Jae doesn't take much pride in his van or how he got there in the first place.
It's something that only his closest friends are aware of (Hokulani and Kaholo) and even then Jae hardly likes to talk about it.
Being a child of the foster system was hard for Jae, as most people took him in for the sake of wanting more government funding only to use on themselves and not towards the enrichment of the child. Many homes were in bad blocks around the Honolulu area and Jae was more often than not moving from place to place in a trash bag as long as he could remember.
When he was sixteen he seemed to have finally found a family who had more than enough resources to take care of him alongside the two other teens already in the household. They lived closer to the beach and lived in one of the houses that many of the locals considered far too ritzy for anyone who was actually native. Despite the family relocating from L.A, Jae was surprised by this new family that would have even selected him.
And for a moment, everything was good.
Jae got accustomed to this new family and sooner got close to one of the teens in the household by the name of Sydney. At first, Jae was more than willing to show her what he knew about the island as it was a fun activity for the two of them. After all, he knew all of the local hang out spots and besides, it was the only thing he had to offer to the girl who came from Los Angeles.
Jae's friends began seeing him bringing her around more often. She would make slip-ups about pet names and would be generally affectionate physically. This was all new to the teen, who didn't think he was really worth much affection up until now. He fell deeply in love with Sydney despite his cautionary warnings from his friends that he shouldn't be with his foster-sister. If she said she loved him, then it was all he needed. Because no one else did.
A year passed and the mystique of island life wore off.
Sydney, who seemed to be constantly chasing the dragon's tail, pushed for more 'things' from Jae; that he was holding things back from his friends and that she could handle the 'dark underbelly' of what Hawaii had to offer. Not wanting to say no to her and with a potential adoption in the wings with his new parents, the now 17-year-old had little to no problem introducing her to other people he knew. People who could get Sydney the 'nostalgia' she had in L.A.
Sydney's grades tanked and Jae found himself in his own substance abuse. They got into fights, mostly involving Jae being worried for her and quickly apologizing when it came to 'ruining her fun'. This hurt the teen immensely, especially when it was caught she was sleeping with other people and spent less time with him. This is what led Jae to self-harm, as a venting mechanism and as a cry for help to see if Sydney noticed or cared. She did when it suited her.
The breaking point was Jae catching Sydney in a drugged haze threatening to jump from a high cliff down into the ocean with some of her other friends. Worried she'd kill herself, he intervened. She threatened that she'd ruin his life if he stopped her from having fun and he said it was better than her being dead. Sydney didn't jump and instead, went home.
After a little while, he went home as well, only to find his future parents waiting for him at the door, telling him to get out.
Sydney had spun a wild tale to her parents involving Jae taking advantage of her, forcing her to do drugs and other things she wanted 'nothing' to do with. The person he wanted safe above all else had done exactly what she said she'd do.
She ruined his life.
With the adoption and the prospects of a new family gone, Jae spent the remainder of his seventeenth year in juvenile detention and was released with nothing. He was surprised to see his two friends there, Hokulani and Kaholo, who knew the real story, had saved up enough money with some of the locals to get him a van so he could move around and have a roof over his head.
Even up until now, Jae blames himself for ruining what he had with Sydney and often rebuffs people who try and defend his honor.
