Leo Smith

Leo Smith is, arguably, the protagonist of How to Survive High School, which mainly deals with his exploits as he struggles to become the most popular kid in school. Although his goals are shallow, Leo isn't really a bad person, and deep down only wants popularity because of his social anxiety and loneliness. He is a cheerful, outgoing boy who just wants to be recognized and appreciated, even if it means he must be a bit of a jerk to get there. His quest for popularity (and the beautiful Natalie Bestick) is behind much of the action in the books. His best friends are Valentine Coinneach and Kendall Lawson; Leo is completely oblivious of Kendall's massive crush on him. His only real enemy is football quarterback Ace Dienf, who hates Leo intensely and abuses him at every chance he gets. Leo is starting his sophomore year of high school in Book 1, and has an older sister named Christina.

Personality
Leo is cheerful and optimistic; despite how often he is made fun of, he is always sure that he will someday become popular and admired throughout the school. He never fails to have confidence in himself and even sees himself as quite the catch, although he is not particularly arrogant about his perceived attractiveness. He is entirely dependent on other people's opinions of him and acknowledges how much more valuable the opinions of the popular kids are than the "nobodies," as Kendall puts them. Because of his morals and desires, Leo tends to behave in a shallow way: he falls in love with Natalie just because she's beautiful, constantly seeks to impress others without actually bettering himself, and is constantly jealous of guys who are better than him. He does, however, have moments where he expresses surprising amounts of depth and sympathy, especially when with those closest to him.

Appearance
Leo is overweight. He has sandy brown hair, brown eyes, and a chubby round nose. He usually wears sneakers, jeans, and a red t-shirt with yellow stripes on top of a long-sleeved shirt. He is not considered particularly attractive by anyone, not even Kendall, although this may simply be because of his weight.

Book 1: The New Kid
Leo starts off his first day of high school alone, while he is desperate to make friends and become popular. As his sister, Christina, makes out with some

Book 2: Social Studies
Leo will appear in this book. It will be about him finally have his chance at becoming popular, and interacting with both Venice Carlton and Rin Shikibu.

Trivia

 * Like most characters, Leo's name is derived from his personality. Leo means "brave," which he often shows himself to be. Smith means "maker," but was probably chosen because it is the most common name in the USA, thus making it suitable for the common, ordinary main character.
 * The high school he attended during his freshman year is never named, but it is hinted several times to be in another state.
 * Leo and his sister are the only siblings in the series mentioned to be attending the same school.
 * He talks to himself when flustered or nervous.