Skip to content

Janessa Brown

Janessa “Nessa” Brown was Ashley Alvarez’s best friend during adolescence in Fresno, California. Ashley described Nessa as the only other girl she trusted. Nessa had combined-type attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and struggled with substance use during adolescence.

Early Life and Background

Janessa grew up in San Diego, California. Her mother, Isabel, was Mexican, and her father was Black. Her family later moved to Fresno, California to be closer to Isabel’s relatives after Janessa’s maternal grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.

Janessa’s parents were loving and supportive, though her behavior and needs sometimes overwhelmed them. Other people regarded her as a “wild child,” a reputation she shared with Ashley despite the differences between their home lives. When the girls got into trouble together, Isabel did not accept Ashley’s reputation or authorship of an idea as an excuse for Janessa’s participation.

Personality

Janessa acted quickly and could take physical risks without a reason she considered more complicated than wanting to do something. She also concealed behavior that frightened or shamed her, particularly her substance use, while remaining willing to protect Ashley and verify that she was safe.

Janessa outwardly presented as competent. Other people recognized some of her ADHD traits and saw her as someone who caused occasional trouble, but she did not acquire Ashley’s broader reputation. Adults consequently expected Janessa to help manage Ashley’s behavior even while Janessa was concealing her own difficulties.

Janessa took responsibility for her share of the trouble she and Ashley caused together. When outsiders assumed that Ashley had been the ringleader, Janessa continued to describe the incident as something both girls had done rather than allowing the assumption to absolve her. Unlike peers who backed Ashley or participated alongside her until consequences followed and then blamed her, Janessa maintained the same account after being caught.

Cultural Identity and Heritage

Janessa was Black and Mexican. Her Mexican heritage came through her mother, and her Black heritage came through her father. The family’s move from San Diego to Fresno placed them nearer to Janessa’s maternal relatives during her grandmother’s cancer treatment.

Health and Disabilities

Conditions and Diagnoses

Janessa was diagnosed in childhood with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined type. An incident in kindergarten, when she tried to climb out a window and later explained that she had done it “because I felt like it,” prompted the evaluation that led to her diagnosis.

Daily Management and Equipment

Janessa had an intolerable experience with Ritalin during childhood. The experience deterred both her and her parents from trying further ADHD medication.

Neurodivergence

Janessa’s established ADHD presentation included impulsive action and physical risk-taking. Her diagnosis did not account for every behavior other people placed under the “wild child” label.

Habits, Routines, and Daily Life

During adolescence, Janessa smoked cannabis and also struggled with broader substance use. She hid the use from her parents because she was ashamed of it. Janessa had difficulty finding a reason to stop because she credited substance use with functioning better than she had before.

Family and Core Relationships

Isabel

Isabel was Janessa’s mother. She was gentle, loving, and strongly maternal toward both Janessa and Ashley. Isabel had been friends with Ashley’s mother, Mia, and promised Mia before her death that she would care for Ashley. She regarded Ashley as another daughter.

Megan Ashley “Ash” Alvarez

Main article: Janessa Brown and Megan Ashley Alvarez

Janessa was Ashley’s best and practically only female friend. Ashley described Nessa as the only other girl she trusted. Both girls were regarded as wild and struggled with substance use, which gave Janessa context for parts of Ashley’s behavior without making their experiences identical.

When Ashley left home without telling her father, Janessa told him that Ashley was at the Brown home, then contacted Ashley privately to find out where she actually was. Ashley’s answer that she was with Zeek Reyes reassured Janessa because she knew Ashley was safe with him. Later that morning, Janessa gave Ashley pain medication she had available and let her sleep for approximately two more hours. Ashley then went downstairs to eat so that Isabel would not become suspicious of the cover story.

People around them repeatedly expected Janessa to “keep Ashley in line.” The expectation relied on Janessa’s more manageable public reputation and outward competence, despite her being another teenager who was struggling with ADHD and substance use herself.

Characters Minor Characters Disabled Characters Neurodivergent Characters Black Characters Latinx Characters Mixed Race Characters