Jessie Marbella

''Hi! My name’s Jessica Kristen Marbella, but everyone just calls me Jessie, of course.''

Jessie Marbella is an 8th grade student at Whistling Pines Junior High.

In Rockett's New School, Jessie is the first person Rockett meets on her way to Whistling Pines. Jessie is soft-spoken, sensitive, and kind. She loves Egyptology and animals. As the series continues, she and Rockett become close friends, and Rockett often asks for her advice. In Rockett's First Dance, Jessie is shown to be talented at singing. It is implied that Jessie has a crush on Max Diamond. Her middle name is Kristen, and her birthday is February 29th.

Jessie has straight blonde hair, cut shoulder length. Her eyes are blue, and her eyebrows are blonde. She has freckled cheeks and large ears. Jessie dresses in loose-fitting shirts and sweaters. Sometimes the shirts are plain but other times they feature large pictures of animals or nature.

Jessie was voiced by Jenna Johnson, Elise Pfeifer, and Tasha Otero.

Background
Jessie is the youngest of two children. Her brother Emilio is older than her by at least five years, and he plays lacrosse for his college team.

The family surname Marbella is Spanish for “beautiful sea.” Jessie talks about how the two l’s make a “y” sound when pronouncing her last name and mentions that her dad’s family has roots in Spain.

Mr. Marbella is unnamed in the games, but he works as a professor in southern California. Jessie's paternal aunts, uncles, and cousins all live in the same area as her dad. Her mother, Dr. Nadine Swallowfeld, is an Egyptologist. Jessie mentions in her treasure trove on Purple Moon Place that her mother was in a nearly fatal car accident right before Jessie was born. Nadine gave Jessie a golden angel pin as a reminder that guardian angels are always with them.

Her parents are currently divorced. It happened later in Jessie’s childhood because she has described a family trip to Egypt when she was ten years old, and her parents were still married at that time.

She has two pet rabbits named Barley and Blackie. They were given to her by Stephanie’s veterinarian dad, Mr. Hollis.

Personality
Jessie is soft-spoken, sensitive, and kind. She is aware of other peoples’ feelings when she interacts with her peers. She hates fighting and would love for everyone to get along. Jessie is timid and shy in new environments, prone to imagining the worst when it comes to her own problems but very optimistic with other people’s problems. She gives people the benefit of the doubt and does not hold grudges. She is fine with not getting the spotlight in class or in sports, knowing the people at the top need people like her to support them.

Interests & Skills
Jessie can play the flute and enjoys singing. She is taking voice lessons from Petunia Limberger. She is also good with computers. Jessie is a member of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and plays on the team the Fireflies with other members of Whistling Pines Jr. High. Her favorite field position is left fullback because it is a defense position well away from the front action. She also participates in volleyball and tennis.

Jessie loves dolphins and Egyptology.

Relationships
Even though Jessie is nice to most of her peers, very few of them consider her a friend. Jessie does not belong to any cliques and is scorned by the popular students, especially The Ones. Rockett hits it off with Jessie right away on the first day of eighth grade and their relationship grows to a strong friendship. However, Jessie often feels that Rockett only talks to her or includes her in the latest events because Rockett wants Jessie’s advice, and not because they have a close bond.

Jessie’s strongest bond at Whistling Pines Jr. High is with Darnetta James. The two of them frequently have sleepovers or rush off together somewhere. Jessie even took Darnetta to California with her for winter vacation. Jessie desperately wants Rockett and Darnetta to become closer so that the three of them can hang out all the time, like the CSGs or the Explorers. But Rockett feels like a third wheel with them, and Darnetta is too laid back to force an awkward relationship.

She has a crush on Max Diamond, and it’s implied that Max feels the same attraction to her. However, his friendship with The Ones keeps him from acting on those feelings, which makes Jessie doubt that he likes her as more than a friend.

Academics
Jessie has Mr. Baldus as her homeroom teacher. Her fall report card shows her as an A/B average student with computer lab being her best subject and PE being her worst.

The day before winter break, Ms. Chen challenges the students to a digital scavenger hunt which requires the students to skillfully navigate online. Jessie pairs with Darnetta for the assignment, and together they complete the challenge with the fastest time of the day, winning movie tickets and dinner at Ms. Chen's home as their prize.

For the school talent show in the book Who’s Running This Show?, Jessie uses her flute skills to accompany Darnetta’s singing act.

Secret Paths in the Forest
Jessie is scared of going away to summer camp by herself. She fears that she isn’t going to be good at any of the activities nor make any friends, and is especially scared of the bugs and wild animals. After traveling her secret path through an enchanted forest, Jessie will realize that once she’s actually at camp she’ll have great adventures, make friends, and can learn to swim this summer.

The secret stones in her necklace are Courage, Friendship, Self-Reliance, the story stone, and two unknown stones - the first showing a cat running away from the sound of a dog barking and the second one showing a line of bugs getting dots on their backs. Her story is “The Fearful Rabbit.”

Are We There Yet?
The class trip is heading to Chicago. Jessie comes up with the idea for the mandatory class fundraiser, suggesting a calendar that the kids will pose for and sell. Nicole claims the idea was hers, but Jessie lets her do so since she isn't territorial. Flattered by the thought of Max buying her a present on the class trip, Jessie tells Max the secret reason behind the fundraiser and he betrays her trust by telling his other friends. Jessie rooms with Darnetta, Nicole, and Stephanie at the hotel in Chicago. At the Art Institute, Jessie loves the Egypt exhibit, studying the mummy closely. She buys scarab earrings from the gift shop. Jessie also uses the opportunity away from home to get her ears pierced against her mother's wishes. Rockett goes with Jessie to the Glendale Galleria for support. She and Rockett go on to buy sneakers and a nail tattoo kit with their fundraising allowance. For the calendar, Jessie poses as a mummy for the February photo.

Where Do You Belong?
Jessie took a weekend fishing trip with her brother Emilio. Just as they were packing up to return home, Jessie found a lost, muddy puppy in the woods. She sat in the backseat on the car ride home and kept the puppy secret from her family all Sunday night. Not able to leave the puppy in the house because of her mom's valuable Egyptian artifacts, Jessie takes the puppy to school with her on Monday. She uses a baby harness against her chest and covers it with a heavy coat, keeping the puppy inside the harness. Jessie asks for Rockett's help in smuggling the puppy into classes for the whole day, but Rockett knows the two of them alone won't be able to manage it, and she gets more classmates involved. Jessie is upset that Rockett let so many other people know, but eventually realizes that it worked out for the best. Rockett's older sister, Juno, locates the puppy's owner, and the puppy is returned to him on Tuesday morning.