Cole Hayes

Cole met Van when he was sixteen, and of course was instantly taken by this older guy who expressed so much more interest in him than anyone his age had. he had been playing music for a year or two at that time, and when Van introduced him to Johnny and they found out how good he could be as their bass player, Johnny quickly brought him on. Cole, who had been just a nobody who lived with only his grandma and his frequently absent father, felt like he was finally somebody and he meant something now, having found both a doting boyfriend and a group to belong to. He eventually ended up dropping out of high school and stayed with Van, who along with showering Cole with gifts and treating him like just as much of an adult as the others, also took it upon himself to take care of Cole in all aspects. that leads to Cole being treated as less like an adult as time goes on really as Van takes over any control Cole had on his own life. because Cole is now almost always doped up, scared, and confused, he not only doesn't have the capacity to turn this around but he really doesn't know if that's even the right option. over time Cole takes on childish behaviors or mannerisms he slips into either voluntarily or involuntarily just to try and shield himself from processing certain things with an adult mind or even just as a natural response to how he's treated sometimes.

Later on Cole manages to get out of Van's hold due to an incident that left Van in the hospital and left Cole to stay with Johnny for a time, during which he met up with Devon occasionally (who he first met just prior to the accident) and they ended up growing close. Devon eventually learns to help Cole around leaving the band and to start his own life, learn to drive, get a job, and just in general get back as much as he could that was taken from him at sixteen. it's a long and hard process for Cole to learn to trust again, but as he gradually learns to be his own person he gains more determination and manages to get through a lot of things simply out of spite. He cuts off all his hair a little while after escaping, partly to reclaim his bodily autonomy, partly to try and shed anything that made him look more childish or insecure.