Grand Theft Auto: The Innocent Rose.
Chapter 3: Life Is A Beach
El Swanko Casa: Rosa's Bedroom.
"Waking up was always the hardest part of the morning for me; I love my bed… the pillows are so fluffy and soft but today my bed wasn't as welcoming as it normally is when that damn Newscaster is shouting about current events… sadly it is today's news that concerns me…".
Sliding out of her bed totally naked was normal for Rosa; she always felt it easier to sleep naked in the near-constant high humidity of Vice City, as soon as her feet touched her floor she passed by her full-length mirror to examine her body; her slim and slender frame would be seen as attractive and sexy to the majority of men but she cared little for that, she could hear the newscaster for Weasel News talking on the television downstairs; Rosa let out a begrudging sigh before picking up her dressing gown and wrapping her naked body in it so not to be wandering the house in nothing so she could think up a ruse for her mother.
The Newscaster spoke slowly and clearly when reading off the latest news; the newscaster being a man in a brown suit with a white shirt and a red tie, "Last Night in Vice City was met with the typical nightlife events of illegal backroom deals in Downtown, Vice City Bikers engaged in a street race with their rival group: The Sharks but several teenagers from Washington Beach High were found engaging in sexual acts outside The Malibu Bar and were arrested but released earlier this morning, in Entertainment News: Poppy Mitchell's Sex Tape has gone viral and is currently the most viewed video online, and now for Breaking News regarding gang-related violence took place on Starfish Island last night".
Rosa paused entirely when entering the room when The Newscaster mentioned the events that transpired on Starfish Island; an expression of shock spreading across her face though she'd gotten lucky that her Mother was watching the television instead of her.
"Residents were forced to fear for their lives when members of the infamous Vercetti Gang and The Haitians engaged in a fierce gunfight and a car chase that has left moderate damages to public and private property; two lives were lost in a terrifying explosion that nearly tore down one privately owned mansion, Vice City Police are currently sweeping the area for clues as to who were involved in last night's events".
"I sure hope you didn't go anywhere near Starfish Island last night; young lady?" Rosa's Mother spoke just as Rosa was turning around and attempting to sneak out of the living room; rising up out of the couch revealed to be wearing a matching dressing gown to Rosa's.
"No… no… of course not; I took a spin around North Point Mall; circled Prawn Island and visited InterGlobal before returning home" Rosa spoke quickly; praying that she would buy her story and not enquire about her dirty and damaged clothes as well as the damage to her bike.
Rosa's Mother gave her a stern look; a look that gave the impression that she might know that her daughter is lying to her but didn't desire a confrontation nor did she wish to lose her daughters trust by revealing her secret connections.
Rosa paused only for a few seconds to formulate her lie to cover her tracks before speaking, "Oh… there is something that you need to know".
"And what is that? Perhaps the truth?" Rosa's Mother enquired again; turning to her daughter with a look of keen interest in what she had to say.
Rosa faltered for a moment; meeting her mother's eyes and feeling her prying gaze as she wanted to know exactly what happened to her last night, "I got a little stupid with my Sanchez last night and tried to do some stunt jumps but one of my jumps went bad and my bike got damaged".
"Is that all you wanted to tell me? That your bike was damaged doing some stunts?" Rosa's Mother spoke slowly; her eyes telling that she knew that there was something her daughter was hiding from her.
"Yes; that's everything… nothing else happened" Rosa repeated; crossing her fingers on both hands behind her back, hoping that her mother would fall for her ruse.
Rosa's Mother sat silently for several minutes before she finally smiled and cupped Rosa's chin in her soft smooth palm; speaking in a soft and gentle voice suited that of a caring mother, "I'm just happy that you are safe and sound; whatever the repairs are to that bike can be paid… I'll sort it all out".
Rosa could scarcely believe that her Mother had bought her ruse; and was willing to pay off the repairs and the tune-up on her Sanchez even though it would be multiple thousands of dollars.
"Here; take my credit card to pay it off and choose a mechanic" Rosa's Mother lifted her purse from a coffee table; opening her velvet-lined purse and taking out a black-tinted credit card, holding out the card to her daughter without any look of concern for how much Rosa might spend.
Rosa carefully took the credit card; she'd only ever used this card once before when attending the Love Fist Reunion Concert when she was 15 and even then she was strictly punished with a week's worth of being grounded and doing chores around the house, but then she noticed the name on the card; she always tended to forget her mother's family name since she rarely ever used it herself.
The name on the credit card read: Mercedes Cortez.
"Thanks Mom; I'll sort the bike out today and get this card back to you by the end of the day" Rosa spoke; pumping her fist at the opportunity to use her mother's credit card though she had the intention to use it to buy herself some new clothes and a new game she'd been eyeing.
Mercedes gave a nod of her head before pulling her daughter into a tight hug; the fabric of their dressing gowns shifting as their chests pressed together making Rosa feel a little self-conscious that her breasts were rather petite while her mother had a rather voluptuous bust.
"Mom… can you please let me go?" Rosa spoke carefully; her face turning red with embarrassment in their current amount of physical contact.
"Oh; I'm sorry sweetie" Mercedes smiled as she let her daughter go; pulling her dressing gown over so her large breasts weren't as exposed, "Now go off and have a fun day".
Rosa rushed back up to her bedroom and immediately walked over into her walk-in closet; a series of floral dress hung on one wall with all of her shoes ranging from sneakers, converses and sandals, and on the other wall were all of her jeans, shorts, t-shirts and underwear.
Rosa glanced behind her at the clothes she'd been wearing yesterday only to dismiss them as too dirty from last night's events, picking up and slipping on a pair of white undergarments with a matching bra before putting on a pair of denim knee-length shorts and a plain pink t-shirt as well as her pendent.
Leaving home with the credit card, her phone, a wallet containing a couple hundred dollars and her house keys fitted with a little green frog keychain she'd ordered online all contained within a strapped purse she kept slung over her shoulder, straddling her Sanchez once again and trying the engine only for it to stall once again; realising now why the bike faltered last night but it would soon be repaired.
Ten Minutes Later: Washington Beach Recreational Street.
Rosa left the mechanic's garage with her Sanchez but it felt hard to her to leave her beloved bike behind while she traversed the beach for the day but with little to do; she wanted to ride around in the sand and the surf but she couldn't do that much though just spending the day drinking and eating was an option.
"Rosa?" spoke a surprised sounding voice from behind.
Rosa snapped around upon hearing her voice only to be met with the same jock from High School that had graduated with the sports scholarship and had asked her to go to the beach with him and his friends and was now surprisingly at the beach with him alone, "You're Ryder… right?".
The jock named Ryder Scottsdale gave a laugh since they knew each other's names, "I heard from Angelo you were out riding a dirt bike last night; I also heard to flipped him the bird and rode off doing a wheelie… that's cool".
"Angelo? Do you mean the guy who was out with his girlfriend?" Rosa asked; vaguely remembering passing a guy like that last night on her way to the underground tunnel and to Starfish Island.
"Yeah; he plays Football with me… great guy" Ryder patted himself on the chest while talking as if he was proud to have Angelo as his friend and teammate.
Rosa rolled her eyes at the idea that Angelo was a great guy considering he was apparently receiving an oral sex act while driving; and that was not safe nor was it considered great as far as she was concerned.
"What brings you out to the beach? I got the impression you weren't keen on this place" Ryder asked; his eyes scoping Rosa out
"I'm not; I'm just killing time while a mechanic is fixing my bike… I kinda damaged it last night doing stunt jumps"
"That's a shame; I'd have liked to have taken a ride with you" Ryder gave Rosa a flirty wink when he spoke; his wide grin spreading across his face as he eyed the girl from head to toe, his eyes lingering on her pink t-shirt for a moment longer than anything else.
"What is it with men and sex? Is this guy not getting enough from his girlfriend?" Rosa thought in her mind after picking up on Ryder's flirty wink and tone of voice.
"I thought you had a girlfriend" Rosa stated bluntly; staring out from over the ridge of her glasses at Ryder in wait of his answer though she felt she already knew why Ryder wasn't with his so-called girlfriend today.
"Oh god… I'm sorry if I came across the way; Sarah and I split up last night" Ryder explained though his voice showed that he was not remorseful for his relationship ending but instead interested in finding somebody new.
"Was she one of the ones who got arrested?" Rosa retorted bluntly dis missing any initial advance; not even a hint of pity for a breakup nor any care for Ryder's relationship status, her eyes still staring out from over the edge of her glasses.
Ryder stood in stunned silence for several seconds before blurting out a response without any of his beginning advances, "How did you know that?".
"Weasel News; my Mother and I watch it every morning" Rosa stated blankly; her right hand slipping into her pocket for her phone so to call Emergency Services if Ryder attempted anything or tried to harm her.
"Oh yeah… of course… but did you want to get an ice cream or a cola?" Ryder noticed Rosa's hand sliding into her pocket; jumping to the point and asking her to go out with him on a date.
"Are you asking me out Ryder?" Rosa enquired; her hand sliding out from her pocket.
"Umm… yes" Ryder said in mock idiocy before speaking his intentions and making them clear.
Rosa thought on the matter for a second; she was thirsty and ice cream sounded good given todays humidity and after the events of last night she needed to unwind and going out with the guy who was considered a future pro athlete didn't seem like a bad idea, "Ok; sure".
"Walking down the beach alongside some guy from school is turning out to be kind of a good thing" Rosa thought to herself; smiling to herself while walking down the pathways alongside one of the hottest guys in school.
"So; what kind of ice cream do you like?" Ryder stated upon walking up to an ice cream truck decorated with designs of whipped-cream mountains with cherries at their summit, a man in a simple vest and shorts sitting behind the service window with a newspaper in-hand until noticing the two customers waiting for service.
"Hmm? Oh sorry, I was lost in thought; I'll have the bubble-gum swirl" Rosa turned her full attention to Ryder after becoming lost in her thoughts regarding Ryder; she'd always thought of him as one of the asshole jocks who played sports, got girls and looked down their nose at everyone but he was surprisingly cool.
"Ok; that and a mint twist thank you" Ryder slipped the Ice Cream Vendor: a man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses who glanced over in Rosa's direction before passing over two ice cream cones, one highlighted with a green tint and the other had a blue tint.
"Thanks" Rosa spoke; taking her ice cream and licking off a little from the top before the sweet taste of the flavourings hit her tongue, Rosa quickly began lapping at the ice cream while Ryder stared at her with an aroused look in his eye.
"It's good isn't it; Cherry Popper Ice Cream is the best in Vice City" Ryder stated; smiling at his own knowledge of all the companies that made sweet treats in the city in order to utilise those facts for his flirting.
"It sure is; I used to have ice cream all the time when I was little but not so much when my studies became so important" Rosa spoke with the nostalgic taste of Cherry Popper's Ice Cream hitting her tongue; the sweet taste and smell reminding her of her childhood.
Laughing as the two exchanged jokes and Rosa again recounted her fake story about last night's events and the damages to her bike; something caught her eye, a damaged pale blue Sentinel sat on the curb with two men sitting inside of the vehicle; both wearing the same style shirt and sunglasses the Ice Cream Vendor was wearing.
"Can't be…" Rosa muttered under her breath; almost dropping her cola to the ground when spotting the shockingly familiar potbellied Hispanic man smoking a cigarette behind the Sentinel, it was Marco.
"Rosa… is something wrong? You look like you've just seen something really bad" Ryder tilted his head to one side; noticing that Rosa looked not only distracted but also alarmed.
Shifting her line of sight around the beach; spotting dog walkers, sunbathers, muscular men working out or showing off their impressive builds before noticing a shack renting out Quad Bikes, "No its fine… don't worry about it; hey… want to go for a ride on a Quad Bike?"
"Sure; they have rentals here and I got plenty of money from my folks" Ryder spoke up; taking out a wallet that he'd deliberately stuffed it so it looked like his wallet was bursting with money, his intentions being that of using money to get girls.
"Great; you pay… I'm driving" Rosa spoke in such a hurried tone of voice and ran off to choose a Quad Bike to rent that Ryder barely caught she had said; turning to where she'd been looking and catching a glimpse of the potbellied Hispanic man clearly watching them both from a distance.
Rosa darted over to the Quad Bikes as fast as her legs would carry her and choosing a Green bodied Quad Bike that sat in-between identical Quad Bikes coloured red and blue respectively; looking over her shoulder back at the Sentinel and thankfully Marco hadn't seemed to have noticed her nor was Lucas anywhere in sight.
"Hey Rosa; renting one of these things is taking all the money I have… so we'll have to share" Ryder spoke with a expectant smirk on his face; tossing the key to the ignition to Rosa of whom caught it and wasted no time turning the engine on.
Rosa rolled her eyes at how transparent Ryder was in his attempts to court her nor did she care about beginning any kind of relationship nor sleeping with anybody at this time; the throttle on the Quad Bike was just like that on her Sanchez and the hum of the engine purring under the casing felt good when she sat in the seat.
Ryder slid into the seat behind Rosa; his hands caressing around Rosa's waistline before clasping at her flat slender stomach while Rosa could feel something pressing against her from behind, "Ready to go when you are Rosa".
Rosa glanced at him but she also glanced back at the road but the Sentinel and Marco with it were gone; cracking a smile before revving the engine into life only to slowly pull out of the rental bay and out onto the soft beach sand before letting loose and using everything this machine had to offer her.
With a roar of the engine and shuddering series of vibrations through the seat; The Quad Bike roared into life as Rosa drove the vehicle around the beach at its top speed, Ryder clung to Rosa's belly for dear life while Rosa revelled in delight at being able to tear the beach up without her beloved Sanchez.
"Whoa… slow down girl!" Ryder shouted as Rosa took a sharp turning around a beach house that they'd nearly crashed into but Rosa's skills with the throttle allowed them to slide around the wooden building, Rosa didn't care what Ryder was saying as trying to jump off at this speed would only invite serious injury but she was also keeping an eye on the roads for a certain vehicle.
"Rosa! Watch out!" Ryder screamed as their Quad Bike hurtled towards a group of beach walkers; all women in scantily clad bikinis with rich tans and dyed hair, Rosa let up on the throttle and hitting the brakes causing the tyres to screech under the sand and come to a halt before running over the bimbo of a woman.
"I'm so sorry; I lost concentration for a moment" Rosa admitted fault; giving a bow of her head in apology and hoping the woman wouldn't be too angry with them though that hope was for naught.
"Just watch where your fucking going you dumb kid; take your boyfriend somewhere and just fuck him instead of trying to run people over" the bimbo of a woman shouted so loudly that other beach walkers stared at the exchange though most men were just eyeing the woman's supermodel-like body and women just glared at their partners for looking at another woman.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Rosa yelled back but the bimbo clearly wasn't listening but Ryder was smiling ear to ear about being called Rosa's Boyfriend, "Don't you get any ideas".
"Oh I'm having ideas but I won't act on them" Ryder admitted that he was already having ideas and thoughts about Rosa but he'd crossed his fingers when saying that he won't act on them.
"Well just keep them in your head please" Rosa asked Ryder with a courteous tone; she had no desire to engage in any form of intimate contact with him as she already was while on the Quad Bike.
"No promises… but what happened there? It looked like you were watching the roads for someone" Ryder stated; having noticed that Rosa was watching the road traffic instead on the path they were driving down.
"It doesn't matter" Rosa's eyes widened when realising that Ryder picked up on why she was distracted; shaking her head to rattle out the thoughts of whether she was being followed again.
Ryder wondered what had happened; he had noticed that a pale blue Sentinel driven by a Hispanic man had been following them but he didn't know the reason behind it though it could just be a coincidence but man of his race were usually around Little Havana but not in Vice Point nor Washington Beach.
The pair kept driving for hours with little incident after nearly crashing and running over a beach walker Ryder's phone pinging with an alert when the rental shop was closing up; Rosa regretfully pulled the Quad Bike back into its parking space though she'd left it much less seawater or sandblasted than she would have liked.
"Well… that was fun; I never knew you were secretly such an adrenaline junkie" Ryder let out a sigh of relief after being driven around the beach on a Quad Bike's top speed for hours; remarking on his impression of Rosa's hobby.
"I'm not an adrenaline junkie!" Rosa snapped; her self-control vanishing at the notion of being called an adrenaline junkie which was something she did not view herself as.
"Then what was all that reckless driving about at high speed for?" Ryder gestured to the elderly man pushing their rented Quad Bike back into the shack before closing up for the night; the Quad Bike itself still wearing the dust from sandblasting, runs through the shallows of the ocean surf and an impressive dent from driving and clipping a Lifeguard Booth.
"I just like the wind in my hair, the hum of an engine under by hips" Rosa remarked; her love of driving such vehicles gave her such freedom where she felt like she could do anything.
"So… you just like driving stuff like this? Quad Bikes… your Sanchez" Ryder stated; holding out each hand when mentioning each of the vehicles Rosa had driven as far as he knew.
"Something like that; I just really like driving" Rosa confessed; driving was her favourite thing to do in her free time, even more so than her gaming, books or her studies.
"I can understand that; can I walk you home?" Ryder suggested; offering his hands out to her to hold hands while they walked; though he intended to pull her into the space between two nearby buildings for some more pleasurable fun.
Rosa felt herself naturally smiling; she was having a good time with Ryder and felt sad that the day was almost over but she felt like something was amiss and she was missing something important, "Oh shit… I forgot the Mechanic might be done by now".
"If you don't mind; I'd love to see your bike" Ryder smiled when he posed his next question; smirking ear to ear as he was planning to make a move on her once clear of public view.
Rosa stared at Ryder for several seconds; realising she'd just spent nearly a full day with a man she barely knew and had only learnt the name of yesterday and now had just had her first date, "Sure… why not"
Rosa walked with Ryder by her side the whole path; her head swimming in thoughts of Ryder and Lucas: both men had spent time with her and knew she felt an attraction towards Lucas and his actions which saved her life, his friendliness and he was quite handsome, but she was now feeling that same sensation when she thought about Ryder and his strong football-honed muscles, his cool attitude but his mind was something she was concerned about.
Once returned to the mechanic's workshop; Rosa have the door a knock before entering through the open garage door but what she saw inside took her breath away; sitting in front of her was her Sanchez shining as if it was brand new and out of the factory.
The Mechanic walked over with an oil cloth in one hand and a spanner in the other, "She sure is a beauty now; the engines been fully serviced, the paints been recoated and your damaged fender has been replaced with a brand new unit".
"Please; let me pay you for your services" Rosa spoke with a tone of disbelief; her bike shone as if it had been repaired by the divine, hurryingly taking out her mother's credit card and handing it to The Mechanic.
"Not necessary; working on your beauty of a bike was a treat and I had everything I needed on hand" The Mechanic spoke; setting his oil cloth and his spanner down on a folding chair, his smile far too wide and gracious to accept Rosa's money.
"But I still need to pay you… you need to earn a living" Rosa spoke with an insisting tone; holding out the credit card with more intention to pay the man for his time and parts.
"As I said its taken care of; these two fine gentlemen covered the cost" The Mechanic gave a smile before tossing his oil-soaked rag away and onto a workbench; indicating to two men standing beside a coffee machine both were partaking in the beverage.
Rosa nearly swallowed her tongue when she saw the aforementioned gentlemen; both men wearing shorts and matching Hawaiian shirts, one Hispanic and the other Caucasian, Marco and Lucas.
"Hey… if it isn't the little miss from last night" spoke a Latino-accented voice of Marco; smiling through a lit cigarette though he clearly was ignoring the indoor smoking laws when the workshop was littered with flammable oil-rags and greasy marks on the floor.
"Marco please; I highly doubt she wants to talk about last night" Lucas countered Marco before he said too much and knowing him; he just might, Lucas shot Ryder with a questioning look with the thought as to who this guy was and why he was with Rosa.
"Rosa; do you know these men? If so you're strangely popular with older guys" Ryder remarked with a joking tone; but drawing irksome looks from Rosa, The Mechanic, Marco and Lucas indicating that he was crossing a line but Ryder didn't seem to care with his near-constant wide grin.
Rosa panicked as her ruse was already beginning to unravel; where she'd claimed she'd damaged the bike in a stunt jump and now the men who knew the truth were standing right in front of her.
"I'm sure you're wondering why we're here missy; our car got damaged last night no thanks to you and we needed it repaired" Marco answered with strange bluntness when he'd been so friendly the previous night following the saving of Rosa's life.
"Was this how you damaged your bike? Running it into these guys car?" Ryder asked; recalling how she'd said she had damaged her bike doing stunt jumps.
Rosa stared at Ryder with wide eyes; reverently nodding, "Yes; that's right… it was an accident, I took a jump off a high hill and my Sanchez landed on top of their Sentinel's bonnet".
"We're just glad nobody got hurt too much" Lucas spoke with a wink towards Rosa; a sign to not mention what had truly transpired the previous night to anyone outside of their knowledge, Rosa opened her mouth to protest since two men died but realised that would be tremendously bad for everybody present upon spotting Lucas' wink.
Rosa stood there in the centre of a garage; with Lucas and Marco standing one side of the workshop and Ryder standing on the other side, throwing one leg over the seat of her dirt bike only then realising the state of the room, torn between which side to go to or who to talk to; Ryder's voice broke the sudden tense silence coming at Rosa from all sides.
"Hey Rosa… I was wondering if you'd like to come out with me and everyone sometime? Maybe hit up some of the bars, the mall or just another beach day?" Ryder asked; taking Rosa's hands in hers before sliding his hands into hers, speaking with a tone of voice that gave away his intentions to have her to anyone who could spot them like Marco or Lucas could; both of whom watched in case the young adult tried anything on the young woman.
"Sure; I had fun today… except for what happened in there, but yes; I will go out with you again" Rosa spoke slowly; eyeing Ryder's hands in hers, his hands felt rough from so many hours of handing the pigskin ball used in Football but he knew how to handle a girls hands almost a little too well.
Then the last thing Rosa expected happened; Ryder pushed into her while she was straddling her Sanchez and kissed her on her lips, Rosa pushed her left hand against Ryder's chest but the young man was stronger than her until a fluttering sensation ran through her and she kissed him back.
"Heh… I knew you'd do that" Ryder smiled widely; his right hand caressing Rosa's back while he held her close to him, his eye spotting Lucas watching them both and allowing himself a triumphant smile in belief that he's captured Rosa's heart with a single kiss.
Rosa blushed after having her first kiss taken away; her heartrate rushing after receiving the kiss and having seen Lucas again but now felt an unknown confusion like she'd have to decide between these two men someday in the future, giving a brief look back at Ryder and back into the garage where Lucas stood watching; Rosa twisted the throttle on her repaired Sanchez onto to ride off and away from the current predicament.
Moments After Rosa Left.
Lucas and Ryder both glared to one another; Lucas looking stunned and shocked that some guy just forced his way onto Rosa and taken her first kiss, while Ryder smiled triumphantly before raising his middle fingers to Lucas and walking away.
Marco stood by; having watched the entire events that had just transpired while lighting up a second and puffing on a cigarette again ignoring the no smoking sign on the wall, "Don't let that bother you kid; that guy is an asshole".
"I'm not that bothered… Boss said not to get involved so I'm not" Lucas spoke; remembering what their Boss had said to them just last night but the blush on his face and the furrows in his brow said otherwise.
"Kid… I can tell you're lying" The Mechanic spoke as he took a Styrofoam cup of coffee from the machine; then walking away with a smile before beginning work on repairing the Sentinel's bonnet.
"Alright fine… that asshole's actions bother me; you can't just force a kiss like that" Lucas finally let himself feel his anger; slamming his fist into the workbench and sending tools clattering to the floor much to The Mechanic's ire, Lucas' eyes leering at the back of the teenager: Ryder as if he was staring daggers.
"Kid… you must really want her" Marco spoke with a joking smile; puffing on his third cigarette and ignoring Lucas' infuriated protests entirely.
Even The Mechanic chuckled under his breath; the obvious interest that Lucas had in the girl was clear as day while the asshole Ryder was merely using the girl to his satisfy his own pleasures caused him some small degree of laughter and would have liked to see how this rivalry for the girls heart would play out.
