Jake is kind of shitty. That's right, I said it. I know how much everyone loves Jake but he's kind of a jerk. 

Before Jake is introduced to the audience as a "threat"(Christine's kind of boyfriend), he is rumored to have had sex with Madeline recently. When we finally see him, he implies that the rumors are true to Rich. We learn later than Jake and Chloe used to date and that whenever they date or flirt with another person, they do it with the intention of making the other jealous. I feel like Jake used Madeline for sex, treating her like an object so that he can make his ex want him back. Jake may have even led Madeline on, of course we don't know for sure but maybe Madeline really liked Jake and hoped that it wouldn't have been just a one-night stand. 

Once Jake meets Christine, he lies to her. He tells her that he saw her play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet last year. At the time, the audience(and Christine) believe him, but later at his halloween party, Jake doesn't recognize the dress Christine wore when she played the role as Juliet. 

When Jake and Christine go to mall after school, Christine questions where the rest of the cast is, because earlier Jake told her that the cast was going to the mall. He confesses that he lied, which is super sketchy. He should've just asked Christine if they could go alone together. Later when Jeremy is dying(/j) from the SQUIP infiltrating his brain, Jake calls him a freak. Sure, I would be weirded out, anyone would. But Jake was obviously trying to make a good impression to Christine, and being rude to someone isn't a very good idea, especially when the person you're trying to impress is someone like Christine Canigula.

The SQUIP tells Jeremy that Jake only does extracurricular activities to distract himself from feeling like he isn't enough. The audience feels sorry for him, myself included. Most people don't use this to excuse Jake's actions, which is a good thing. It's a good reason for him doing every single sport and club out there, but not a good enough reason to treat Christine and Chloe like shit. 

During "Upgrade," Jake talks about how he feels this pressure to be the best. This is more baggage to give Jake, baggage that makes sense for a coming of age story. Again, most people don't use this as an excuse. 

Jake at some point mentions his parents are on the run from the police because of their money laundering business. I think this is where most people sympathize with him. A kid who has never had a stable home because his parents are never there is a sad story. I feel bad for him in that sense. But I feel like people feel too bad for him, and end up forgetting all the other shitty stuff because he's a poor sad baby boi. This is something that people use as an excuse for Jake's actions. He never even apologizes to Christine. 

When Jeremy comes out of the hospital, the popular kids say that they all feel closer after doing "ecstasy" and they all give advice on how Jeremy should ask out Christine. Jake casually says, "I'll throw you a rope, homeslice, if you need some dope advice." Ignoring the cringy lingo, Jake wants to help Jeremy get with Christine. This proves my point that Jake just wanted to get with her to make Chloe jealous.

In conclusion, Jake is an asshole and I've had this in my drafts for over a month.