CJ hopped off the bike and pressed against the trailer wall as if he was trying to push it. He could not believe what he had gotten himself into. It was only still the afternoon and already, Catalina had given him a really rough time. She has held him by gunpoint, made him comply to her every demands as if he was a dog, gotten raped by her, and had to deal with her mood swings constantly. He has dealt with females in the past, considering he had his mother and Kendl, as well as growing up around Lisa, but Catalina was a lot more than he could handle. CJ has never lost any patience and resistance with anyone like Catalina. CJ could not believe Cesar could be related to her. He wondered how Cesar even put up with her psycho ways.
"Hey, CJ!" he heard a voice from behind, as well as a car's engine running. CJ didn't turn around though. He knew who it was by listening to the voice. It was Ryder.
CJ was so upset that he didn't even bother to turn around. Ryder walked up to CJ. "I just got yo' messages and you said you be here!" Ryder told him.
Before he could say another word, CJ turned around suddenly sullen, violently grabbed Ryder by the collar and shoved him against his car.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, nigga?!" CJ growled at Ryder, pinning him against the vehicle. "I've been trying to call yo' ass all day!"
Ryder shoved CJ off him so hard that CJ fell to the ground. "Nigga, you better back off me!" Ryder snapped. "The fuck is wrong with you putting yo' hands on me? You want me to lock you in another headlock, motherfucker?!"
"Where you been, man?!" CJ asked, trying to change the subject.
"I been working with LB back at San Fierro," Ryder answered. "He gave me a lucrative job at chasing Smoke's lieutenants riding across the county before they deliver them to that fat motherfucker."
"Ah," CJ complained. "So you were working with LB while I was busting my ass with Cesar's crazy ass cousin just to get some fucking money!"
"Whatchu talkin' about, nigga?" Ryder asked.
"Cesar hooked me up with his crazy ass cousin just the other day!" CJ answered. "Her name is Catalina, and she's a crazy bitch!"
"So you just gonna let that bitch make a bitch out of you?" Ryder asked. "Man, I thought you were tougher than that, CJ!"
"You don't understand, Ryder!" CJ told him. "Catalina is crazy! That bitch actually tried to rape me! She's also a cannibal! She actually threatened to make me one of the men in her barbecue!"
"Whatever, man," Ryder said, feeling too uninterested to listen to CJ's story. "I don't need to hear about some bitch I ain't heard of! Just get in the car, nigga!"
So CJ followed Ryder to the car and the two hopped in. Just then, CJ's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.
"Hello," CJ answered.
"Hey, holmes," he heard Cesar answer over the phone. CJ couldn't be any more relieved to hear Cesar's voice again. "I'm busy."
"Cesar!" CJ replied. "Whasup?!"
"I can smell nitrous oxide from a mile off," Cesar said. "Racing, my friend! Not beautiful cars, but fast, man, fast!"
"What are you talking about?" CJ asked.
"Street racers, from San Fierro," Cesar answered. "They meet out here to tear up the black top! No chota, no chota choppers. You wanna make some money?"
"Does the pope shit in the woods?" CJ asked facetiously.
"Why you keep asking me that, holmes?" Cesar asked. "I told you. I don't know. Where his holiness does his business, is his business. Just get a fast car and meet me just south of Montgomery. See you, man." CJ hung up the phone and stored in in his pocket.
"Who was that?" Ryder asked.
"That was Cesar," CJ told him. "He said a race by Montgomery is about to happen. We need a fast car."
"Fuck that!" Ryder told him. "This car is already fast enough!"
So Ryder started the car and rode it to Red County just south of Montgomery. There, the racers were hanging at the fields, and playing on the radio was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
"Man, I fucking hate that song!" CJ complained, covering his ears. "I'm tired of listening to this grunge bullshit! That shit is even worse than that shitty hair metal they played back in the '80s!"
"Seriously, CJ," Ryder groaned, "you complain about everything!"
"I just hate that grunge music, alright?" CJ shot back. "I want some of that gangster shit!"
Just then, a black and blue racecar pulled over besides the two. CJ looked to see an African-American man wearing a blue and green plaid beanie hat, an aquamarine long-sleeve shirt, and baggy brown cargo pants hop out of the car.
"Jeah," Ryder said as he walked up to the guy to give him a handshake. "My man LB!"
"What's up, Ryder?" LB replied. "I heard there was a race over here and I'd figure you guys would be over here. So I provided you with the fastest ride for y'all to win the race in."
"Hell yeah!" CJ replied. "Oh, and the name's Carl Johnson by the way."
LB walked over to CJ to give him a handshake. "I know. What's up with you, CJ?" LB answered.
"Nothing much," CJ replied. "Just out here to make some real money."
"You Sweet's bro, huh?" LB asked.
"Yeah," CJ answered.
"Well your brother and Ryder here did some jobs with me last year and I helped them defend their gang from C.R.A.S.H.," LB told CJ. "Me and Ryder go way back."
"Well that's cool, man," CJ said. "Maybe you'll be able to help us out today then."
"I told you, my nigga," Ryder replied. "My homie LB here is like a clockwork ninja!"
"Yep," LB added. "Whenever my homies need assistance, I'm always there to supply them with what they need. Believe me, I know rats when I see them, and traitors never get past me."
"You better listen to the man, CJ," Ryder told him. "He gonna teach you the streets."
"You right," CJ replied. He looked around once again. "Man, where the hell is Cesar?" he asked. "He said he'd be here."
Just then, CJ saw Cesar walking up ahead.
"Yo, CJ," LB told him. "I think that's yo' chico over there."
Cesar approached the trio and turned to Ryder. "Ryder," Cesar greeted, giving Ryder some dap, "que pasa?"
"What's crackin' with you, Ceez?" Ryder greeted back. "That's my homie LB right here."
"What's up, holmes?" Cesar greeted, giving LB a handshake.
"Nothin' much, ese," LB told him. "What's up with you?"
"Fresh out of Angel Pine, holmes," Cesar replied. He turned to CJ, who stared at him questionably.
"'Sup, man?" CJ asked Cesar. "I've been waiting forever, man. Where the hell you been?"
"Sorry, holmes," Cesar protested. "I had no idea when the race would be"
"Riiight - you just happened to show up five minutes after everybody else, huh?" CJ replied sarcastically.
"When the gasoline runs through your veins like the burning passion, you know when it's time to race!" Cesar replied.
"I think you're getting high on that country air, man!" CJ told him.
"Speaking of high, me and LB gonna warm the car up for you, CJ," Ryder chimed in as he and LB walked over to the car.
"We gonna let you drive in this race, CJ," LB called as he and Ryder entered the car. "We ready when you are."
Just then, a Chinese man dressed in black wearing a pair of square shades arrived. Beside him were another man dressed in black and a woman.
"Hey CJ, look..." Cesar told CJ pointing at the Chinese man.
"You haven't been to one of our meets before," the Chinese man told CJ. "Where you from friend?"
"I'm from Grove Street Families, Los Santos," CJ answered. "What's happening"
"Relax" the Chinese man replied calmly. "This isn't a parade, pal. But, you know, we gotta be careful." He held out his hand to shake. "Wu Zi Mu, but my friends call me 'Woozie'. How you doing?"
CJ didn't bother to return the gesture, as he stared at the man strangely since the latter held it in the wrong direction.
"Wha..?" he started to answer. But he felt that questioning the man wasn't worth it. So he decided to just greet himself as well.
"CJ," he finally answered, still ignoring the man's gesture. "Carl Johnson."
Woozie finally lowered his hand to his side. "Listen," he started to say, "out here we like to race for cash or pink slips - racer's choice. Get your car started, we're about to go. Good luck, Carl Johnson."
CJ watched perplexed as Woozie walked away along with his allies.
"There's something real strange about that dude, man," CJ told Cesar.
"Be careful, CJ!" Cesar warned.
"For sure, man," CJ said as he walked away.
"Get in, motherfucker!" Ryder called from inside the car.
CJ hopped inside the running car and pulled up besides the others at the starting line.
"Now listen up, fool," Ryder told CJ sternly. "Just because this is a race doesn't mean you get to drive recklessly! We still gotta survive in order to win! So you betta win this one without driving the car off the cliff and into the river! Don't fuck this one up!"
"Yeah, yeah," CJ muttered, sounding rather annoyed.
He has heard enough of Ryder's rude remarks of his driving. But he decided to deal with it anyway and focused on trying to win the race. He turned up the radio to hear House of Pain's "Jump Around" playing. The song just started as the race finally began.
The drivers began picking up speed. "Faster, CJ!" LB told him. "Don't let them punk-ass racers beat up, nigga!"
CJ drove as fast as he could. He zipped past the drivers and dashed through the dirt surface. He started to lose control of the vehicle and nearly hit the guard rail to his left.
"Slow down, motherfucker!" Ryder chastised. "You almost ran us off a cliff!"
"Sorry about that," CJ replied. He continued to drive and crossed the intersection of Fern Ridge. He then crossed through Red County and drove through the road of Blueberry.
"Pick up the pace, CJ!" LB shouted. "We got company!"
CJ checked the rear-view mirror to find a familiar car behind him. Could that be that Woozie guy? he thought. CJ continued to drive through the small town as the car gradually began to close in. The two cars were now neck-to-neck as they drove through Blueberry Acres. CJ took a look at the driver next to him. It was Woozie!
He pretty good for an Asian dude, CJ thought.
The two drivers each picked up speed as they tried to get ahead of each other.
"Quickly, but carefully, fool!" Ryder told CJ. "This is a race, not a motherfucking demolition derby!"
The two cars continued to drive through a farm and right back on the forest called The Panopticon. As the two cars drove around the forest, CJ finally sped down the hill, leaving Woozie behind as he managed to make it down the road.
"Keep it up, Carl!" LB told him. "I think you lost the motherfucker!"
CJ continued driving and raced back up the hill.
"There go the finish line!" Ryder announced as the car made it closer to the start of the race. "Finish this shit, motherfucker!"
So CJ sped up and made a victorious cheer as he crossed the finish line.
"JEAH!" Ryder cheered in victory. "We showed them motherfuckers how we do it Grove Street style!"
"Hell yeah!" CJ replied, bumping fists with Ryder. He, Ryder, and LB hopped out of the car.
"That's how the OG's race!" LB chimed in.
"Oooh, yeah!" CJ cried out, making a victory wave as he stepped out of the vehicle.
He turned to see Woozie arriving in his car just inches away and parking next to him. Woozie hopped out of the car and approached CJ slowly.
"You drive with style, Carl Johnson," Woozie told him dispassionately, "and I never mind losing to a guy who's willing to push himself right to the edge."
"Well admittedly, I wouldn't have done it without the help of my homies there," CJ said, pointing at Ryder and LB. "They tagged along."
"Well, as for me, I'm a man who honors his bet," Woozie said, giving CJ an envelope of cash. CJ stared at the envelope and turned to Woozie right before finally accepting it.
"Well, you learn pretty fast with the police on your ass!" CJ told him.
"Listen, it's best if we clear the hell out of here as soon as possible because, for some reason, the local police don't appreciate our noble sport," Woozie warned him.
"Yeah," CJ replied. "Thanks for the advice."
"OK, I gotta go," Woozie said as he pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to CJ. "Uh, you know what? If you ever find yourself in San Fierro, give me a call, maybe we can do a little business together."
"Yeah, I might just do that," CJ replied. Just then, police sirens began to sound.
"Get in, CJ!" Ryder called as he and LB hopped inside the car. "One-time at 1:00!"
"Well, I guess that's our wake up call," Woozie announced as he and his girl walked to their car. "Nice meeting you."
The two hopped in the car and drove away.
"Whatchu waiting on, nigga?!" LB called to CJ as the sirens got louder. "Get in!"
CJ hopped inside the car and sped downhill.
"Try not to slam into a tree, fool!" Ryder told him. CJ just smiled. He was glad to have his childhood friend by his side. He continued speeding away through the forest.