east highland, california. karissa and fez have been together since karissa was 13, and fez was 14. she’s been there through it all, they met a few years after fez took over his grandmas drug dealing business. they’ve always had this easy going relationship, they’ve known each for 6 years, now karissa is 19, and fez is 20. karissa lives with fez and his little brother ash, who is now 14. ash and karissa are pretty close, she’s known ash since he was 8 years old. he wouldn’t admit it, but he wishes karissa was his mom, and has always loved her like one, despite her only being 5 years older than him. she’s like that cool auntie, older sister, and mom all wrapped into one. karissa had it rough growing up. shes an only child. her dad wasn’t in the picture, her mom is an alcoholic who only cares about her boyfriends, boyfriends who used to take way too much non-paternal interest in karissa when she was young. karissa hates her mom, but also still loves her. it’s a complicated feeling. back in middle school, when her and fez first met, she was rebellious as fuck. it’s when she started recognizing the bad behaviors of her mom, started realizing that what happened to her as a child was wrong. she started sneaking out, smoking weed, even though she was only 13. her and some friends had snuck out to the boardwalk one night, to get high and do stupid shit. one of the friends invited a boy they liked, and the boy brought some of his friends, one of which happened to be fez. young fez, 14 years old who about 4 years prior had started taking after his grandmas business, while also taking care of his little brother. back then, he still had the buzz cut, face full of freckles, bright blue eyes low from the weed he smoked. back then, fez used to skate, as all cali boys do. karissa took interest in him, he was quieter than the other boys, and funny as FUCK. she could see there was a lot behind his eyes,and fez could see there was more to karissa than this bitchy rebellious front she put up. he taught her to skate, they started hanging out all the time, karissa would sneak out to go over to his house, and it’d be just them and 8 year old ash, since his grandma had already fallen sick at that point. fez was karissa’s home. now, 6 years later, they’re still together.