Was Coco always kind of b*tchy?

I've been watching a bit of the first couple episodes on youtube from S1, and I didn't recall just how edgy and sort of b*tchy she was. She certainly was pretty cruel to Julie in the beginning. For some reason, as a kid, I didn't register her as being mean, maybe just tough and streetwise.

Anyway, my question is... please tell me as Erica's run progressed, that Coco softened a bit and matured. Because I very clearly remember her going through some emotional stuff (her grandmother dying, losing parts, etc.) and expressing a lot of sensitivity around it. And by the end S2, was she more friendly with Julie? She got along with Doris and most of the other characters.

One thing that struck me was the speech she gives Julie in the bathroom towards the end of the first episode of S1. At first I thought she was going to apologize and give her a pep talk, "I've been a bitch, hang in there, you're good" but it didn't really come off that way. It was a strangely written exchange, but when Coco leaves the bathroom, it does cause Julie to look in the mirror and smile with a sense of re-commitment to stay in the school.

By the way, none of this is a reflection on Erica Gimpel, who I always liked and thought was very talented and interesting, and she has continued to act a lot over the years.

Random thoughts about Coco.