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CeCe was only thirteen years old when she moved out of her family home, though fortunately that meant moving in with other family members in one of her favorite places in the world. She’d spent childhood summers in Dallas, so the move wasn’t too difficult for her, but leaving her family behind wasn’t the most fun thing ever. However, it was necessary, because things at home weren’t okay anymore. Fortunately, CeCe thrived in Dallas. She settled in well with her Aunt Sara, Uncle Ernesto and two cousins, Mikayla and Isabella easily, quickly becoming like a third daughter in the family. CeCe shared a room with her older cousin, Mikayla, right the way up until the older girl left for college.

Although she’d always been good in school as far as academics, and had always been surrounded by a large circle of friends, CeCe really thrived in her new high school. She was never really the type to worry too much or to be nervous about meeting new people, so she made friends right away. From her childhood summers there, she already knew a few people anyway, so her relationships with those people only solidified, especially with her best friend, Nicole. The two were inseparable, and would have sleepovers every weekend, with Nicole’s parents eventually treating CeCe like their child, and CeCe’s aunt and uncle doing the same with Nicole. It was just a nice environment all around, and CeCe definitely believes that the move was a generally positive one.

By her sophomore year of high school, CeCe had explored relationships, and had had a few boyfriends, even progressing to physical stages with some. She lost her virginity at the age of fifteen, and honestly didn’t really see what all of the hype was about. By sixteen, though, she and Nicole had begun experimenting with each other, though it was never anything deep. They could have fun in the bedroom, but there were never any feelings involved, and Nicole is the person CeCe thanks for helping her to realize her sexual identity - she could connect on a sexual level with anybody, their gender not important. This came in handy when she went on to college.

Before that, however, CeCe begun experimenting with different forms of art. She’d known since she was a little girl that art was in her future; it was honestly her calling. It was after a visit to a local tattoo studio at sixteen years old that CeCe realized body art was it for her. She started to accumulate small pieces of her own, and just never really stopped from there. Fortunately, her aunt and uncle were always fine with it, and always gave their consent until CeCe was of the age that she didn’t need it. By college, she was covered in a pretty decent collection of ink, and had even begun interning at the very same studio where she’d gotten the majority of her pieces done.

The decision to stay in Dallas for college was both the easiest and hardest for CeCe to make. Dallas had become her home, and she felt that she fit there. On the other hand, though, going back to California would mean being back with her mother, and that was definitely an inviting prospect. However, Maria encouraged her daughter to do what she felt was best for her, so she ended up staying put, attending college alongside Nicole and a few of their other friends, where CeCe first got into the porn industry. It was kind of by accident, to be honest, but it wasn’t something she was ever opposed to.

Still experimenting with one another, when Nicole started making videos of herself doing sexual things and putting them online for paying customers to watch, she invited CeCe to do them with her. A few videos later and they were approached by a member of the management from XXXRated - a porn company local to Dallas. Considering she wasn’t being paid from her internship at the studio, CeCe didn’t see the harm in taking on paid work, even if it was in the sex industry. She has always been very confident regarding her body, and comfortable in owning her sexuality, so the decision to say “yes” wasn’t a difficult one for her to make. CeCe continued to work for XXXRated for the next two years, while thriving in college and at the studio.

At twenty years old, she met Aliyana. It was at a party, apparently they had a mutual friend, and they were basically checking each other out all night, until the older girl eventually approached CeCe. Although she doesn’t necessarily believe in love at first sight, she’s confident that in she and Ali’s case, that’s totally what it was. They seemed to hit it off from the very first second, and soon enough they were going out on a date, then another, and then growing pretty damn serious. Wanting to be honest with her girlfriend about her work, CeCe explained to her that she worked for XXXRated, and when Ali expressed that she wasn’t comfortable with it, CeCe understood, and wound up quitting. By that point, she was being paid for her work at the tattoo studio anyway, and by the age of twenty-one, she’d proposed to Aliyana.

After a very fast moving engagement, CeCe became Mrs. Chloe Elise Hart following a beautiful ceremony, though her friends definitely were not all very supportive of her marriage. And with good reason, too. Ali had become possessive quickly, even before they’d tied the knot, and had begun to push people out of her life - unbeknown to CeCe, this included her twin sister. As far as CeCe could tell, though, Dani was just ignoring her, she didn’t want her around anymore. It sucked, but what could she do? She couldn’t force her way back in, so CeCe begrudgingly accepted it.

Only two short years into their marriage, on CeCe’s twenty-third birthday, at the party thrown by Aliyana in their home, CeCe walked in on a sight that haunts her to this very day: Her wife (now ex-wife) on top of the new guy, Dave, from the tattoo studio; both naked and wrapped up in one another in Ali and CeCe’s bed. Regardless of Ali’s reasons for doing it - apparently to get a rise out of CeCe - there was no coming back from something so severe, and CeCe found herself at twenty-three years old with a failed marriage under her belt and the title of ‘divorcee’ hanging over her head. The more prominent title of ‘alcoholic’ soon followed.

With baseball no longer a viable option for him, Sam Evans was at a crossroads. The only colleges he’d considered were only interested in what his athletic prowess could bring to their programs. Failure was stifling, and suddenly the city he’d grown up in all his life, the one he loved, no longer felt like the place he needed to be. 

Applying to SCAD Atlanta had been a longshot, a move his parents questioned but were ready to support if it made him happy. With his guidance counselor’s help, he was able to fill out the necessary paperwork and gather together years worth of work from art competitions and art classes, anything that would show admissions that he was serious. That this dream was one he wouldn’t abandon.

The day the acceptance letter came, he could practically feel his heart in his ears, taking his time to open the envelope and it didn’t hit him, not completely until he saw his father’s face, beaming at him with such love and pride, Sam felt warm all over. He’d finally followed through on a goal, and the reward, that look, and that feeling of accomplishment, it was addicting. He wanted, needed to make it happen as often as possible.

He left Fort Worth and his family behind with a silent promise that he would do his best, no matter what.

College was easier than high school. Despite the pressure of academics, the weight of the financial burden he was now forced to carry in loans to pay for damn near everything, it all seemed worth it to be in a place that was as far from Fort Worth that he could get without missing his family as much. 

Atlanta was exciting; there was always something going on, and Sam found himself, like most young adults fresh out of high school and on their own for the first time in their lives, needing to balance the demands of school with wanting to explore his new surroundings as much as possible.

By the start of his junior year, and even with the help of loans, financial aid, and a small scholarship that barely covered books and materials, Sam was still struggling with money. Pride stopped him from calling home, knowing his father would need every bit to support the family, but fate came in the form of a flyer on the student jobs board at campus. 

Amateur night at Stallions turned into a cash prize and a job offer and paid tuition, and food. The job...some days it was good. He was a quick learner and eager to please and even if the patrons were sometimes too forward or the fighting behind the scenes with the other dancers worked his nerves, it was a job. A good one that allowed him to stay in school and pursue his passion. That was the only thing that mattered.

Every late night spent working on projects, every dollar put forth on a new camera or editing program, it was an investment in his future. He stayed at Stallions through his senior year, quitting a week before graduation and closing that chapter with few regrets. Sam liked to think he got a different kind of education in his time at the strip club, but SCAD and his degree in Visual Arts would be his future. Or so he thought.

An old professor turned mildly successful artist and curator invited his former students to New York for the opening of his new show. For Sam, it was a no-brainer. Attend, schmooze, and score some kind of job, be it working in a gallery or at the very least a patron. He’d never considered moving to New York before. Atlanta had felt far enough, and going further up the coast, away from his family seemed like a bigger decision than he was ready for.

Still, he attended the show, met the ‘right’ people and at the end of graduation found himself with a degree in hand and zero job prospects.

The panic set in, the unsurety of his future. It felt like punishment, for walking away from baseball years ago. It felt like failure, seeing former classmates score jobs thanks to well placed unpaid internships he had to pass on during undergrad because he had to choose a job that actually paid instead of one that would invest in his future. But the future was here and Sam didn’t feel any more prepared for it. Just hollow.

After graduation, he lingered in Atlanta for a few months before returning home, getting an apartment of his own. It was easier than staying with his parents. His mother hadn’t managed to skip town in years but their relationship was still no better. There, in his own place, Sam could create. He worked odd jobs, did some freelance art on the side for local businesses and spent as much time with his brother as he could. His father encouraged him, reminding his son that the degree was the most important thing. He had it. Worked hard for it. And no one could take that away from him. He reassured him, like most adults would, that he’d find something soon.

Until then, Sam figured he could stick to drifting.