Bio
Eli was born by the name of Elias to parents Sasha and Tyrone, or better known in the streets as “Chopper.” From day one, parenthood wasn’t really a thing in the Harris household. Dad was out in the streets and didn’t even care about his existence really while Mom was out partying and sleeping around and sniffing coke, so he was left with his grandma who literally did nothing but play scratch offs and sit in front of the tv. In this environment, it wasn’t long before Eli was on the path of criminal activity himself. By five, his mother taught him to steal things for her including money, he had to walk to shelters by himself just to get food for dinner and he only had a good 3 outfits that actually fit. So it only made sense that by middle school , the boy was a perfect target for the no-good street rats and gangbangers. Eli was in the sixth grade when he got jumped for the initiation into a local gang and it hurt , but it was the first time he felt like he belonged somewhere. No one was around that cared enough to give him what he needed or show him the right way so he easily succumbed to the thug lifestyle. The gang turned Eli’s life around in his eyes. For years he became a disciple of the streets and how to survive in the hood to fend for himself. Being part of that life gave him everything he thought he needed because all he knew was before he was just that poor boy walking the streets,hungry with no money , no friends, and no family.. and after? After being initiated, he could sell dope and have all the friends, money , and other things he needed. To top the cake, once he made a good name for himself the word spread to his dad who was proud of his little gangbanger. This only furthered the downward spiral. Eli’s dad introduced him to the “real” hood activities and the boy upgraded from graffiti and petty theft to robbery and attempted murder by the time he was a sophomore in high school. Surprisingly enough , he always made decent grades despite his criminal extracurricular activity. That’s why when he was hitting rock bottom , someone saw the potential in him that would turn his life around. Eli was seventeen when everything caught up to him and he was standing trial for a whole list of charges. All of his “friends” had set him up, his dad disappeared just like before, his ex girlfriend aborted their baby, and the cops got all his dirty money so his mom refused to talk to him since he could no longer supply her crack. This was it, if someone didn’t step in and change his path, he was on a one way flight to wasting his life away in jail; becoming just another statistic. And it just so happened that Eli was lucky enough to get the district’s best parole officer. Her name was Sheila Clarke and she was tough as rocks but had the sweetest smile. For the next year or so she did everything in her power to help Eli, so much that the two bonded like family. Whenever the boy needed something, Ms.Clarke was already three steps ahead seeing what she could do. Thanks to her, he was able to move in with a nice foster mother away from the ghetto and his good for nothing mom and friends. She was even the one who took him to prom, graduation and attended his teacher conferences. That year was not an easy one though, not by a long shot. Eli was in a tense place with a lot of confusing emotions to deal with and issues to work with. But once he was given love and nurturing by his foster mother and Parole officer, he began to thrive. The boy found his voice, a charismatic and eloquent one at that and even began to work on his hidden talent for drawing. Yeah, he still stuck to himself with all of his anger and trust issues, but progress was made. After graduation, it was as if Eli was a totally different person… he left that broken thug of a boy behind and started to see his own potential. That’s how Ms.Clarke knew it was time. Both she and his foster mother had agreed it was time for him to move on. So, that summer he was given a job to keep his mind focused and off the streets while his parole officer fought with everything in her to give him a better future. It all paid off in the end. On Eli’s 19th birthday in December, after the party he was handed three important papers: A manila file stating that his criminal record had been officially expunged, an acceptance letter to Bella Nova University, and a plane ticket to California the very next week. Many tears were shed and hugs were given, but Eli knew he had to go.. Atlanta had nothing to offer him but hindsight, Bella Nova was his future.. his second chance. Personality: Eli is fairly quiet and guarded most times, but after he gets comfortable and feels he can trust you, his true colors come out. When given the chance, he is pretty fun loving and knows how to have a great time. He has a thing for style and embraces the image of being a pretty boy, which includes a hint of flirtatiousness when he’s in a good mood. Eli rarely ever speaks of his past and has a very short temper ,so don’t let his smile fool you. Sometimes he is still tempted by his old lifestyle.
Ms.Clarke -
Kelly (foster mom)-
Sasha (real mom)-
Tyrone “Chopper” (father)- TBA
