What's in a Name?

Cade Zimmermann

Cade Zimmermann- Welsh (mother); German/Irish (father); Cade Zimmermann is a cynical and antisocial student at Mia Vasquez-Rivera's high school who is known for his love of anime and gaming. A quiet soul, he is practical, articulate and wise beyond his years and doesn't conform to societal expectations or what is asked of him. He admits that he has previously been to anger management, which allows him to understand that the world is a rather complex place. He knows the difference between goth, vamp and emo, but boasts that he would gladly choose goth any day, showing a fascination with the band Sisters of Mercy. Cade is a deeply sensitive individual on the inside who tends to repress much of what he feels and projects himself in a stoic manner around those he does not know. Following his parents' turbulent divorce, he developed severe trust issues and became skeptical of those whom offered him affection. He is very keen on loyalty and is easily triggered by dishonesty, which leads him to be guarded and display an air of apathy publicly. He was closest to his mother growing up and was the often overlooked middle child of three siblings, having somewhat of a rivalry with his older brother Monroe. Cade does well academically and is especially proficient when it comes to mathematics, which results in him repeatedly making the honor roll at school. He had an interest in becoming a veterinarian and despite his prickly demeanor, shows a compassionate side when it comes to animals. He spends much of his free time researching factoids about Japanese culture and is a particularly big fan of Persona 5, while likening himself to the character "L" from Death Note. 

He grew up in San Antonio, TX and currently lives with his father, younger brother Knox and stepmother, as his relationship with his biological mother became somewhat strained. Cade tends to be a logical person who sees the world through a detached perspective, which causes him to have a bit of trouble with open displays of emotion. He describes himself as a nihilist and tends to have a rather introspective side to his personality that motivates him to reflect on the deeper questions of life. He tends to have a strange way of expressing his love for others, often not being able to control what comes out of his mouth. When all else fails however, he will often ask themselves, "What would Brian Boitano do?", and he relies upon his closest friend Stirling, whom he has known since second grade for comfort. It is also suggested that Cade is secretly a closeted pansexual who is in love with his transgender friend Sora, despite his constant denial of his attraction to the same sex due to his own distorted value system. He confesses that he likes "weird people" and is charmed by Sora's quirks, implying that he had developed a "crush" on her after several occasions of hanging out at his house. He is also close friends with Merissa Lovato, with whom he participates in Karate classes and can often be found in her company during lunch. He likewise shows a strong ability for learning languages, having participated in both the Spanish and German clubs at his school. Cade greatly admires his brother Monroe, who works a part time shift at a gas station while taking night classes at a community college. He is the keyboardist in his brother's rock band, the Mecca Drive, and turns to him for advice regarding his budding interest in the opposite sex. 

He often regards Knox as being spoiled however and tends to resent him slightly for demanding so much of his mother's attention. He frequently goes on road trips with his father and his stepfamily and has driven through various states with him, most notably Nebraska to visit his uncle after the birth of his baby cousin. Cade's mother also shows concern for him and worries about whether he is eating properly, causing her to encourage him to eat yogurt and other nutritious foods due to his unhealthy diet. He takes vitamin supplements on a daily basis and has check-ups with his primary care physician every few months to check his iron levels. He enjoys Mexican cuisine however and claims that he loves spicy food, leading him to be a frequent consumer at Chipotle. He also prefers the taste of vanilla to chocolate, which he generally tends to show a dislike for unless he is eating dark chocolate. Cade later became exposed to some bad influences and once tried pot when he was in the 9th grade, and he usually goes out wearing long-sleeved shirts. He went for a few months without speaking with his mother and tended to stare out his car window whenever there were any family reunions. He can be a little more insecure than Stirling is at times and is shown to have some pockmarks on his face from his teenage years. He also abhors gym class and once received a detention slip from choosing to read a book rather than do pull ups as assigned by his instructor. Cade first meets Mia Vasquez-Rivera during his sophomore year of high school, when she feels an instant attraction to him due to likening his appearance to that of an original character she had written for a story. He comes across as difficult to get to know, with Merissa stating that it is "virtually impossible" for much of anyone to get a word out of him. 

She first sees him with his signature red hoodie, along with his longish brown hair that covered one of his eyes, a hazel shade that she found "dreamy". She proceeds to fixate on him to the point where she takes  "bathroom breaks" simply to see him during his lunch period and talk to him in the hallway. Mia goes on to pursue what appears to be a one-sided friendship with Cade, who finds her a bit odd but well-meaning at first and happens to have Spanish class the period after hers. She rambles on to her best friend Hannah Quigley about her attraction to Cade, which Hannah warns her against after claiming that she probably wasn't his type and that he almost seemed "dark". Her good friend Micah Drury feels a pang of jealousy upon rumors spreading throughout the school about a budding "romance" between her and Cade, having yet to resolve his unrequited feelings for her. Cade in the meantime becomes increasingly annoyed by her persistence in trying to become a part of his life, causing him to react passive-aggressively and joke to his friends that she was a "stalker". Despite his indifference to her, Cade is genuinely impressed by the amount of effort Mia puts into writing a love confession for him, but rejects her the week after spring break due to not feeling a spark. This leads her to feel a bit hurt, although she is still sympathetic to him and tries to give him advice regarding his personal life, meanwhile Merissa, a known troublemaker, begins to orchestrate a vicious plot against her with Karen Roberts, an adopted girl from China in revenge for coming between her and Cade. She and Cade ultimately have a falling out when he humiliates her in front of their classmates while waiting for the school bus one day and tells her he hated being her friend, making her cry. She impulsively calls him a coward, which deeply offends him and results in his refusing further contact with her and slamming the door in her face. 

Hannah later consoles Mia and tells her that she knew this was going to happen, empathizing with her best friend and realizing just how degrading his actions were to her. She defends her from Karen's and Merissa's lies about her, whereas her mother becomes livid at Mia's rash decision-making and inability to read the subtle signs that Cade did not truly want to be her friend. Upon seeing Merissa's true colors and realizing how much of a toxic individual she was, he decides to cut her out of his life and unfollows her on social media. His experiences led him to reconsider many aspects of his life and helped him understand how broken he is on the inside, causing him to have a heartfelt conversation with his mother and reconcile with her. Cade is a tall young man who stands at around 6 ft 0 in tall and has stringy, shoulder-length brown hair that partially covers his face, deep-set hazel eyes, and a light skin tone. He has a prominent nose and formerly wore braces when he was in middle school, and he develops an average build  by the time he reaches late adolescence. He comes to terms with the fact that he is definitely straight upon admitting to having strong feelings for a girl named Jocelyn whom he knew when he was younger and considers his past interest in Sora to have been motivated by a moment of confusion. He goes on to pursue a short-lived relationship with a girl named Wren who shares many of his alternative interests whom he meets while working part-time at a technology store at his university. Cade is fond of the television series Doctor Who and will often watch it with his father and his brothers during his free time. He also used to watch Teen Titans as a kid and enjoys sitting through episode of Mythbusters, having a love for solving mysteries and learning new factoids for fun. 

He attends a Black Veil Brides concert at one point and mentions that he idolizes Andy Sixx, the lead vocalist and he likes to listen to music from Wolfsheim as well. Additionally, he loves going to comic con with his closest friends and sometimes likes to design his own costumes for cosplay. Cade also has a cousin named Charisse of partial African American descent who lives in New Mexico that he is fairly close to. He takes after his father in terms of looks and will often help him in his workshop whenever he gets the chance, realizing that he is good at working with his hands. One of his biggest pet peeves is when his younger brother, who plays for the school band, plays the trumpet loudly in the basement when he is trying to practice. He may not be a born leader, but he can always be counted on to make life a little more interesting and knows how to stand out in a crowd. Cade opts out of attending college to pursue a major in animal science and instead goes on to study mathematics, after which he is employed as a teaching assistant at a public school. He graduates magna cum laude and ultimately goes on a trip to Amsterdam one year in order to visit the Anne Frank House. He becomes roommates with Stirling throughout his twenties and comes to regard him as a "brother", as well as one of the few people he feels gets him. He likewise begins experimenting with different hair colors and dyes his hair blue, which momentarily causes him to cut it short and have it regrow again. Cade considers his pet dog Spike, a Dalmatian to be his best friend and becomes somewhat kinder as he maintains closer ties with his family. He moves to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he works temporarily as a bank teller before he gets hired for a job as an eighth grade math teacher. INTJ 5w4