taz had always been a bit of a softie. it wasn't due to his parents coddling him since his father was always going in and out of jail for selling drugs, and his mother, though hardworking when she could be, was an addict herself. it was growing up with two older brothers, an older sister, and a younger sister that prevented taz from being as tough as his family wanted him to be. for a long time, all that was expected of him was to keep his baby sister company while he watched the rest of his siblings work, unfortunately following in their parents' footsteps. that was just what happened when children are exposed to bad influences. most of taz's childhood was spent in an apartment watching tv, cooking his siblings dinner, and being uninterested in schoolwork. he didn't find out until he was thirteen that the apartment right across from theirs was being rented out by his brothers to use as lab to cook crack cockaine. the police came, cleared everything out, and took the eldest keith brother away with them, just like the did to their father. this was an important moment in taz's life, because suddenly, his siblings started to expect a little more from him. by the time he was fourteen, he had more than just a casual knowledge on drugs and the whole system behind it.

he had a hard time bonding with most of siblingsu because he was interested in things they weren't, which at the time was punk music and going to the movies. the fact that he hated participating in their crack lab only made things worse, but he understood that he had to do for his little sister what his older siblings did for him. still, taz never tried anything more than weed. he saw what drugs did to his family and decided that he wanted no part in it, which was a first for the keiths, to say the least. once he was in high school, taz scrambled to keep what was just his close to himself: his studies, his movies, and his video games, but none of them were good enough to keep the reality of his home life away. the depression from living in a home where he wasn't allowed to explore his own potential caught up to him eventually, and he became obsessed with the idea of running away.

looking back on it now, taz would willingly admit that dropping out of high school and following a group of his friends across the country was the most selfish thing he had ever done. his decision didn't make life any easier for him, but suddenly feeling like he had more room to breathe and be himself is something that he would never trade for anything. it took him many months of sleeping on various people's couches to find his footing, but eventually he found himself a decent job and four other roommates to split the bill with in an old house in oregon. it was something, but the most important part was that it wasn't selling crack at a corner in harlem. he was grateful, and soon he was able to come to terms with leaving his life in new york behind.

taz couldn't tell anybody the exact moment when his fall into gambling started, just that he probably should've expected it. with a family history that was hip-deep into destructive addiction, he was going to find his own poison sooner or later. at twenty-three, he started frequenting poker clubs just to tag along with his friends and play a small game himself. it escelated into a hobby, something that helped him unwind after a long day. it was his little back-up plan, too, an option that he had when he was a little short on his contribution for the rent and electrcity. it wasn't long before his wins began getting bigger and the chips he stacked began getting taller. he felt justified in saying that everybody liked winning, and he was just particularly good at measuring the odds, so why wouldn't he take the risk? of course, taz suffered huge losses more than he would like to admit because he refused to stop playing even after thousands of dollars down the drain. his friends, especially his roommates, disapproved of what he did greatly, already accusing the worst of him. things started to get a even more serious when people started to recognize him and invite him into unregulated games outside the clubs, and the risk was too irresitable for him to say no to.

whether or not he liked it, taz started to make enemies because that was just the kind of people that were stupid enough to bet the kind of money that taz was looking for. it worked out for a while, and taz loved not needing to worry about money anymore. he kept his job as a mechanic at the shop that he started working in when he first arrived to oregon, but that was just pocket money and something to do while the sun was still out. unfortunately, taz had to learn the hard way that he wasn't the smartest young man in the room. earlier in the year, he lost fifty grand in one game due to the fact that he kept pushing it, even after he knew it was all over. when he came back after a week, the only option he was given to win all of his money back was to go double or nothing, which was money he no longer had anymore. taz still agreed to it, ready to do anything to get to the prize, even if he had to cheat. so he did.

taz walked out that night with the money, but he didn't feel the fear and paranoia sitting in his gut until the next morning when he looked at his bank account. he was scared that he would get ratted out, and even more scared of what his end could be. ironically enough, the same idiots who were willing to bet a hundred grand were the same idiots who were willing to kill for it. not allowing to let himself think much through it, taz took all of his money and ran off to the other side of the country: new york, his first home. he stays with his older sister who still lives in harlem with her husband. thankfully, his sisters are out of the life that taz wanted to be far away from. all he has to worry about now is if there's a price for his head in the west coast he doesn't know about, and how he's going to function in his old city as a new person.