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Will Holloman
The novel’s 15-year-old protagonist and the late Shawn’s brother. Will is loyal, loving, and bewildered by his overwhelming grief in the face of his brother’s death. Though he’s never held a gun before, he feels duty-bound to seek revenge for his brother’s shooting. He takes his brother's gun and gets on an elevator, intent on killing the person he suspects of murdering his brother. During the elevator ride, Will is visited by visions of past acquaintances who lost their lives to gun violence, and he gains a new perspective. In the end, he breaks The Rules, crying with his brother, suggesting that he will seek to end the cycle of retribution, loss, and grief.
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Shawn Holloman
Will’s older brother, who was recently murdered in a gang shooting. Shawn is deeply devoted to his family. He runs errands for his mother and provides his brother with tough-but-loving guidance. Shawn’s also swayed by his emotions and struggles to control them in the face of confrontation and conflict, such as when seeking revenge for Buck’s death. It’s only after his death that Shawn learns that expressing his emotions directly, through tears instead of bullets, has the power to heal and lead his brother in a new direction.
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Will’s Mom
Will and Shawn’s grief-stricken mother. She is a hard-working provider who suffers from eczema and tries to protect her sons from the dangers of the streets by warning them against the violence that threatens to take them from her.
Buck
A brother figure to Shawn and expert thief. Torn between the moral upbringing of his preacher stepfather and the tendency towards darkness he inherited from his criminal father, Buck ultimately chose crime and excelled at stealing. He became a mentor to Shawn and helped protect his family after Shawn’s father died. In the elevator, he uses his truth to try to scare Will out of his revenge plan.
Dani
A young victim of violence and Will’s adolescent romantic interest. Dani was killed by a gunshot after she kissed Will when they were 8 years old. She comes back to Will in the elevator as the 16 year old she would’ve been and tries to convince him not to seek revenge for his brother’s death, pointing out that he could be targeting the wrong person and casting doubt in Will’s mind about his plan.
Uncle Mark
Will and Shawn’s uncle and Pops’ brother. Fastidious and dedicated, Uncle Mark was an aspiring filmmaker whose storytelling interest leaned toward romance. Though only truly interested in filmmaking, Uncle Mark turned to selling drugs to pay for his art. After he was killed on the corner, his brother sought revenge for his death.
Pops
Shawn and Will’s father and Mark’s brother. Pops is both fiercely loving and a powerful figure in Will’s life. In the elevator, Will learns that his father killed the wrong person in an attempt to avenge Mark’s death. This mistake led to Pops’ death. In a terrifying act of paternal protection, Pops holds the gun to Will’s head as a silent argument against his plan to seek revenge. He seeks to prevent Will from making the same mistake he did.
Frick
A gang member who killed Buck. When they were alive, Frick tried to rob Buck, and when Buck struggled, he shot and killed him. Shawn killed Frick in response, which accounts for the missing bullet in the gun Will carries.
Riggs
Shawn’s childhood friend and a suspect for Shawn’s murder. Riggs is portrayed as a smaller kid with a lot to prove. He moves to a new neighborhood and joins a rival gang where he’ll need to be initiated. Will is convinced that Riggs killed Shawn and plans to kill him.
Tony
Will’s friend. Tony is a great basketball player and witnesses both Shawn’s death and Buck’s killing. Tony tells Shawn who killed Buck, leading Shawn to kill Frick.
Shawn’s Girlfriend
Shawn’s girlfriend. She loudly mourns Shawn’s death, crying over his body at the beginning of the novel.
