Ryan Dean is a 14-year-old junior at Pine Mountain Academy, having skipped two grades academically. He plays rugby and wrestles with intense feelings of social inferiority because he is younger and physically smaller than his classmates. Hoping to shed his reputation as a nerd, he returns for the school year determined to become more confident and win the affections of his best friend. He temporarily lives in Opportunity Hall, the school's disciplinary dorm.

Joey is an openly gay senior and one of the captains of the Pine Mountain rugby team. He possesses a self-assured exterior and frequently serves as a voice of conscience for his younger teammates. While many of his peers claim to accept him, he still faces underlying homophobia and tension within the male-dominated boarding school environment.

Annie is Ryan Dean's best friend and a fellow junior at Pine Mountain Academy. She comes from a supportive, affluent family near Seattle. Artistic and caring, she often treats Ryan Dean like a younger brother, which frustrates his attempts to shift their relationship into romantic territory. She values stability and worries about ruining their existing friendship.

Chas is an imposing, 6'4" senior rugby player who is temporarily assigned to room with Ryan Dean in the school's disciplinary dorm. He subscribes heavily to the macho culture of Pine Mountain and often acts coarse or hostile. Despite his intimidating exterior, he organizes social events like dorm poker games and occasionally shows glimpses of vulnerability.

Casey is an aggressive older student and a football player at Pine Mountain Academy. He embraces the school's toxic masculine culture and frequently targets younger or different students with physical intimidation and homophobic remarks. He holds a particular animosity toward the rugby team.

Mrs. Singer is the adult female chaperone assigned to Opportunity Hall. Ryan Dean perceives her as intimidating and menacing, an image compounded by her habit of lurking in the dorm corridors late at night. He becomes irrationally convinced that she possesses the ability to place curses on misbehaving students.

Mr. Farrow is the adult male chaperone for the boys residing in Opportunity Hall. He monitors student behavior and enforces disciplinary procedures, such as demanding haircuts and assigning room detentions. His supervision forms the primary adult boundary for the boys living in the disciplinary dorm.

Nick is an older student and Casey's loyal roommate. He participates in the bullying of younger students and backs up Casey during physical altercations with the rugby team. He strictly adheres to the hostile environment cultivated by the football players.

Megan is a smart, driven high school junior who shares a calculus class with Ryan Dean and Joey. She is dating Chas, an arrangement that baffles her academically focused peers. Friendly and flirtatious, she forms a study group that quickly complicates the social dynamics among the students.

Seanie is one of Ryan Dean's former roommates and a fellow player on the Pine Mountain rugby team. He provides a reliable friendship and often acts as a sounding board for Ryan Dean's frustrations. He tries to keep the peace when conflicts arise within their social circle.

JP is Ryan Dean's friend, rugby teammate, and former roommate. While generally good-natured, his interactions with the wider friend group sometimes cause friction. His interest in taking Annie to a school dance places a significant strain on his relationship with Ryan Dean.

Kevin is a senior at Pine Mountain and a member of the rugby team. He shares a room with Joey in the standard boys' dormitory and regularly participates in the clandestine, high-stakes poker matches organized by the older boys.

Isabel is a student at Pine Mountain and one of Annie's closest friends. She frequently spends time with Annie around campus and serves as a messenger when her friend is feeling unwell or avoiding direct conversation.

Annie's mother is a psychologist who provides a warm, welcoming environment at their family home. She actively engages with her daughter's friends and offers the kind of maternal attention that Ryan Dean finds lacking in his own life.

Annie's father is an affable man who played rugby during his college years. He easily establishes a rapport with Ryan Dean over their shared interest in the sport, providing a supportive paternal presence during visits.

Ryan Dean's mother lives in Boston and communicates with her son primarily by phone. She is emotionally distant and out of touch with his daily life, often making awkward assumptions about his social and romantic development.

Ryan Dean's father resides in Boston and remains largely absent from his son's life at boarding school. Like his wife, he is a wealthy professional whose career demands create an emotional distance from his teenage son.

Ned is an elderly man with dementia who lives near the school. He wanders around the local town asking strangers for rides, completely forgetting where he actually lives.