Ginger's long-time friend and next door neighbor Darren Patterson, 13 years old, is another member of Ginger's inner circle of friends. He is calm, reliable and down to earth. Although he is not truly a geek, Darren's unwieldy orthodontia was a serious strain on his popularity. His other main issue is that his brother Will and his father, both loud, tough and into sports, think he's way too soft. All this began to change, however, when he got his headgear off and instantly became attractive and popular.