The Perry Noelle knew was enthusiastic about new things, very huggy, stiff in speech (did he ever use contractions?), intelligent, and straightforward. He was a good person to have in your corner but he didn't always think things through before diving in.
Maybe that was why he got into that fight before they met that left his face messed up. He might have said the wrong thing to the wrong person without even realizing it and then didn't think to run until it was too late.
She could see how his straightforward nature might rub some people the wrong way. Her friends probably wouldn't have a problem with it though. If they could handle Derek, they could handle anything. He could be downright acerbic when he wanted. Noelle was sure Perry would never say something maliciously.
He was a total sweetheart. The way he smiled at her sometimes after giving her a compliment made her knees go weak.
