Heartstopper: Volume Two

Volume One of the Heartstopper series focused primarily on Charlie’s perspective and his experience of falling for Nick. Volume Two, however, centers around Nick’s journey of Overcoming Internal Anti-Gay Bias and discovering his sexuality, as well as the true extent of his feelings for Charlie and the confidence to stand up for himself and those he cares about. This makes Nick the protagonist in Volume Two. Nick is sixteen years old and always thought he was straight, but when he met Charlie and invited him to join the rugby team, it wasn’t long before he was falling for Charlie the same way Charlie was falling for him. Through The Sparks of a First Love and the challenges of coming of age, Nick discovers who he is and what he is no longer willing to tolerate in his life. While Nick doesn’t express anti-gay bias toward others, he carries a certain sense of shame or embarrassment about being with Charlie. This is almost entirely due to The Effects of Peer Influence on Self-Esteem, and once he overcomes this, he overcomes his own internal feelings of shame and guilt.