Caryl Futa is a college student from Meadowvale. She is Ann and Alvin Futa's daughter.
Biography[]Caryl's parents died in an accident when she was a baby. She spent most of her childhood in foster homes until she was adopted by Alvin and Ann Futa. At first she was a shy, anxious girl who was very afraid of being hurt. She found it difficult to trust her new family. But Ann's fun-loving and compassionate nature slowly drew her out of her shell. It took her a much longer time to open up to Alvin. In the beginning she bickered with Ann and Alvin's son Garth, who wasn't sure he wanted a little sister. It was part sibling rivalry, and part Caryl's fear that Ann and Alvin would favor their blood child over her. Garth, for his part, was jealous that his parents seemed to baby Caryl. After Ann reassured them that every child was equal in the Futa home, they started to get along better. By their teenage years, they were the best of friends, though they still enjoyed tormenting each other. As she got older, Caryl became very pretty and very boy-crazy. Darnell Centowski and Orlando Bertino competed for her affection. Eventually Darnell realized that Caryl liked Orlando better, so he told her he thought they should just be friends. Orlando became Caryl's first boyfriend. But she soon decided she didn't want to confine herself to one person, and broke it off. She had a fling with a college student, Ricky Cormier, which would turn into a possessive physical relationship. She was also attracted to upperclassman Gavin Newson. Gentle and soft-spoken, Gavin seemed to be the polar opposite of Ricky. Although they only went on a few dates, Caryl would later say that Gavin treated her with more love and respect than any of her "serious" boyfriends. In high school, Caryl was best friends with Darnell Centowski and Marie Mazza. She also became close to Georgia Newson, Gavin's kid sister. When Caryl went over to Darnell's house to work on a project, she met his twin brother Lanzo Centowski, and sparks flew between them. At the time, Lanzo's girlfriend Darci Hogan was missing, her fate unknown. When it was discovered that Darci was alive and well, and had simply run away from home after a fight with her parents, Caryl decided that Lanzo was fair game. Lanzo rejected her at first, feeling that it wouldn't be fair to Darci, but as the months went by he started to think that maybe it was time to move on. Around that time, Caryl met Craig Todd, a young intern who worked with her mother. He reminded her of an older, less stubborn Lanzo, and she quickly developed a crush on him. She flirted with him relentlessly, though Ann made her disapproval known. For a while, Caryl kept going back and forth between Lanzo and Craig. Lanzo got jealous and told Caryl to choose between them, to which she replied that he should choose between her and Darci first. When Darci finally did return, he told her he was leaving her for Caryl, sparking a feud between the two girls that would last well into their adult lives. After that, Lanzo and Caryl started to see each other more frequently and became an official couple. Caryl was not thrilled with Lanzo's insistence that they be exclusive, but she really liked him, so she forgot about Craig (and Gavin, and Ricky) for a while and tried to make it work. Darci's mother, Kendra, was angry at Caryl for stealing her daughter's boyfriend. She got revenge by telling Georgia that Caryl was two-timing Gavin. Georgia was furious, but couldn't bring herself to tell Gavin. Her brother's mental state had been fragile since the death of their mother, and she didn't want to push him over the edge. Instead, she tried to gently lead him away from Caryl by distracting him with other activities and other girls. Meanwhile, Georgia and Kendra schemed together to wreck Caryl's reputation at school. Kendra eventually realized she was acting immature and stopped, but Georgia would continue to hold the grudge for years. But Caryl had never really broken things off with Ricky. When he suspected she was losing interest in him, he started to demand more of her time and attention. She found it hard to say no to him, especially since he was the first man she'd been intimate with. Lanzo sensed that she was drifting away from him, and tried his hardest to "win her back" by taking her out on expensive dates. The more he treated her like a princess, the guiltier she felt. One evening she went to Ricky's house to end things between them... but instead ended up spending the night. Afterwards, Caryl went into a downward spiral of self-loathing. Gavin noticed her depression and was worried about her, not knowing the reason. He tried to cheer her up by suggesting they go bowling together. The two talked about their difficult childhoods, and Caryl thanked him for always being her friend. At the end of the night, after walking her home, Gavin surprised her with a kiss and a confession that he loved her. She was too shocked to answer him, and he apologized and ran away. Caryl decided to break up with Lanzo, but couldn't find the right time to tell him since he was distracted with school and his job. At a family reunion, Caryl asked her aunt Natalya Walker, who was recently divorced, for advice on how to move on. Natalya encouraged her to leave her past behind her and start fresh, and not to go back to any of her previous boyfriends. Having made up her mind, Caryl started to feel like she was already single again. She met a college student named Charlie Hutchins at a karaoke bar, and they started dating, keeping things fun and not-so-serious. Unfortunately, before she got around to explaining things to Lanzo, he saw them together and confronted her about it. Caryl confessed that she had been cheating on him not only with Charlie, but also with Craig. She said she could never be faithful to Lanzo, and ended their relationship on the spot. Feeling more free now that she was truly single, Caryl also dated Charlie's classmate, Corey Walton. But both of them expected her to eventually make a choice between them. When Caryl told them she just wanted to have fun and wasn't looking for anything long term, they ganged up on her and declared that she was "too immature" for them. Caryl was dejected, and ran back to the person she always turned to when her self-esteem was low--Ricky. After rumors spread that the two had made love in a changing room at the local mall, it was too much for Georgia Newson, and she told Gavin when he returned home for the summer. Gavin, who had still been holding out hope that Caryl might return his feelings, was crushed. He asked her if he had ever meant anything to her. Caryl was suddenly terrified of losing him, so she concocted a spiel about how she had been frightened by his kindness, but now she realized that she only wanted him. Gavin bought it, and they shared a passionate kiss. Caryl told him they couldn't be together since they both had to leave for college. He promised to wait for her, but she only caressed his cheek and didn't reply, leaving their future uncertain. To celebrate her high school graduation, Caryl went out with a few friends and Garth to play poker at the Lucky Shack. She was excited that Craig was coming along... but when they arrived, Ricky was there. He saw Caryl dancing with Craig and demanded to know what was going on. Caryl replied that she thought they had an understanding, since Ricky had never given her any sign he wanted to commit to her. He got very posessive, and the two had a violent argument, which culminated in him hitting her and giving her a black eye. When Garth saw what happened, he punched Ricky, leading to a fistfight. They were all thrown out of the building, and Craig told Caryl he never wanted to see her again. Although Caryl was depressed, she thanked Garth for standing up for her, and they became much closer. The next fall, Caryl started college at Mount Greenlake University. She settled in with relative ease, and did well in all her classes. A few weeks into the semester, she went to visit Garth, who was attending the nearby Academie Le Tour. She met his roommates, Ellen Frost, Phineaus Furley, and Chaz Whippler. Caryl didn't get along with Ellen, who she felt was a standoffish snob, but she developed an instant crush on Chaz. They started dating, and got serious very quickly. Caryl felt like things were moving a little too fast, but she ignored the warning signs, giddy with the freedom of young adulthood. Garth worried about her, but didn't feel it was his place to say anything. One night, Caryl and Chaz got drunk and slept together. After that she avoided Garth for a while, afraid he would lecture her if he found out. She was in love with Chaz, but both of them had said they didn't want any committed relationships, and she didn't know where they stood. Caryl learned that Chaz had once been in love with Ellen, and started to get jealous, even though Ellen was currently engaged to Phineaus. This further fueled her resentment for Ellen. She started trying to prove she was better than her at everything. When that didn't work, she found another way to get under Ellen's skin--flirting with her fiance. It was just a game at first, but gradually Caryl realized that she really did have feelings for Phineaus. During her sophomore year, Caryl moved to a house with Garth, Chaz, and Ellen. Since they would be living together, Ellen made an effort to reconcile with Caryl. They started to be friends, which Caryl might have been happy about, except that it put her in a very awkward position with Phineaus. One day he came over to see Ellen, but she had gone to an exam. He spent the afternoon with Caryl instead, and they shared a kiss. After that Caryl became very confused, unable to decide whether she really loved him or Chaz. Then Phineaus told her that he loved her more than Ellen and wanted to be with her. They made love in the hot tub at Caryl's house... and were caught by Chaz. He was furious and attacked Caryl. She fought him off and ran to Garth, while Chaz limped away and told Ellen what had happened. Ellen was enraged and tackled Caryl, but Caryl beat her up too. Even though they were friends, Garth decked Chaz for trying to hurt his sister. Ellen called off her engagement with Phineaus, and he slunk away, leaving Caryl once again uncertain. Later, when things had settled down a little, Phineaus asked Caryl to be his girlfriend. Caryl was hesitant, because he clearly wanted to settle down and have a family, which was the last thing on her mind. But he was persistent and eventually talked her into it. Not long after, Gavin Newson called her to say that he was in town and would like to see her. Caryl realized she had never given him a clean break, so she invited him over and told him that she was with Phineaus now (true) and didn't love him anymore (not entirely true.) Gavin felt betrayed, and was angry at her for a while, but he eventually he calmed down and said he would always be her friend. Then Caryl learned that she was pregnant. She wasn't sure if the baby was Chaz's or Phineaus's. Garth talked her out of having an abortion, promising to help her raise the child. Caryl was afraid to tell her family, worried that they might pressure her to marry the baby's father. This forced her to face the fact that she did not want to be tied to Phineaus for the rest of her life, so she broke up with him. He was hurt, but they remained friends. Garth helped Caryl get through this difficult time in her life, and for the first time, she started to feel like she would be okay without a boyfriend or lover. She eventually had to tell her parents about the baby. To her surprise, they were very supportive. Ann offered to send her some money, but Caryl declined, saying she felt this was something she needed to handle on her own. Time healed the wounds between Chaz, Caryl, and Ellen. Chaz had started dating Ellen to spite Phineaus, but she broke it off because she felt like she was using him. Chaz had gone back to his old flame, Vicki Armstrong, which led to tension between him and Ellen because she couldn't admit that she really loved him. Caryl helped Ellen sort out her feelings and got her and Chaz back together, which led the three of them to reconcile. Caryl gave birth to a son, who she named Judikael (who soon acquired the unfortunately feminine nickname "Judi".) A paternity test revealed that Chaz was not the father, meaning that Phineaus must be. Caryl felt obligated to tell him and let him spend some time with his son, though she was very clear that she did not want to get back together. Phineaus tried to be a part of Judi's life, but was a little jealous that the little boy seemed closer to "Uncle Garth" and "Uncle Chaz" than him. The rest of Caryl's college life passed quietly. The four housemates raised Judikael in a loving if somewhat unorthodox environment. Soon he was learning to walk. Garth graduated with a perfect 4.0, and a year later so did Caryl. She, Garth, and Judi moved into an apartment on the west side of Meadowvale. She got a job as a laboratory assitant, Judi entered school, and life became highly routine. The following year, some new neighbors moved into the floor below them. It turned out to be none other than Gavin Newson, along with his new wife, Claire. Caryl had been secretly holding out hope that someday she and Gavin would be together. She was surprised at how deeply it hurt to see him with another woman. But she knew he was happy, so she tried to be civil. The Newsons came over to visit frequently, trying to pretend that everything was normal. This irritated Garth, who could see how much it was bothering Caryl. He was mean to Claire at first, but she endured it and tried to turn the other cheek. Eventually he felt guilty and apologized. Things were still tense between them, but little by little Gavin and Caryl got used to just being friends, and she was happy.
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