2003laylaf

Nadia's best friend from choir. Elena is blunt, funny, and deeply loyal. She's the first person to sense something is off about Peter's sudden romantic interest in Nadia, but she can't quite put her finger on it. Elena is a voice of reason that Nadia routinely ignores—and a problem Peter considers eliminating from Nadia's life, one way or another.

Nadia's older sister and Marco's co-guardian. Sofia is in her early twenties, sharp-tongued, and fiercely protective. She notices things Marco doesn't—like the way Peter lingers too long, the way Nadia's phone buzzes at odd hours, the way Nadia has started canceling plans. She doesn't trust Peter, and she's not afraid to say it.

Nadia's oldest sibling and legal guardian. Marco is in his mid-twenties, works long hours as an electrician, and carries the weight of raising his two younger sisters after their parents died. He's protective of Nadia but often too exhausted to notice the subtle changes in her behavior. He likes Peter—which only makes Peter's deception more dangerous.

Peter's childhood best friend and neighbor. Nadia is a bubbly, scatterbrained dreamer with a huge heart and a head full of poetry, song lyrics, and half-formed thoughts. She attends Midtown School of Science and Technology, where she constantly feels like an imposter among geniuses. She's artsy, an activist, and deeply kind—but also naive enough to miss the red flags waving right in front of her. She writes anonymous poetry blogs and loses her keys twice a week.

A Queens teenager juggling high school, crushing guilt, and his secret life as Spider-Man. On the surface, Peter is the sweet, nerdy boy next door who's known Nadia his whole life. But beneath the friendly smile, his feelings have twisted into obsession. He follows her as Spider-Man, tells himself it's for her safety, and seethes with jealousy when she so much as talks to another guy. He wants to own her—and he's patient enough to make it happen.