Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, racism, police brutality, child abuse and neglect, and suicide.

Seventeen-year-old Kiara Johnson is the novel’s protagonist. Since her father’s death and mother’s incarceration, she has been forced to support herself. Determined to pay the rent and bills to ensure a home for herself and her brother, Marcus, Kiara has little choice but to adapt to an adult role. Responsibility to Family—a value instilled in her by both of her parents—is of the utmost importance to Kiara. She is self-sacrificing, sometimes to a fault, as evidenced in the agreement she makes with Marcus to allow him to focus on his music career while she supports them. Kiara is also willing to humble herself by asking others for help when the opportunity arises—she not only receives food from Alé’s family restaurant but also uses the connection of Marcus’s former girlfriend to secure a job for Marcus. Her ingenuity helps her survive: She makes money and obtains resources through unconventional means, such as the “funeral day” sprees and the basketball bets she places with Trevor. Her lack of opportunities also forces her to make pragmatic decisions to survive, namely the decision to enter sex work.