Cordelia Chase

The prototype of the most popular girl on campus, Cordelia Chase is attractive, snobby, completely self-centered, fashion-conscious (and woe betide anyone who dares copy her - "Angel", 1.7), head cheerleader (as of 2.2 - "Some Assembly Required", having been on the squad since 1.3 - "The Witch"), the object of desire of much of the school's male population, was elected May Queen in her sophomore year, and is often surrounded by a group of admirers - the Cordettes - who hang on her every word.

Cordelia was born and raised in Sunnydale. Her mother has Epstein-Barr Syndrome, and her parents gave her a car when she passed Drivers' Ed. Her dating calendar tends to be full, and she used to be very fond of Daryl Epps until his tragic death (2.2 - "Some Assembly Required"), took Mitch Fargo to the May Queen dance ("Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight" - 1.11) and dated Devon, the lead singer of Dingoes Ate My Baby, though she eventually dumped him because he wasn't paying her enough attention. She has also made unsuccessful  plays for Owen Thurman and Angel, both of whom preferred Buffy. She also tried her hand at dating college boy, Richard Anderson, but he only wanted her for a sacrifice to the demon that his fraternity worshipped. She found some, perhaps surprising, relationship success with Xander, despite the pair having hated each other since childhood.

She initially made friends with Buffy, thinking that she had to be cool because she came from Los Angeles, but when the Slayer started hanging out with 'losers' like Willow,  she shunned her. But this changed when she was accosted by an invisible attacker ("Out of Mind, Out Of Sight" - 1.11), and she went to Buffy for help, figuring that she must be in a gang due to all the violence that surrounded her, but she had the truth brutally forced upon her when the Master was freed and she was present when Buffy killed him ("Prophecy Girl" - 1.12).She began to hang around with the Slayerettes  more and more, becoming "official" when she was woken early in the morning to drive Xander to Buffy's house after she'd gone missing (2.9 - "What's My Line? Part 1").

When her relationship with Xander went public ("Innocence" - 2.14), she became alienated from the Cordettes, and initially broke up with him to appease them, but upon realising that her "friends" were just sheep who hung around her because they wanted to look cool to the rest of the school, she decided that she'd date whoever she wanted to:

Cordelia, Harmony and friends come walking around under the balcony and head toward the foot of the stairs.
Harmony - Cody Weinberg called me at home last night.
Cordelia - Cody Weinberg? The one with the 350sl?
Harmony - The very one. Said he’s thinking of asking me to the pledge dance on Thursday.
Cordelia - That’s so huge!
Harmony - Yeah, there’s just two other girls he’s gonna ask first, and if they refuse, then I’ll...
Xander bumps into Harmony as they round the corner to the stairs.
Harmony - Watch it!
Xander - Sorry.
Harmony - God! looks him up and down Y’know, I’m glad your mom stopped working at the drive-through long enough to dress you. to Cordelia Oh, that reminds me. Xander starts away Did you see Jennifer’s back-pack? It is so a crying...
Cordelia - interrupts Harmony, shut up. Xander looks back Do you know what you are, Harmony? You’re a sheep.
Harmony - I’m not a sheep.
Cordelia - You’re a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I’m way cooler than you are ’cause I’m not a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what? Xander smiles I’ll date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter how lame he is. Xander’s smiles fades at that. Cordelia leaves the group and goes over to him. He smiles again. When she reaches him she takes his arm and they start walking together along the colonnade. 

However, Xander and Willow found themselves kissing one day, and had a bit of trouble trying not to do it again — until Cordelia and Oz caught them. Cordelia and Xander never got back together, but they did recently seem to call a bit of an unofficial truce. She later developed a crush on the new Watcher, Wesley, but upon kissing, they realized they had no chemistry. It was revealed toward the end of the third season that Cordelia's family, who've always had money, are now broke; her father made some "mistakes" on his taxes — twelve years in a row. Cordelia moved to Los Angeles to become an actress, but she works for Angel to pay the bills until she makes it.

Cordelia is played by Charisma Carpenter.