Candy Ward

**Candy Ward** is a major character in Season 1 of Ward University. She is portrayed by starring cast member Allie Goodell and debuts in the series premiere, Freshmen.

Rich, blonde, and drop dead gorgeous: at the beginning of the series, Candy is presented as everything you would expect her to be - a conglomeration of snide remarks and villainous tendencies carefully wrapped in pastel pink tissue paper. Not only is her mother, Judith Ward, one of the richest and most influential celebrities in Del Sol Valley: she is also the director of Ward University. But it soon becomes apparent how Candy's relationship with her mother is not exactly a bowl of cherries, and most importantly how much anger, fear, and raw talent are hidden behind Candy's mean and materialistic exterior.

When Candy arrived at Ward University, her main group of friends consisted of Lori Caberera, Mei Ji, and Drusilla Clemonte - known as the Bubblegum Bitches - but that soon changed when she met Charlie Zimmer and her bandmates, Travis Lockhart and Ezra Hunter. As the four of them started playing together, Candy discovered a part of herself that she had always kept hidden - even from herself.

In season 1, her arc is mainly focused on coming out of her mother's shadow and becoming the person she always wanted to be, which at times reveals itself to be a very bumpy road to travel - especially when you have a manipulative and narcissistic boyfriend like Ryan Flint sitting in the passenger seat.

## Early Life

Candy grew up in her mother's mansion on top of Del Sol Valley Hills. Judith raised her as a single mother - with the help of countless houseworkers at her service. She had a lonely but comfortable childhood, though she was left wondering who her father might be until her early twenties, which undeniably scarred her.

Candy started showing her interest in music and singing at a pretty young age, but her mother always shot her down, filling her head with nonsense about musicians being the scum of the earth, and how acting would be a safer and more apt career choice for her. Nevertheless, Candy kept cultivating her passion in secret, but not without a great deal of shame.

When she went to high school, she wasn't the charming and popular kid Judith had hoped she would be. Then, a new girl rolled into town: Lori Caberera. Candy and Lori quickly became friends, as Lori taught Candy how to present herself and Candy felt that her mother's influence would help Lori achieve her dreams of fame. Judith, thinking a friend like Lori might be beneficial to her daughter, decided to take her in, but the more Candy and Lori kept sharing their living spaces, the more Candy's feelings towards Lori veered to the romantic side. The two of them started sleeping together less than a year before going to Ward University.

## Throughout the Series

* Season 1
* Season 2

Episode 1: Freshmen

Candy is first introduced during a "character introduction montage" of her and the Bubblegum Bitches - Lori, Mei, Drusilla - narrated to Charlie by Travis. Travis paints her in a rather negative light, and mentions her being Judith Ward's daughter and supposedly having daddy issues - due to not knowing who her real father is.

Shortly thereafter, Candy witnesses a conversation between her friends Lori and Drusilla. Drusilla doesn't like the roommate she's been assigned to, so Lori offers her to sleep in her room - which sends Candy into a rage, considering she was supposed to be Lori's roommate instead. Afterwards, Candy walks to her new room and finds Charlie there. Neither of them seem pleased to be paired up together. Candy calls her mother to complain about the situation, but Judith quickly dismisses her temper tantrum and Charlie taunts her about it.

That night, at the Freshmen party, Candy and her friends ogle Ryan Flint from a distance. Candy and Lori talk about how they both really wanna "do" him, though Candy comments on it being an effect of the brainwashing perpetrated on them by her mother. Almost immediately, Ryan walks towards the girls and introduces himself and his friend Gideon. While Ryan manages to stay charming while flirting with Candy and Lori, Gideon makes an awful first impression.

Episode 2: What Are You Doing Here?

Candy, Lori, Mei, and Drusilla start taking additional dance classes in order to have better chances at the auditions for the upcoming musical. Hearing Kaci talk negatively about them, Candy immediately confronts her, and is supported by Lori. When Ryan enters the room, the Bubblegum Bitches make snide remarks about the way Erika is staring at him, and start planning to take her down a peg.

Afterwards, the Bubblegum Bitches visit one of prof. Mabry's music classes as well. Lori is looking for a singing coach, and Candy appears annoyed when Lori implies she's the only good singer in her friend group.

Episode 3: The Auditions Begin

Candy, Lori, Mei, and Drusilla are seen discussing Erika's fate before class - her only crime being looking at Ryan, who the girls believe is supposed to end up with either Candy or Lori. Candy suggests to hit Erika where it would hurt the most - the heart. For this, she deems it necessary to target someone Erika truly cares about: her brother Jasper. The conversation is interrupted by prof. Richter's arrival. As soon as Richter's class begins, Candy gets bored of the lecture and loses focus.

After one of prof. Drawn's dancing lessons, the Bubblegum Bitches meet Erika and her friends in the locker room. Candy and Lori tell Erika they know she "fancies" Ryan and they offer her a makeover to help her make herself more appealing to him - they're obviously lying, and everyone but Erika notices.

When they leave the locker room, Candy parts from the rest of the group and sneaks to the roof of Ward University to smoke a cigarette alone. Later in the episode, the roof is shown to be Charlie's favourite spot to smoke as well, but the two of them don't realise they have this thing in common.

Candy and Mei show up to one of Jasper's art classes to pose as nude models. Jasper immediately develops a crush on Candy, and the two of them are seen casually hanging out in a montage.

Near the end of the episode, the Bubblegum Bitches show up for their dance audition to the notes of *Bad Girls* by M.I.A. The crowd seems to really appreciate their seductive exhibition.

Episode 4: Flashbacks

Judith Ward invites Candy to her office to discuss her relationship with Ryan Flint. She heard the two got acquainted at the Freshmen party a few weeks prior, and not-so-subtly implies her daughter should go to the upcoming Halloween Dance with him.

As Lori, Mei, and Drusilla go through with their plan to offer Erika a makeover for the dance, Candy is seen in the same room as them, though ignoring all the action while she's focused on her phone.

Later that night, Candy is still loudly tapping on her phone, which frustrates her roommate 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 of their room to cry in the hallway. As Candy cries, she has a flashback of Lori telling her they won't be roommates this year, which for the first time makes it clear how much Lori's decision actually hurt her.

Candy, Lori, Mei, and Drusilla take Erika out for a shopping session, where she picks out her dress for the dance. As Erika pays for the dress, the Bubblegum Bitches make fun of her choice in secret. During this conversation, Lori announces that she'll be the one to go to the dance with Ryan, and Candy seems very amused by her self-assuredness, especially considering Lori didn't actually ask him.

Episode 5: The Halloween Dance

Near the beginning of the episode, Candy is shown in passing while getting her hair done next to Erika for the upcoming dance.

Candy shows up to the Halloween Dance very fashionably late and immediately walks towards Ryan, then kisses him in front of everyone - shattering Erika's, Jasper's, and Lori's hearts and/or expectations in the process. Shortly after this, Lori approaches Candy at the bar: she's angry because Candy never told her she was dating Ryan and feeling humiliated. Lori then mentions how she knows everything about Candy, and she could ruin her reputation if she wanted to.

Candy starts drinking heavily after Lori's attack, the excitement of her subterfuges quickly fading. She is then approached by Charlie, who expresses her disapproval of Candy's actions towards Erika and accuses Candy of shutting people out of her life, then leaves. Almost immediately after this, Candy drunkenly walks on the venue's stage and starts singing, which reveals to the world she's actually been an amazing singer this entire time. Moreover, through a short montage during Candy's exhibition, the audience is revealed the shocking truth about Candy and Lori's relationship: the two of them used to sleep together.

That night, Candy is seen almost sleeping with Ryan, but the two are interrupted when Derek walks in Ryan's room. The morning after, Judith scolds Candy for singing at the dance, making a clear statement about not wanting her daughter to have a musical career. Later, Candy is met by Charlie on the roof. 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 Candy and Charlie 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 Candy and Charlie 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, and as she listens, she imagines herself singing to the tune. 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.

On her way back to the dorms, Candy runs into Lori, who seems to be walking towards Derek's house. They both taunt each other about hanging out in a place like that and angrily reminisce the events of the Halloween Dance - with Lori calling Candy "a backstabbing whore" and Candy teasing Lori about her secret past. Clearly feeling like having won the conversation, Candy walks away while Lori tells her to fuck off and accuses her of being nothing without her.

During a montage, Candy is turned blue by one of Kaci and Tia's pranks in retaliation for what she did to Erika. She also appears in a montage nearing the end of the episode, where Lori tells Gideon about how her and Candy met in highschool and Lori made Candy the person she is today - much like she offered Erika to help her "change" before the Halloween Dance. Lori also confirms how their relationship got complicated when her and Candy started hooking up.

Episode 7: Harvest Fest Heist

Despite not auditioning for the role, Candy discovers she was cast as Elphaba for the upcoming Wicked musical, while Lori, who was initially supposed to play Elphaba, was moved to Glinda's role. Lori accuses Candy of purposefully stealing the role from her as she does anything else, but Candy genuinely has no idea of what happened. Prof. Mabry explains this was her doing, as she thought Candy would be more fit for the role. Judith Ward subsequently summons both prof. Mabry and Candy to her office.

In Judith's office, Candy questions prof. Mabry's decision to pick her instead of Lori, as Lori wants the role way more than Candy does. Judith once again reiterates how she doesn't want Candy to be involved in music, and accuses prof. Mabry of being the one pulling Candy's strings as of late - which Candy immediately refutes. Prof. Mabry admits to making her decision after hearing Candy's impromptu performance at the Halloween Dance, stating Lori doesn't have the same passion as Candy does. Judith is convinced to let Candy sing at the musical, as many actors have starred in musicals during their career, but she decides to fire prof. Mabry on the spot. Before leaving, prof. Mabry tells Candy she believes Candy was "born to sing", and to call her if she ever needs to talk. Candy is obviously distraught by her mother's decision to fire the professor.

During Thanksgiving dinner, Candy is shown being still mad at her mother, not having forgotten her unfair treatment of prof. Mabry. She replies to her questions about Ryan in a very flippant and confrontational manner.

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 a montage nearing the end of the episode, after hooking up with Ryan, Candy is shown meeting the band for rehearsals in Derek's basement, making it apparent that she's decided to join the band once and for all.

Episode 9: Defying Gravity

During a montage at the beginning of the episode, Candy is shown running into Mei and Drusilla, who both purposefully bump into her as she walks by. Candy and Lori then exchange angry glances.

The night of the musical, Candy is seen standing in the school theatre's lobby with her mother and George Flint - Ryan Flint's father, to whom she's being introduced for the first time. The interaction between them is short and awkward.

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.

Later, Candy is seen performing alongside Lori in the song *Popular* from the Wicked musical, which is weirdly reminiscent of Lori's habit of giving people makeovers - first to Candy in their teenage years, then to Erika more recently. Immediately therafter, Candy and Lori are seen in the theatre's changing rooms as they're getting ready for their *Defying Gravity* performance. As Lori complains about the itchiness of her wig, Candy tries to congratulate her on how she's doing on the show so far, but Lori quickly dismisses her, thinking Candy is subtly making fun of her. Their conversation quickly escalates into an argument, as Candy accuses Lori of using her for "experimenting" and Lori accuses Candy of taking her wealth and privilege for granted. Their argument then transitions into their on-stage performance, which conveniently conveys very similar themes, and ends with a reconciliation of sorts, as well as an agreement to part ways amicably.

Episode 10: I Won't Be Home For Christmas

In Derek's basement, Candy 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.

When Candy gets to Ryan's Christmas party, Ryan is nowhere to be seen, so Candy resorts to drinking her way through the celebrations. At one point during the night, she hears Mei and Drusilla making fun of her drunkenness and angrily confronts them. Mei and Drusilla then mention Ryan being locked in his room with some random girl for hours, so Candy decides to investigate and walks in on him in bed with Holly. Ryan doesn't even pretend to want to apologise, and Candy doesn't seem to react negatively to his cheating. Instead, she decides to join him and Holly in bed.

Episode 11: If This Is Goodbye

After sleeping with Ryan and Holly, Candy is seen staring at her own reflection in Ryan's bathroom. Holly walks in and congratulates Candy for her supposed "power move", seeing her lack of anger towards Ryan's cheating as both impressive and creepy. Candy then makes fun of Holly for expecting her to care, and for doing all that just to get back at her for losing her role in the musical - Lori was supposed to play Elphaba and Holly was supposed to play Glinda, but that changed when Candy was cast as Elphaba and Lori was moved to Glinda's role.

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, Candy says it won't be a problem for her at all, considering how much money her mother gives her. After Charlie comments on a lawyer for Derek being useless if Derek's not going to talk, her and Charlie 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, as she's recently run into him and he was very aggressive towards her. 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 the concert, Candy performs on stage with the band and their exhibition garners a high approval rate from the audience. Afterwards, 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. Later, though, Candy stands Charlie up and is seen leaving the venue arm in arm with Ryan.

Episode 13: Date Night

Ryan calls Candy on the phone during one of her acting classes telling her he misses her and asking if she wants to go out for dinner with him. Candy declines his invitation, saying she's supposed to go out with the band and that she really owes them after standing them up the night of the concert. Ryan isn't happy about Candy's desire to hang out with her friends alone and she makes fun of his jealousy, but ultimately stands firm on her boundary.

Later in the episode, Ryan is seen calling Candy on the phone while she's at the bar with her friends, but Candy ignores her ringing phone and doesn't reply to his call.

Episode 14: Spring Break

Candy is very excited about Spring Break, and can't wait to travel to Sulani for the annual beach party. Through her enthusiasm, she manages to convince The Black Sheep to join her there, even though none of them were initially planning on going.

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. Candy is undestandably taken aback by the discovery that her mother is dating her boyfriend's father, and finds herself wondering wether George Flint might actually be her father as well. This leads her to drinking.

Later that evening, a drunken and frustrated Ryan stumbled 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. Candy then blows up on him and tells him nobody likes him or wants him there, and that he is so pathetic that he needs to get people hooked on drugs so they won't leave him. 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. Candy is not happy about the revelation. She deems Judith's reasons for keeping her father away from her completely insane, along with her reason for not wanting her to sing - her bio father being a failed musician, that is. 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.

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. Once she gets on stage, she uses the opportunity to defame her mother - by exposing her affair with George Flint and her past relationship with Lex Reaves - and to announce her decision to quit Ward University. The entire performance, including the initial speech, is streamed live on social media and seen by a substantial amount of people.

After the concert, Candy keeps drinking. Charlie walks up to her and congratulates her on her speech, 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.

Candy is then found by Lori crying and standing near the edge of the water. Lori approaches Candy commenting on how much Candy's always loved the ocean, and Candy confirms it saying it's the only place where she feels truly at peace: despite it being cold, dark, and lonely, it's also quiet. She then goes on a rant about kissing Charlie and how scared she is of being in a relationship with someone she actually cares about - because then they have the power to hurt her. She blames Lori for her mental state, because of how she treated her in the past, and urges her to leave her alone - which Lori does. As soon as Lori leaves, Candy slowly walks into the ocean and puts her head underwater in search for peace.

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. In doing so, she runs into Ryan, who begs her to stay with him in any way he can - threatening to harm himself, convincing her she actually needs him, alienating her from her peers, and even telling her he loves her. Despite being dismissive at the beginning of the conversation, it's clear how Candy's will is starting to waver towards the end of it.

When Candy finally walks up to her room, she runs into Charlie. 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.

Episode 17: Boys Will Be Boys

During the Ward University "end of the year party", Candy is seen watching Charlie longingly as she walks away from the festivities - though Charlie doesn't seem to notice. Candy then amicably cuddles with Ezra on a sofa and the two of them chat briefly about Candy's current situation with Charlie and Ryan - Ezra is under the impression that Ryan should finally learn how to deal with rejection, while Candy is scared about how he would react to her leaving him, fearing he might hurt himself or someone else.

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## Personality

Candy is a sheltered rich kid who grew up surrounded by celebrities and her mother's servants, but never really experienced a non-transactional relationship until joining The Black Sheep and is still struggling to understand the concept. Her lifestyle got her used with putting on a brave face and smiling in the face of adversities, as her childhood mainly consisted of her going through the motions of whatever her mother wanted her to be or do. Bottling up her emotions and frustrations her whole life resulted in a fundamental inability to manage them correctly, and the further away she got from her mother, the more impulsive and unpredictable she became, feeling lost in an outside world that she's still very much learning to navigate.

She appears extremely confident and unbothered on the surface, even arrogant at times, but in reality, most of her actions are driven by fear and feelings of inadequacy. She strives to find her own voice and becoming her own person, away from Judith's choking grasp, but oftentimes she is seen returning to her comfort zone, no matter how painful the circumstances - this is clearly exemplified by her choice of being with Ryan, a symbol of the life she's used to live, instead of Charlie, a symbol of the life she wants. This also translates into having to lie to herself in order to put up with her choices: in the early stages of her relationship with Ryan, she tries to convince herself that he's not as bad as everyone makes him up to be, but she seems to reach a modicum of self-awareness on that aspect towards the end of S1.

Despite her upbringing, Candy has developed a deep level of empathy and understanding towards the feelings of others - which she consciously chooses to mask or ignore, most of the time, as it's safer to at least pretend to be detached. Of course, her empathy makes her incredibly skilled at hurting others when she has the need: incredibly petty, she has no difficulty in identifying her opponents' weak spots. Her failed relationship with Lori before going to Ward University made her extremely wary of showing affection, lest she gets hurt, which resulted in an increasingly ambiguous behaviour towards Charlie - her relationship with the bass-player has been an endless repetition of the "one step forward, two steps backwards" kind of behaviour that is common for people who know what they want, but are too scared to simply grab it.

## Relationships

* Judith Ward
* Charlie Zimmer
* Ryan Flint
* Lori Caberera
* The Black Sheep

Candy has an intense and antagonistic relationship with her mother, Judith, who never really had a maternal instinct and wasn't planning on having a child when she got pregnant. Despite not being happy about the pregnancy, Judith decided to keep Candy, albeit without a father - she never told her his identity until she reached adulthood, as she was scared he might turn out to be a bad influence. Judith cares about Candy like any narcissistic mother would care about their child: Candy is an extension of herself, and for this reason Judith believes to be the only one who truly knows what's best for her.

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.

Candy initially decided to start dating Ryan because her mother wanted her to, but over time she bonded with him and found comfort in their relationship - they both belong to the same world, and the fact that she isn't in love with him makes her feel safe in the knowledge that he can never break her heart. As they kept dating, though, his erratic and jealous behaviour gave her pause, and she came to somewhat fear him and his reactions - not knowing how well he'd take it if she decided to break up with him.

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The Black Sheep feel like a safe haven for Candy. Despite her tumultuous relationship with Charlie, Candy feels like she can somewhat be herself around them, and they give her hope that a future better than her past is in the cards for her. She feels extremely comfortable around Travis, and finds him endlessly amusing. Her relationship with Ezra was a bit titubant at first, but after their Spring Break "fight" and the reveal of Thorne Bailey being Ezra's father, the two of them formed a bond and recognized they might be more alike than they initially thought.

## Notes and Trivia

* When the character was first created, Simmer Boi considered naming her Courtney or Chloe before settling on Candy - the thought process behind it being that the child of a celebrity would be named something more "fun" and uncommon than your regular baby name.
* Simmer Boi wasn't initially planning on making VAs sing as their characters, so the first time Candy is heard singing in the series, it's not actually her VA Allie Goodell singing, but Rena Lovelis from the band "Hey Violet". Starting from episode 6, after finding out about Goodell's talent, every song Candy sings is actually sung by Allie Goodell herself, with the audio editing process being left in the hands of Simmer Boi's partner.
* Candy is a Scorpio.