Tara was a recovering drug addict who met Kelly Taylor during their stint together in rehab. Tara was a runaway from Colorado who ended up in Los Angeles. On her first night in rehab, she was shown crying in her bed as Kelly was going to sleep. Later, when Kelly left rehab, Tara ran away to stay with Kelly at the Beach House because she couldn't stand being there alone. While Clare Arnold and Donna Martin were opposed to her being there, Kelly initially found comfort in her presence. She even set up Tara on a blind date with David Silver, though neither felt any romantic chemistry.