My Cousin's Keeper/Spike Luger

Spike is Tess's friend in The Last New Start. He initially doesn't know that she is being babied, but may become a caregiver to some degree later.

Lifestyle

His lives on the south side of Raybridge, far from Palmerston. When he's had problems with his stepfather and brothers in the past, he has been known to spend a lot of time with friends; even couch-surfing for a week at a time. It's noted that some time last year, he stayed in the Naylors' spare room for four days without Duke realising he was absent.

Trish Naylor in particular has treated him like a son, trying to ensure that he has some semblance of s stable family life even if they weren't his actual family. When they were away, they were happy for him to stay so that he and Tess weren't alone in the house; the odds of sleeping through the alarm are lower if there's two of them going to school together. They never worried about Tess being home alone with a boy because John was certain Spike is gay.

Gabby doesn't trust him at all, immediately seeing him as a rival because he reminds her of her ex, Kieran.

Ffrances connects with him more, recognising the struggle of someone who doesn't fit into the home that he's been put in. She offers him a chance to stay in her office, where there is a space occasionally available to non-resident clients who she feels are vulnerable. Not sure whether this will be a long-term thing.

Personality

Spike uses humour as a coping mechanism when he is worried. He can put on a few different accents, and will often address a stressful situation as if he is some character archetype. His favourites include confused Russian tourist, angry celebrity chef, and stoic mafia boss. As long as people are laughing with him, he doesn't worry so much about the actual problem.

He's very resilient, and has got used to looking after himself. Not particularly good at sports but has high stamina. He is also good with words; knowing how to put people off balance. He is very good at understanding the line between edgy teasing and something that will actually hurt someone; and he only crosses it in the case of people who are bullying someone else.

Family

• Shawna - (mother) Worries about Spike when he's not at home
• Duke - (stepfather) Married Shawna 6 years ago. Calls her 'princess', and if he thinks she's upset he'll take it out on Spike regardless of the reason
• Walt - (possibly a stepbrother?) A drunk, prone to random acts of violence if he doesn't get what he wants. Curses constantly.
• Brad - (younger brother, possibly illegitimate?) When he's home alone, Spike is scared of getting under his feet and makes an excuse to be elsewhere. This is probably because a day home alone always involves some kind of narcotics and he can be very unpredictable
• Nik - (younger half-brother) 6yo

When Spike's father died, the family had very different coping mechanisms. Older brother Brad decided that his dad had 'failed' and went off the rails, drinking and stealing. Shawna couldn't cope with trying get him to behave, and turned to drugs. A year later she married her dealer, Duke Cale. Theoretically the kids took their stepfather's surname, but Spike refuses to use it.

Appearance

Spike is a little scruffy. He has dark hair that looks something like a mop, cut unevenly. He has been trying to grow a beard, but can't really manage more than a little fluff. He's a year younger than Tess, so has 2 years of high school left. His uniform is worn but still usable; he seems to only have 2 shirts, one of which has a small burn on the collar which he refuses to tell anyone how it happened.

Has a battered bomber jacket. Gabby sees him as muscular, bigger than Tess, and slightly taller than Ffrances.