one. born to catherine james and marcos parera, a medical transcriptionist and an army recruiter, as the youngest of three children. his childhood was strict and restrictive, a complete and utter nightmare for a soft-spoken and wild-minded little boy who wanted to let his hair grow long and draw pictures and play with his mother's make-up.

two. his older siblings were his lifeline in his family. while they tried to help buffer the tension between their traditional and uncomfortably religious father and their "less than manly" baby brother, there wasn't much they could do, as children themselves. but their love and support was really all ree needed.

three. in school, ree was quiet and shy, rarely speaking if not spoken to. the other students all seemed to be silly and childish, worried about senseless things that ree couldn't care less about. when the family moved to michigan not long after ree was eight, he hoped that the kids up north were a little more forward-thinking. instead, it turned out that all eight year olds were the same, no matter what.

four. except for one greer jones, who stormed into his life and never left. greer was loud while ree was quiet, inquisitive when ree was content to let things lie, full of life and with zero tolerance for bullshit even at that young age. they became friends over a book and ree knew he loved her when she let him try on one of her dresses.

five. greer's home was more of a home for ree than his own was, and he was there more than he was ever at his own home. her parents were fun and kind and didn't bat an eye when they saw their daughter dressing ree up in her tutus, they only encourage them to express themselves and explore their thoughts and feelings and personalities. his father thought greer was his girlfriend but she was so much more than that, even when ree didn't have the words to explain. she was his soulmate, really, no matter how sappy it sounded.

six. at sixteen, ree moved out of his home and moved in with greer. his father had finally found out that ree wasn't completely straight and the atmosphere in their home had turned worse and worse, until ree finally couldn't take it any more. greer's parents welcomed him with open arms and it ended up being better for everyone involved. ree and his father are still strained, but they have more of a relationship now than when ree was a teenager.

seven. being polyamorous wasn't something ree had a label for until he was already well into college. he and greer had naturally fallen into what people would call a long-term open relationship, but for ree it wasn't about having sex with lots of people, it never had been. he just loved so much more than most people could comprehend, and he could never wrap his head around the idea that he could only love one person and it would only ever be that one person. it's not something he discusses openly, though of course it's disclosed to anyone he might potential be involved with. it's been the reason for many break-ups, but ree hasn't stopped him from loving.

eight. while ree originally thought of going to school for psychology, particularly for children, he's since gone back to his original major of fine arts. while he does want to work with children and help them have awesome and amazing lives, he realized pretty quickly that it just wasn't a field that fit with him, and he'd find other ways to do what he wanted to do. his dream is to open up a community art center once he's graduated, where low-income or at-risk children can come and learn about art and have a save haven without having to pay an arm and a leg.

nine. while ree had decided to live on his own for university, he's since moved in with greer and two of their best friends after the four of them took a vacation to hawaii for the summer and realized just exactly how well they all clicked. ree hasn't regretted it at all, he absolutely loves having a full apartment with people always coming in and out.

ten. ree has a deadpan way of expressing himself, quiet and sarcastic. he's been called grumpy cat more times than he can count, but it isn't because he's actually grumpy (he's honestly really happy most of the time) but because his face is perpetually set in stone. it makes him even more thankful for the people in his life that get to know him, because it means they took the time and effort to see past the first impression he gives off.

• WHICH APARTMENT COMPLEX DO YOU LIVE IN?
• WHEN DID YOU MOVE IN?
• WHERE ARE YOU ORIGINALLY FROM?
• WHY DID YOU MOVE HERE?
• WHO DO YOU LIVE WITH?
• WHAT KIND OF NEIGHBOR ARE YOU?

— won't call himself a polyamourist because he hates labeling himself, but anyone he's involved with is told exactly what they might be getting themselves into

— tends towards quiet when he's with anyone except his closest group of friends

— gets mistaken for older than he actually is, hasn't been carded consistently since he was eighteen

— cries during sad movies and commercials and isn't ashamed

— has asthma, which in turn causes mild insomnia which in turn he takes pills for. basically, his body hates him

— has trouble with laundry, has ruined at least four loads so far

— 5'7" and way too skinny

— his collage of tattoos