Characterization of Heather

Heather is the main character in the short story “Winona Forever” by Leesa Cross-Smith. She is a teenage girl and is a big fan of the actress Winona Ryder and cuts her hair to look like her character in the movie Reality Bites. This suggests that Heather is at a moment in her life when she looks to others for influence and inspiration. She is still developing and has not yet grown into her own personality.

Heather is also in the process of discovering her sexuality. She has romantic feelings for both Crystal and Tristan. She makes out with both, but hesitates when it comes to losing her virginity. This shows that she is aware that she has not reached the maturity for sex yet. Her feelings for Crystal appear to be very strong, but she also wants to be with Tristan. This suggests that she is confused and not yet ready to face her sexuality. 

Heather changes her mind about having sex when she sees Crystal and Jamie are ready to take it to the next level. Heather’s main motivation when she decides to have sex with Tristan is to have another experience in common with Crystal:

That quick, I decided I was tired of waiting and I wanted to lose my virginity with Crystal in the same house, so we could talk about it...