Six is the deuteragonist, or second-most important character in the text, and the character after whom the text is titled. Six is a complex character whose outgoing personality masks a vulnerable interior. Through her relationship with Daniel, Six learns how to be vulnerable and forgive herself for her past choices.

Six’s earliest appearances in the text are under the anonymous identity of Cinderella, the girl in the closet. She initially comes off as coy and self-deprecating, alluding to her self-described “promiscuous” nature: “I’ve got quite a reputation, you know […] it’s possible the two of us may have had sex before and we don’t even realize it” (7). She tries to play off her supposed reputation as a joke, but this flippant manner belies a true insecurity about the way boys treat her.

In the obscurity of the closet, Six feels able to be vulnerable with Daniel, revealing that she struggles with the fact that guys only seem to want her for sex and do not want to get to know her. This admission of insecurity and anxiety leads to her and Daniel’s sexual encounter, setting their lives on separate courses for a year only to come back together.

In their year apart, Six experiences pregnancy and puts the baby up for adoption. A monumental experience to shoulder the burden of alone, Six returns determined to change her ways. When she and Daniel meet again, assuming that they are strangers, she holds him at arm’s length, telling him, “Look, I know my reputation precedes me and I don’t know if that’s why you brought me here […] but I’m not that girl anymore” (45). She hides the pregnancy and adoption from Daniel, guarding herself from what she assumes will be rejection were Daniel to learn the truth. Though her instinct is to protect herself, she never manipulates Daniel’s view of her—she consistently expresses that she is no longer the girl others believe her to be. Six never tries to earn Daniel’s love through perfection; instead, she allows him to see her sadness, boundaries, and hesitations.

Like Daniel, Six continues to struggle with vulnerability, only alluding to the depth of her character: “She lifts her hand and touches a finger to her heart, pointing at it. ‘This,’ she whispers. ‘My biggest secret is right in here’” (85). This quote illustrates Six’s conflicted nature: Her heart contains the secret of the pregnancy and adoption, but this quote also implies that her heart itself is a secret that she holds close to her. She wants to give her heart to Daniel but feels the need to guard or hide it because she is afraid of experiencing hurt and rejection again. It’s important to note that while Daniel panics when things fall out of sync, Six waits. She sits in discomfort, often literally crying, but still shows up—willing to talk, listen, and trust. Her emotional openness is notable given the weight of what she has endured alone.

Six can only fully overcome her past when she is finally honest and vulnerable with Daniel. She regrets her choice to put her child up for adoption, especially now knowing that Daniel is the father, despite knowing that it was the best decision to give their son the best life possible. Daniel’s reassurance assuages Six’s fears of rejection, allowing her to be vulnerable once more and state, “I’m so happy it’s you […] I’m so happy it was you” (110). The trauma she experienced is something that does not have a clear resolution in the text. The weight of what she went through will continue to shape Six’s life, but she feels better equipped now to move forward, no longer defining herself by her past decisions and holding firm to her convictions. Her arc is quieter than Daniel’s but no less powerful—she grows not through action but through courageously allowing herself to be seen, flaws and all.

There is evidence to suggest that Six still harbors some guilt and internalized misogyny over her past sexual encounters. She struggles with the number of people she has had sex with, still viewing this as an indictment of her character rather than a healthy or even neutral expression of her sexuality. Despite these lingering concerns, Six illustrates that she has grown in her convictions, still waiting to have sex with Daniel even after they learn that they have had sex already. In waiting, Six gets to experience empowerment in her sexual decision-making, something that she previously felt was taken away from her. By the end of the novella, Six is not just loved—she is self-possessed. Her ability to wait, endure, and move forward on her own terms gives her quiet but undeniable strength.

Holder is Daniel’s best friend and the protagonist of the Hopeless series. He plays a secondary role in Finding Cinderella. Holder is a foil to Daniel, as he is more serious and stoic than his bombastic best friend. Holder has been through trauma in his life, having lost his twin sister, Lesslie, only a few years ago. The upheaval in Holder’s life causes him to have a cautious approach when it comes to challenging the status quo, which he illustrates in his resistance to Daniel and Six’s relationship.

When Daniel and Six first meet, Holder senses the romantic tension between them. Not wanting to upset the equilibrium of their burgeoning friend group, Holder tells Daniel that Six is off-limits: “You’re not allowed to flirt with [Six]. If the two of you mess around, it’ll just cause tension and make things weird, and I don’t want that” (23). Holder’s mandate that Daniel stay away from Six belies his anxiety about causing more heartache and change in their friend group, as Holder has already suffered a significant loss in his life.

Daniel is surprised at Holder’s response to his relationship with Six: “I hesitantly turn and look at Holder to gauge his level of anger. He’s never actually hit me before, but I’ve seen what he can do and I sure as hell don’t want to experience it. When my eyes meet his, he’s…smiling. He’s actually smiling” (78). Despite his stoic demeanor, Holder has a streak of anger that runs through him and sometimes manifests in physical violence. However, Holder also has a deep well of emotional intelligence, and even though he felt wary of their relationship at first, the smile he gives Daniel acts as an endorsement of the relationship or an acknowledgment that Daniel and Six are going to make their own decisions regardless of his opinion. Rather than put his friendship with Daniel in jeopardy for ignoring his wishes, Holder decides to open his mind to the possibility that Daniel and Six might be good together and that they are “oddly…right” together (80).

Holder’s true measure of friendship appears near the end of the text after Six reveals that she was pregnant with Daniel’s baby and put the child up for adoption. While Daniel does not share the reasoning for their argument and subsequent distance, Holder can sense something deeply troubling his friend. He does not push Daniel to divulge, but he does share a supportive statement: “Not sure what happened, but […] I like you with her. Get it worked out, Daniel” (105). He does not push Daniel to share what is bothering him and even sounds somewhat pushy when telling Daniel to “get it worked out.” However, within the context of their friendship, Daniel understands that Holder is holding space for him to talk if he needs to, and Holder is in support of his relationship with Six, encouraging his friend to fight for the relationship.