Stella Steckler

Stella Steckler is a junior at Edgewater High and one of the narrators of the novel. She is the oldest Steckler sister and has a hard time expressing any emotions. She is very stoic and is single-mindedly focused on winning a scholarship to Georgetown for her running. She is also extremely competitive and puts competition above everything else in her life almost all through her life.

As a child, Stella suffers trauma when her mother slips into alcoholism and ends up in rehab. Stella loses trust in her parents and no longer feels as if she can be a carefree or happy person. She resents her parents for failing her and does not understand how her sister, Ellie, can forgive them.

Stella has a natural gift for running and begins competing seriously in elementary school. When Ellie starts running, too, Stella allows her to win once because...