"I was never able to be just an innocent child," says Michelle Payette.
Her father was an abusive man with legal troubles. Those troubles eventually drove Michelle and her family from Illinois, her birthplace, to the racetrack town of Saratoga Springs, New York. Soon after, her parents got divorced, and Michelle's mother married a man who was a convicted felon, though Michelle didn't know it until much later. He ran an automotive shop that kept two sets of books. Michelle grew up thinking that it wasn't quite legal, but she figured that was just the way business was done.
Her life lacked stability. To top it off, her mother was depressed. By the time she was 13, Michelle was spending her evenings in a bar, piling on makeup and pretending to be much older. She partied hard with the rock stars who came through town.
