Carl Alex

## Background information

### Inspiration

A friend of D. Isaac Thomas named Kelly Knudsen

## Character information

### Personality

mysterious, emotionally immature, insensitive, sardonic, wisecracking, immoral (sometimes), polite (sometimes), nasty, abusive (sometimes), vulgar, sadistic (sometimes), self-centered, sexist (possibly), adamant, dishonest, intelligent

### Appearance

Slender, brown hair, colorless lips, usually seen with a cap on

### Affiliations

Rolling 60s
Girl-Team

### Goal

To redeem himself from allying with the Rolling 60s (in progress)

### Allies

Kayliah Galibraith, Valiera Nelson, Miranda Patrick, Ray Eliott, Charles Hugh, Rose Johannson (formerly)

### Likes

Rose Johannson (formerly), Kayliah Galibraith, spending time with friends

### Dislikes

Rose Johannson, gang violence, crime, being rejected, losing loved ones

### Type of Character

Congenial Ally

*"I'm doing what's best for me and her by not banging anymore. You all can call me fake for getting outta the gang and going back to school but to be honest, I ain't good enough for her so I'm finna make my self good enough. Y'all can hate me for making a change for the better. Y'all can jump me, stab me, shoot me, but that won't change the fact I'm changing to protect her from the bullshit I got myself into. I ran with the Rollin 60s since thirteen and I never thought I'd change, but I met Kayliah and she don't deserve to be drugged down because I was making stupid decisions, so yes, I got jumped out just barely everything in my body hurts but I know it's the best choice foe me as of right now so dear God, last time y'all will ever see my say all this is on Crip, and pray for Jase and Nathan free Sam but it was a good run. I'ma miss all y'all n\*\*\*\*s."*
―Carl Alex's iconic social media post[src]
**Carl Alex** (b. July 19, 2006) is a close friend to Charles Hugh, Valiera Nelson, Miranda Patrick, and Ray Eliott, the ex-boyfriend of Kayliah Galibraith, a former friend of Rose Johannson, and a major protagonist in the 2019 book *Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude*.

## Biography

### Rolling 60s

Born on July 19, 2006, Carl Alex eventually became involved with the Rolling 60s, a criminal gang guilty of crimes such as drug trafficking and bank robberies that had existed since the 1970s. He never thought he would leave the organization. According to a new friend named Rose Johannson, he joined the Girl-Team to contest the Armies of Organa during the School War, making him a gender traitor. Apparently, he also developed close relationships with people named Jase and Nathan, both of whom died at some point prior to the Second School War.

### Fall from grace

*"Fuck all feelings, never trust anyone, and always watch yo back. Sip and smoke weed. Rest in peace, Jase; rest in peace, Nathan!"*
―Carl Alex[src]
In August of 2022, Carl Alex hung out with Norris and Johannson and they met Charles Hugh. By this point, he already had a crush on Johannson. He said he would give her twenty dollars if she kissed him in front of Hugh, but Johannson dryly told him to make Charles do it and she would pay him. Charles seemed ready to do it, but Alex recoiled and most unwillingly made out with her. Carl also encountered Valiera Nelson and Miranda Patrick, and while he is not mentioned after that, he may have been present when Charles and Johannson met Jamie and Wesley Denkenberger.

Apparently, Alex went to Homecoming with Johannson. Shortly afterwards, he encountered Hugh, Nelson, and several other familiar faces. Eventually, he was caught sluffing and was subsequently arrested overnight.

Carl Alex's activities over the next month are mysterious, but he is known to have fallen into a depression that caused him to miss school. He allegedly smoked a lot of weed during this time. He began looking for Johannson, only to see Charles, on October 12, by which time she had ditched him and began dating Madeline.

Carl was suspended from Tower Placement the following week, for unknown reasons. It is likely that he told Ray Eliott and possibly other friends of his about it, while excluding individuals such as Charles, the details of his expulsion, and swore them to secrecy, prior to his departure. Following his expulsion, he fled from his former life and went on the run, leaving his whereabouts a mystery.

### Return to Tower Placement

Having returned to Tower Placement School sometime in the recent past, Carl met up with Rose Johannson and, to his surprise, Charles, on the fifth of December. Valiera Nelson and Ray Eliott were both behind the door, which was sealed, and Johannson showed them her middle finger after they knocked on it. Matthew left with the two teenagers, but then Charles realized Johannson had led him directly to Carl, who let Nelson and Eliott inside.

During the conversation that followed, Carl refused to reveal where he had been, much to Charles' annoyance. He was embarrassed when he revealed that he was a virgin and somewhat literal due to growing up "painfully sheltered". He also told Johannson he smoked weed and was homosexual (the latter being disputable but not proven false), and she asked him for a dollar he did not have. She also apologized for ditching him, which he accepted, as he realized he deeply cared for them, in the long run. Carl said he was not allowed to wear a blue flag or carry drugs, and he and Johannson playfully bickered over possession of said flag.

Suddenly, Eliott and Nelson came inside. Nelson pleased Charles Hugh by complaining about Miranda Patrick, whom Johannson believed deserved a punch in the nose, and they lamented that they always woke up smelling like smoke, angering Charles, who realized Nelson had never truly given up on smoking. The four had a merry conversation as they headed for the alcove near the science classrooms, at which point Charles called Carl a "dumba\*\*" for not knowing who Quintana was. He also shouted at Carl not to chase Johannson since she was clearly struggling. However, they met up at the door and agreed to split. Hugh sat with Johannson and Carl and they pointed out a girl who had hurt Johannson.

 File:Valiera and friends.png
Carl later prepared to go with his friends to "do really stupid stuff". When Hugh asked if he could join them, he lied to him, telling him to wait for Rose Johannson. Hugh later messaged him angrily on Facebook, but Alex did not respond. The following morning, Charles confronted him, and Carl apologized sincerely, as he had always enjoyed his company.

Alex continued hanging out with Valiera Nelson, Miranda Patrick, and Ray Eliott. On December 12, after school, they drove together and did something Patrick described as a near-death experience. Patrick took a picture of them huddling twenty minutes later.

### Confrontation with Rose Johannson

*"Rose finally gettin' killed! [...] Rose always acted fake to me. I was blind to it but not no more."*
―Carl's understandably sadistic approach to the argument[src]
On the day before the Winter Dance, Carl Alex blocked Rose Johannson on Facebook for her obnoxious and perverted behavior, offending her. The following day, Johannson, while at the aforementioned dance with Hugh, called Carl by snatching Charles' phone and yelling at him. Alex called Johannson a fool for crying, but an unidentified student seized Hugh's phone from Johannson and yelled at him and said Johannson did not deserve the abuse he had allegedly inflicted. He sadistically relished the idea of Johannson being murdered. The individual said he was being fake to her making him hypocritical and urged him to unblock her and tell her of his intentions to destroy her if she went anywhere near Kayliah Galibraith, adding that Hebe would be an ideal second if Johannson and Galibraith fought.

Alyssa claimed he feared Andre and this had been what kept him from hurting Johannson, but Alex claimed he could fight him and goaded her to give Andre a challenge to meet at Helen McKeen's house, where he intended for them to have a double duel to settle things once and for all. Alex's idea was to fight Andre while Galibraith took on Johannson. However, Hugh, annoyed by Alex's mysterious behavior and being fully ignorant regarding the truth, claimed police officers were waiting for him at Helen McKeen's house, but he seemed unfazed by the threat. In spite of this, Alex cut off the path and deviated elsewhere, possibly returning on the run. A few minutes on the road, Hugh personally called him and chastised him for making Rose Johannson feel suicidal, but Alex became offended when he realized Hugh had gotten his phone back, knowing how ignorant he currently was. Realizing where the messages were streaming from, he told Hugh he was not talking to him and continued his walk.

### Finding love

*"I freaking love this girl. She has no clue. I put it on Crip. If she wasn't with me I would be dead or in Decker Lake. She is the only thing I don't wanna lose."*
―Carl[src]
However, they appeared to make up a few days later. In the mix, Alex finally managed to impress Kayliah Galibraith, a girl he had been crushing on for a long time, enough to reciprocate his feelings for her, and they began dating on December 20. This led to Alex receiving a rude awakening, and he promised himself he would do what was best for her, even if this meant quitting "the thug life". He began going to school consistently, which gave him time to realize how much his body hurt from what he had been doing. He posted a message of redemption on Facebook bidding goodbye and a wish of luck to all the gangsters he used to be affiliated with.

On December 23, he recommended a music video to both Charles and Steven Thompson. Five days later, Hugh asked him how he got Galibraith to like him, but he said it was a secret. When Charles pressed the subject, he told him he should just be himself around whomever it was he was crushing on. Later, Hebe cruelly punched him multiple times and called him a pothead, something she never accepted accountability for. At some point prior to January 30, 2023, Alex tragically lost his uncle, Rob, to the void.

### His inner circle breaking

 File:Valiera and friends.png

*"Good riddance to three shortsighted druggies, am I right?"*
―Charles Hugh, to Steven Thompson and Hebe[src]
Throughout 2023, Carl Alex did not spend much time with Rose Johannson, who claimed he had never truly redeemed himself. It is unclear how valid her claim was, but the fact that he mentions in February that bearing a tender heart only brought about injustice and humiliation, particularly in modern society, and attempting to justify holding grudges more than a month later, could serve to validate Johannson's statement. Sadly, at some point prior to March 19, Galibraith's parents forced them to break up. Around this time, Alex left Tower Placement School for whereabouts unknown, never to return. Somehow, he managed to hook back up with her on April 3. Throughout the month, they both deeply enjoyed hanging out at each other's houses and taking pictures together on the bed/couch. On Easter, he spent time with Galibraith and they both enjoyed themselves. They must have been platonic, however, because Alex eventually found a new girlfriend.

In May, Steven Thompson contacted Carl Alex after hearing from Hugh that Alex had once served the Girl-Team. Alex was surprised to meet Thompson, and his surprise only increased when Charles insisted that Alex was not an enemy nor a killer. Touched, Alex thanked Hugh, finally admitting that perhaps he treated him too harshly, finally letting him into what remained of his inner circle.

## Physical appearance

Carl is beautiful and slender and of medium height and his lips are colorless. He has brown hair, most of which is obscured by a magenta hat he wears nearly everywhere he goes. He is known to possess a blue jacket as well as a grey one. He has cited that his body is aching consistently. Although Carl is insecure about his appearance, Rose Johannson and Charles Hugh both acknowledge his unusually handsome visage.

## Personality and traits

*"Y'all can hate me for making a change for the better. Y'all can jump me, stab me, shoot me, but that won't change the fact I'm changing to protect her from the bullshit I got myself into."*
―Carl Alex[src]
Carl Alex is an extremely friendly and warm-hearted teenager, although he is also shown to be complicated and mysterious. His torment initially made him genuinely think he was unable to love. Still, while he is extremely sarcastic, he behaves like a free spirit. He has a sardonic, wisecracking sense of humor, such as when he told Charles Hugh that Rose Johannson was waiting for him, although he was just messing with him. Like many of Charles Hugh's friends, Carl was known to be fond of marijuana. He was also polite and soft spoken, especially for his age, as he would tell Charles to give him space by bidding him goodbye and politely pointing this out if he didn't understand, a stark contrast to his enemy Rose, who is prone to temper-traumatic outbursts when faced with frustration. Carl was also intelligent, on a level that put him on a par with his friends, in spite of his claim that Johannson was in love with Hugh when she only liked him as a friend, as she had *deliberately* misled him to believe that to justify her own insecurities. Despite how physically attractive he is, Carl is insecure about his physical appearance and considers his beauty to be more subjective than it actually is. He was hated by those who didn't understand him, but cherished by those who did.

Despite his wisdom, tolerance, faithfulness, and compassion, Alex was initially misjudged harshly as an allegedly nasty, abusive, vulgar, sadistic, and extremely self-centered and misogynistic. He was far from above depression or committing crimes, one of which led to his arrest overnight. He ultimately chose to flee from everything he had known, though he eventually returned and, motivated by his unconditional love for Kayliah Galibraith, ultimately subverted any morally questionable behavior; he lost some of his arrogance and stopped causing major problems, at least gang-related ones. Much later, he genuinely thanked Charles Hugh for defending his honor and regretfully reflected that he'd been too harsh on him, despite having always been extremely kind to him.

In the end, Carl Alex proved himself a mysterious, adamant, and intelligent teenager who has a good reason for having a more aggressive approach towards life, and someone who is often just as misunderstood as Helen McKeen or Charles Hugh.

## Abilities

* **Genius-level intellect**: Carl is extremely logical and has a mind for tactical thinking, showing himself to be resourceful and skilled at leading.
* **Indomitable willpower**: Carl appears to possess an unbreakable spirit and though not above depression, he has never truly given up on anything. He's been shown to rise from pain and loss, such as domestic abuse and physical fights, even stronger than before. His willpower may be what makes it so easy for him to conceal his emotions.

## Relationships

### Romantic relationships

 File:Kayliah fullcolored.png

*"My whole life been nothin' but pain, so if I tell you I love you, I really do."*
―Carl[src]
Carl's relationship with Kayliah Galibraith was initially a rocky one. He developed romantic feelings for her and may have been sexually attracted to her as well. He was very protective of her and was fully ready to murder Rose Johannson if she did anything malicious to Kayliah. He was confident that she was a match for Rose, but he feared that once the war was over, Kayliah's possible violence towards Rose would receive a prolonged punishment. He finally opted to simply be himself around her, at which point Kayliah finally saw Carl for who he was. She was finally willing to go out with him, after he smoothed out and stopped "partying for the sake of partying". Carl was determined to improve himself, as he sincerely believed she was too good for him. Sadly, her parents eventually forced him to break up with her, though they later came back together under mysterious circumstances.

### Friends

Carl was friends with Valiera Nelson and Miranda Patrick during his school years, as they all had an intense experience together with Ray Eliott and were seen in the hallways together in both September and December of 2022. They were probably two of the only people he considered equals. Carl is good friends with Ray Eliott, as he told him the details of his expulsion and may have sworn him to secrecy. He also let Ray inside on December 5 when Rose refused. He, along with Val and Miranda, rode in a car and nearly died in there. Initially, he was at least friendly with Hebe. Carl is also known to get along with Luke Norris, better so than Charles. How long they have known each other is a mystery.

 File:Charles.jpg
Carl believed he was better than Charles, whom he met at the beginning of the Second School War, but he was still friendly and respectful to him. Charles was utterly disgusted that Carl was cruel to Rose, who he was very fond of. However, he refused to block him, as he considered him a friend too. Carl surprisingly got a Christmas present for him. Five months later, Carl was surprised and touched when Charles insisted to Steven Thompson that Carl was not an enemy nor a killer. Carl thanked Charles, finally admitting that perhaps he treated him too harshly, finally letting him into what remained of his inner circle. It is possible, though unconfirmed, that Charles actually finds him attractive.

### Enemies

 File:RoseJohannson DIT B4P RoseSmirking Promo 080615 Port.jpg
Being a gangster inevitably meant Carl had rivals and enemies in the criminal underworld whom he either feared, despised, or both. For instance, he appeared to have a gang rivalry with Andre — while Alyssa cited that Carl feared Andre, Carl was confident in his ability to best him in physical combat. Carl has a complicated relationship with Rose Johannson. The two were initially friends, and Carl developed tender feelings for the adorable, lively girl. However, Rose only loved him in a platonic way, as she was already romantically involved with Andre, making Carl furious. Despite this, the two still got along for a time, with Rose playfully complimenting him and pretending to flirt with him, which Carl strangely rejected despite being attracted to her. They liked messing with each other in inappropriate ways by making out, often in public and in the school corridors. Despite being in love with Andre, Rose was still jealous of Carl finding a new girlfriend. Carl, in turn, felt like Rose was being fake, something he was initially blinded to. He also suspected Rose had malicious intentions towards Kayliah Galibraith. The two had a huge falling out during the Winter Dance, even though Carl was not actually present, with them arguing until Carl was goaded to breaking point and fled while Rose was equally goaded and began crying. She had no contact with him over the next three months.

## Behind the scenes

* Carl Alex's frequent disappearances and blatant mysteriousness and long periods of absence throughout the book prior to being seen again when readers least expect it, several times, are somewhat of a running joke in *Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude*, where he was introduced to the D.I.T. Literary Universe as an ambiguous supporting character/antagonist, and to canon.
* D. Isaac Thomas eventually admitted that Carl Alex's desertion was his way of accepting that he did not fit into the plot anymore as his purpose had been served by his conversation at the Winter Dance and development beforehand, and his presence was too strong for Thomas to not require a way to *"get rid of him"*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude*

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