Charlie Zimmer

**Charlotte "Charlie" Zimmer** is a major character in Season 1 of Ward University. She is portrayed by starring cast member Serendipitia and debuts in the series premiere, Freshmen.

A pink-haired punk-rock girl with a heart of gold and a potty mouth, Charlie studies Music at Ward University and has dreams of playing bass in a rock band for a living. Coming from a rough breakup, she swore to herself she would steer clear of relationships for a while, but she's bound to find out it's way easier said than done.

During the first season of the show, she's faced with the difficulties of starting a band with her childhood best friend, Travis Lockhart, as well as keeping the band together while facing her unwanted feelings towards the band's vocalist - and her roommate - Candy Ward.

## Early Life

Charlie was born and raised in Britechester by a single mother. She met Travis in high school and the two have been best friends ever since. She used to have an overly obsessed girlfriend before moving to Ward University, but they've broken up since.

Not much else is known about her early life at this point.

## Throughout the Series

* Season 1
* Season 2

Episode 1: Freshmen

One of the first scenes of the show sees Charlie and Travis watching the news about Thorne Bailey's recent escape together, and commenting on his character - Charlie stating that she always hated the man, while Travis taunts her for owning all of his albums. Soon after that, Travis says he needs to leave to meet his significant others, and Charlie protests since they had plans to have a college movie marathon to get ready to leave for school the day after. The two have a short banter session about Charlie's unpacked bags and Travis's polyamorous life style, then Travis leaves.

Right before leaving for university, Charlie is seen fighting with her mother, but it is unclear what they're fighting over.

When Charlie and Travis arrive to Ward University, they join a group of freshmen lounging in the hallways. Shortly thereafter, the students start whispering to each other, as four extremely beautiful and somewhat arrogant women sashay in the spotlight - namely Candy Ward, Lori Caberera, Mei Ji, and Drusilla Clemonte. The crowd starts taking pictures and videos of them like fans with their favourite celebrities, as Travis introduces the four girls to Charlie through a "character introduction montage". Charlie doesn't seem too impressed by the girls' attitudes, and as they leave, Charlie and Candy are seen staring daggers at each other.

Later, Charlie and Travis walk to Travis's dorm room and meet Travis's roommate for the year: Raymond Stainfield. Both Charlie and Travis take an instant liking to this shy, awkward guy and his dancing skills. Not too long after this, as Charlie is inspecting her room, her new roommate walks in: Candy Ward. Both seem disappointed by the discovery, but Charlie moreso than Candy at first. Candy then calls her mother to complain about the situation, but Judith quickly dismisses her temper tantrum and Charlie taunts her about it, before leaving her alone in the room to go meet up with Travis.

Charlie and Travis hang a "musicians wanted" ad on the student bulletin board and Charlie regrettably informs Travis about her new roommate. Travis seems excited about Charlie getting to know someone as famous as Candy Ward, claiming it would make the year way more interesting than he imagined.

That night, at the freshmen party, Charlie and Travis are seen doing keg stands with Raymond - who gets extremely drunk. As Raymond starts dancing on a table, Charlie takes a mental note to never let him drink again.

Episode 2: What Are You Doing Here?

For their first class, Charlie and Travis meet Lex Reaves, one of their professors for the year. As professor Reaves has a mental breakdown in front of his students, Travis gives Charlie some context about Reaves's tormented past and failed music career. Charlie expresses her skepticism over being taught music by a failed musician.

On a different day, Charlie and Travis meet another one of their professors: Yaritza Mabry. She's covering for professor Reaves due to his previous mental breakdown. When Lori visits the classroom to ask prof. Mabry for private singing lessons, Charlie taunts her for a bit. After class, her and Travis ask prof. Mabry if there's any spare room they could use for rehearsals for the band they're trying to start. Prof. Mabry points them to a small rehearsal room/recording studio in the building.

Charlie and Travis start holding auditions to find new band members, but no one seems to be good enough. Charlie takes a smoke break on the school roof, and after she returns to the rehearsal room, Ezra Hunter shows up. Both Charlie and Travis are content with Ezra's audition and welcome him in their band.

Episode 3: The Auditions Begin

Charlie meets Ezra and Travis for their first rehearsals, but they inform her that Lori has kicked them out of the rehearsal room.

Later, the three of them are seen playing together in Derek's basement, after Travis convinced him to let them use it.

On the roof of Ezra's apartment building, Charlie asks Travis what's going on between him and Derek, wondering if they're together again. Travis informs her of the issues within their relationship and tells her and Ezra that he can't be with Derek romantically, but he still wishes they could be friends.

Nearing the end of the episode, Charlie reluctantly watches the musical's dance auditions together with Ezra and Travis, stating she doesn't care about musicals and considers them dumb.

Episode 4: Flashbacks

Charlie is seen attending a music class, where both prof. Reaves and prof. Mabry talk about the musical's auditions results.

In the cafeteria, Charlie and Travis talk about the upcoming Halloween ball and who they're going to invite. As Travis wonders whether he can bring both his partners, Tati and Nadeem, Charlie asks if he has considered inviting Derek, to which he replies no. Charlie then states she's planning on going solo, as she's taking a break from relationships given how bad her last relationship was. She adds she had to change her phone number ten times due to her ex-girlfriend's obsessive nature.

Some time later, in her and Candy's room, Charlie witnesses Lori, Mei, and Drusilla giving Erika lessons on how to behave to improve her chances at wooing Ryan. She intervenes, warning Erika that Lori and her friends aren't really trying to help her, but Erika doesn't believe her, so she leaves.

Later that night, Candy and Charlie are alone in their room and Candy is loudly tapping on her phone, which frustrates Charlie. The scene quickly escalates into a petty fight between the two of them about the differing artistic expressions of actors and musicians, which ends with Candy storming out. Charlie looks remorseful over her harsh words to Candy.

A few days later, Charlie is seen discussing with Ezra and Travis about the recent leak regarding some correspondence between Judith Ward and Thorne Bailey. Travis thinks Thorne and Judith might have a secret relationship, but Charlie is convinced there has to be more than that, as a secret relationship seems too trivial a reason for Judith to risk her reputation by angering the press.

Episode 5: The Halloween Dance

Travis and Charlie ask Tia about her opinion on their Halloween decorations, to which Tia admits she's impressed, but she believed the event was cancelled. Charlie clarifies that her and Travis are throwing an after-party at the dorms, giving students an opportunity to showcase their Halloween costumes after the formal dance. Shortly thereafter, Travis receives a call from Derek inviting him to the dance, and Travis accepts, but Charlie urges him to warn Derek that Tati and Nadeem will be there as well, to avoid any misunderstanding that might hurt someone's feelings.

Before the dance, Charlie angrily expresses she has no intention of going, but Travis convinces her to attend for the sake of the drama they might witness. She states she's not going to dress up, but Travis urges her to do so.

During a montage, Charlie, Ezra, and Travis are seen having a nice time while having drinks together at the dance. Later, a girl awkwardly flirts with Charlie, but Charlie ignores her.

After the Bubblegum Bitches's plan to make fun of Erika is exposed by Candy kissing Ryan in the middle of the dancefloor, Charlie approaches Candy at the bar and reprimands her about toying with Erika's emotions for no reason. Candy angrily tells Charlie to leave her alone and Charlie complies, after criticizing her tendency to push people away. A few moments later, Candy walks on the venue's stage and starts singing. Travis comments she might be a good fit for their band, to which Charlie protests.

At the after-party, Erika apologises to Charlie for not listening to her about the Bubblegum Bitches and invites her to hang out with her friends. Charlie doesn't interact much with them though, and looks miserable while drinking alone at a table. The girl from the party approaches her again, and this time Charlie gives in to her advances and they have a one-night stand in Charlie's room.

The morning after, Charlie meets Candy on the roof of the school, and they both realise they share a favourite smoking spot. Initially, Candy acts annoyed by Charlie's presence, but she turns soft when Charlie compliments her about her performance from the night before and asks her to join her band.

Episode 6: I Made You

As Charlie and Candy walk together towards Derek's house for the band's rehearsals, Charlie amicably questions Candy about choosing to study acting instead of music when she's so talented at the latter. Candy explains how her mother's always wanted her to be an actress and strongly dislikes musicians - despite being friends with many of them, including Thorne Bailey. When they arrive at Derek's house, they find him and Travis fighting about their break-up at the Halloween Dance. Derek has no intention of letting the band use his basement again, but when Candy flippantly offers to pay, he reluctantly lets them in.

Inside the basement, Charlie, Travis, and Ezra start playing some of their music for Candy to hear. When the band leaves the basement, Charlie asks Candy if she's planning on coming back for more rehearsals, and Candy says she has to think about it. As Candy's about to walk away, Charlie asks her if she wants to hang out with her for the afternoon, but Candy politely declines.

Episode 7: Harvest Fest Heist

During the Thanksgiving holidays, Charlie and Travis are seen going back to their hometown, Britechester, and meeting with one of Travis's partners, Tati, at a pub.

Episode 8: Gaslighting

Early in the morning, Charlie finds Candy sitting in the dorms' kitchen writing some song lyrics in her notebook. When Charlie questions how long Candy's been up, Candy expresses her anxiety over the upcoming musical. Charlie invites Candy to join her, Ezra, and Travis for their band's rehearsals later that evening, and Candy appears very conflicted.

In Derek's basement, Ezra asks Charlie whether Candy will be coming to the rehearsals or not, to which Charlie replies she doesn't think Candy's coming and they might need to start looking for a different vocalist. Charlie mentions the fact she barely even sees Candy at all since she started dating Ryan, as most days Candy doesn't even sleep in their room.

During a montage, Charlie is seen checking her phone for any texts from Candy. In the end, Candy does show up for the rehearsals, and Charlie stares at her in disbelief.

Episode 9: Defying Gravity

As Charlie wanders into the theatre's changing rooms looking for Travis, she stumbles instead into Candy, who is naked and covered in green paint from head to toe. Charlie is understandably embarrassed, while Candy seems to be amused by the situation and asks Charlie for help with her dress. As Charlie struggles to close the zipper on Candy's dress, Candy comments on her own stress eating habits and assumes she must've gained a few pounds. Charlie then reassures Candy, telling her she knows she's gonna do great and that her and the band believe in her. Candy then thanks her for helping her with the dress and "everything else", but Charlie awkwardly brushes her off, taken aback by her sudden burst of gratitude.

During the musical, Charlie is seen sitting next to Ezra, but he leaves her alone when he rushes away to check on Cleo after she fell on stage.

Episode 10: I Won't Be Home For Christmas

In Derek's basement, Charlie and the band are seen talking about their plans for Christmas. Candy states she hates the holidays because of her mother's insufferable parties, and complains about Ryan throwing a party as well, not wanting to hang around his douchey friends all night. When Charlie suggests she could just not go if she truly doesn't want to, Candy says she's used to doing things she doesn't feel like doing. Travis then says he will be staying at school for the holidays, stating he has some business to take care of. When he refuses to disclose the nature of such business, Charlie and the rest of the band taunt him saying no one cares about it anyway.

During a montage, Charlie is seen waiting for the bus with Candy as they both leave for the holidays.

Episode 11: If This Is Goodbye

While at home in Britechester for the holidays, Charlie receives a call from Travis saying Derek has been arrested. Charlie decides to go back to Del Sol Valley to be with her friend, despite Travis pointing out that the trip is a five-hour drive.

Later that night, Charlie arrives at the police station where Derek's being held. Travis is already there with Ezra and Cleo. Travis complains about the police not letting him in to see Derek, and shortly thereafter, the group witnesses Ryan and Gideon entering the police station. Charlie complains about the injustice of Ryan getting to just walk in while Travis can't.

When Ryan comes out of the police station after meeting with Derek, he starts taunting Charlie and her friends, to which Charlie doesn't respond kindly. Ryan then attacks Charlie out of the blue by pushing her and angrily telling her to stay out of his business. He is then called off by Gideon, and the two of them leave. When Ezra expresses his disapproval of Candy's taste in men, Charlie states she must have a thing for "psychotic fucking limp-dick arsholes". Travis then has a breakdown about Derek's fate and not being able to say goodbye to him, and Charlie reassures him he will see Derek soon. Travis tells his friends about Derek's past.

When Gideon comes back later to apologise for Ryan's behaviour, Charlie treats him coldly and is very skeptical about his sincerity, but is subsequently taken aback by Gideon's act of kindness towards Travis.

Episode 12: Crossing The Threshold

When Travis asks the band if they'd be willing to gather some money to pay for Derek's legal expenses, Charlie comments on a lawyer for Derek being useless if Derek's not going to talk. Shortly thereafter, her and Candy are seen taking a break outside the music studio they had to move their instruments in after Derek's arrest. Charlie is worried about being too blunt and crushing Travis's hope, but Candy reassures her that friends should be honest with each other. Candy then mentions missing Derek's basement, as it felt a lot more intimate than renting a room, and like a safe space from everything, which Charlie interprets as a safe space from Ryan. Charlie questions Candy about her relationship with Ryan, especially given the way he behaved with her in the previous episode. Candy dismisses Charlie's worries, stating Ryan is sometimes "a lot" but that he's also not as bad as he seems. Charlie says she'll trust Candy's judgement, but warns her that "shitty behaviour often comes from shitty people", stating she has a lot of experience with that.

One night, Candy and Charlie have a heart to heart moment in their dorm room, as Candy is sleeping there for a change - she usually sleeps with Ryan, but he's been very busy ever since Derek's arrest. Charlie helps Candy pick an outfit for the band's upcoming concert and then the two of them spend the rest of the night watching *The Kenopsia Effect* on Charlie's laptop. Charlie questions Candy about the obscene writing she found on their door as she walked in before, and Candy says it was probably Lori and her minions. Then, she comes clean to Charlie about her past relationship with Lori, and states she doesn't think Lori is mad at her anymore, and that she's just tagging along with Mei and Drusilla at this point. Later, Candy and Charlie fall asleep on the floor together in a cute spooning position.

On the night of their first concert, Charlie and Travis observe prof. Mabry and prof. Reaves sitting together in a booth, and Travis says they're probably in a relationship. Candy then approaches them, angrily looking for Ezra, as it's time for the band to hit the stage, and Charlie comments that she's going to kill him when they find him. Later, when Ezra finally joins the rest of the band, they all perform and their exhibition garners a high approval rate from the audience.

After the concert, an elated Candy is seen making plans with Charlie about what to do next, suggesting they should go to the movies or to a club together. Charlie says she needs to check in with Travis first, and leaves to find him. The two of them then talk about Derek's absence. When Charlie asks whether Travis wants to join her and Candy on their night out, Travis suggests Charlie might rather hang out with Candy alone, which embarrasses Charlie who immediately replies she doesn't. Travis then agrees to hang out, stating he really needs a drink, but when the two of them go back to meet with Candy, they see her leaving with Ryan.

Episode 13: Date Night

Charlie goes on a night out with Candy - who intends to make it up to her and Travis for standing them up after the concert - and the rest of the band. She notices Candy ignoring Ryan's calls and looks very pleased about it.

Episode 14: Spring Break

Charlie is not at all excited about Spring Break, or the annual beach party in Sulani, but Candy manages to convince her and the rest of the band to join her there through her enthusiasm.

When Charlie, Travis, Ezra, and Cleo arrive to the beach party, they find Candy and Ryan making out. Charlie would like to avoid them, but Candy spots them in the crowd and calls them over. As soon as he sees Charlie, Ryan apologises to her for his behaviour on the night of Derek's arrest and suggests they put their past behind them for Candy's sake.

Later that afternoon, Candy decides to go for a swim, but she needs to change into a cheaper costume before she can do that, so she asks Charlie to walk back to her mother's bungalow with her. When the two arrive at Judith's bungalow, they find her slowdancing to romantic music with George Flint.

Later that evening, a drunken and frustrated Ryan stumbles on Candy and Charlie drinking together on the beachside. He is taken over by jealousy and insists Candy immediately goes home with him, getting handsy when she refuses and pushing Charlie out of the way when she tells him to give Candy some space. Candy then blows up on Ryan and tells him to stay away from her and her friends. Ryan reacts angrily, but is stopped by Jasper's and Gideon's intervention. As his friends lure him away, Candy breaks down crying and tells Charlie she needs to speak to her mother.

Candy and Charlie go back to Judith's bungalow to confront her. When Candy questions her mother about her relationship with George, Judith is horrified at Candy's thought that he might be her father, and swears that it is absolutely not the case. Then, she tells Candy about her history with George, and finally reveals the identity of her real father: none other than professor Lex Reaves. Charlie reacts to the revelation in utter disbelief, while Candy gets angry. As Candy and Charlie are about to leave, Judith asks to speak with Charlie alone for a minute, and despite Candy's complaints, Charlie agrees. Out of Candy's earshot, Judith suggests Charlie should stay away from Candy for her own sake, as Candy is only using her. Charlie is offended by Judith's words and tells her she doesn't know her own daughter as well as she thinks, then leaves.

As Candy and Charlie walk back to the beach party, Candy decides to summon the remaining members of The Black Sheep for an impromptu concert. The entire performance is streamed live on social media and seen by a substantial amount of people.

After the concert, Charlie finds Candy drinking alone.She congratulates her on her speech before the concert, as well as for finally setting herself free from her mother. Reminding Candy why she came to Sulani in the first place, Charlie proposes she stops moping around and the two of them go partying. As they do so, they progressively get drunker and looser, and end up kissing for the first time in the middle of a dancefloor. Candy immediately regrets the decision and runs away, leaving Charlie dazed and confused.

Charlie then joins Travis, Ezra, and Cleo again. When they question her about Candy, she doesn't mention the kiss and says she doesn't know where she is, but expresses her concern over her drunkenness. The group agrees it's best to look for her to make sure she doesn't hurt herself and they split up. Charlie looks incredibly worried as she shouts for Candy.

Episode 15: Clipped Wings

Near the beginning of the episode, Charlie finds Candy sitting on the shore: she is dirty and unkempt, and has obviously been crying a lot. Charlie helps her up and hugs her. As Candy apologises profusely, Charlie tells her she's just glad she's okay. When they get back to the others, they find out Cleo's missing. Ezra is visibly upset and, in a fit of rage, blames Candy for making them run around the island looking for them. Candy feels incredibly guilty about the situation, and Charlie steps in to protect her, albeit harshly. The conflict is interrupted by Travis yelling for everyone to shut up.

A few days later, Candy goes back to Ward University to pick up her stuff from her room since she's quitting school and moving out. While doing so, she runs into Charlie in their room. The two have a brief discussion about Ezra's behaviour on the beach - with Charlie calling him a dick and Candy being understanding of his reasons. Charlie then suggests to smoke one last cigarette on the roof together, for tradition's sake, and Candy agrees. When they get to the roof, Charlie expresses her excitement about Candy's future now that she's free from her mother, but Candy says she feels pretty much the same as she did before. She then reveals she is going to move in with Ryan, to which Charlie reacts with a burst of anger. Charlie tries to convince Candy that she's making a mistake and that Ryan is not going to change, and as Candy begs Charlie to not make her choose, Charlie gets even angrier, thinking that what Candy means is she would have to choose Ryan. Instead, Candy says she would choose Charlie - though it's unclear, at this point in time, what she means by that. After Candy leaves, Charlie receives a mysterious phone call from an unknown number, but she doesn't reply.

Episode 17: Boys Will Be Boys

Having watched the news and found out about the identity of Ezra's father, Charlie and Travis "make bets", wondering whether he would have ever told them if the news never became public knowledge. Ezra later confirms he would've never told them, making Charlie's guess right.

The Black Sheep are offered a deal by MMM Records to participate in their summer tour. Roxy Payton, one of the record company's producers, informs the band it's a bit too soon for a record deal, but that they would still be very happy to work with the band. Charlie questions Roxy's motivations, and Roxy admits that while the band is very talented, the company's interest is mainly driven by their recent surge in fame - given Candy's drama with her famous mother, Judith Ward, and the recent discovery of Ezra being Thorne Bailey's secret son. While Charlie and Ezra are outraged by the idea of only being given a chance because of the band members' traumatic past and present, Travis is overjoyed, and Charlie expresses her disappointment towards her childhood friend. Candy has not yet been informed about the situation.

At the Ward University "end of the year party", Charlie bickers with Travis about the MMM deal and calls him a "fucking sell-out". She decides to leave the festivities early, and is seen looking at her phone for a brief moment as she walks away.

TBA.

## Personality

Charlie is an opinionated young woman with strong convictions and an even stronger assertiveness. She has a way of going about personal interactions that might take some getting used to for most, being overtly brash and aggressive in her communication methods at times. Most of the people who manage to stay friends with her are people who have learned to appreciate these characteristics, seeing her brutal honesty as a sign of truthfulness and trustworthyness. She is also a very dependable friend, ready to drop anything as soon as she knows a person she cares for is in need.

On the other hand, her brazenness can result in impulsive bouts of self-righteousness and contradictory behaviour. She also displays a series of attachment issues, often having trouble opening up to others and almost never feeling secure enough in a relationship to drop her strong-woman act. She might come off as arrogant and strong-minded, but we see glimpses of her real insecurity and generalized uneasiness throughout season 1.

## Relationships

* Candy Ward
* Travis Lockhart
* Sam Burton
* Sachiko Ichinose

Candy and Charlie have a very complicated relationship. At first, when they were paired up as roommates, they deeply disliked each other, but as Charlie got to know Candy and her vulnerabilities more, she softened up towards her. As for Candy, she truly appreciated being in the presence of someone as blunt and truthful as Charlie for the first time in her life, and the two became friends - and a little bit more than that. Navigating their feelings towards each other has been a hard and painful journey for both of them, as they have very different personalities and traumas that influence their behaviours and actions when it comes to romantic relationships, but they deeply care about each other nonetheless.

Charlie and Travis have been best friends since high school. Despite having extremely different – if not opposite – personalities and bickering a lot, they counter each other really well – Travis helping Charlie loosen up from time to time, and Charlie being his voice of reason.

Sam and Charlie used to date in high school. Charlie described Sam as her "crazy ex-girlfriend" in Flashbacks, stating she had to change her number ten times after their break-up.

Sachiko is Charlie's single mom. They have a tense mother-daughter relationship.

## Notes and Trivia

* Charlie is a Taurus.
* Charlie's sim was created by The Scorpio Simulation.