full name: Hunter James Clarington age: 17 grade: Junior gender identity: cismale pronouns: he/him sexual & romantic orientation: bisexual and biromantic family members of importance: Amelia Clarington (biologically Hunterâs daughter, but everyone knows her as his adopted sister), Charles Clarington (father), Laura Clarington (step-mother), and Clarence (cat). clubs/teams (if any): swim club, mathletes and track & field positive traits: confident, intelligent, ambitious, hard-worker, dependable negative traits: stubborn, narcissistic, rude, impatient, reserved
biography
Hunter is the only son of Anne and Charles Clarington, two pilots who met during training in the Air Force and fell madly in love. Anne died during one of her deployments due to a technological failure in the aircraft, leaving Charles to raise a 5-year-old Hunter alone. Although it was hard for the military man to keep up with a toddler, Charles worked hard to make sure Hunter had everything he needed. Charles loved his son more than he had ever thought possible, but he often had trouble expressing this love as openly as perhaps Anne would have. Instead, Charlesâ love was shown in the little actsâ when Hunter was younger, he called him his âlittle soldier,â packed him a lunch box every morning, and played football with him in the park. This is how Hunter learned to love, not in big elaborate acts of confession, or even I love youâs, it was the little things done in silence.
Hunter had looked up to his father for as long as he could remember. Most young boys want to grow up to be some kind of super hero, but Hunter wanted to be just like his father. After all, his father flew airplanes and fought with bad guys, what could be cooler than that? Hunter was definitely going to join the Air Force someday and wear that same navy uniform that his father wore with all those badges pinned to it. While the dreams of most boys change as they get older, Hunterâs dreams are still the same. While Hunter doesnât give much thought to what others think, in fact he really doesnât care for most peopleâs opinions, itâs his fatherâs opinion that matters. He strives to make his father proud.
Growing up in military bases, Hunterâs childhood consisted of playing more in training courses than with colourful toys. Since they constantly moved from one base to another (depending on his fatherâs assignments), Hunter was always the new kid at school. Perhaps it was the culture of military academies, or just the environment he was raised in, but Hunter associated the more stereotypically male qualities with masculinity. He realized early on that he was attracted to both girls and guys, thatâs how he had felt for as long as he could remember. It wasnât that he feared being disowned, or feared being bullied if he came out, it was just easier to let people assume he was straight. After all, he did like girls. He still wanted kids someday and that white picket fence clichĂŠ, so why did he need to come out? In fact, why did he have to label himself all? All it would do is change the way others saw him and maybe disappoint his father a little.
When Hunter was 10, Charles began dating again. Hunter didnât particularly care for his fatherâs girlfriends, they were mostly flings, a few dates here and there. It was hard to date as a single father, especially when you frequently had to leave for deployedâ you had to move your things, get your son adjusted to a new academy, there was no time to devote to starting a committed relationship. It was 4 years later when Charles and Hunter took a trip to Lima, Ohio to visit some old air force buddies that Charles met Laura. He was deployed in Colorado at the time, and the two started a long-distance relationship that ultimately led to a wedding one year later.
It was only when Charles and Laura got married that things started to change. Laura came from a strict, Catholic household, which meant she had the same expectations for her new family. Hunter wasnât too fond of these changes, and like any teenage boy, he responded by acting out. He started throwing parties, skipping classes, sneaking in girls. All of this came to an abrupt end when his girlfriend found out she was pregnant and suddenly his world came shattering down.
After many conversations, they decided Charles and Laura would adopt the baby as their own. No one had to know that there little family wasnât quite as perfect as they seemed. Once Amelia Clarington was born, they moved to Lima, Ohio to start over at a new place and new school. Hunter is not about moving, but heâs grateful for all the help his father and step-mother have provided him with. He hopes to finish high school at McKinley and then go to West Point after graduation. He might have lost his way once, but now nothing is going to stop him.
