Nicole Whittaker

"So, I know you're curious about me!  Everybody is!  First:  My name's Nicole Anne Whittaker.  As you know, I'm sure!  And second:  I'm the official number one of The Ones, a select little group which is practically impossible to get into."

Nicole Whittaker is an 8th grade student at Whistling Pines Junior High.

Background
Nicole is the only child of Reginald and Celeste Whittaker, a wealthy couple who have been shown to live in a mansion and employ at least one butler. Little is known about Nicole's past, though it can be assumed that she lived a comfortable and somewhat spoiled life. She claims to have grown up on her grandmother's "English estate" in one of her locker voice clips in Tricky Decision. But it is possible that this claim is exaggerated to make herself appear better than the player.

A locker item in New School implies that Nicole has a modeling and acting career. When she was 10, she was the stunt double for a character in All Girl Heros [sic]. When she was 12, she was the title character in Pepper Jones.

Sometime before the events of New School , Nicole formed the elite clique known as The Ones with Stephanie Hollis and Whitney Weiss.

Personality
Nicole is a stereotypical popular girl:  She is vain, self-centered, snobby, petty, and elitist. For most of the games, her personality revolves only around these traits, and she is shown to have no redeeming qualities. She is shown numerous times to be willing to drop her friends for trivial reasons such as them not doing what she tells them to do, for doing things she doesn't like, or the presence of unfavorable rumors circulating about a person. Most of her friends dismiss these public outbursts as "moods" and describe her as being an acquired taste. She mentions in New School that she views climbing the Social Ladder as a "sport" and that anyone who is afraid of her is forcing her to treat them badly.

However, a softer side of her is shown in later releases. In Secret Paths to the Sea, she is shown to be a homebody in private, preferring to write in her diary and go for walks than play the Popularity Game and compete with others to be the best like her parents force her to do. This pressure from her parents is probably what caused her social climbing nature. In First Dance, it is possible for Rockett Movado to attend the dance with The Ones. If Rockett wins Queen of Hearts, Nicole will congratulate her and extend the offer for her to sit with The Ones at lunch, something that would have been unthinkable in the earlier games and a large contrast to her reaction to Rockett trying to sit at The Ones table in New School. In Starfire, she is shown to be indifferent to even Mavis Wartella-Depew's presence at the lunch table.

Even at her worst, one of Nicole's biggest weaknesses is flattery. Complimenting her and making her look good is a surefire way for anybody to get on her good side.

Along with using late 1990s slang like the other characters, Nicole frequently uses the word "hideous" to describe things that she doesn't like. (e.g.  "This summer is going to be hideous."; "The reception is hideous.")  In Camp Adventures, she refers to characters by their last names and titles when she's angry. ("Ms. Movado"; "Mr. Rosales", etc.)

Interests & Skills
Nicole's main interests are horseback riding and fashion. Her parents have her enrolled in flute lessons, gymnastics, and computer classes. She is also shown in Tricky Decision and Secret Paths to the Sea to have some skill in soccer. However, it is possible that she was forced by her parents to play it, as she threatens to stop hanging out with Stephanie for playing in a soccer league and mistakes the term "cleats" for the name of a fashion designer in Starfire Soccer Challenge. Nicole is also shown to have some creative writing skills, as Mrs. Tinydahl mentions that her class assignments are always "an inspiration [to read]." She loves acting and tries to get her friends interested in auditioning for plays with her. She has landed the leading role in the play, She Cried Fake Tears (While Laughing Inside). Her favorite color is pink.

Relationships
Being the leader of The Ones, Nicole hangs out with Whitney and Stephanie more than anyone else. She also frequently associates with Cleve Goodstaff, Chaz Franklin, and Max Diamond.

In New School, Nicole is shown to have an open crush on Mr. Rarebit, whom she refers to by his first name. However, from Tricky Decision onward, she spends most of her time pursuing Wolf DuBois. This is most evident in First Dance when she writes about an imaginary tryst between the two of them for a Language Arts assignment. Both have rejected her advances, with Rarebit going so far as to write a letter to her parents in an attempt to get her interested in boys her age. Nicole has also made attempts to get close to and flatter Ruben Rosales. But according to some locker items, she is just trying get him to do her homework for her -- a tactic that she's used on all of the guys in her social circle.

In New School, Nicole mentions having a summer romance with Kent, a high school-aged lifeguard for the (Lee Street) beach near her grandmother's summer home. His picture is also taped to the door of her locker. In Tricky Decision, she receives a letter from him asking her to visit over the holidays.

Almost immediately, Nicole does her best to keep tabs on Rockett, who she sees as a threat to her popularity, although she won't admit it to anyone.

Academics
Nicole has Mr. Baldus as her homeroom teacher. Despite her parents' insistence on her being the best, her fall report card reveals that she is a B/C average student. While a letter to Mr. Rarebit in New School states that she's in his art class, she appears to have dropped it by the time Secret Invitation happens. In New School, she always tries to get other people to do her homework for her. She shares her math class with Cleve, has social studies with Miko, science with Max, and Spanish with Ruben. From Tricky Decision onward, Nicole dabbles in various art forms and extracurriculars, including writing for the school newsletter and website, trying to become a photographer for the yearbook, and performing in a school play. With the latter, she ends up getting the lead role in a production of ''She Cried Fake Tears (While Laughing Inside). ''She did this due to Rarebit encouraging her to tap into her creative side in one of his attempts to get her to stop flirting with him.

In What Kind of Friend Are You?, Nicole runs for 8th grade class president on The Ones' ticket and wins against Nakili.

For the mandatory school talent show in Who's Running This Show? Nicole first choreographs a cheerleading routine. When Stephanie breaks off from the group to make her own act, Nicole auditions again solo by reading an excerpt from a self-help book. She finally gets a place in the show to emcee and introduce some of the other acts. The previous year, Nicole was the stage manager.

Secret Paths to the Sea
Nicole is stressed out over the fact that her parents fill up her schedule with extra classes and activities in order to give her an advantage over the other kids. This situation comes to a head when Nicole arrives to her computer class without changing out of her horseback riding clothes, causing her to become the laughingstock of the class when she learns that she has horse manure on her boots. After traveling her path, a mountain trail leading up to a pond, she learns that she has to communicate with her parents and show them that she can't be her best when she's tired and stressed.

She also appears in Stephanie's path, complimenting her and Whitney on their (matching) hairstyles and necklaces.

The secret stones on her necklace are Balance, Communication, Peace, the story-related stone, and two unknown. Her story is "Stronger Than Stone."

Rockett's New School
Sometime during the summer, Nicole went to one of Mr. Rarebit's gallery showings with her parents. (They didn't buy anything, which she finds embarrassing.)  She also spent the entire month of July with her grandmother at her house on Lake Sylvan.

The night before the first day of school, Nicole gives a letter to Stephanie telling her to meet her in the Birdcage before Whitney gets there, so they can talk about Whitney allegedly going on a date with Arnold Zeitbaum. She is worried that it could ruin The Ones' reputation. She also sends a note to Whitney threatening to kick her out of The Ones if she doesn't talk to her before class. She also entrusts one of her secret diaries, referred to as "The S. S." or "The Source", to Stephanie.

Nicole's first possible appearance is in the Birdcage insulting Jessie Marbella by wondering aloud if she had gotten more interesting over the summer and dismissing Rockett as being beneath her notice. It is also possible for Rockett to accidentally trip Nicole as she is making her way into the school.

In her "guy report" in one of her private journals, Nicole notes that she will have to watch how Cleve (who still likes her) treats Rockett; how Max is not being a smart mouth to her and should get over Ravenna so she can use him to make Cleve jealous; and wonders if she should pretend to need homework help to get attention from Wolf, who she calls "gorgeous." She also notes that she doesn't want to tell Stephanie or Whitney what she thinks about Wolf.

In homeroom, Nicole confronts Rockett for sitting in "her" seat or placing her backpack in it, angrily pointing out that she needs to sit there in order to talk to Whitney. Whitney dismisses her and forces her to angrily move to another seat. After homeroom, according to her school journal, Nicole becomes more determined to tell everyone about Whitney and Arnold after Whitney "stole" her seat and made her sit by people she "can't stand." According to Stephanie's locker, she and Nicole were "not impressed" by Rockett's introduction.

At lunch, depending on the choices of the player, Nicole either informs Rockett that the cafeteria food, save for the salads, is horrible, insults her for being too "delicate" to eat "normal" food, or tells her to stop whining about her "dietary troubles." If the player chooses to sit at the popular table, Nicole will angrily demand to know why she is sitting there, forcing Rockett to leave; agree to participate in an after school photo shoot for her; or tell her to leave in order to make room for Chaz. It is at this point that Stephanie sends her a letter asking her if she returned the Source to her because she cannot find it.

After Art, someone writes Nicole an anonymous note telling her to stop calling Mr. Rarebit her boyfriend and notes that she didn't get the "special assignment." (The handwriting on the note matches Stephanie's.)

At the end of the school day, Nicole will stop Rockett in the hallway and ask her if she has seen Whitney. She offers to let Rockett walk with her since Whitney isn't around. No matter what choice the player makes, Rockett will walk with her. Nicole will leave her when either Mavis walks up to the two, Whitney reappears, or when walks up to the two, and Nicole becomes angry about the fact that Mr. Rarebit gave Rockett a shirt and put her on the yearbook staff. In her school journal, she decides that she needs to keep an eye on Rockett, as she is someone that people want to know about.

At some point, Nicole sends a letter to Mavis to get her to help find The Source. Mavis turns her down, thinking that it's a prank and not worth her time.

At the end of the day, Nicole goes to watch Ruben's band practice. Whitney convinces Stephanie to ditch her both when she goes to the band practice and later when they were supposed to go to the mall.

Rockett's Tricky Decision
Rockett learns about Max's party when Nicole openly boasts in front of her about how awesome it's going to be.

In the lockers during the school scenes, especially Mavis', there is foreshadowing of an unspecified disaster that is going to befall Nicole. Later, during gym class, while playing soccer against either Rockett or an unnamed girl (depending on the player's choices), Nicole trips over the other's leg and rips a hole in the butt of her shorts. If Rockett is involved, Nicole blames her for it.

At Max's party, Nicole arrives late to make a grand entrance in her harem girl costume. However, Rockett's Cleopatra costume outshines hers. If Rockett comes to the party from Nakili's with Mavis, Nicole points them out and mocks them in front of the entire party.

Rockett's Secret Invitation
Nicole confronts Rockett in Language Arts after she shows Jessie the CSG's book, thinking that it's the diary that Stephanie lost. Despite insistence that it's not hers, Nicole doesn't believe her.

Later, depending on the player's choice, Nicole and The Ones discover Rockett showing off her photo album to Cleve, Chaz, and Max after school in the cafeteria. The album is a hit with all of them. If she isn't shy about it, Nicole will extend the offer for Rockett to do something with them over the winter break.

Rockett's First Dance
Nicole sees Rockett as competition for the position of Queen of Hearts, but doesn't openly state it unless certain choices are made. In Language Arts, Nicole becomes unusually friendly with Rockett and tries to get her to talk with her about the dance. After Mrs. Tinydahl sends Nicole back to her seat, the class either learns about Nicole's crush on Wolf, either through a note that Nicole passes to Rockett or Nicole's class assignment; or Nicole reads aloud a false note from Rockett revealing the name of her crush. (She is cut off just before she can say the name of the guy.)

Rockett's Camp Adventures
After stepping off the bus to Camp Luna, Nicole tries to intimidate Gabriella into giving up her spot at the front of the registration line. When Sharla tells her to back off, she tries to get Rockett to convince Gabriella to move. Regardless of what Rockett does, Nicole and Stephanie end up at the front of the line.

Nicole ends up on the (Red) Pinecones Team with Stephanie and Sharla. At the canoe races, she whines about how the life vests will ruin her look. Ruben and Cleve steal her towel, play keep-away with it, then throw it to Rockett. Nicole will either fall into the muddy river bank with Rockett, or have her towel end up in the mud depending on whether or not Rockett catches it.

Nicole whines during the hike to the Crystal Caverns, threatening to have her parents sue the camp for mistreating her. When Gabriella goes missing, she blames Sharla, who had previously told her to stop complaining. When the others decide to go look for her, Nicole stays behind, not wanting to get in trouble for disobeying orders to go look for a "nobody." After the others leave to go look for Gabriella, Nicole runs off to go tell on them.

The next morning, Ruben, Cleve, and Sharla dump a jar of spiders on Nicole's bed. For the talent show, she and Stephanie perform a reenactment of a "hostile corporate takeover." For some reason, Stephanie refuses to go along with the script.

True to her word, the camp scrapbook has a scene of her typing up a lawsuit.

Secret Paths to Your Dreams
Nicole is one of the characters that the player can illustrate the dreams of. The player can listen to Nicole describe her dream of being onstage when Principal Herrera announces that Nicole won an award for shopping, covering the stage in money while fireworks go off with an angel and two fairies congratulating her.

Who Can You Trust?
In the summer before the 8th grade, Nicole's extended family plans to go to Paris. Unfortunately, the plans fall through due to her parents' work committments. Because she doesn't want Nicole sitting around the house all summer, Celeste enrolls her in a summer computer camp, Camp Alt.Fun. For the first time, Nicole finds herself being the most unpopular kid in a crowd, as the rest of the campers are geeks and techies. At the camp dance, Arnold, feeling bad for her, dances with her. Rockett's brother, Jasper, gets a picture of the two. That photo eventually reaches Rockett. After The Ones harass and prank her, Rockett debates with herself on whether or not to use the photo to get back at her. She finally reveals its existence at a sleepover at Nicole's house. Nicole immediately spreads a rumor that the picture is a fake deliberately made by Rockett to hurt her. Eventually, the two come to a truce, with Nicole promising to spread the word that Rockett didn't know the picture was fake and offering her a position on The Ones' ticket in the upcoming class elections.

What Kind of Friend Are You?
Nicole runs for class president against Nakili and Arnold. Despite offering Rockett the position of vice-president, she hasn't told Whitney, who is under the assumption that she will have the position. She spends a lot of time nagging Rockett to accept the position. When Rockett calls her out about not telling Whitney, Nicole dresses her down in the girls bathroom, causing Whitney to give up her claim to the nomination. Naturally, Nicole is furious when Rockett ultimately decides to join the CSGs' ticket. At the debate, Nicole reveals Rockett's alleged cheating (which she found out from Max). When Whitney reveals that she is actually the one in trouble for cheating and drops out of the election, Nicole screams at her. To replace Whitney, Nicole bribes Wolf with extra business for his family's restaurant if he runs as their vice-president. When The Ones eventually win, she goes to the CSGs' party to gloat about it.

During the victory party that The Ones hold on the school soccer field, Nicole reveals in her victory speech that they have chosen an overnight in Chicago for the 8th grade class trip. She and Whitney have already made up.

Are We There Yet?
Nicole as Student President and her fellow class officers choose Chicago as the 8th grade class trip destination. When the teachers hear that a student can’t go due to lack of funds, they make a mandatory fundraiser so everyone can attend. In further spirit-of-fairness, the teachers say that no student can bring their own spending money; the only money anyone can spend will be the fundraiser’s surplus divided equally among the students. The Ones, including Nicole, are completely against this new rule since Chicago offers great shopping opportunities, but the teachers respond that if the students want more spending money, they need to give the fundraiser their all. When suggestions are being made for the fundraiser, Jessie comes up with the idea to do a calendar with the students posing for the months. Nicole jumps on the chance to do modeling, rebranding Jessie’s idea as her own by saying the calendar will feature only the cool kids in school.

Nicole and her friends mock up the design of the calendar and give it to Rockett, who is head of the calendar project; but Rockett is trying to be fair to all students and rejects Nicole’s design. As soon as Rockett announces that birth months will determine who is eligible to pose for each month’s photo, Nicole tries being extra nice to Rockett to guarantee the August picture for herself. The Ones take Rockett for a fun Saturday out until sitting down for pizza they start to argue. Nicole and Chaz are both August birthdays. Nicole takes the debate too far when she throws her pizza crust at Chaz who retaliates with putting melted cheese into her hair. The two start a food fight and the Ones are asked to leave the restaurant.

Once the class is in Chicago, Nicole has her own agenda and plans on sneaking away from the group to go shopping for designer brands. For the first night in the hotel, she also sneaks down to the pool and sauna after lights out. When the class has free time on the third day, Nicole and Stephanie barely check in with the chaperones to go shopping and claim to be finding real bargains as a way to get around the no extra spending money rule. Back on the charter bus, Nicole brags too much about her purchases, tipping the teachers off that she broke the rules about using her own money. Nicole is given detention and threatened with losing her role as Student President. Enraged, Nicole tries to take the heat off of herself by ratting out Max who also broke the no extra money rule, but the teachers give him a pass since he didn’t brag about it and claims his money was spent on a present for someone else.

The calendar problem is solved by not limiting the pictures to just one student per month, so ultimately both Nicole and Chaz get to pose for August. Nicole dresses as a princess for her part in the photo.

Can You Keep A Secret?
When word gets around that Miko and Cleve are friends outside of school, Nicole is so surprised by how unlikely it is that she thinks it’s just a bad rumor. But when she starts seeing the evidence herself, Nicole is outraged. She cuts up a bunch of magazine articles about fashion-don’ts and writes a mean note to put in Miko’s locker.

The students are planning a surprise party for Miko throughout the book. To be inclusive, everyone receives an invitation, including the Ones. Nicole only plans on going so she can upstage Miko and prove that Cleve would never be friends with a geek like her. When Cleve comes to the party hours late, Nicole immediately cozies up to him by kissing his cheek and asking him to dance. Rockett gets angry at Nicole’s antics and tells her that Cleve is dating a high school girl named Cindy Bright. Nicole recognizes the name and pushes Cleve into the venue’s pool. Cleve pulls her in by the ankle in retaliation before the chaperones end the party.

Also mentioned in this book: The Ones have started ordering takeout for lunch instead of having to eat cafeteria food.

Purple Moon Place
Nicole's page was called "Nicole's Penthouse Apartment."

On the Purple Moon website, Nicole was part of a storyline where a new student, Felicia Ravenswood, replaced her as the most popular girl in school. After discovering that Felicia mocked the other students behind their backs, Nicole teamed up with Sharla and Mavis to take her down. During a party at Felicia's parents' mansion, Nicole played recordings of Felicia's phone conversations for the entire party, which immediately turned the entire school against her and allowed Nicole to regain her throne.

Purple Moon Place Treasures
See: /Treasures/