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Chapter Text

Lake Braddock, Virginia

January 2009

A woman is shoved to the ground by a brown-masked woman, and a rifle is shoved in her face.

"Alright, if everyone pays attention, no one gets hurt!"

A blue-masked woman bangs on the glass with her gun.

"Aargh! Open the door, or you'll get worse than her! Come on!"

The worker opens the door as the blue-masked girl kicks it down, causing the worker to fall to the ground. The two of them make their way through the door with another masked woman.

"Hands behind your backs!" the brown-masked girl orders. The worker tries to reason with her.

"C'mon, ma'am, we're giving you everything you want!"

Another worker reaches for a button underneath the desk when the brown-masked girl points her rifle at them.

"Don't even think about it!"

The third masked woman grabs the woman who was shoved and puts her in a closet. The brown-masked girl points her gun at the hostages and then at the closet.

"Get in the closet, come on!"

The hostages agree. The blue-masked girl rushes to the vault.

"Sit tight, I'll handle the plastic!" she says as she makes her way back. After about a minute, she comes back.

"All set. Phone it in," she says to the brown-masked girl. The brown-masked girl takes her throwaway phone and calls a certain number. The phone rings for a little while before an explosion is heard from where the vault is. The three of them run towards the vault. Once inside, they get their duffle bags and start filling them with money.

"There's enough here for all of us to enjoy!" the blue-masked girl says with glee.

"Depends on how you look at it," says the brown-masked girl. They grab the money and leave the vault. The brown-masked one is the last to leave, but when she does, a security guard grabs her from behind and pulls off her mask. He puts a gun up to the girl's head, who is revealed to be a brunette with blue eyes and a ponytail. 

"I saw your face, I'll remember you!" the security guard says as he continues to hold the gun to her head. The blue-masked girl is now pointing her rifle at the man.

"You forget a thousand things every day. How about you make sure this is one of them?" the brunette responds. The blue-masked girl shoots a bullet through the man's head, and he falls back dead. The brunette grabs her ear because of the noise.

"Fuck! You didn't have to do that!" she yells at the blue masked girl.

"Let's get going, there'll be time for grieving later," the blue-masked girl responds as they make their way through the bank. They get to a door leading to the garage for the bank's vehicles.

"I'm setting the charges. They're on a timer, so brace yourselves!" the third girl says as she puts an explosive on the door. They get behind cover, and a few seconds later, the door explodes, leading them to the garage. As the sound from the explosion simmers, sirens can be heard in the distance.

"Oh fuck. You hear that? Sirens!" the brunette says as she lines up against the garage door.

"Fuck the cops! E, hit the shutter switch!" The third girl says to the blue-masked girl.

"What's this? Local resistance?" E asks as she opens the garage door.

"It ain't supposed to go down like this!" the brunette says as she exits the garage door and heads behind cover.

"It never is. Come on, go!" E responds.

The three girls exit and begin firing at the cops. The first cop car that pulls up is immediately pulverized with bullets, leaving the two cops in there dead. As more cop cars pull up, the more bullets are fired, and the more cops are left dead. They make their way through the gate and see even more cop cars coming after them.

"This is fucked, man! The whole thing is blown!" the brunette says as she continues firing at the cops.

"I got my share, it's still wide open!" E says as she takes off her mask to reveal a blonde girl with blue eyes and disheveled hair. 

"Crispin's up here, let's go!" the third girl, now the only one still wearing a mask, says to the others.

"He might have bailed, this wasn't in the job description!" the brunette responds as they make their way closer to the main road. They continue to fire on the cops until they make their way there and find the car still there with Crispin in the driver's seat. After brutally killing all the cops around them, the three make their way into the car.

"What took you so long?" Crispin says as the girls make their way into the vehicle.

"Shut the fuck up and drive!" E says as she slams the car door shut. The third girl finally takes her mask off to reveal a short, red-haired girl with purple eyes. They begin to drive off and talk about the robbery.

"Did you see that shit? I fucking put that bitch's face against the glass!" the red-haired one says.

"Yeah, you're a real stallion," the brunette says in the passenger seat.

"Bahbahbahbahbahbahbahbah!" E says as she interrupts their conversation. They realize a cop car has been following them the whole time.

"Fuck! How'd that happen?!" Crispin says as the cops draw nearer. E breaks the window of the vehicle with her rifle and fires at the car. The cops make their way right next to the car as one of the cops fires. The bullet strikes Crispin in the head, instantly killing him.

"Aw fuck! Crispin fucking bought it!" the brunette says as she pushes the dead body out of the car and makes her way into the driver's seat. She slams the car into the cop car, and the cops go off-road and crash into a tree. The girls celebrate as they make their way down the road. As they drive, cop cars start coming from the other side of the road.

"Fuck! More cops!" the redhead says in fear.

"Be cool, honey, they haven't made this car yet." E says as she kisses her on the lips. They continue to drive until they see a roadblock in the distance.

"Shit! Roadblock!" the redhead says.

"Go right, beat the train!" E says as she encourages the brunette to go faster. They go faster and faster as the train gets closer and closer. As they cross the train tracks, the train hits the very back of the car, causing it to spin out and crash into a nearby tree. The three get out slowly and are covered in blood.

"Ditch the car, we can go this way and go to the chopper." E says as she begins to walk away.

"No! Stick to the plan. Stick to the fucking plan!" the brunette says as they walk down the road to a nearby farm. After a few minutes of walking, they can't seem to find the chopper anywhere.

"Where the fuck is the chopper?!" the redhead says as she continues to look around. Meanwhile, a man armed with a sniper hides behind one of the nearby buildings. He loads his weapon and fires on the group.

"I'm gonna check around bac-" the redhead says before she's sniped in the chest. 

"Run! It's the fucking feds! Someone must have fucking talked!" E says as she hides behind cover.

"Ari's gonna be fine, but we have to get the fuck out of here!" The brunette says as she stays near Ari's body. The sniper reloads and fires at the brunette's chest. She gets hit and goes down.

"Aw, fuck! I'm hit! Jesus, E, you've got to get out of here!" the brunette yells to E.

"Ain't gonna leave you, Nicky!" E yells back.

"Go! Fuck I'm not gonna make it, I'm gonna fucking bleed out!" Nicky says as she continues to lie on the ground.

"Nooooooooooo!" E yells as more cop cars come from the other side of the barn. She hides behind a dumpster and begins to unload on the cops, but there are just too many for one person to handle. She runs behind the house and sees the owner running outside to check on what's going on. She runs straight at the old woman and tackles her to the ground, pointing the rifle at her head as three cops run at them.

"You come near me, she's fucking dead!" E yells. After a moment, she throws the woman at the cops and makes a run for it. The woman runs to the police, crying her eyes out.

"After her! Go, go!" the officer says as he hugs the woman with force. The other two cops start running after E, but can't catch up to her. They come back empty-handed.

Three Days Later

A funeral is being held in a nearby cemetery. Only a few people are there, saddened but not crying. The priest begins his eulogy.

"Nicole was not always a great human. Not always a good citizen. She did not die a hero's death. But she was a woman. Our Lord was crucified with two thieves..."

A mustachioed man smoking a cigar walks around the cemetery.

"...so perhaps we should not judge. We are born of sin, and we die in sin. And in this, Nicole was like anyone else. Father, we do not know your infinite mysteries. But we know that you will show mercy to our friend."

And next to the cemetery holding a cigarette...

...Nicole was watching her funeral.

Chapter Text

August 2013

Los Santos, San Andreas

Nicole is in her weekly therapy session with Dr. Friedlander. She sits around and talks with him for about an hour. Near the end of the conversation, he brings up one of her roommates.

"Your roommate, James. He's a good kid, right?" Dr. Friedlander asks.

"He's a good kid?" Nicole asks him back. "A good kid? Why? Does he help the fucking poor? No. He sits on his ass all day smoking dope and jerking off while he plays that stupid fucking game. If that's our standard for goodness, no wonder the country's screwed."

"And what about you?" Dr. Friedlander says, getting more personal.

"What about me?" Nicole asks defensively.

Dr. Friedlander stares at her and waves his hands to let her continue.

"Hey, I didn't have the advantages that fucker has. By the time I was fourteen, I'd already been in prison twice. I robbed banks, I ran whores, I smuggled dope."

"And you consider these accomplishments?" Dr. Friedlander asks with a judging stare.

"These were the opportunities I had! At least I took them!" Nicole barks back, even more defensively than before.

"And where did these opportunities get you, Nicole?"

"They got me right FUCKING HERE!" Nicole yells, getting off the couch and pacing around the room. "The end of the road! With a big house and a useless roommate, I'm stuck talking to you because no one else gives a shit! Oh, I'm living the dream, baby! And that dream is fucked! It is..."

Nicole pauses out of rage.

"...fucking fucked!"

"Let it all out." Dr. Friedlander says, encouraging Nicole's rant.

"I think I just did," Nicole says, sitting back down onto the couch.

"Oh, well, I think that's all we have time for." Dr. Friedlander says while looking at his watch. "Same time next week?"

"I guess," Nicole says reluctantly as she gets up and heads to the door. "I gotta tell you, I'm not too sure this shit is working for me."

"Well, a sense of overriding futility is a vital part of the process." Dr. Friedlander says encouragingly. "Embrace it."

"Whatever you say, doc," Nicole says as she walks out the door. She heads behind the building next to the beach. She looks around and takes another moment to think about where her life has gotten her. I got her here, in Los Santos, the city of sinners—a perfect name, as Nicole had come to realize. She walks along the path with the pier well beyond her. She sees two joggers jog right past her and shakes her head in anger. Her anger issues were still far from gone. She tightens her fist as a crackhead stumbles next to her, before tripping on air and falling to the ground. She tries to relieve her anger by sitting on a nearby bench and looking out at the ocean. Just then, a tall black man with a blonde woman came walking behind her.

"Man, shit gotta be around here somewhere." The tall dude says.

"Unless they buried it under the sand." The blonde responds sarcastically. "Another brilliant Lamar Davis production."

"Man, fuck you," Lamar responds. He looks at the bench they just walked by and asks the girl sitting there a question.

"Hey, excuse me, homie, can you tell me where Bertolt Beach House is?" Lamar asks the brunette.

"No, homie, I cannot," Nicole says back.

"Dude, will you come on? Fuck!" The blonde says to Lamar.

"Actually, yeah," Nicole says as she stands up to look at the two people properly. She points to a house a little bit down the road. "It's that house right there, with the yellow stairs."

"Yeah, good looking out, homie, appreciate it," Lamar says, thanking Nicole.

"Get your stupid ass going, damn!" The blonde replies to Lamar. "Why don't you ask her if she knows the fucking owner? Or better yet, do some sky writing that reads 'There are a couple of idiots who are about to boost some cars' in case someone didn't realize."

"See, what you don't realize is that we ain't boosting. This shit is legit business." Lamar responds.

"Legit?" The blonde questions him. "Oh yeah, I forgot, huh? 401Ks, tax returns, and all. Yeah, right."

"You're the one all pumped up on doing this lick," Lamar says. "I'm getting my money in the hood, I'm straight, fool. I'm cool."

"You're cool?" The blonde barks back. "Cool, what? Slinging dope and throwing up gang signs? Yeah, right."

"Whatever, homie," Lamar replies as they continue their walk to the beach house with the yellow stairs. As they arrive, they see a gate leading up to the front of the house.

"Yeah, homie, this is the spidnot right here," Lamar says as the blonde tries to open the gate. "Your boy Simeon wasn't bullshitting."

"Man, get your ass in there." The blonde responds as she opens the gate.

"Bring your ass, fool," Lamar says. "You're always trying to boss somebody. Come on." They make their way to the front of the house and see two expensive cars, one white and one red.

"Shit, this man must have the baby dick," Lamar says in awe.

"Yeah, and all this shit is paid for by bad credit." The blonde says as she gets into the white car.

"You always were an old choosy motherfucker." Lamar says as he gets into the red car. He looks over and sees her using the droptop roof. "You ballin' hard with the droptop, huh?"

"I might just be." She says as the roof finishes opening.

"Whatever, ain't gonna make you go no faster!" Lamar says as he starts up his car. "Hit me on the speakerphone, I'm moving!"

"Oh, it's like that, huh?" The girl says as she starts her car and begins to race Lamar. She gets a call from Lamar and puts it on speakerphone.

"Right up here, homie!" Lamar says, making a hard right. "I'm bout to go nice and slow for yo' bitch ass."

"Hey, remember we got to be careful with these rides." The blonde reminds Lamar. "Simeon ain't about to dock my pay again!"

"Hey, if you need some bread, I could hook you up with JB's tow truck." Lamar says. "It ain't got glamour, but there's some money to be made."

"So he and Tonya can go smoke crack in peace? I'm good." The blonde responds. The two race their way around the city. They go through a movie production and almost hit some actors dressed up as aliens. They then cut through an alleyway and continue racing through the city, passing through a parking garage before ultimately reaching their finish line, the Union Depository parking lot. The blonde gets there first as she stops and lets Lamar catch up.

"What're you doing, going up and slowing the road down, huh?" The blonde brags to Lamar's face. "Move over so the traffic can go through."

"I'll let something flow through your ass," Lamar responds.

"You wish. Besides, I don't swing that way." The blonde responds. Suddenly, a feeling of dread comes over them when they hear the sirens getting closer.

"Oh shit, the one time!" Lamar says in panic.

"Be cool, we have the paperwork." The blonde responds.

"Whatever, you explain this shit, I'll see you at the dealership!" Lamar says as he speeds away, leaving the blonde to deal with the cops. She sees a cop enter the parking lot and presses down on the gas to get away. The cop has trouble getting out of the parking lot, letting her get away and hide in an alley before making her way back to the dealership. She arrives there and pulls around back to drive the car into the shop for Simeon. She sees him arguing with another man.

"You are a racist!" Simeon screams. "And I don't like you, I will not sell you this car, I will not! You make my skin crawl, you neo-nazi! Jecka, Lamar, this racist insulted me."

"What's up, fool?" Lamar says trying to intimidate the man. "Who're you calling racial slurs?"

"No, no, I'm not calling anybody slurs!" The man replies. "I don't say that, it's not cool."

"You're fucking right, and you better keep it that way!" Lamar says, pointing a finger at the man's chest. "This man right here, he's an international businessman, a multiculturalist!"

"That I could not have said better myself," Simeon responds with a smug look. "But seriously, maybe he's not a racist. But I don't think he's man enough for a car like this!"

"This guy right here?" Lamar says, still pointing at the guy. "Get him a hybrid, that's a real man's car."

"I think you are right, Lamar," Simeon says, laughing at the man. "You'll get a tax rebate. I understand, money is an issue, eh?"

"Money isn't an issue." The man says defensively.

"Watch, this is the best part," Lamar whispers to Jecka. "Watch while he reels him in; he's gonna get all this fool's money."

"Look, I've gotta go," Jecka says as she pushes Lamar away. "Hey Simeon, I'm out. I'll call you later."

Jecka gets into her car, but before she drives back home, she remembers that Lamar drove with her to work, so she waits for him to get in. Once he does, they go back to Jecka's place while talking about her roommate, who demands she be called 'Auntie Denise". Jecka groaned at the name. She hated living with her. But after she cut contact with her parents and moved across the country to Los Santos, this was all she could afford. So here she was, in the middle of the hood, working dead-end jobs in the hopes of getting enough money to move out. She parks her car in the garage and walks to the front door.

"Wassup, can a loc come up in your crib?" Lamar asks.

"Fuck you, I'll see you at work," Jecka responds.

"Aw, bitch don't hate me because I'm beautiful, bitch." Lamar replies. "Maybe if you got rid of that old yee-yee ass haircut, you'd get some bitches on your dick. Oh, better yet, maybe Megan will call you dog ass if she ever stops fucking that brain surgeon or lawyer she's fucking with. ~Wigga~"

"What?!" Jecka yells back at Lamar while he walks away. "I don't even have a dick, dumbass."

Jecka walks back into her house and hears Denise on the phone. She notices Jecka come in and shoos her away, so Jecka heads to her room. She was tired after the day she'd had, so she folded the clothes on her bed and took a nap before dinner, which would probably be some fast food.

Chapter Text

Jecka woke up the next morning to a call from her boss, Simeon. She hastily got up from bed and answered the call.

"Jecka!" Simeon said excitedly.

"Hey, what's going down?" Jecka responded.

"The market, my girl," Simeon said. "Liquidity's a bitch. Get over here so I can give you the new repo list."

"Alright, man, I'll be there soon," Jecka replied as she hung up the phone. She quickly got out of bed before going to use the shower. After that, she ate breakfast, and after a brief discussion with Auntie Denise, she got in her car and drove to work. She arrived and entered the dealership to meet up with Simeon.

"Hey Simeon, I'm here," Jecka said. Simeon emerged from his office and walked up to Jecka.

"My dear girl, it's so good to see you! So good! Hold me!" He says this as he gives Jecka a hug, who quickly pushes away.

"Hey, look," Jecka says as she dusts herself off from the hug. "We've been together for a few months now..."

"Which is why I'm very honored to announce you..." Simeon interrupts. "That you are Employee of the Month! Congratulations! It wasn't easy picking a winner."

"Yeah, between me, Lamar, and your nephew Sacha, look, it's been an honor working for you, but I have to move forward in my life," Jecka responds. "It seems that all I do is let people tell me what to do. And once I do it, nothing changes."

"I'll tell you what, my girl," Simeon says, "You tell me exactly what you want, and I will very carefully explain to you why it cannot be."

"What?" Jecka asked.

"Today is repossessing vehicles that fools have purchased at exorbitant interest rates," Simeon explains. "But tomorrow, together! I never had a daughter, but if I did, I'd want him to be just like you."

"Knock Knock Motherfuckas!" Lamar says as he enters the office, interrupting the conversation. Lamar and Simeon greet each other in their own way, and Lamar asks about what's going on.

"Jecka here has been awarded Employee of the Month!" Simeon says with glee.

"...You fucking with me, right?" Lamar asks, dumbfounded.

"Dude, we're both being fucked with," Jecka says.

"Man, knock it off, man. For real?" Lamar says as he turns his attention to Simeon. "After all the motherfucking hard work I put in?"

"Fuck this Employee of the Month shit," Jecka says. "I'm up here trying to get us-"

"What'cha mean, fuck this Employee of the Month shit?!" Lamar interrupts. "When there's some shit to be won, goddammit, I want it. I don't give a fuck what it is. Y'know what I'm talking about? I take no prisoners. I go hard doing this shit. Big dog, big nuts. When names are on a motherfucking board, I wanna see my name at the top of that motherfucker and next to it, it needs to say 'Winner'."

"Maybe next month, huh?" Simeon says after Lamar is done ranting.

"Man, fuck next month, Simeon," Lamar responds. "What about today? I demand a retrial!"

"Today is nothing, just a bike," Simeon says as he explains the job. "Hasn't made a payment at all—some kid at Vespucci Beach. His name is Estaban Jimenez."

"Is he in a gang?" Jecka asks.

"Curiously enough, I did not inquire when he bought the bike," Simeon replies.

"We got work to do, Ms. Employee of the Month," Lamar says as he leaves the office.

"...Fuck you," Jecka says as she exits the office and heads to her car. As they leave and head to the address provided by Simeon, the two discuss who bought the bike.

"Hey, wasn't that guy who took the bike that ese-Vagos dude?" Jecka asks. "With the tattoo on his face?"

"Yeah, that was him." Lamar answers.

"Fuck, I don't want any unnecessary bullshit, okay?" Jecka says.

"Man, I don't give a shit," Lamar responds. "There's a reason Simeon pays some mean-looking motherfuckers to come repo his shit. We ain't Girl Scouts. Anymore."

"Yeah, I'm no longer one, but in your case, I'm not too sure," Jecka says.

"Man, step up!" Lamar says. "Of course, this dude is real. Who else is going to have the required surplus of paperwork and a deficiency of brain cells? He just put a dub down on this bike."

"Twenty G's?!" Jecka asks.

"With a three G note!" Lamar adds.

"Damn, that shit must be tricked out," Jecka replies.

"Man, this whole setup's designed to take drug money," Lamar says.

"Alright, we go in quiet, in and out, no drama, okay?" Jecka says.

"I'll try, but I'm one loud, dramatic, brash, crazy, greedy, shoot a motherfucker in the back type of motherfucker." Lamar responds. They pull up to the alleyway with the bike.

"The bike should be in one of the lockups down here," Lamar says.

"Should be is the story of your life, asshole," Jecka replies. They try to enter the fence, but it won't budge, so they climb over it instead. As they walk down the alley, a man who looks like he just took crack stumbles up to them and thinks the two are Zapho Agents. Lamar scares him away as they continue down the road. A truck passes by, and Jecka remembers some words that she heard when she first moved to Los Santos. A block makes a difference. Sure, it was Vespucci Beach, but they were on the wrong side of it. As they reach the end of the alley, they spot some lockups and open the one on the right. Inside, they found nothing.

"Man, ain't this a bitch." Lamar says. "Ain't no motherfucking bike in here."

"No shit," Jecka says.

"Hola, amigos." A voice says from behind. They turn around and find three people who were a part of the Vagos gang. 

"Hola, ese," Lamar says to the man in front.

"We just saw you trying to creep up in here, man." The man says.

"Yeah, you saw this motherfucker?!" Lamar says as he pulls out his SMG. The other man begins to pull out his gun, but is killed by Lamar before he can. The other two begin to run and alert the other members. Seeing this, Lamar gets behind cover. Jecka doesn't have a gun, so she steals the pistol from the Vagos member Lamar killed. Jecka sees a member and shoots him while Lamar finishes him off. More members come out and start shooting, but Jecka and Lamar pick them off one by one. Lamar moves and hides behind a portapotty while someone shoots at him from above, next to a gas canister. Jecka shoots it, making an explosion and killing the man above Lamar. More members come out and start shooting from the balcony, but are dealt with. This wasn't Jecka's first gun fight, and it especially wasn't Lamar's. A blue car tries to leave, but hits a broken-down brick wall and starts leaking fuel. Jecka shoots the fuel, and it ignites and blows up the car.

"You still breathing?!" Lamar shouts.

"Yeah, barely," Jecka replies. Just then, Lamar sees the dude with the bike pull up. The man panics and tries to leave, but is killed by Lamar before he can. Lamar tells Jecka to take the bike and meet up with him at the nearby car wash. Jecka gets on the bike and drives off. She was being careful, one because this was only her second time driving one, and two because the Vagos probably weren't particularly happy with her. She eventually made her way to the car wash, where Lamar was waiting for her. He drove Jecka's car.

"I can't hang with you for a while anymore," Jecka says. "You're a psychopath. You've finally fucking lost it."

"That's just that Apache blood in me," Lamar responds. "You're lucky I didn't do a flying tomahawk or scalp those motherfuckers."

"We can't repo the assets of a dead man, big sitting chief asshole!" Jecka reminds Lamar.

"And we ain't going to neither," Lamar says. "I'm keeping this motherfucker for myself. Tell Simeon we couldn't recover it."

"You tell him, you fucking moron!" Jecka screams while Lamar drives away on the bike. She stands there in silence and eventually drives away in her car.

Chapter Text

Jecka rode home in silence. She planned to do nothing else for the rest of the day. She needed the break. However, when Jecka got back to her house, one of her friends called her from across the street.

"Hey Jecka! Why don't you come over here and let me take care of your lonely ass!" The girl yelled.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Tonya?" Jecka replied.

"Ain't nothing wrong with me!" Tonya says.

"Well, you don't look too good," Jecka says as she starts looking around. "Where the fuck is JB?"

"Smoking," Tonya answers. 

"And what about you?" Jecka asks.

"I mean, y'know, I quit," Tonya replies. "Y'know, what I'm saying? Almost..."

"Yeah, whatever," Jecka says. 

"JB..." Tonya starts. "Look, JB is gonna lose everything. He's gonna lose the house, y'know what I'm saying, the business, everything, and he's your cousin, you said you were gonna help."

"He's not my cousin." Jecka reminds Tonya. "That should be obvious by now."

"If that's how you feel..." Tonya adds on.

"Well, what the fuck do I know about towing cars?" Jecka asks.

"Look, it's easy, if JB can do it, so can you," Tonya says. "C'mon, I'll show you."

"...Fine," Jecka says as she motions for Tonya to get in her car. The two make their way to the impound where the tow truck is. Once there, Tonya gets in the passenger's seat and forces Jecka to drive. As they begin to leave, someone on dispatch comes on the radio.

"Vehicle 29, this is dispatch, come in." The radio says. "We've got an abandoned car on San Andreas Avenue."

"Yo, we on that like ugly on your momma!" Tonya replies.

"10-9, come again, I didn't catch that." The dispatcher says.

"It's Tonya, fool!" Tonya answers. "Me and my girl Jecka are filling in for JB."

"Er, copy that." The dispatcher says with dread. "Hi Tonya. Car's a junker, been there for days. 10-7, I'm gone."

"A bucket. This one should be easy." Tonya says.

"Not easy enough for JB to crawl his way out of whatever crackhouse he's in," Jecka replies.

"His loss, your gain," Tonya says.

"Except I'm not gaining shit," Jecka responds.

"Move that seat back, I'll make it up to you," Tonya says.

"That's not what I'm saying," Jecka says. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Life," Tonya replies. The truck pulls onto San Andreas Avenue, and Tonya spots the car. The dispatcher was right, it was a junker. It was worse than Jecka thought.

"Ok, I've seen JB do this a thousand times," Tonya says as she starts to instruct Jecka. "Back up close, make sure the hook is down, and it should slide right in."

Jecka does what she's told, and once she gets close enough, the hook latches onto the car.

"Okay, we are in!" Tonya shouts. "Let's get this back to the lot!"

"This was not how I saw my day going," Jecka says as they begin the drive back to the lot.

"I ain't seen you around the hood much," Tonya says.

"I'm trying to branch out," Jecka responds. "I can't stay in Chamberlain Hills forever."

"Oh, you got airs now," Tonya says. "I remember when you first got here. You weren't some wannabe, you just... were."

"And I remember you and JB before you became dopeheads," Jecka replies. "Shit changes."

"You're the one who's all turfed up," Tonya says. "JB's smoking, but he ain't smoking homies! He's out here grinding, towing cars, paying bills..."

"Really?" Jecka asks. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm towing cars for him."

"And looking fine doing it!" Tonya responds as they pull into the impound.

"Okay, make the drop in the marked area," Tonya instructs. "They get real finicky when we don't leave it in the right place."

Jecka makes sure to carefully drop the car so that the whole vehicle is in the marked area. Once that's done, the two get out of the truck.

"Alright, I'll see you on the block," Tonya says. "Anything you need, holla at me."

Jecka gives her a thumbs-up as she gets in her car so she can finally rest at home. When she gets home, she heads to her room. Auntie Denise catches her and demands that she go get the groceries. Jecka knows that it was a losing game trying to argue, so she gets back into her car and goes to the Dollar Pills to get the cheapest groceries she can. When she gets there, she sees two guys holding a clerk hostage outside the store.

"Jesus, H, you're a moron!" One of the yells. "What are we going to do?!"

The guys look around and spot Jecka pulling into the store. The man yelling decides to see if Jecka will give them a ride.

"Hey, we need a ride!" The guy says.

"On your knees, and stay down until we're gone!" H says to the clerk.

Jecka, deciding not to argue with the armed robbers, unlocks her door and lets them in. They start to pull away when the police show up, but Jecka avoids them as she leaves the store.

"Good, kid, good!" One of them says. "Let's lose this heat."

Jecka begins to drive away from the cops as the two robbers begin to argue with each other.

"What the hell was that!" One of them says.

"I said I had a score, I didn't say I thought of everything!" The other responds.

"Well, you could've thought of, I don't know, A CAR!" The first guy yells. "Everyone in this fucking city has a car!"

"Oh, go back to Liberty City, you Irish prick!" The second one replies.

"You'd know where we'd be if this girl hadn't come along?" The first guy asks.

"We wouldn't be sharing the take is where we'd be." The second one says.

"We'd be in jail!" The first guy yells. "Y'know, I ran big heists in Liberty City. We took major scores. You can't even handle a drugstore!"

"Shut up about Liberty City!" The second guy says. "Shut up about the bank job! And you're family! And you're friends! I don't care!"

"So I know I'm not the least competent crook in the city," Jecka says.

"I swear, it's just this guy!" The first guy says. "Can you lose the cops already!"

Jecka goes silent as she drives away, taking any alleyway she can until there are no more sirens. Once that's done, she stops the car.

"Look, I know I seem like an idiot and a hothead," The first guy says. "And I am a hothead and a bit of an idiot, but I can handle myself. I ran with big guys in LC, and the only guy I know here is him. You said you were a crook, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jecka asks.

"Well, you did well out there, escaping the cops and all that shit." The first guy responds. "If you ever hear of something, a score that needs bodies, think of me, okay?"

"Well..." Jecka said. "I don't do scores that big. The biggest one I've ever done was a convenience store, and I only managed to get $100. But if I ever do any score again, or if I hear about one, I'll let you know. Sounds good?"

"Thank you. Hey, take this." The man says as he gives Jecka a part of the share.

"What?" Jecka asks.

"Well, you did save our behinds, so I guess I owe you something." The guy says. "Oh, and here's my number. If any opportunities come up, think of me. Packie McReary of Duke, LC."

"Okay, see you later, I guess?" Jecka says as the men get out of the car and run away. Jecka couldn't believe what had happened that day. A shootout over a bike, working a tow truck for the first time, and successfully being a getaway driver with no prior knowledge? What a day. She didn't even care anymore about the groceries. She just went home and got in bed. When Auntie Denise asked about the groceries, Jecka gave her a $100 bill to shut her up, which worked perfectly.

Chapter Text

Jecka woke up the next morning dreading work. She got up and ate breakfast, telling herself that yesterday had been just an outlier and today would be normal. She knew that every day living in the hood was eventful, so she knew she was wrong. She got a message from Lamar saying that he was taking a day off. Jecka was pissed but said to herself to get through the day. One day at a time. That's what she told herself ever since cutting contact and moving away from her parents when she turned 18. She drove to work and saw Simeon working on a deal outside of the dealership. Jecka got out of the car and began to overhear the conversation.

"You're a racist!" Simeon says to the customer.

"Wh-What?!" The customer replies.

"You don't like me because you think I am an Arab!" Simeon answers.

"What are you talking about?!" The customer asks, dumbfounded. Simeon sees Jecka coming to work and walks over to greet her. 

"That girl, I am her mentor," Simeon says, making sure the customer can overhear the conversation. "I am so proud of you."

"What do you mean, mentor?" Jecka whispers.

"Don't worry about that," Simeon whispers back.

"Okay, so what do you have for me today?" Jecka asks.

"James De Santa. Some kid, he's already behind on his payments." Simeon says. "I have a bad feeling that he will do more damage to the car than we can get back from him in the exorbitant interest rate payments. Just go and get it. The house is on, um, Hampstead, off Eclipse. It's an SUV. Some Rockford Hills daddy's boy nonsense. Don't worry about it. Try to bring the car back in good condition, ehh?"

"I got you, don't worry about it," Jecka replies. She heads back to her car as Simeon goes back to his customer. Jecka heads to the address that Simeon gave her when her phone rings. She sees it's from Simeon, so she answers.

"Hey, did you change your mind?" Jecka asks.

"When I discover that you betray me, perhaps!" Simeon yells. "I hear you took the bike for yourself, Ms. Employee Of The Month!"

"Listen, Lamar and I are going to get that back to you," Jecka says.

"Ohh, I am sure!" Simeon says. "You will get the car off the daddy's boy, and then we'll talk! Insurance papers say they have a locked garage, so you'll need to gain access from inside the house."

"It's never easy with you, huh?" Jecka replies.

"Do not talk to me about easy, you thief!" Simeon yells as he hangs up the phone. Jecka makes her way to the house and sees a pretty decent-sized mansion. She tries to get in via the gate, but it's locked, so she climbs her way over it to get to the front yard. Once there, she sees a man blowing the leaves around the house. Knowing that she can't be caught, she sneaks up behind him and uses her surprising strength to knock him out. She makes her way around the house and sees the man's truck parked next to an overhang with an open window.

"Jackpot," Jecka says as she climbs onto the truck. She gets on the overhang and through the window when she sees a girl walk past and enter her room. Jecka stays still until she knows the girl is gone, until she fully enters the window, which leads to the upstairs bathroom. She quickly goes down the stairs as she hears the guy she saw a couple of days ago buying the car playing video games and saying slurs. She goes downstairs and sees that in the kitchen, and woman around her age and a man who looks like a tennis player are working on their form in the kitchen. She slips past them and enters the garage with the SUV inside. Luckily for Jecka, the door was unlocked, so she entered the driver's seat and turned on the car. She found a button to open the garage, and she left the property with the SUV. She made a call to Simeon to let him know she was done.

"Simeon, I got the SUV, I'm coming back now," Jecka says.

"Well, if you bring me the repossesion this time, I can have it out on the street before the day is done," Simeon replies as Jecka hangs up the call. Suddenly, she feels something press up against the back of her head. She looks in the rearview mirror and sees a brunette girl around her age with a gun to her head.

"That's a nine-millimeter semi-automatic pushed against your skull." The girl says. "Don't look around, just keep driving where you're going."

"Hey, this was just a repo job!" Jecka says. "He was behind on his payments!"

"Unlikely," The girl says, "Considering my roommate got the car two days ago. And looking at the way you're going about this, my guess is you're working for a credit fraud."

"Credit fraud?!" Jecka asks. "Be serious, I just work the repos!"

"I appreciate someone who follows orders without taking responsibility." The girl says. "Maybe one day we'll have a drink, and I'll tell you how the world works. Who gives you the slip?"

"A car dealer!" Jecka replies. "His name is Simeon Yetarian!"

"He looks legit to you?" The girl asks.

"Look, it's between him and your roommate!" Jecka responds.

"Don't worry, I'll figure this out with Mr. Yetarian." The girl says. Jecka pulls up across the street from the dealership as the brunette girl continues to hold the gun to her head.

"That's the place?" The girl asks.

"Yeah," Jecka answers.

"Drive into it," The girl says. "Right through the fucking window, and fast. Or I'll put two rounds in the back of your skull and do it myself."

"Are you for real?" Jecka asks.

"Do I look like a fucking joke to you?" The girl replies.

"...Fuck my life," Jecka groans as she angles the car at the dealership. She steps on the gas and runs through the window of the dealership. Glass and debris go everywhere as Simeon steps out of his office.

"Jecka! What the fuck are you doing!" Simeon asks in terror.

"Simeon, it's not exactly how it looks," Jecka answers.

"I always pay big for a job well done." The brunette girl says as she hands Jecka $1000 in cash. "Now get out of here."

Jecka heads to her car and drives home as fast as she can. Meanwhile, a fight breaks out between Simeon and Nicole in the dealership. Even though Simeon is stronger than Nicole, she beats him easily and holds him up against the SUV by the neck.

"You recognize this car?" Nicole asks. "Does it look like it's worth five grand a month to you?"

"You fucking racist..." Simeon replies. Nicole opens the front door and slams it into Simeon, knocking him to the floor. Nicole picks him back up again and puts Simeon in a headlock.

"I'm going to tell you something," Nicole says. "This thing is gonna need some serious work before it's worth five grand a month."

"He agreed to financing..." Simeon responds. "I have his signature!"

"Did he agree to have some chick break into my fucking house?!" Nicole yells.

"I-I don't know!" Simeon replies. Nicole holds him up by the chin.

"Listen," Nicole starts. "My roommate might be a fucking idiot, but you are a fraudulent scumbag piece of shit!"

Nicole pushes Simeon to the ground.

"Don't make me come back here," Nicole says as she exits the building, leaving Simeon on the ground in pain. A few hours later, Jecka receives a call from Simeon, who says she's been fired, and calls Lamar to share the news.

"How the fuck did we get fired?!" Lamar asks over the phone.

"Well, it was partly all of your bullshit with the bike," Jecka says. "And partly the repo's roommate made me crash right into the fucking window."

"Ha!" Lamar laughs. "You're the crazy-ass motherfucker in this partnership! You better spend 'em when you got 'em!"

"I guess so..." Jecka says as she hangs up the phone and walks into her house.