G062 - Collins, Tonya [DECEASED]

[MK Kilmarnock]

DECEASED

Name: Collins, Tonya Eudora
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: George Hunter High School
Hobbies and Interests: Badminton, trivia, discount shopping, volunteering, cooking

Appearance: For better or for worse, Tonya is not a striking figure appearance-wise among the George Hunter student body. At 5’6 and 160 lbs, she possesses a somewhat squat figure, much of her body fat centered around her thighs and hips, although her stomach has remained fairly soft as well. Due to badminton, however, her legs and arms have become slightly more toned, although only slightly, with pregnancy and childbirth having rounded out her figure once more. With a round jaw, wide-set nose, and full lips contrasted with small, heavy-lidded brown eyes, her facial features almost seem to be at odds with one another. Her skin, a dark mahogany in color thanks to her African-American heritage, often has spots of acne on it, particularly around the nose; this is due to an indifferent at best skincare routine. When she smiles, her somewhat crooked, although white teeth are visible - as well as the braces covering them, which she has had on for a year and a half. Other than formal occasions, her makeup regimen is extremely light - other than flesh-toned lipstick, and a small smattering of concealer, her face is left bare. With her ears pierced, she often wears cheap, brightly-colored hoop earrings. Typically, her shoulder-length black, coiled and kinky hair is worn in a bun for practical reasons, often held in place with a brightly-patterned scrunchie. Currently, there are faded blonde streaks in her hair, remnants from when she self-dyed her tips; they have not been reapplied.

Primarily, Tonya dresses for comfort and also in light of her family’s financial situation - this means that she forgoes designer brands in favor of mall kiosks and department store bulk sales. While clean, her clothes often show signs of wear and disuse accumulated over time. However, with the use of layering and discount deals, she has managed to create a wider variety of outfits. On the day of the abduction, Tonya was wearing a elbow-length denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up slightly and a peach t-shirt over a white camisole, a denim skirt, striped red and white mid-thigh socks, and faded white lace-up canvas shoes. She was wearing her hair in her usual bun, kept in place with a leopard-print scrunchie. There were also bright pink hoop-earrings in her ears, a charm bracelet on her left wrist, as well as a leopard-print messenger bag slung over her left shoulder diagonally.

Biography: Born on the 19th of August, Tonya Collins is the first of three children born to life-long natives of Chattanooga, Lester and Paige Collins (neè Tyler). The couple met when they were staff members at the same soul food restaurant, Big Dave’s, where they were both working as line cooks. A friendly workplace rivalry soon blossomed into romance, and only a year later were they wed, and ten months after that, Paige gave birth. During this time, Lester and Paige continued working at the restaurant, as with much of their extended family also residing in Chattanooga, assistance with taking care of their infant was not hard to come by.

Surrounded by all her aunts, uncles, and cousins, Tonya’s existence during this time was a happy one, the center of attention, only to be disrupted two short years after when her twin sisters Ayanna and Audrey were born. Although they were well-aware that they were going to have twins, Lester and Paige were still surprised by the massive uptick in childcare, especially as Tonya had not been a particularly demanding infant - as such, all three sisters spent much more time in the company of their extended family rather than their parents.

Despite this lack of time, Tonya’s relationship with her parents was never distant. During her early childhood, Paige and Lester tried to spend as much as they could with their children outside of their hectic schedules - the most efficient method, they found, was to watch Jeopardy with them. Initially enamored by the competitiveness of game shows, Tonya eventually grew to associate Jeopardy and other related trivia shows with family bonding, sparking a lifelong interest in trivia.

Although Tonya’s family life was quite healthy, her social life in school was a different matter. While by all accounts a decent enough student, Paige and Lester’s penchant for cooking lavish meals at home to hone their skills when they had the time had the side effect of plumping Tonya’s figure. While the harassment she received never raised above the level of light teasing, Tonya, used to being in a position of authority as the eldest, felt it suitable to fight fire with fire, and was called in numerous times by administrators for getting into verbal arguments, although it never escalated into physical conflict. Due to this, many of her classmates became quite wary of her temper, and although she managed to find a small number of friends, by and large, Tonya’s elementary school life was not the most pleasant.

Compounding this difficulty was a major shift in Tonya’s life, at the age of 10. After having battled testicular cancer for a number of years, Big Dave passed away, and for their years of loyal service, he decided to leave the deed to Big Dave’s to Paige and Lester. While overjoyed at the notion, their dream of owning their own restaurant finally realized, the Collins had to move to the cramped two-bedroom apartment building directly above the restaurant in order to cut down on potential overhead, as well as prevent any logistical issues happening with the commute. With this move, came additional responsibility placed onto Tonya. As the eldest, and with the further decrease in time, Tonya was expected to be her sisters’ keeper, ensuring that their homework was done, that they were ready to go to school in the morning, as well as an assortment of other duties.

On one hand, while this ensured that Tonya maintained lots of contact with her sisters, it has also meant that they’ve viewed her as a bit of a nag and an oppressive figure, especially with the age gap between them only being two years. Still, although they have their contentious moments, Tonya still adores her younger sisters, and believes in them wholeheartedly, despite the vast differences in their hobbies.

It was at the beginning of middle school, and by the prodding of her parents, who wanted her to take up more extracurriculars, that Tonya ended up taking up badminton. While not exactly the most popular sport of choice among the Collins family, it was hoped that it’s relatively unpopular nature would mean there would be more opportunities for Tonya to prove herself, rather than in an initially more competitive sport such as basketball or track. While not the most physically gifted by nature, badminton’s individual component and Tonya’s competitive personality meshed well, with her becoming a relatively above-average member of the team, and bonding with some of the girls who played alongside her.

Socially, this was also a time of great improvements for her as well. While still somewhat caustic and sassy in nature, transferring to a new middle school allowed Tonya the opportunity for a fairly fresh slate, allowing her to make new friends and become slightly more outgoing. Even when faced with the occasional teasing comment, she found it much more easy to brush them off with a cutting retort and return to her usual business. While this penchant for sarcasm did gain her some friends, it still ensured that she remained a divisive figure, with her being relatively unafraid to comment on anyone, regardless of the social consequences.

In class, Tonya’s habit of backtalk got her into trouble more than occasionally, although the work she did in most of her classes remained satisfactory and in the B- to B range, although she excelled in history, where her love of trivia helped with remembering obscure events, and had instilled in her an interest in research. English, however, was a struggle for her, as she often found it difficult to critically analyze works of literature through an objective mindset. On the whole, though, middle school was a much more positive experience for Tonya, who began to break out of her shell and form more positive relationships, if still somewhat guarded around most people.

Fast becoming a teenager, and fast maturing into a young woman, by the age of 13, Paige and Lester thought it best if Tonya began to assist in the family restaurant, now named Rose’s, after Paige’s late grandmother, who had assisted in the care of Tonya and her sisters. While not allowed to help out in the kitchen due to safety regulations, being allowed to assist in the serving of the food and in the overall business of the restaurant allowed Tonya to find increased value in cooking and creating meals, even if she couldn’t be directly involved with it at the restaurant. Soon enough, cooking became another way Tonya was able to bond with her parents just like trivia, with mac and cheese quickly becoming her favorite meal to make. Other than cooking soul food, however, Tonya is fairly ambivalent on the actual process of cooking, but appreciates it as a time to bond with others through the shared experience of it.

While Rose’s assisted with soup kitchens in the area, and Tonya greatly enjoyed the experience, she felt that there was more she could do beyond feeding people. Already relishing the experience of being a big sister, Tonya began mentoring at-risk children at the local community center. She enjoyed being able to be a big sister figure once more, as well as simply being able to assist in the lives of the children.

Other than this, high school was initially much of the same with Tonya, with her remaining a relatively neutral presence popularity-wise, with her uncaring nature towards ruffling feathers earning her both friends and enemies, although she tried to veer away from starting conflicts herself. Her grade average remained around a low B, and she continued pursuing badminton while balancing it with her commitments at the restaurant and the community center.

Two years ago, it was at the community center that she met a fellow 16-year old: Barry Reeves. A fellow volunteer mentor at the community center, Tonya and Barry ended up bonding over their shared love of trivia shows and their respective status as eldest siblings, quickly forging a fast friendship, and then romance, although they did not attend the same high school. Both inexperienced and entering their first relationship, however, things progressed quickly, and a mere three months later, Tonya found herself pregnant.

This news was not taken lightly. Fairly devout Christians, who made sure to attend church if only to help promote the restaurant, Paige and Lester’s trust in Tonya was shaken, especially considering that she had kept the relationship secret so they would believe that she was spending all of her time responsibly. Ayanna and Audrey, however, were more supportive, but surprised that their seemingly responsible big sister had seemed to have been the one to have made the biggest mistake after chiding them throughout their entire childhood.

Still quite close-knit, however, Paige and Lester agreed to help take care of the child, remembering the support that was given to them as a young couple working at the back of the kitchen. When Barry heard the news, he was shocked, and initially attempted to cut off ties to Tonya - after numerous lengthy conversations between their parents, however, he agreed to keep regular contact with Tonya and their child, but prospects of a relationship between the two have not existed since. This change was met with anger by Tonya, who believed that they had a genuine connection, and now their present contact remains at a passive-aggressive boil.

If the Collins were close before, the birth of Patrice only served to bring them even closer. Although still disappointed in their daughter, Paige and Lester greatly enjoy taking care of a young infant, and as such strive to be the best possible grandparents, despite the financial strain that has been placed upon due to the new addition to the family. While grateful for the assistance in childcare, Tonya has begun to harbor some negative feelings toward her parents, with whom she feels that her relationship has been permanently destabilized due to her status as a teenage mother. This hasn't come from any malicious behavior on Paige and Lester's part; rather, Tonya believes that their assistance has prevented her from becoming a more effective parent on her own, feeling that as she continues to rely on their assistance she continues to be unable to mature. However, she has kept these feelings within, not wanting to seem ungrateful as her parents have willingly given time and resources towards ensuring the wellbeing of Patrice. Additionally, with Paige and Lester being semi-devout Baptists, she feels that deep within them they must harbor some disapproval for Tonya's actions, despite their largely helpful attitudes.

Already barely in the middle-class, the birth of Patrice has meant that the Collins have had to learn how to survive on slightly less than before, due to the addition of one new mouth to feed. While already not especially interested by fashion designers, Tonya soon began to shop in charity stores and thrift shops in order to find better bargains. While first out of necessity, discount shopping soon became an actual hobby of Tonya’s, especially during her pregnancy, as she was not allowed to participate in physical activity. What she enjoys about discount shopping isn’t necessarily the actual product itself, but rather feeling of accomplishment she receives for having managed to find a lower-cost alternative.

With the increase in living expenses, stressors have begun to take their toll on the Collins family. Most nights, Tonya has to stay up late in order make sure Patrice falls asleep for long periods of time, and the increased time needed for childcare means that either Tonya or one of her sisters will not be able to assist in the restaurant, resulting in a need for more staff. Aside from a few surface-level discussions about their financial state, Paige and Lester are hesitant to express their anxieties about their finances, especially with the status of the household as it is.

During this time, trivia became a deeper hobby for her as well, especially when confined mainly to her home as her pregnancy progressed. With nothing better to do, she began reliving her youth and watching Jeopardy marathons, reasoning that there wasn’t much more productive work she could be doing anyways. While now back at George Hunter, she still enjoys watching Jeopardy in her free time, and harbors dreams of one day competing on the show.

Tonya's pregnancy leave was not actually that long - from midway through her third trimester, to two months after her birth, she was absent, not wanting to fall too behind in her school work. During this time, she corresponded with her teachers through e-mail to keep herself abreast of class updates and information.

After her return from pregnancy, however, Tonya’s personality at school marked a slight step backwards, becoming somewhat more brusque and snippy. Part of this was due to the attention she received while attending class visibly pregnant, much of which she felt was negative. While already prone to sarcastic comments and the like, this aspect has become magnified with her increased stress from motherhood, as well as her belief that her classmates are preemptively judging her for her status as a mother. As such, she puts up a front of sarcasm with most people at school, using it as a defence mechanism to prevent herself from getting hurt. Primarily, this has resulted in Tonya having a fairly unfavorable reputation with the whole of the school, to add to the onus of being a teenage mother. Despite this, she attends parties when she can, partly to try to relax and destress, and partly to escape the seeming judgment of her parents.

Badminton remained a key part of Tonya’s high school life, especially as it was seen as a return to normalcy for her. While not especially talented, she remains in the upper-middle echelon of players on the team, as she has begun using practice as a method of escape from most of her daily life.

Tonya’s plans for the future are vague and fairly unformed, other than accepting that the reins of the restaurant will eventually be passed onto her. While accepted to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and with a bevy of financial aid, she remains undeclared, with her planning to continue living at home and helping out as a hostess at Rose’s. Aside from this, she has no major goals other than perhaps Jeopardy participation, but even that, she accepts, is more a flight of fancy than anything else.

Advantages: While not obviously fit, years of badminton have left Tonya surprisingly quick on her feet and with good reflexes. Used to staying up late to take care of Patrice, she is well-accustomed to living on a lack of sleep. Caustic and somewhat distrusting by nature, she is unlikely to believe others and fall for ruses.
Disadvantages: Although somewhat fit, her lack of stature means that she can be easily overpowered. Those same nights left staying up have left her relatively irritable and quick to judge, making it likely that she will provoke another student. Often prone to backtalk, her habit of making snippy comments makes it quite easy for her to dissuade potential allies.


Designated Number: Female student No. 062

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Designated Weapon: Machete

Conclusion: There's no extra credit for being a mother, G062. But you do have something to live for that nobody else here does. If your child really matters to you, now is the time to show it. - Abby Soto

DECEASED