character :: Jaxson Kinnaird
There was nothing memorable about Jaxson Kinnaird - no brainy intellect to shape him into the next child prodigy of a generation, no creative talent that would land him an easy-in college and no miserable life story that he could cry to Oprah about in exchange for ten, glowing minutes of fame; nothing. And perhaps it was the monotony of it all that made Jaxson the prime candidate for rebellion against everything he knew, all in the name of 'an unforgettable existence.' Living a life well off the beaten path, one that had become so entangled in undergrowth and adversity, did Jaxson few favors - in fact, most of the difficulties Jaxson faced, he brought onto himself but by the time he realized what exactly he had gotten himself into, it was too late to turn back.
Jaxson's mother (Denise) worked as an Accounts Supervisor at one of the largest hospitals in San Francisco and his father (Bill) owned a used car lot. Their jobs kept them busy enough but both had more than enough time to carelessly spoil their only child with all the things his little heart desired. Jaxson received all of the love and attention a child could ask for and with it, gained a sense of entitlement to match. The school system tried to correct the problems, what with phone calls coming in left and right from the school administrators but Bill and Denise saw nothing but a temporary problem; after all, kids will be kids and sooner or later, Jaxson will grow out of it. But through his middle school years, there appeared to be little improvement and the more they allowed Jaxson to get away with, the more he pushed his parent's boundaries.
By the time he had finished his last year in middle school, preparing himself to face down his high school years, Jaxson had already fallen in with an interesting crowd that, for the first time in their lives, caused his parents to raise an eyebrow. Outcasts, addicts, losers and partiers, people that pushed back against society's rules for the sake of originality, a lifestyle that Jaxson found intriguing and far too tempting to resist, no matter what his parents said. Soon, his choice in clothing gone in a completely different direction and the hair he had taken such pride in before was bleached, dyed and shaved into oblivion. The calls from the school came in faster than ever before: 'Your son's hair color goes against our student handbook', 'Your son can't wear that to school', 'Your son was caught smoking in the girl's bathroom' - all of Denise and Bill's fears were finally coming to a head. The groundings, detention and sit-downs with his principal proved pointless, a waste of breath on what the school had already determined to be a 'troubled child' and Jaxson did nothing to help his case. His freshman year of high school, he was in a bathroom stall in a compromising position with Rick, a junior he had become fast friends with, only to be dragged away to the office for another call to his parents. The Kinnairds were shocked by Jaxson's obscene behavior, in a school no less, but they were also left speechless at the realization that their son was gay, a hard truth they had kept to themselves for too long. They swore they would correct their son's behavior but it was too late - Jaxson was already out of their hands.
The years that followed shaped Jaxson in a way he knew his parents wouldn't understand. He had acceptance amongst his friends, an understanding amongst his peers and a name for himself in the school (even if that name was followed by a number of unfriendly slurs) that helped him to gain the confidence he had been searching for all along. He relied on his friends for a bed to sleep in or back-up when staring down the school's homophobes and in return, they relied on Jaxson for his unfiltered, unapologetic opinions and advice on all things fashion. Jaxson could feel himself being alienated from the other boys in his group but before he could even protest, he found himself in the center of the girl's inner circle.
before bros and hoes
A final call from the school came as Jaxson entered his senior year: Jaxson hadn't come in over three weeks and with no note and no excuse, they had no choice but to expel him. Jaxson was a high school drop-out and with Jaxson's parents at their breaking point, they gave him an ultimatum: finish high school or move out. For Jaxson, the choice was clear. He spent the majority of his time at his boyfriend's house (when they were in their on stage of their on again, off again relationship) or sleeping on friend's couches, when he was actually home. The rest of his time was spent out at wild parties where he drank to the point of sickness and downed party drugs like candy or took spontaneous road trips across the U.S with friends, simply because he could. But the party was almost over for Jaxson; as soon as the drug-filled stupor and the hangovers had cleared, he realized just how comfortable he was in this life and 'comfortable' sounded an awful lot like 'boring' to Jaxson, the type of life he never wanted to lead. He confessed to Rick that he wanted to become a makeup artist for models or even celebrities one day but Rick just scoffed at the idea, much to Jaxson's annoyance. Jaxson applied quietly to several of the beauty colleges in the area only to be told that a GED or high school diploma was needed so Jaxson knew what he had to do next. Over the next several days, he studied as if he had never before and passed his GED with flying colors, his letters of acceptance into beauty school not far behind. Ultimately, he decided on a beauty college in Los Angeles and so the real struggle began.
The beauty college was a dream come true and Jaxson excelled through each of his classes with relative ease but the hardest challenge was yet to come. Competition between the beauticians was intense, each of the catty girls scratched their way up to the top on rumors and cheap tricks, all to get a chance to work with some of California's best makeup artists. And, according to the girls, Jaxson had no business working with the best of the best and they did everything in their power to keep him down, overshadowing him at every turn, not that he really cared. The time Jaxson didn't exhaust at the college, he spent out in the city, exploring every restaurant, club and store it had to offer when a big break came from the most unexpected place: a nice, upscale restaurant that his Grindr date was taking him to (most likely to get some fine ass for the night) where an award winning makeup artist also happened to be dining in. Jaxson wasted no time in abandoning his date and sauntering over to the table to introduce himself, seeking tips from the woman who had won several awards last year alone for her makeup tricks. She hardly seemed impressed by Jaxson at first, obviously more interested in getting back to her meal but as the night went on, she let a bombshell drop: she needed some help on set and as long as Jaxson could follow the rules, she'd be happy to have him there as labor, unpaid, of course. But experience was just that, experience, and Jaxson agreed without a second thought. For the next two years, Jaxson worked tirelessly under the watchful eye of his trainer between his paid work at both MAC and Sephora until the day had finally come when he was free from his internship and could move on to bigger and better things.
by my cover
You don't know the
whole story.
Jaxson Kinnaird, a man who had always thought was never good enough to become anything, was now in the family of makeup artists that serviced well-known actresses and actors alike. And although his social life may be crumbling, his romantic life with his ex-not-so-ex boyfriend Rick may be in a constant state of instability, Jaxson couldn't be happier but that's because he doesn't know what he's missing until it walks right through the door. A handsome, young actor struts his way onto the set and sweeps him off his feet but beneath the pretty, painted face he puts on and away from the glitzy, bright lights of the camera, there is something off about the new man in Jaxson's life, something that tells Jaxson what he, and everyone else sees, isn't all there is to Kellen Thompson.
