The Future of Us

 Character Sketches

Emma Nelson-:  Emma Nelson is a high school junior; she is a typical teenage girl. She is boy crazy and has a short attention span. Emma is quite honestly a shallow character. She is an only child, a child of divorce, and she is very selfish. She cares a lot about what other people think and who she is dating. After Josh told her about his feelings for her, she rejects him and their friendship was never the same. But her character changes over time. She is the character that wants to change her future self by changing things in the present. Over time she learns that this is not working, her future is becoming messier. As her character grows we see her actions change; she lets her father back into her life, learns that Josh is more than a friend and has deletes her Facebook.

"The Future" Emma Nelson: Emma Nelson in the future is first, Emma Nelson Jones. She is married to Jordan Jones Jr., whom she is not happy with. With Jordan Jones Jr. Emma updates her status to depressing things, like, her need for comfort food because her husband has not come home for 3 days and she is unemployed and broke. Emma meets Jordan at Tampa state. But Emma does not go to Tampa State, so she and Jordan do not ever meet. Next, Emma is married to Kevin Strom and has first a baby girl and then baby boys. Emma works at a marine biological laboratory and seems happy with her babies and Netflix. Emma finds herself leaving her career for a life in Ohio with Kevin and the kids. After deciding to never live in Ohio, Emma finds herself in London, still with Kevin and the kids. Lastly, Emma is married to Isaac Rawlings, but quickly finds herself divorcing him and taking the couch to a new home. Emma seems unhappier in the future and writes about deleting her Facebook account. She wants to live in the present, so she ends up deleting it.

Josh Templeton: Josh is a sophomore in high school. He is a shy, nice and caring boy. Josh is sheltered in life, his parents are strict and he follows the rules they set. Josh is the one that gives Emma the AOL disk that his family receives.  He has fallen in love with Emma, and that has ruined their friendship. He is upset about the events that occurred after he told her he loved her. While Emma and Josh get closer with the help of Facebook, Josh seems to still be in love with Emma. He gets jealous of her boyfriends and crushes. Facebook helps Josh see who he is going to marry, Sydney Mills, one of the popular girls in school. This information gives Josh the confidence he lacks. He and Sydney Mills start talking and attempt to date, but Josh figures out it's Emma he wants to be with in the present.

"The Future" Josh Templeton:  Josh Templeton in the future has the perfect life. He is married to Sydney Mills, has a beautiful home and a great job. Unlike Emma, Josh does not want to change his future, so his future only has a few minor changes happen. One thing that Josh finds out about his future is that his older brother has come out and has a boyfriend. Josh and his family seem on good terms in the future and he and Sydney stay married through it all.

Kellen Steiner:  Kellen Steiner is the best friend of Emma. She is smart and talented. She works on the school newspaper and is already taking college classes. Kellen is in love with Tyson, but it is all drama with them. Kellen really does not care what Emma has to say about her relationship because she is in love.  Emma finds out that in 15 years Kellen has a 14 year old child. That means Kellen gets pregnant in the present. Emma tried to warn Kellen but there is not much she can do.  Kellen knows that Josh and Emma are perfect for each other; so in the end she decided to get them to face their feelings and get together. Kellen is a good friend to Emma and she is always there for her.

Tyson: Tyson is Josh’s best friend and Kellen’s on and off again boyfriend. Tyson is a minor character but is always with Josh. He also helps Kellen get Josh and Emma to talk in the end, getting them to open up and confess their feelings for each other. Tyson’s dad owns a pizza place and this is where Josh and Tyson work during their free time.

Dale Nelson: Dale Nelson is Emma’s dad and an important character in the novel, because he is the one that gives Emma the computer helping them connect to Facebook and the future. Dale and Emma’s mother divorced and he moved with his new wife to Florida. He buys Emma things to help get rid of his guilt for leaving, or so Emma says. After Dale and his new wife had their first baby Emma got the computer. Emma and Dale start to get closer at the end of the book when Emma stops being mad at him for leaving. Dale is a part of Emma’s future on Facebook and his child, Emma’s stepsister, is even a part of her life too. Emma decides to spend the summer with her Dad, stepmom and stepsister.