At the time of the first season, she is a recovering teenage drug addict who is fresh out of rehab and struggling to find her place in the world.
The second season finds her continuing to struggle with addiction as she becomes involved with drug trafficking, and enters an official relationship with Jules.
At the same time, she grows closer to Fezco after discovering an unexpected compatibility, including some unusual, shared interests (such as the 1986 film Stand by Me).
Her biggest fear is ending up in a relationship like her parents' loveless one, so she often excuses Nate's acts of violence as proof of his passion for her.
He was traumatized as a child after viewing his father's collection of pornography, which featured him having sex with male and transgender prostitutes.
[3] At the beginning of the first season, she wears cat-eye glasses and her everyday clothes often consist of average shirts, tops, and dresses, preferring minimalist makeup looks.
The summer before Rue's junior year, Gia found her overdosing and choking on a pool of vomit, which traumatized her.
Facing objectification from a young age, as well as her father leaving her family, has left the need for male validation as her Achilles' heel.
Seeking comfort, she has a secret fling with Nate in the second season, causing her to lose her sense of self and ruining her friendship with Maddy.
Ali is a man in recovery from substance use disorder who often speaks at Rue's Narcotics Anonymous meetings and eventually becomes her sponsor.
He is killed after being shot in the head by a SWAT team member during a police raid at the house he shares with Fez.