Heartstopper: Volume One

A brief prologue introduces Charlie Spring, the protagonist, a 14-year-old boy with dark, curly hair. He meets up with Ben, the boy he has been seeing, so they can kiss before class. Charlie does not seem overly interested in Ben. It is the beginning of January at the Truham Grammar School for Boys, and Charlie is in a new vertical class arrangement for registration. His teacher there, Mr. Lange, is friendly and outgoing. He seats Charlie next to Nicholas (Nick) Nelson, a tall, muscular, blonde-haired boy who is a year older than Charlie, and the novel begins as the two look at each other with curiosity. Fall leaves circle through the expository pages, indicating that a big change is in the air.

Charlie and Nick say hi to each other. On his way home from school, Charlie notices Nick’s smile as Nick and his friends walk nearby, but Charlie says nothing. Nick always seems to be smiling and says hi to Charlie each morning, but Charlie is shy and thinks Nick must be bullying him or playing some kind of prank. He worries that Nick assumes he is “just going to hit on him or something” (14). On Day 4, Nick’s pen explodes all over him, and he asks Charlie for a tissue. Mr. Lange instructs Nick to go clean up and Charlie to go with him to open the doors for him. In the bathroom, Nick apologizes. He smiles awkwardly at Charlie and starts asking him about his other classes. The boys start joking together when the ink refuses to wash off. The bell rings and Charlie checks his phone to see several messages from Ben wondering why Charlie never showed up for their meetup. He calls Charlie useless. Charlie looks up from his phone to see Nick smiling at him and asking to be friends. He reaches out with an ink-covered hand illustrated to show leaves floating off his fingertips.

Charlie’s friend Tao Xu is skeptical of the new friendship between Charlie and Nick, pointing out how different they are. He sees Nick as a meathead and not someone Charlie should befriend. He also knows Charlie has a crush on him, even though Charlie never said so. On his way home that day, Charlie sees Ben with a girl, and they are holding hands. He feels used and betrayed and texts Ben that night to tell him he does not want to meet up anymore. When Ben spams messages asking why, Charlie ignores him.

Charlie is the fastest runner in his year. When he is running far ahead of the class one morning, Nick spots him and is shocked. He becomes distracted from the game he is playing, and Charlie notices. Ben confronts Charlie in the hallway later, angry that he has been ignoring him for two weeks. Charlie tries to brush him off, but Ben grabs Charlie by the collar. Thankfully, Nick walks in, unsure what is going on. Ben walks away, not wanting anyone to find out that he is gay. Nick asks Charlie why he would be friends with Ben since he is “kind of a dick” (39), and Charlie lies, saying he just helps him with his homework. When Nick tells Charlie he needs to talk to him about something, Charlie envisions Nick confessing his love for Charlie, but instead he asks Charlie to join the rugby team. Charlie does not know how to play, but Nick insists he will teach him. The bell rings, and Charlie is late for his drum lesson. He assures Nick he will think about joining the team.

Nick’s teammates wonder about Charlie as a choice for their team. They call him a stick, they point out that he is gay, asking if he even likes sports. Charlie walks into the locker room at that moment, with a shy grin on his face. Nick is happy to see him. They walk out to the field, and Miss Singh, the P. E. teacher, tells Nick to help Charlie learn the game. The boys practice catching and throwing. Nick congratulates Charlie on a perfect pass and squeezes his cheeks endearingly. As he turns away, Charlie grins. Next, Charlie tries to tackle Nick, and the boys end up on the ground together for a moment. A week later, one of the rugby teammates comments on how Charlie is learning quickly, noting, “All I knew about him was that he’s gay” (62). Nick points out that being gay has nothing to do with being good or bad at sports. Charlie is fitting into the team. He is popular in other areas of school, and it seems to come naturally to him. Charlie asks Nick if any of the boys like him at all or even want him on the team. When Nick says he likes Charlie, Charlie repeats the words over and over in his head. Nick checks out Charlie as he is changing in the locker room, hinting that he likes him.

Ben texts Charlie, begging him to meet up to talk. Charlie reluctantly agrees. When he gets there, Ben starts making fun of him and then begins to approach him. Charlie tells him to back off, but Ben says he thinks Charlie is just afraid of getting caught. Charlie points out that everyone already knows he is gay and that it is actually Ben who is scared. He accuses Ben of using him and not caring about him. Ben grabs Charlie’s hands and slams him against the wall. He starts kissing Charlie against his will, and even though Charlie asks him to stop multiple times, Ben continues. Charlie begins to cry, but Nick appears and intervenes. He grabs Ben and pushes him away, yelling at him to get off. Ben walks away angry, and Nick tells Charlie he was worried about him, so he followed him into the music room. Charlie starts apologizing, embarrassed, and Nick tries to make a joke to help Charlie feel better. He pats Charlie on the back and walks him out of the school. The two boys part ways for the day, smiling at one another, but Charlie still feels embarrassed. Nick’s mother picks him up, but when she tries to talk to him, he is too distracted thinking about Charlie to respond properly.