Ivy is a high school senior driven by intense anxiety and a need for control. Following a humiliating loss in the senior class president election, she struggles to maintain her carefully curated image. She lives in the shadow of her highly successful mother and intellectually gifted younger brother, fueling her desperate need for validation. Her usual strict adherence to the rules falters when she spontaneously decides to skip school with two former friends.

Mateo is a stoic, hardworking high school student trying to keep his household afloat following the closure of his mother's bowling alley. He works two jobs to help afford medication for his mother's severe osteoarthritis. Deeply loyal and observant, he often hides his own exhaustion to shield his family from worry. His protective instincts make him suspicious of anyone he feels might threaten the people he loves.

Cal is a lonely, art-loving teenager known for his brightly patterned shirts and red hair. A self-described serial dater, he jumps from relationship to relationship seeking connection and validation to mask his internal insecurities. He processes his emotions through drawing comics and deeply misses the close trio he once formed with Ivy and Mateo.

Lara is a young, attractive art teacher at Carlton High School. Popular among the student body, she maintains a secret studio space in an abandoned building in Boston. Her hidden life outside the classroom quickly complicates the investigation into the events happening at the school.

Daniel is Ivy's 16-year-old "wunderkind" younger brother. Having skipped eighth grade due to his extraordinary intellect, he is currently a senior alongside his sister. Popular, athletic, and effortlessly smart, his constant success makes him a source of intense insecurity and resentment for Ivy.

Brian, known universally as "Boney," is a Carlton High student who recently won the senior class president election using a joke campaign. His unexpected appearance at an abandoned building in Boston serves as the catalyst for the novel's central mystery.

Autumn is Mateo's orphaned cousin who lives with him and his mother. To help support the financially struggling household, she works long hours, including a job on a knife-sharpening truck. She is fiercely dedicated to her aunt and cousin but harbors secrets regarding how she earns extra money.

Charlie is a student at Carlton High whose name appears on a mysterious list. He is involved in a clandestine network of stolen goods alongside other students and becomes a volatile source of information for Ivy, Mateo, and Cal as they investigate the events in Boston.

Samantha is an applied statistics professor at MIT and Ivy's mother. Known for her military precision and immaculate presentation, she places immense, often unintentional, pressure on her daughter to excel. She is currently preparing to receive a prestigious award for her academic advocacy.

James is a successful real estate developer and the father of Ivy and Daniel. His business acquisitions, including the purchase of a local failing bowling alley, have directly impacted the lives of other families in Carlton.

Elena is Mateo's resilient single mother and Autumn's guardian. After a devastating lawsuit forced her to sell her local bowling alley, she relies on expensive medication to manage severe osteoarthritis. She raised her son and niece under the strict moral code that family must always take care of their own.

Tom is the lacrosse coach at Carlton High and Lara Jamison's fiancé. His position at the school and his relationship with Lara place him in close proximity to the student body.

Dale is a sensationalist news reporter who recognizes Ivy due to her family's prominence. He prioritizes dramatic, viral storytelling over journalistic integrity, eagerly broadcasting rumors about high schoolers to generate ratings for his infotainment show.

Ishaan is an aspiring true-crime reporter who co-hosts a student broadcast at Carlton High. Quick to capitalize on tragedy, he enthusiastically spreads rumors and speculation about the developing mystery, eventually building a monetized platform around the events.

Zack is a student reporter who runs a broadcast channel with his friend Ishaan. He is quick to amplify rumors regarding his classmates, treating real-life tragedies as entertainment for his audience.

Gabe is Autumn's boyfriend. He operates on the fringes of the Carlton High social scene and is intensely disliked by Mateo, who instinctively distrusts his motives and behavior.

Emily is Ivy's loyal best friend at Carlton High. While Ivy spirals into anxiety over her public image, Emily acts as an anchor, loudly defending her against the wild rumors circulating through the school and the media.

Dominick is an artist who runs a struggling gallery. He shares an abandoned studio space in Boston with Lara Jamison, drawing suspicion from Cal and Ivy as they try to map out the connections in the building.

Wes is one of Cal's fathers and the dean of a local college. He is highly invested in his son's life and expressly warns Cal about the ethical boundaries and power differentials between educators and students.

Henry is one of Cal's supportive fathers. Together with his husband Wes, he provides Cal with a loving, stable, and highly communicative home environment.

Stefan is Charlie's older brother. His house serves as a gathering location for students at Carlton High, pulling him peripherally into the unfolding drama surrounding his brother's associates.

Noemi is Cal's most recent ex-girlfriend. Her decision to end their relationship leaves Cal feeling lonely and pushes him to seek validation in a new, more complicated romance.