Character Analysis
Nothing makes a character more sympathetic than first encountering them in the moment their dog dies. And this is exactly when we meet Roger. But it's not just the fact that Roger's dog has to be put down that makes us Team Roger—it's also because he genuinely cares about Mia.
When they get assigned to the same group for their history project, Mia is shocked to learn that Roger remembers her a ship she made for a presentation way back in fifth grade. It's not long before she realizes that he pays attention to her because he cares about her. Sure, he might not actually come out and say so, but he always checks in with her and does her a solid by taking her to acupuncture with him, too. As much as we're on Team Roger, Roger's on Team Mia.
Thing is, Mia's never paid much attention to Roger, though she comes to recognize by the end that they make a great pair. She tells us:
He smiles and reminds me for a second of Adam. But Roger's definitely cuter. I wonder why I didn't notice it before? I'm suddenly embarrassed about how badly I behaved during our history project. (15.52)
Hmm… could it be that she crushes Roger now? The book ends before we get the chance to find out for sure, but we think it's safe to say the two of them will remain close in one way or another. After all, Roger doesn't care much about her synesthesia because he's colorblind, making him both Mia's total opposite and sort of perfect partner since they both relate to color differently than most of the people around them. Yay.