Adam Lockwood
Adam is a teenage boy who appears tough by smoking cigarettes, wearing a black leather jacket, and bragging about engaging in fights and making out with girls. While Seth is impressed by Adam's bravado, Adam reveals his cowardice at the end of the story and lies to Seth about why he couldn't intervene in the fight, making it clear to Seth that Adam is a compulsive liar.
Seth Dawson
Seth is the story's protagonist and point-of-view character. Desperate to be cool, Seth spends his time with Adam, who he carefully observes and questions about his lifestyle. To imitate Adam, Seth smokes his first cigarette and attempts to distress a denim jacket to emulate Adam's style. While Adam appears indifferent to the consequences of intimidating and provoking drivers passing under the bridge, Seth is frightened and suggests that they leave. After Adam lies, telling the husky guy in the black car that Seth flicked a cigarette onto the guy's car, the guy aggressively pushes Seth's head into the ash-spotted windshield. At the end of the story, Seth realizes the hollowness of trying to appear cool and throws away his bloodied denim jacket.
The Husky Guy
The husky guy is the driver of the black car onto which Adam throws his cigarette. He has long black hair that curls behind his ears. Wanting to hold the boys accountable for the affront, the husky guy and two other men surround them and demand to know who flicked the butt. The husky guy is strong enough to lift Seth off the ground and throw him against the fender of his car. After that, he holds Seth tightly to force him to lick the ash that has blemished the windshield. When Seth refuses to lick the ash, the husky guy becomes even more aggressive and slams Seth's head against the windshield before leaving in the car.
