Alexis lives with her mother Tanya in an apartment complex on the rundown side of town. Alexis and her mother don’t have much money, so Alexis wears second-hand clothing and shops at the grocery store with a food stamps card. Tanya has bipolar disorder and is often off of her medication, suffering hallucinations and paranoid delusions that make her abandon Alexis. Alexis spends much of the novel worrying about her missing mother.

Alexis has street smarts in ways that Ruby and Nick do not: She is acutely aware of how to fly under the radar. Where Ruby is outspoken and Nick tends to be goofy and playful, Alexis stays focused, aware how quickly situations can become dangerous.

Alexis is extremely understanding and empathetic. Because of her experiences with her mother’s mental illness, she can connect with people suffering emotional distress. She promises Mrs. Balog to find her son, relating to how tired Mr. Balog looks from years of worrying about his safety. Alexis also does not treat unhoused people as lesser. Instead, she finds kinship with the runaway Raina, doesn’t lose her composure at the homeless shelter, and speaks to many people about whether they’ve seen her mother.

As the novel opens, Alexis rarely opens up to others and doesn’t have any friends, worried that the family will be reported to social services and separated.