serena james.

Hippie hippie shake. A landscaper and pediatric nurse from Larson, Colorado were married only three months before their little bundle of joy, Serena James, was born. But wait.. strike that. They didn't actually have those occupations yet. In fact, they were living in the garage belonging to Suzanne's mother while they got things together. The two were only fresh out of high school when they found themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy, and though they were so young, they had also been together for five years and were convinced that they were each other's forever. The first five years of Serena's life was spent growing up in that garage and the home belonging to her grandparents, and she assumed that this was the kind of life that was normal. That is, until her parents had finally landed jobs (though only her mother actually attended college) and had enough money to get their own place. The family home was small but they didn't need much. Hand me down sheets, hand me down clothes, hand me down everything filled their house that often reeked of marijuana and dirty laundry.

Over the years, the three of them did everything together. Camping trips where her father taught her to fish, movie nights every Thursday to ensure they had their time together, allowing Serena to crack her first beer when she was a freshman in high school… Well, that was where it all went downhill. Suzanne James decided to continue her education, and with those hours added to the ones she was already spending at the local hospital, she was almost barely home. Add in the fact that she spent a good majority of her free time with the younger, single nurses that were just starting out and there was a wall that their family could never hurdle. Cussing, throwing of plates, burning of clothes -- Serena saw it all happen at home which meant that she was spending less time there, as well. She began stealing from her father's pot stash, breaking into the liquor cabinets, staying out all night at guy's houses while claiming she was at a girlfriend's. She did it all and because her parents were too busy fighting with each other, they never noticed that maybe she was becoming another problem they would need to conquer. By the time Serena was turning sixteen, the two had thrown in the towel and filed for divorce. All of this clouded over the fact that Serena was supposed to be learning to drive at this time, and since neither took the initiative, she never got a chance to get her permit or her license. When they finally realized she had fallen behind on this milestone of being a teenager, she shrugged it off and claimed she never wanted to learn how to drive. And she still refused to, three years later.

Unlike most couples, when the James family separated, it was her mother that moved away and did not put up a fight to keep Serena with her. She didn't mind staying with her father, of course, but the sense of being left behind stung. Even if her mother only lived a couple towns over, the time they spent together lessened dramatically over the months that the divorce had been fought. Although she would never admit that she was always hurt that her mother did not fight for her, she always appreciated that her father did. The two grew much closer over the next two years of Serena's high school career. They continued to do things together like they always had, except now those things often included smoking a bong on the front porch and scramble to act natural when a police car drove by. Although she always called her father 'dad,' she had to admit that Lee James always seemed a little bit more like a best friend than a real, over-bearing father like most girls have. When it came time to go to college, it was always assumed that Serena wasn't the type that would want to attend. This wasn't the case, however; in fact, she was far more interested in college than most of her peers. She spent forever trying to find the best programs for her, and always knew that she would want to study something creative -- but she wasn't sure where she would be able to do this or what combination she wanted. For a while, she thought she would end up somewhere on the east coast, studying art in some school full of hipsters with taste just as good as hers. But when she discovered that she could be a creative writing major and also minor in painting/drawing at LSU, she figured that it was a sign that she shouldn't go far after all. And part of her didn't want to leave her father, because even after the years since the divorce, he hadn't bothered to truly move on or make any new female friends.

Starting college meant a whole new experience for Serena even if she was only living a few blocks away from her family home. She knew that her father wanted her to live at home during this time, but she knew that if she was going to stay so close, she at least needed her own space. It only seemed natural that she room with her best friend from school, Blair, but she had no idea just how much this would change her. ALthough she had always been a bit of a wild child in high school, Blair had always out-shined her in that sense. Serena was always more reserved, at least publicly, because she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about her. That didn't mean that she didn't do drugs, drink a little too much and occasionally hook up with both males and females (her roommate included) -- she just kept everything on the down low. But college allowed her to be more free. She stopped caring about what people thought of her, spent a majority of her time sketching and writing, and if she wanted to fool around with someone for just one night? Well… she went for it. Part of her couldn't help but think that maybe she was more like her mother than she ever wanted to admit. Dedicated to her education but still pushing most important things aside for a good time. But that was okay, she wasn't her mother, because at least unlike her mother, she was only missing out on a science test rather than her daughter's sixteenth birthday.

full nameSerena Lee James age & birthdate19; January 2, 1993 hometownLarson, Colorado occupationWaitress at the Touchdown relationship statusSingle	Hippie hippie shake. A landscaper and pediatric nurse from Larson, Colorado were married only three months before their little bundle of joy, Serena James, was born. But wait.. strike that. They didn't actually have those occupations yet. In fact, they were living in the garage belonging to Suzanne's mother while they got things together. The two were only fresh out of high school when they found themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy, and though they were so young, they had also been together for five years and were convinced that they were each other's forever. The first five years of Serena's life was spent growing up in that garage and the home belonging to her grandparents, and she assumed that this was the kind of life that was normal. That is, until her parents had finally landed jobs (though only her mother actually attended college) and had enough money to get their own place. The family home was small but they didn't need much. Hand me down sheets, hand me down clothes, hand me down everything filled their house that often reeked of marijuana and dirty laundry. Over the years, the three of them did everything together. Camping trips where her father taught her to fish, movie nights every Thursday to ensure they had their time together, allowing Serena to crack her first beer when she was a freshman in high school… Well, that was where it all went downhill. Suzanne James decided to continue her education, and with those hours added to the ones she was already spending at the local hospital, she was almost barely home. Add in the fact that she spent a good majority of her free time with the younger, single nurses that were just starting out and there was a wall that their family could never hurdle. Cussing, throwing of plates, burning of clothes -- Serena saw it all happen at home which meant that she was spending less time there, as well. She began stealing from her father's pot stash, breaking into the liquor cabinets, staying out all night at guy's houses while claiming she was at a girlfriend's. She did it all and because her parents were too busy fighting with each other, they never noticed that maybe she was becoming another problem they would need to conquer. By the time Serena was turning sixteen, the two had thrown in the towel and filed for divorce. All of this clouded over the fact that Serena was supposed to be learning to drive at this time, and since neither took the initiative, she never got a chance to get her permit or her license. When they finally realized she had fallen behind on this milestone of being a teenager, she shrugged it off and claimed she never wanted to learn how to drive. And she still refused to, three years later. Unlike most couples, when the James family separated, it was her mother that moved away and did not put up a fight to keep Serena with her. She didn't mind staying with her father, of course, but the sense of being left behind stung. Even if her mother only lived a couple towns over, the time they spent together lessened dramatically over the months that the divorce had been fought. Although she would never admit that she was always hurt that her mother did not fight for her, she always appreciated that her father did. The two grew much closer over the next two years of Serena's high school career. They continued to do things together like they always had, except now those things often included smoking a bong on the front porch and scramble to act natural when a police car drove by. Although she always called her father 'dad,' she had to admit that Lee James always seemed a little bit more like a best friend than a real, over-bearing father like most girls have. When it came time to go to college, it was always assumed that Serena wasn't the type that would want to attend. This wasn't the case, however; in fact, she was far more interested in college than most of her peers. She spent forever trying to find the best programs for her, and always knew that she would want to study something creative -- but she wasn't sure where she would be able to do this or what combination she wanted. For a while, she thought she would end up somewhere on the east coast, studying art in some school full of hipsters with taste just as good as hers. But when she discovered that she could be a creative writing major and also minor in painting/drawing at LSU, she figured that it was a sign that she shouldn't go far after all. And part of her didn't want to leave her father, because even after the years since the divorce, he hadn't bothered to truly move on or make any new female friends. Starting college meant a whole new experience for Serena even if she was only living a few blocks away from her family home. She knew that her father wanted her to live at home during this time, but she knew that if she was going to stay so close, she at least needed her own space. It only seemed natural that she room with her best friend from school, Blair, but she had no idea just how much this would change her. ALthough she had always been a bit of a wild child in high school, Blair had always out-shined her in that sense. Serena was always more reserved, at least publicly, because she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about her. That didn't mean that she didn't do drugs, drink a little too much and occasionally hook up with both males and females (her roommate included) -- she just kept everything on the down low. But college allowed her to be more free. She stopped caring about what people thought of her, spent a majority of her time sketching and writing, and if she wanted to fool around with someone for just one night? Well… she went for it. Part of her couldn't help but think that maybe she was more like her mother than she ever wanted to admit. Dedicated to her education but still pushing most important things aside for a good time. But that was okay, she wasn't her mother, because at least unlike her mother, she was only missing out on a science test rather than her daughter's sixteenth birthday.
favorite things
random character facts ★ Is a Freshman at Larson State University majoring Creative Writing & minoring in painting/drawing. Writing has always been her first love and she writes nearly everyday, mostly poems now that she is older, but occasionally longer fiction (she has one novel under her belt, though no one knows about it). Her second love is sketching and she has come to love painting, as well. ★ Can always be seen on her skateboard, especially on campus, backpack slung over her shoulder and a cigarette in her mouth. She never learned how to drive and never plans to, though it could get in the way with her plans to someday road trip across the US. ★ Marijuana is her second best friend, Blair being her first, of course. She smokes everyday and the only time she can be seen making food is when she makes space brownies in the easy bake oven she has hidden in her dorm. ★ Her one weakness is small, fluffy animals, and she tends to sneak them into her dorm via her backpack only to have the RA catch her. She has already been written up twice for bringing stray cats into the dorm. ★ Has a bit of a Lolia complex, which leads her to go for older men. It's not that she has daddy issues, everything is good on that front, but she often finds them more attractive due to the fact that they usually have their shit together while she doesn't. ★ Don't bother calling her, she won't call you back. She has the tendency to be a flake (does she ever go to class?) but she makes up for it with her genuine kindness and ability to make fun of herself for this terrible flaw.
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