Mei

Mei is the first main character introduced in the novel. She is 18 and goes to Santa Lora College instead of art school like she really wanted. Her and her mother were both born in San Diego, but her grandmother is Chinese. She tends to be driven by her emotions rather than logic. At the beginning of the novel, she is shy and has trouble making friends. By the end of the novel, she is romantically involved with Matthew and helps the town in whatever way she can.

Matthew Baker

Matthew is known as Weird Matthew in the dorms, where he meets Mei. He is logical to a fault, obsessed with the ethics of things instead of listening to his feelings. He often poses philosophical questions to examine others' ethics. He wears ratty clothes and sometimes dumpster dives because he does not want to live off his family's money...