Kate is an 18-year-old senior at Merryweather High School and a champion cross-country runner. As an honors student, her singular academic focus is gaining admission to MIT, her late mother's alma mater. Since her mother passed away, Kate has carried the heavy burden of managing her family's household and caring for her younger brother. She constantly struggles to maintain the flawless facade of "Good Kate," a dutiful preacher's daughter, while hiding the rebellious, frustrated urges of her internal "Bad Kate" persona.

Teri is a student at Merryweather High who occupies the lowest rungs of the school's social ladder. She studies carpentry, works at a local biker bar, and carries a fearsome reputation as a school bully. Behind her hostile exterior and aggressive outbursts, she manages severe domestic hardships in a deteriorating home, serving as a primary caretaker for heavily dependent family members.

Mitch is Kate's wealthy, highly popular boyfriend. Having already secured an early acceptance to Harvard, he drifts comfortably through his senior year of high school. He operates from a position of privilege and ease, generally avoiding deep emotional complexities or difficult conversations.

Jack is a prominent local minister and the widowed father of Kate and Toby. He pours his energy into his congregation and community outreach, practicing a philosophy he calls "faith in action." His intense dedication to helping others in crisis often causes him to overlook the immediate emotional needs of his own children.

Toby is Kate's fourteen-year-old brother. He suffers from asthma, requiring regular medication and careful monitoring. With their mother gone and their father frequently working, Toby looks to his older sister for daily stability and care.

Mikey is a lively two-year-old boy living in the Litch household. He brings chaotic, youthful energy to whatever environment he enters. He loves playing with his toy fire trucks and making messes, requiring constant supervision from his older family members.

Teri's mother is a quiet, highly dependent woman bearing a noticeable pink scar on her forehead. She suffers from a severe traumatic brain injury caused by domestic violence. She relies entirely on her daughter and members of the local church parish for her daily survival.

Teri's father is a deceased man who died while serving time in prison. His actions continue to plague his surviving family, particularly through the physical damage he inflicted on his wife and the dangerous, illegal electrical modifications he made to the family home.

Sarah is one of Kate's friends at Merryweather High. She belongs to the same affluent, college-bound social circle as Kate and Mitch, prioritizing academic status and outward appearances over complex emotional issues.