Chapter 2: Complicated Matters.
It was a normal Sunday afternoon at the De Santa home. Well, as normal as it could be when your siblings couldn't go one day without screaming at each other. "Its because you have a massive gaper bitch!" Bridget heard Jimmy yell from his room.
She had one hell of a headache from last night after fighting some petty criminals and rushing off, barely a scratch on her. She had hoped she could study in peace before school in the morning but oh how cruel fate was, gifting her two selfish assholes for siblings.
Now it was made worse from her idiot brother and sister. "You fucking homo you're dead!" Tracey yelled back, making Bridget groan with annoyance, throwing a pillow at her door. "Will you jerks shut up!? I'm trying to read here!" She yelled back, sighing heavily.
Just as she turned to her reading, the sight of a black guy in a white long sleeved shirt and dark baggy jeans walked right by her bedroom. Her eyes widened a little, about to yell for one of her parents until she remembered.
Didn't Jimmy purchase a car recently? She swore she remembered Jimmy talking about some dudes at the dealership. She had been looking into Simeon Yetarian, figuring that he often had vehicles taken back almost as soon as they were bought by him. She figured this guy was after the car since he was being quite stealthy and was heading downstairs.
Bridget had told Jimmy repeatedly to be careful of what he was signing since scam artists ran amok in Los Santos. But because she was as he called her, his kid sister, he didn't take her seriously.
She sighed, sitting back on her desk chair and waiting to hear that miserable whine when he realized the car was gone. Perhaps through this hed learn not to trust shady assholes.
She could hear the car being turned on downstairs, confirming her suspicions and snorted to herself. She wondered how no one else could, maybe it was because her bedroom was right above the garage.
Bridget wondered where her dad was through all of this, she swore he had ninja like senses. When she was younger, she used to refer to him as one of her favorite superheroes because of it.
That and she thought her dad could pull the whole playboy billionaire orphan off. She had somewhat fond memories of her childhood, growing up in LS.
She knew her parents loved her, even if they were often so busy with other things. Like dealing with Jimmy or Traceys mess. Or just their own problems in general. It should frustrate Bridget, seeing as she was the kid now. But, she'd learned to mostly take care of herself despite everything. It ended up being Amanda who discovered the car missing. "Jimmy? Your car is missing!" She called upstairs. Jimmy took off his headset in a panic. "WHAT!?" he yelled, running downstairs. Bridget exited her room, listening in. "Ugh this is bullshit! That was a badass ride man!" He complained.
Bridget walked downstairs, an eyebrow raised. "I'm surprised it lasted a day in your hands. You just wanted it for show." She said simply, crossing her arms. Jimmy glared at her. "Shut up! You're just jealous because I got a car and dad didn't give you your stupid dirt bike!" He huffed.
She rolled her eyes. "It wasn't even worth the money it costed. It always made these weird sounds. And I swear it's been used before." She retorted, walking past to the fridge.
Jimmy groaned. "Fuck you, no it wasn't!" He argued back. Amanda sighed. "Kids please stop." She tried to say. "Jimmy, your father will talk to them. Hes probably over there now." She reassured. "I hope so! Ugh!" He complained, before stomping back upstairs.
Bridget grabbed herself a bottle of watermelon flavored Sprunk, taking a sip of it with a sigh. Amanda walked over to her sternly. "You should really give your brother a break. You all used to be so close." She said softly.
She turned to look at her mom, shrugging. "Yeah but then we grew up. They became overgrown kids and I became me. We dont get along because we have nothing in common. I want something for my life! I'm not trying to embarrass myself on TV or rot my brain playing video games all day and smoking dope! I have a purpose mom.."
Bridget stated, walking past her.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm almost done with studying. I have a test tomorrow." She grumbled. Amanda sighed. "At least come downstairs for dinner!" She called, shaking her head.
It was late afternoon when she heard her dad's voice fill the halls. "I'm back!" He called, rolling his neck slightly. Hed gotten quite the work out beating the crap out of that shady car dealer. But he was pleased to know he could still crack skulls like he used to.
Jimmy raced downstairs, eyes wide. "How did it go? You didn't kill him right?" He asked. Michael shook his head. "Course not..just hope he doesn't make me come back there. Fuckin prick." He said, going to take a seat on the couch. Amanda had ordered some Burger Shot for dinner that night and for once Bridget was actually eating.
And for once it was mostly a quiet affair, with only mild bickering between Jimmy and Tracey. Bridget had a question on her mind though, looking at Michael curiously. "How'd you know he was going for the car? Are you some kind of ninja dad?" She asked with an amused grin.
Michael actually snorted at this, almost spitting out his drink. "Uh..not exactly..I was just..taking a nap. In the car." He said flatly. Bridget snickered. "Why?" She asked.
Even Tracey and Jimmy were quietly giggling at this. Michael hid a grin. "Backseat was comfortable. Come on cant a guy nap in the back of a car without being ganged up on? What is this?" He asked, attempting to be humorous.
However, he didn't want to tell them the truth. That he suspected Amanda and her tennis coach sleeping together. He'd been planning to catch them in the act. He'd rather not start another awful fight that night.
Later, Bridget went to bed instead of gallivanting around Los Santos. She dreamed of being in a snowy forest, the moonlight shining on her. Strange howls invaded her ears along with the sound of a woman singing. She frowned, feeling a chill upon the back of her neck.
She carefully walked through the forest, using the pale moonlight as a guide. 'Where am I..?' She wondered to herself, hugging herself and feeling some tension building up in her stomach. Bridget was lost, she didn't recognize this place at all.
She eventually came to a clearing, seeing a beautiful woman who was very pale with long soft dark hair and wearing a long white dress. She had her back turned, standing above a lone grave in the middle of the cold, snowy forest. She sounded like she was crying. Bridget frowned, swallowing hard as she carefully approached. "H-hello..? Are you okay?" She asked softly. The woman didn't respond, still shaking with sniffles. She nervously put her hand on the womans shoulder, jumping in fright when the woman turned, her eyes nothing but bloody sockets.
"My baby..where is my baby.." she whispered in a distorted voice. Bridget screamed in horror. She woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and sweat pouring from her forehead. She held her chest, shaking like a leaf.
A nightmare..that's all it was. Suddenly Michael burst into the room in his pajamas. "Bridget! Are you alright? I heard screaming?!" He said worriedly, concern in his eyes. Bridget jumped, huffing and swallowing hard. "I..I'm fine..just..I had a bad dream. That's all.." she whispered, looking down. At least it was morning. Michael relaxed, lowering his gun before going to sit on her bed. "I thought they stopped kiddo..was it because of the break in yesterday? You know this place is safe right?" He asked softly, looking at her reassuringly.
Bridget shook her head, chewing her lip. "N-no..I mean..I know this place is safe you're practically a rottweiler..but..the dream wasn't about that..it was..there was a woman..singing..in a snowy forest. Shes looking for her baby..but she didn't have eyes.." she whispered quietly.
Michael frowned, as if he were remembering someone. "Maybe you should cut back on those horror movies huh?" He said, smiling a bit and trying to cheer her up.
Bridget nodded a little. "Maybe..sorry if I woke anyone up.." she mumbled in embarrassment. Michael shrugged. "Dont worry about it..come on, I'll try to make breakfast. That always cheered ya up. You all used to love the way I made pancakes." He said with a grin. Bridget snorted, remembering. "Yeah..okay." she agreed, feeling like a little kid again. Michael gave her one last reassuring smile before leaving her room to go make breakfast.
Bridget reluctantly got up, brushing her hair and putting on a black long sleeved shirt with a blue overall dress with grey leggings and sneakers.
By then, she could smell the pancakes downstairs and grabbed her book bag, walking downstairs to take a seat at the barstool. She didn't see or even hear Jimmy anywhere and Tracey didn't seem at all interested, eating some nutra bar on the sofa. Amanda was busy running an errand.
Michael handed her the plate, sighing a bit. "Eat up and have a good day at school alright?" He said, ruffling her hair bit. Bridget nodded, eating. "Thanks dad." She said, taking a sip of her orange juice.
Michael smiled again before looking over at Tracey. "You want pancakes too Trace?" He asked. Tracey rolled her eyes. "No, I don't wanna be fat!" She huffed. Michael sighed heavily before he walked back upstairs. He hoped today he could relax some.
Bridget finished her pancakes, drinking the rest of her orange juice before going outside, getting on her bike after putting her bag on. She wheeled herself to school with a quiet hum, trying not to think too much about her weird nightmare.
She put her bike on the the stand once arriving at the high school, heading inside quickly with her head down. She made her way to the lockers, swallowing hard once she came across hers which had 'Your Mom's A Slutty Homewrecker!' written in sharpie on it.
Laughing could be heard behind Bridget as she sighed and opened her locker. "We have unfinished business loser! You ran away like a little coward Saturday, at the pier!" Ruby sneered, standing next to her with a cruel grin. "Did you run and tell your daddy?" She purred mockingly.
Bridget tensed. "Fuck off Ruby..I don't want any trouble.." she warned, trying to grab her books. "Too late because trouble is what you got bastard!" Ruby growled before shoving Bridget against the locker, causing her to yelp and making her drop her books. Ruby's two airheaded friends stood next to her, laughing their asses off. "She'll be as screwed up as the rest of her fucking family! What a freak!" Darla sneered.
Bridget got down on her knees, trying to gather her books while shaking just slightly. She was trying to hold herself back from beating the shit out of these crazy bitches simply because she was in school. "What are you gonna do now little miss princess? Cry?" Ruby sneered. "Why dont you go do what you do best and suck it Ruby. You spoiled trust fund bitch." A familiar voice growled. It was that boy Bridget had befriended in the woods. "Dylan I can handle this.." she mumbled, carefully standing up.
Dylan was sixteen and quite tall for his age. He had red hair, sharp green eyes and his face was dotted with freckles. Kids often feared him because his mother was a part of the Lost MC.
Ruby scoffed, glaring at Dylan but she knew better than to try and argue with a Lost boy. "Let's leave these freaks to each other." She relented, storming off with the other girls. Bridget sighed, looking up at Dylan. "Thanks..I could've handled that though." She said simply. Dylan chuckled. "Oh I know..but you aren't that smart yet. You still got a ways to go. You're reckless." He said, walking with her to class. Bridget rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me." She said with a heavy sigh. "So..hows home? Your folks still not getting along?" He asked. She shook her head. "Not..exactly. If I know my dad, hes probably sitting on the lounge chair outside by the pool listening to some song while mom and Tracey are arguing about her stupid boyfriend. You know that guy isn't even nice to Tracey? Hes a bum who uses her for free food and room!" She said with an eyeroll.
"My sister used to be so cool. I always thought she'd be like a makeup artist or hair stylist. Instead, she's..trying to let guys take advantage of her. And Jimmy's no better! I swear hes going to be found dead in a ditch somewhere because he pissed off the wrong gangbanger!" She ranted, shaking her head.
"And I dont know what will become of my parents. I just..hope I dont have to pick sides." She added, frowning. Dylan listened intently, like he always did and nodded, staring quietly.
"Sounds tough..I'm sure they love you though. You guys may be a mixed bag of crazy but that's your life. You don't have to pick sides no matter what. And if they love you, truly, they won't make ya." He explained honestly. "At least they're not picking crack over you." He added. Bridget smiled a little. "Thanks..I guess it could be worse." She agreed, biting her lip.
Dylan nodded, humming. "Do they know? About..? That thing?" He asked. She swallowed, shaking her head. "No..and I dont want them to find that out. They'd kill me if they knew I was going out beating up criminals at night." She said quietly. Especially her dad. He was super overprotective.
It honestly annoyed Bridget, being seen as the baby of the family. Still. "How do you even do it? I'm surprised you're still breathing at this point." He said with a chuckle.
She shrugged. "A lot of Martial Arts classes and gymnastics can make a world of difference..I mean it's not perfect but..its something I guess." She said softly. Dylan nodded, smirking. "Yeah, guess it is. Hey I'll talk to ya at lunch okay?" He said once they stopped at her class.
Bridget smiled a bit, waving. "Sure." She said. The rest of the school day passed by easily, with her making an A on her test. Once the bell rung for the end of the day, Bridget packed up all her books and rushed out to her bike.
Dylan had already rode off on a motorcycle, always the first but hed probably text her later. She rode her bicycle home, setting it by the garage before going inside just in time to see Jimmy being dropped off in mom's red sentinel car by the guy who had been in there house.
Bridget raised a brow, parking her bike near the garage. "Uh..Jimmy? Who's that?" She asked, walking over with her arms crossed and eyeing the guy suspiciously as he walked off.
Jimmy grinned. "Oh that was Franklin! Hes pretty cool! He saved my ass today while you were out hitting the books." He boasted. She nodded skeptically. "Uh..huh..this doesn't have anything to do with something you did..does it?" She asked, tilting her head.
She could just tell by looking at him that Jimmy had done something stupid today. Jimmy swallowed, scratching the back of his neck. "I have no idea what you're talking about sis! It's none of your biz anyway." He said with an air of annoyance.
Bridget huffed. "Oh my god you totally did something stupid didn't you?! When will you just grow up Jimmy!" She growled. Jimmy groaned. "Okay so I tried to sell dad's dumb yacht okay?! But I almost got killed by the gang that stole it! And all he was worried about was the boat! I was lucky! I wanted to get his attention!" He cried, trying to defend himself.
Bridget glared, still angry. "So trying to get murdered by psycho gang members is your idea of trying to get dad to spend time with you?! Wow, that is the dumbest shit I ever heard. You are beyond pathetic. Yeah you're lucky to be alive alright!" She huffed. Jimmy stared, hurt but he knew she kinda had a point. "It was just a boat.." he whined.
Bridget shook her head. "No, I'm upset you almost died! And that you keep doing these stupid things to try and impress dad only to look like a major asshole in the end! When you can just..get a job! Act like an adult! I'm the kid I should be the one acting out! You're supposed to be my big brother but you fucking suck at that!" She yelled in his face before storming off angrily.
She raced upstairs before Michael or Amanda even had a chance to see her. She took a heavy breath, trying to control her anger once she got back into her room. Bridget hadn't been expecting to rip into him like that but it needed to come out. It needed to be said. She hated how complicated everything was.
No wonder half of LS was stoned. Late that night, Bridget donned on her costume as the Phantom and decided to take her anger out on some idiot wannabe criminals that dared cross her path.