Adam Dickson

Character Analysis

The resident bad-boy and Mia's fellow synesthete, Adam is not to be messed with. He helps Mia lie to her parents to get acupuncture, regales her with stories about getting drunk as a kid, and is not shy about his feelings for Mia. The way she tells it: "I'm all jittery and wonder if this is what Kimberly feels like every time she gets a crush on a new boy. Not that I have a crush on Adam" (8.42). Right. Sure you don't, Mia—we totally believe you. Not.

Just emailing Adam makes Mia all nervous and excited because she has a massive crush on him. It's easy to see why: He's the first person Mia really knows who sees the world the same way she does—literally—so she feels a connection to him because he's a synesthete and understands what it's like to be her in ways that no one else around her does.

All that glitters is not gold, though, and Mia soon learns that Adam's not all he's cracked up to be when he doesn't give two figs about Mango dying. He might see colors the same way Mia does, but since he doesn't see the value of her cat, it's time for him to take a hike.