Shannon is the protagonist and narrator of Real Friends. She has red hair and eventually gets glasses. She is shy but also very imaginative and creative and enjoys making up stories for her and her friends to play. She comes from a big family and is the middle child of five kids. As a result, she often feels isolated and alone, without any close ally in her family. Throughout the book, Shannon narrates her experiences as she struggles with Forming Genuine Friendships. Her friendship with Adrienne is very important to her, but as they grow older, Adrienne develops other friendships. Shannon has to learn how to navigate a complicated group of girls and stand up for herself when she is bullied. 

The bullying that Shannon experiences from Jenny and Wendy erodes her self-confidence and makes Setting Personal Boundaries very difficult for her. Shannon does occasionally demonstrate the ability to stand up for herself, like when the boys grab her and try to kiss Adrienne. When she is bullied, she stops being able to advocate for herself. She does not speak up when Jenny bullies her because she is afraid she will be kicked out of The Group.