The main character of That Was Then, This Is Now is Bryon, a sixteen-year-old greaser. The writer begins by describing him as having dark hair and eyes that girls love. “I'm a big guy, dark hair and eyes, the kind that looks like a St. Bernard puppy, which I don't mind because most girls can't resist a St. Bernard puppy” (p. 13). His casual attitude towards racing and fighting shows how immature Bryon is, especially when he is around his best friend Mark. “Mark and I went to the bar/pool hall about two or three blocks from where we live with the sole intention of making some money” (p. 9). As the story continues, the writer shows how Bryon begins to questioning everything about the way he lives when his role model Charlie dies. “I couldn't get it out of my mind, Charlie warns us about scams, don't you see? This isn't a story or a TV show, bang you're dead , big deal. This is a real thing. Charlie is dead!” (page 86) The writer introduces new characters into the story, each of them is an important factor in his development in love with a girl named Cathy, the writer shows us that Bryon begins to care about other people more than himself himself The writer begins the story with Bryon and Mark (both 16 years old) who are best friends like brothers who are involved in gang fights, scam people and don't have to follow any rules shows us how both boys start to take a different path from each other. When Bryon gets beaten up for covering up what Mark did to Angela, Bryon doesn't want Mark to take revenge on the people who hurt him.” I don't want to continue like this, with this jazz in balance. It's stupid and I'm tired of it and it keeps going in circles" (page 129). .. seen in That Was Then, This Is Now. The order of the text in the book That was then, this is now and begins in the present when Bryon and Mark are 16 years old. They both still live in the moment and don't worry about being mature. They were best friends like brother. The author uses flashbacks to show how close Bryon and Mark were before they started drifting apart. “I had read him books about cowboys when we were little – we were both going to be cowboys – books like Lone Cowboy by Will James” (page: 66). After the flashback we return to the present. As time goes by Bryon dates Cathy (Girlfriend) instead of Mark. Bryon and Mark begin to go their separate ways in life. One day Bryon found a stash of drugs under Mark's bed and didn't know what to do, so he called the police. Mark is taken to prison and the friendship between them is destroyed forever.