dad’s veterinary practice.
In high school, Jennifer expressed bitterness over what happened with her parents. She started dating Ryan Brunner in 1995 and loses her virginity to him. She became convinced he would leave after he got what he wanted. However, the couple doesn’t break up until the summer 1997.
Jennifer’s first jobs were in retail, so she could afford new clothing and shoes.
Jennifer attended Western Illinois University, studying education and pursuing multiple trustless relationships with men. Her college friends were Tara, Marlee and Carlee.
In 1999, she began dating Phil Economos, whom she’d been attracted to since high school. They married in May 2001 and have two children, Grace in 2004 and Ethan in 2007.
Jen Castillo has been friends with Cassandra since the sixth grade.
Born in February 1979 in Sterling, IL, her dad’s a cop and her mom’s a lunch lady at one of the elementary schools where her presence embarrasses Jen’s younger siblings.
In high school, Jen’s worst subject is math, and she is the first of her friends to get a car. She starts dating Daniel Patel and loses her virginity to him a short time later.
After high school graduation, she and Cassandra have their belly buttons pierced.
She attends Roosevelt University’s Peoria campus, studying education. While there, she becomes interested in health and fitness, and begins dating Mike Hernandez who introduces her to sex toys.
Jen and Mike become engaged in 2002, and they marry the following year. They have two children. Jen runs a daycare out of her home.
Jenny Shapiro has been friends with Cassandra since kindergarten, and they were best friends until sixth grade.
Born in 1979 in Sterling, IL, she is the first of her friends to get a boyfriend and the first to lose her virginity. Dating her boyfriend, Derek Albrecht, causes a feud between Karen King and Jenny.
A bit on the girly side, Jenny works at Blockbuster. Her mom works as a receptionist, and her dad works for Wahl on the second shift. She has an older brother.
Jenny has a hormone imbalance that required her to start taking birth control bills in eighth grade. She hates the annual doctor’s exam required to keep her prescription up-to-date.
After high school graduation, Jenny marries Derek so she can follow him overseas. A few days later, they leave for Georgia where he undergoes U.S. Army training. He is later stationed in Germany where Jenny struggles to learn the language.
In Summer 2000, Jenny decides to go off her birth control to determine if she still has a hormone imbalance. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to twin boys in March 2001.
Jenny and Derek divorce in 2002, and she moves back to Sterling. Jenny becomes a bitter divorcee, not dating again until 2007. Eventually, she marries a man named Dunn and has a daughter.
Tiffany Petrova has been friends with Cassandra since the sixth grade.
Born in 1979 in Sterling, IL, Tiffany’s father is a veterinarian and her mother a homemaker. Her home is much nicer than her friends’. She has two brothers who are in elementary school.
Tiffany is a feminist, and her views have scared away guys. Her heroine is Gloria Steinem. She believes a woman should only have a man in her life because she wants one, not because she needs one.
She loses her virginity in high school to Patrick Roper who is a fellow member of the track team.
She attends the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studying photographer. There, she meets Dennis, another photographer, and in 1998 moves in with him.
Tiffany slowly drifts away from her high school friends, disagreeing with them on such topics as marriage and children.
Born in 1979 in Sterling, IL, Kelly Williams has five piercing in each ear.
At Sterling High School, she is on the majorette team with Cassandra. They are co-captains senior year. She loses her virginity to Vince. When her mother finds out about the relationship, she makes Kelly go on birth control.
She attends the University of Illinois where she studies business and rooms with Cassandra. Their friendship deepens during freshman year. In 1999, Kelly changes her major to nursing.
Kelly begins dating Shane Schneckly in 1997. The pair break up and begin dating again senior year.
After graduation, Kelly accepts a job offer at Pavilion hospital in Champaign. She eventually marries Shane, and they move to Indianapolis in 2004.
Dawn Reed is a friend of Cassandra’s at the University of Illinois. Dawn’s major is marketing.
Raised in a single parent household, Dawn’s teenage years were rough. Her dad died when she was young, and her mom worked to support her and her older brother. After her grandmother also died, her brother became a drug addict. The family didn’t have medical insurance and used free clinics. Dawn views college as a way to better her life.
Dawn has two sides: the nerd who wears glasses and is serious about her studies, and the sex freak. She lost her virginity to her brother’s druggie friends when she was 15 , and her sexuality is the only way she feels powerful. Very promiscuous, she doesn’t know how many partners she’s had. In addition, she owns a dildo and a vibrator. Dawn has an abortion in 1999 and undergoes a series of STD treatments. She calls the experience a “wake up call” and changes her behavior. She also has an IUD insert, which produces side effects.
Dawn says she knows someone with a fake ID who buys alcohol. She once tried to purchase beer herself but looks a bit too youthful to pass for 21.
Dawn meets Joel Schwartz in 2000. She gets to know him first before telling him about her history.
After graduation, she receives a permanent job offer from the marketing firm where she was interning senior year.
She eventually marries Joel, and they have three daughters, Dalia, Ariella and Rina. In 2023, she’s working in the communications department of a local women’s rights organization in Chicago.
Sarah Nguyen is one of Cassandra‘s friends at the University of Illinois. Sarah’s major is physical therapy.
A first generation American, Sarah grew up in a family that speaks English only in public. She reverts to Vietnamese whenever she’s shocked, angry or upset. Her father’s a doctor who helped the Americans during the war and fled Saigon with his family at the end of the conflict. Vietnamese are very traditional, and Sarah and Cassandra share many conversations about their feisty grandmothers and strict parents.
Petite like Cassandra, Sarah does weight training and can bench press her own weight.
She puts herself through school by waitressing.
Sarah begins dating Sean Kim in 1999. They marry in July 2001.
After graduation, she accepts a physical therapist position at a clinic in Geneva.
Leah Lewis is one of Cassandra’s friends at the University of Illinois. Leah’s major is broadcasting.
Born in Morris, IL, in 1979, Leah dreams of living in an area with more ethnic diversity.
Her boyfriend of three years, Tyrone, follows her to U of I but drops out at the end of freshman year, giving her an ultimatum — chose him or her future career.
Leah is known for her fashion sense.
She puts herself through college by waiting tables.
She meets Graham Baker in 1999 and begins a long distance relationship with him after graduation.
She accepts a position as a field reporter at KBJR in Superior, Wisconsin. Her goal is to eventually return to Illinois and work for an affiliate at a major metro.
April Conroy is one of Cassandra’s friends at the University of Illinois. April’s major is computer science.
Raised in a strict Evangelical family in Tennessee, April attends school in Illinois to meet people from different backgrounds and find her own identity. She is a virgin and often asks her friends sex-related questions. She eventually loses her virginity to Tim Muffler in Spring 1999.
She has a married older sister.
April has a pierced tongue and long, shapely legs. She likes sushi and is pro-life.
She works to put herself through college.
After graduation, she accept a job in Memphis as a computer network administrator.
She and Tim become engaged in 2004.