Born to a Nigerian-American drug dealer, George Phillips, and a Mexican line cook, Maria Fuentes, Brie had a tumultuous upbringing. Her father was in and out of jail constantly while her mother struggled to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Because of this, from a young age, Brie had to learn to fend for herself. She was once a very sensitive little girl; but, having to deal with the kind of circumstances she was born into taught her how to mask her emotions. As she got older, a bit of resentment towards her parents formed within her. She understood that every parent struggled; but, at the same time, she felt like they knew better than to bring a child into their world. Thus, as soon as she turned sixteen, she dropped out of high school and moved into her older boyfriend’s apartment.
Brie met said boyfriend when she was a JV cheerleader and he was the varsity quarterback. The typical high school romance. Since then, they’d been inseparable. He was two years older than her and he felt like a savior to her. Until, he didn’t. After about three months of living together, suddenly, she and Jeremy began to argue. A lot. Sometimes over little things, other times over bigger things. Sadly, it didn’t take long for the verbal abuse to escalate to physicality. This was the darkest time in Brie’s life. She’d never felt lower than when this man who was supposed to love her put his hands on her. Luckily, she was able to draft an effective escape plan and was out of the apartment by the end of the year. After escaping, she joined a self-defense class, vowing to herself that no other man would abuse her again.
From that moment on, Brie also vowed to be completely independent. She would not rely on another person to take care of her. So, she worked her ass off to be able to afford her own one bedroom apartment in downtown Miami. There, she met one Javier Rodriguez who lived in the penthouse suite. Later, she’d find out that he knew of her through her father. Their relationship was complicated. When Brie turned eighteen, she started working as a stripper, while still waitressing at a local diner. But, Javier was supplementing her income with his drug money. She knew it was dangerous and sleazy to be accepting money in exchange for sexual relations with a man twice her age; but, to be honest, she kind of liked it. Daddy issues, y’know? That relationship ended when Javier got locked up for thirty years. Brie was much too young to wait that long. So, she picked up and moved to Chicago to start a brand new life. The rest is history.
