In juvie, Alexia's least favorite day of the week was Thursday – or, as it was more commonly known, 'shower day'.
She'd tried to put it off for as long as she could. One week, she'd made herself throw up just before shower time and had gotten sent to the nurse's office. Another time, she'd intentionally slipped in a puddle of water on her way to the showers, a stunt that had left her with a huge knot on her forehead.
But ultimately, she'd had to face reality: inmates shower together. The total lack of privacy in prison culminated on Thursdays, when all the girls in her cell block were marched down to the showers by guards. They were then ordered to strip down to their rubber shower shoes before washing themselves, always in a large, naked group. It only lasted three minutes each time, but for Alexia, it may as well have been three years.
She was standing in the locker room just outside the showers, clutching a white linen towel to her chest. The sound of girls laughing and goofing around echoed in her brain, along with the hiss of cold water; the facility couldn't afford to provide hot showers to inmates, so the water was always bitterly cold. Somehow, this made the nakedness even more humiliating.
Alexia took a deep, shuddering breath. When she'd first gotten to the prison, she'd been strip searched, a traumatic and degrading experience that had given her nightmares for months. Everything about the prison experience - the tasteless food, the metal bars, being ordered around and yelled at by CO's all day - was meant to demoralize the prisoners, making it less likely they would reoffend after they got out. But despite this, Alexia knew a lot of the girls had been in here several times before; their socioeconomic status had made crime a more appealing option, despite the harsh conditions of juvie.
As she counted to three in her head and prepared to rip off her towel, Alexia noticed something strange: the laughter of girls in the shower had turned into what sounded like screaming. The sound of water was much louder than it had been, accompanied by high-pitched whizzing, like a blender. Alexia knew her fellow inmates could get rowdy in the showers sometimes, but something about this seemed off. She kept her towel on and peered around the corner, and immediately she wanted to vomit.
Alexia gasped. The shower was absolutely filled with blood. Thick smears of it lined the walls from floor to ceiling. She couldn't see any bodies, though; to her horror, she noticed the blood was coming from the shower heads themselves.
Before she knew it, Alexia had been pushed inside the showers. She turned around, but her way out was blocked by two of the shower heads, which had crossed into an X in front of the door.
Her gut wrenched in panic. As the first spurt of blood hit her, she screamed, her back arching as she tried to scramble away. However, the shower heads were following her, slithering through the air like metal snakes. The blood was still warm and sticky. It drenched through her towel and splattering against her bare skin. Trying to shield herself was useless. Eventually, she scrambled to a corner of the room and crouched down; not ideal, but at least now could only be hit from one side.
Alexia choked on her tears as she tried to plead with the sentient shower heads to let her go. However, she noticed she suddenly couldn't make a sound. It was like there was a clamp on her vocal cords, and she couldn't speak above a whisper. Eventually she curled up into a ball in the corner, crying into her knees as the assault continued.
After a few moments, the blood spray stopped. Alexia looked up; the shower heads had retreated back to the walls, blood still dripping from all the faucets. She was shivering, the cold blood sticking to her bare skin. Before she could stand up, a loud bang crashed through the shower room. Alexia jumped, shivering in fear, clutching the blood-soaked towel to her chest. The big drain in the center of the floor was vibrating, like something big was trying to get out.
Eventually, Alexia saw it: fingers, gray and dead, reaching up through the drain. Alexia wanted to vomit, she was so scared. The drain cover popped free, and an entire arm slid up through the open hole in the blood-soaked floor. Using the arm as leverage, the rest of the figure contorted itself through the hole, and Alexia could hear its bones cracking and splintering as it came up through the tiny drain. Its skin was wet and slimy, and it was wearing a yellow jersey with a single bullet hole in the back.
This was the man she'd killed in that drug deal. The man whose name she didn't know. He ambled towards her, and she tried to get up, but two of the shower heads sprang forth and crossed over her chest. She was pinned to the blood-stained wall, forced to watch as the dead Vagos gangster approached, his cold, dead eyes trailing down her scantily-clad body.
Alexia dry heaved. Maggots were crawling in and out of his porous skin, and he smelled like rotting meat. All she could do was quietly beg him to let her go.
He didn't listen. Instead, he opened his mouth, and a low-pitched clicking sound, like an alligator's, reverberated through the shower room. A putrid-smelling substance dripped from receding lips as he came closer, closer, until his face was right next to Alexia's ear. She could just barely hear him over the shower heads, which had resumed spraying blood at full force.
"You wanna bleed like I did?"
Alexia shook her head. As she whimpered in fear, trying to press herself into the corner, the man withdrew a switchblade, smiling as he flicked the blade open.
"Tough tits."
She screamed, but she could do nothing as the rusty blade plunged into her chest.
Alexia shot up in bed. She was drenched in sweat, still screaming bloody murder, her heart beating like mad underneath her shirt. Her eyes shot around the room, her bedroom, but she couldn't see any blood on the walls. She also couldn't see any zombified Mexican gangsters with switchblades.
Her rapid breaths slowed down. As she came back to reality, Alexia fetched one of the pillows, hugging it tightly to her chest as her eyes filled with tears.
"It's okay, Lex," she told herself. "It was just a dream. A very horrible, horrible dream…"
This wasn't the first time she'd had night terrors. However, they weren't usually this vivid. She chalked it up to all she'd been through last night, killing someone for the first time, then killing more people in a desperate escape from Bahama Mamas. The blood shower in the dream had felt so real, and it was probably because she'd experienced something much like it in real life.
Alexia wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew she was probably carrying some trauma from the events of yesterday. It would take a while for her to process the things she'd gone through, but unfortunately, she didn't have that sort of time. She needed to make some money for her brothers, and fast. She could only pray that the man she'd killed wouldn't be haunting her for the rest of her life.
A deep sigh escaped her mouth; she looked to her left, hoping desperately to distract herself. Luckily, her bedroom featured a massive bay window, which beheld a cinematic view of the city.
The low skyscrapers of Little Seoul and Vespucci were gleaming in the abundant West Coast sunshine. She was still shaken from the nightmare, but as Alexia focused on the scenery, her heart slowed, and she began to feel a sense of peace. Cautiously, she slid out of her bed and ventured over to the window so she could take a closer look.
Little Seoul was a Korean community in the heart of the city, of which Alexia had an excellent view from her bedroom. This neighborhood was a relic of the late 80's and early 90's, a time when South Korea's economy had been booming after the arrival of democracy. Electronics companies such as Wiwang and Celltowa had erected glass-paneled skyscrapers to house their corporate offices in America. With this influx of Korean workers had come Korean restaurants and bars to feed them; there was hardly a college student in Los Santos who didn't get completely wasted on soju most weekends.
There were also some gangs in this area, the biggest of which was the Kkangpae, the Korean mafia. Unlike the poorer gangs of South Central, the Koreans had money to spare on high-grade weapons and artillery, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles, and they dealt fiercely with anyone who encroached on their turf. The Skulls had exchanged gunfire with them a few times, since their neighborhoods were right next to one another. But mostly, the Skulls left the Koreans alone, since engaging them was always a costly endeavor. The few times the Koreans had tried to expand outside of Little Seoul, Martin Madrazo – head of the Madrazo Cartel and a close ally of the Skulls – had helped Remus defend the Skulls' interests in the rest of the city, beating the Koreans back into their own turf.
Alexia had learned all of this through her uncle and his many emails. Even if the city was strikingly beautiful, she looked at the gleaming skyscrapers of Little Seoul with a sort of reverence. She may have had The Zone, but at that point, she still had trouble activating it while in combat. Therefore, attempting to deal with the Kkangpae would almost certainly end in her own gruesome death.
Her eyes were still crusty with sleep, and floaters drifted across her vision. She rubbed her eyes, then realized that one of the objects wasn't an eye floater: it was a helicopter, darting like a rabid house fly among the buildings of Little Seoul.
She kept a wary eye on this helicopter. It was heading east out of Little Seoul, directly towards her apartment building. Her heart began to race as the helicopter drew closer. Alexia could make out a set of missiles mounted at the front as the steady chop-chop-chop of its rotors grew louder and louder, piercing through the glass window.
It was maybe a few blocks away, but it wasn't changing course. Alexia's apartment was directly in its sights.
In a panic, she sprinted away from the window, vaulting over her bed to take cover from the helicopter, whose blades were now booming through her window.
She braced herself for impact, but the shattering of glass and concrete she expected never came. The helicopter sounded like it was hovering directly outside her window. Cautiously, she peeked over the bed and saw the pilot, Jess, waving casually at her friend from the pilot's seat.
Alexia was too confused to be relieved by this. She noticed Jess had her phone in her hand and was pointing to it. Alexia's eyes darted to her nightstand, where her own iFruit phone was charging. She reached over and disconnected the phone, then held it to her ear.
"Good moooooornin', Lexi! Hope I didn't wake you up."
Alexia could barely hear Jess over the whirring blades of the helicopter, which sounded like a machine gun. However, she tried to compose herself, despite having the daylights scared out of her.
"N-no, I was already awake," she told Jess.
"You wanna come with me? I'm on a mission for the crew right now, and I could use some help."
"Well, I-I'm not dressed yet or anything-"
"That's okay! I'll meet you in the median out on Alta Street – oh, and bring a change of clothes, too! I was gonna take you to the Skulls' gym after we're done so we can do some training."
"Well, alright, but what's this mission about-"
Jess hung up before Alexia could finish. The helicopter flew away from the window, leaving Alexia confused and still drenched in sweat from her nightmare.
Alexia looked down at her clothes: an oversized Quiet Riot T-shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts. These might work for gym clothes, but probably not for whatever Jess needed her for on this mission.
Knowing Jess was waiting for her, Alexia hurried to her suitcase; she hadn't yet had the time to unpack all of her clothes and belongings, as meager as they were. From the suitcase, she withdrew a pair of old, ratty jeans, which she quickly yanked up over her basketball shorts. She also donned a camouflage baseball cap, one of her dad's old hunting hats, which had the black outline of a deer stamped on the front.
After lacing up a pair of old tennis shoes, her last order of business was her armpits, which she quickly noticed smelled like horror. She fished around the suitcase until she found some deodorant, which she swiped through both of her underarms. She didn't bother with any makeup, mostly because she knew Jess by this point. She doubted her new friend would judge her for looking less than presentable.
On her way out, Alexia fetched her expensive new purse, which contained her gun and her skull mask. She stepped out of the elevator and practically sprinted as she saw Jess's helicopter, blades spinning, holding up traffic on Alta Street.
A symphony of car horns greeted Alexia as she raced down the steps of her building. She waved an apology to the growing traffic jam before swinging open the door to Jess's chopper, which took off before Alexia could even think about what this job she found herself on was all about.
The noise of the helicopter boomed through her eardrums. Alexia reached for her temples, but Jess quickly offered her a wireless headset, like the ones she'd seen helicopter pilots on TV using. She latched the headset to her ears, immediately noticing how it blunted the thunderous chopper blades.
"Can you hear me okay, Lexi?"
"Y-yeah, I can hear you!" Alexia could also hear her own voice, which echoed through the crackling speakers. "What are we doing, Jess?"
"Well, we're gonna stick it to those Roses for what they did to us! You heard of the Lost Motorcycle Club?"
Alexia shook her head.
"They're close allies of the Roses! They mostly work as muscle for Alastor Mason, and in exchange, the Roses sell them drugs and weapons at a premium! And, as it happens, some of our guys saw a big group of their motorcycles leaving Bahama Mamas last night! We think they might know something, so the boss wants us to go to their clubhouse in East Vinewood and fuck it up, maybe take a couple of prisoners! Some of our guys are there on the ground right now, but the bikers have holed up in this shitty little club of theirs! So that's where we come in!"
Jess reached over and flipped a switch in front of Alexia's seat. A screen lit up, which showed the city streets below, overlaid by a target reticle. Attached to the screen was a basic controller, a stick with a red button on top and two more buttons on the side.
"I'm gonna let you fire the missiles on this one! Don't worry, it'll be a piece of cake!"
Alexia gulped. Her hands sweated as they gripped the controller, and she noticed that the screen moved with ease. The two side buttons zoomed the camera in and out. While the controls were simple, she'd never fired any kind of explosive weapon before.
The helicopter jerked down toward the streets of Vinewood, making Alexia's stomach lurch. She held onto her seat as Jess navigated toward the northern edge of town. There, a heavy battle was being waged, with Skulls in armored Insurgents on one side and Lost bikers on the other. The Lost were holed up in their tiny clubhouse, a ramshackle place surrounded by a concrete wall abutting the street. Alexia also noticed the remnants of charred motorcycles and bodies, scattered throughout the urban battlefield.
Jess reached up and flipped a switch on her headset. "Command, this is Falcon Team One. We've got the target in sight. Over."
"We've pushed 'em in your firing line, Falcon One," a male voice told her. "You're clear to engage. Over."
"Roger that." She turned to Alexia. "Alright, girlfriend, let 'em have it!"
The clubhouse was directly in her sights. A few missiles would probably kill most of the people inside, and any survivors would be captured by the army of masked Skulls.
Fully cognizant of the destruction she was capable of in that moment, Alexia hesitated. She didn't know who the Lost MC were, other than the fact they dealt with the Roses. She was uncertain if they even had anything to do with the massacre, or if they just happened to be nearby enjoying a night on the town.
"Lexi, you sure you can hear me okay?" Jess was looking at her, concern spread across her face.
"Y…Yeah, I can hear you."
"Don't show mercy to these guys!" Jess scoffed. "You seen how slow they drive on the freeway? Like, you're on bikes, you assholes! I don't give a damn about your midlife crisis, I've got places to be!"
Alexia frowned. Needless to say, she wasn't convinced that the bikers deserved to die because they drove too slowly.
However, she supposed it didn't matter what she thought of it. The Lost MC were enemies of the Skulls, and so they had to be dealt with. If she was going to prove her loyalty to the crew and earn money for her family, she would need to put her feelings aside.
Her hands gripped the controller. Before she could think too hard about it, she pressed the red button. A deafening whoosh undercut the helicopter blades, and Alexia saw what looked like a fire underneath the helicopter. She initially panicked, before she noticed the gigantic missile shooting out in front of her.
"Give 'em a few more!" Jess ordered.
Again, Alexia didn't think about it. She pressed the red button a few more times, and three more missiles were propelled toward the Lost clubhouse. She watched as they impacted the building, one by one, collapsing the walls and engulfing the club in thick black smoke, similar to how Bahama Mamas had gone up in flames.
Alexia didn't know what to feel or what to think. She watched as her crewmates pushed into the complex, killing any bikers who were still fighting back. One man put up his hands in surrender; he was quickly brought to the ground and beaten on by the other Skulls until he lay still, after which the Skulls dragged him over to their Insurgents.
"WOOHOO, look at those assholes burn!" Jess had that same unhinged expression she'd had when she'd blown Curtis's balls off with a gun. "Good job, Lexi! I knew you'd be okay with that gun!"
Alexia shrugged, smiling half-heartedly. "It wasn't too difficult."
"That's why I brought you along," Jess informed her. "Those missiles are guided, so it's really just point and click. Still, this should give you some pretty easy street cred with the others."
"Well, I…appreciate you looking out for me, Jess."
"Always, girlfriend!"
Jess offered her hand, and the two high-fived. Alexia tried to maintain her smile, but struggled to do so as burning bikers burst out of what was left of their club. They were quickly gunned down by the Skulls, but Alexia could practically hear their screams as their skin fried, screams of agony which she knew had resulted from the missiles she'd fired.
I did that… Her stomach clenched, and her hands began to sweat. No. No, I must still be dreaming, right? I'm still in my bed, and-
"Oh, shit, what's that?"
Alexia noticed Jess, looking warily to the north. Following her eyes, Alexia quickly saw it: a military jet, heading straight for them.
"The army's not meant to be here!" Jess looked like she was panicking a bit. "Command, I think we're being tailed! Do you copy?!"
"Lose 'em, Falcon One! Do not bring heat back to the compound! Over!"
"Roger that! Lexi, help me out here!"
Alexia knew by this point she wasn't dreaming. She quickly reached for the stick that controlled the missiles. In a panic, she fired a barrage of missiles that curved left, but the jet banked easily right and avoided all of them.
"Jess, I-I can't get a shot in!"
"Fuckity!" Jess slammed a fist on the console. "Alright, then! I've got an idea, just bear with me!"
Jess turned her helicopter toward the city. The aircraft's nose tipped at almost ninety degrees as Jess made a beeline for downtown, the fighter jet close on their heels.
Alexia's heart was pounding in her chest. She looked back and saw a burst of smoke, coming from the underside of the pursuing jet.
"HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!"
Alexia did as she was told. Jess yanked with all her might on the flight stick, and the helicopter tipped back. A couple of guided missiles whooshed past them, exploding mere feet from the chopper.
Like the night before, Alexia was beyond terrified. However, her survival instinct had also kicked in. As they darted through the buildings of downtown, using them as cover from the missiles, Alexia was scanning the streets below for something, anything they could use to their advantage. It wasn't long before something on the ground caught her eye.
"You think we could fit in that tunnel down there?!"
Jess looked down to where Alexia was pointing. A road tunnel passed underneath Rockford Plaza; Alexia had driven through it during the street race with Noël. It had been empty then, but she knew that at this time of day, it was probably filled with cars.
However, both girls knew their situation was desperate. The fighter jet was right on top of them, circling above the skyscrapers to get another shot in at Jess's Buzzard.
"Y'know, that just might be crazy enough to work!" said Jess. "Let's do it!"
Jess decreased her altitude as another set of missiles headed her way. She banked hard to the right; the Buzzard was small and very maneuverable, but a missile was more than enough to take it down.
The chopper was just above street level. Alexia braced herself as the helicopter crashed into the middle of the busy intersection just in front of the tunnel. The landing was so hard that the helicopter skidded into the tunnel, out of the jet's line of sight.
Before she had time to collect herself, Jess was screaming at Alexia to follow her. She stumbled out of the helicopter feeling lightheaded, but she didn't have time to think. She reached into her purse and drew her gun, pointing it at the terrified occupant of a blue Dundreary Landstalker. Jess yanked the screaming middle-aged woman out of the driver's seat as Alexia climbed in the passenger seat. The SUV's tires squealed as Jess floored it down Carcer Way.
As they exited the tunnel, Jess slowed down, trying to blend in with traffic. They could both see the jet hovering overing overhead, scanning the roads for any sign of the girls. Eventually it seemed to give up and banked north toward Vinewood Hills, finally letting the girls catch their breath.
Alexia wiped a smear of sweat from her forehead. Her neck was sore, probably from the hard landing she'd experienced. Her first time in a helicopter had been a lot more chaotic than her first time on a plane.
"Shit, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I think so…" Alexia held a hand to her chest. "Who was that, Jess?"
"I don't know," Jess admitted. "Whenever we send our aircraft on a mission, the boss pays off the army at Fort Zancudo so they don't get involved. So, one of the other gangs must have gotten their hands on a fighter jet."
"Oh, fuck me…" Alexia leaned back in her seat.
"Yeah. The boss isn't gonna be happy about this…But maybe with you there, he won't be all angry and shouty."
Jess weaved through the packed city streets of Rockford Hills. The Skulls' compound was looming ahead, casting the streets below in its shadow.
"They have jets?" Remus interrogated. "Fighter jets?"
"Yes, sir." Jess nodded. "We don't know if it was the Roses, but it sure looks like it."
Despite Alexia's presence, Remus was fuming at this news. He paced in front of his oak desk, wringing his hands and periodically kicking his desk while shouting curse words at the Roses. Alexia and Jess stood at attention before him, their hands folded tightly behind their backs.
Alexia looked over at her friend; Jess was all business, her face neutral and her posture erect. This was the most serious she'd ever seen Jess, and she could understand why. At a time like this, she didn't want to agitate her uncle more than he already was.
"Jessamine," he addressed her after he'd calmed down. "I want you to secure Sandy Shores Airfield at all costs. Make sure nothing comes in or out of there without express permission from me, is that clear?"
"Absolutely, sir." Jess nodded. "Should we use the emergency hangar at LSIA?"
"Yes, put two of our jets there for now, just to be safe. And please tell me you didn't leave that Buzzard behind."
Jess shook her head. "I had one of my guys collect it. It's going to LSIA as well."
"Good." "Remus seemed to relax a bit at this. "Jessamine, you know you're our most senior pilot now. At this moment, I have no reason to think I made a mistake promoting you to air captain last night."
Jess smiled. "Thank you, sir. I'll do my best to live up to it, while also helping out your niece as best I can."
"I appreciate that, Jessamine. I know it's not an easy assignment, but then again, nothing about this situation is. Now, we know the Roses aren't at LSIA, or we would've heard about it. They're also not at McKenzie Field, so that just leaves…"
"Fort Zancudo." Jess's eyes popped. "You think they're in with the army, boss?"
"That would explain a few things." Remus scratched his chin. "That armor they were wearing during the massacre, some of the guys said it looked like military hardware. And those miniguns also could've been sourced from the military. Normally, the brass at Zancudo don't like to get involved in gang wars, but I think they could make an exception here. After all, this would be a pretty good time to try and take the Skulls down if they wanted to."
"I hope that's not the case, sir," said Jess. "Maybe those bikers we caught will tell us something."
"Perhaps. They don't seem eager to talk right now, but a couple days of torture should change their tune. In the meantime, though, I'd really like you to secure all our valuable hardware, before those Rose bastards can get to it."
"I won't let you down," Jess said firmly. "By the way, your niece did beautifully today. I wouldn't have even seen that tunnel if she hadn't pointed it out to me."
"Is that true, Lex?"
Alexia nodded. "I-I remembered the tunnel from the street race the other night…I just wish I could've hit that fighter jet."
"That was your first time firing missiles, Lex," Remus told her. "Besides, you'll have plenty more opportunities to bring down some aircraft as a sniper."
"I hope so."
She knew she couldn't have used The Zone back there; the controls on the helicopter had been way too foreign compared to a traditional gun. However, a sniper rifle would be much more up her alley.
"We were gonna go down to the gym today and do some training," Jess told Remus. "I was thinking we could work on her cardio first."
"That would be smart, but include some strength training, too," Remus ordered. "Lex, I know you can handle recoil, but some of the rifles we use are pretty heavy. Also, I want you to do whatever Jess tells you today, no matter how tired or sore you may get. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
Alexia nodded firmly. It felt beyond strange calling her uncle 'sir', but since they were dealing with work, she figured she should be a little more business-like towards him.
Despite this formality, Remus snuck a tiny smirk towards her, which she returned. He reached for a phone by his desk. "Now, I've got some phone calls to make. You two should get started right away."
"Thank you, sir." Jess bowed her head to him. "Let's go, Lexi."
The two quietly departed Remus's office, leaving him to make his calls.
"Yeah…Yeah, I think it's time," Alexia heard him say before the door shut. This filled her nerves with anticipation, but her physical response was muted. Whatever her uncle was planning, she was sure the crew was in capable hands.
"So, I've got this whole training thing planned out," Jess said to her as they walked. "You brought a change of clothes, right?"
"I-I'm wearing some shorts under my jeans."
"Well, how 'bout that?" Jess grinned. "I had the same idea."
Jess pointed to the knees of her own skinny jeans, which had several holes torn in them. Through these holes, Alexia could see Jess was wearing another garment, a pair of jet-black leggings.
"Hmm." Alexia smiled. "I guess great minds think alike."
"Aww. Thanks, Lexi." Jess blushed a bit. "I don't know why you don't talk more. You're really good at it."
Alexia shrugged in reply. She'd taken her first dose of Grin the previous night, and she was already noticing a difference. She was still shy and anxious, but the medicine had always taken the edge off her anxiety, making it easier to speak up and be spontaneous – a helpful asset while conducting book club meetings.
Jess elbowed her. "You can take a compliment, y'know. I really meant that."
She smiled shyly. "I…appreciate it, Jess."
"You're welcome." Jess giggled as she ruffled her friend's hair. "By the way, I made you some lunch. Something simple, but it'll give you some energy before we start training."
"Wow. Thanks, Jess." Alexia's eyes popped open as Jess fished around in her handbag and handed her a meal. It was a chicken salad sandwich on ciabatta bread with fresh lettuce, along with some kettle chips and a bottle of vitamin water. "You didn't have to do that."
"Uh, of course I did?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "If you're gonna train with me, you'll need calories. You may be cute and all, but I will not go easy on you today."
"Got it." Alexia nodded. "Did you bring a lunch, too?"
"Nah, I'm okay. I ate something this morning." Jess smiled as she poked Alexia in the stomach. "You should eat up, though. There's a little break room next to the gym we can go to eat in."
"Sounds good."
Something was off about this; Alexia had seen how Jess had torn into her chimichangas the previous day. And based on her spiel about needing a lot of calories to do jobs, Jess didn't seem like the type of person to skip meals.
But she didn't have evidence anything was wrong. Jess seemed as happy and energetic as she always was. As they waited in the main hallway for an elevator, Alexia stole a glance at Jess's elbows and saw the track marks; thin scabs had formed over them, and they didn't look as irritated as they had the previous day. Alexia didn't know much about drugs or addiction, but she took this as a good sign. Even if Jess was just injecting her drugs someplace else, maybe she wouldn't be left with those ugly marks for the rest of her life.
The elevator dinged to signal its arrival. The girls stepped inside, and Jess pressed the button to take them back to the lobby. Once the elevator door closed, Jess dropped her bag on the floor.
"Alright, I guess now's a good time to get changed."
"Hmm?"
Alexia hadn't really been listening. She looked to her left and was immediately greeted by the sight of Jess's belly button, which was adorned with a pink flower-shaped piercing. From this angle, Alexia had an unobstructed view of her friend's abs, which were sculpted into a tight six pack. Jess's midriff was fully stretched; her tattoos wiggled on her midsection as she struggled out of her shirt, pumping her arms to get it over her head.
Alexia's face flushed. Her eyes darted away as Jess stripped off her shirt, leaving a pink sports bra that strained under the weight of her breasts. A grinning Black Skull emblem was tattooed on the right side of her ribcage, accompanied by two dolphins that leapt off of her hip bones. The latter tattoos were revealed as Jess slid off her jeans, revealing skin-tight black leggings that hugged her thighs and shaped her long, toned legs.
Jess didn't seem to notice her friend's reaction to her stripping. She hummed casually, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
"It gets hot in that gym sometimes," she told Alexia. "I don't really like to wear a shirt in there, but it's alright if you do."
"S…s-sure, yeah."
"You okay?"
Alexia swallowed. "Y-yeah. Yeah, fine."
"Don't be nervous." Jess smiled at her friend. "Getting in shape is hard at first, but you might like it. I know I always feel better after a good workout."
"Right."
Alexia half-smiled, her eyes glued to the floor. Jess had told her not to compare herself to others, but she couldn't help herself. Physically, she and Jess were complete opposites, even if they were friends.
The elevator was nearing ground level. She gritted her teeth as she stepped out of her jeans, baring her short, scrawny legs to the world. She knew she couldn't fix her height, her skin color, or the size of her chest. But with any luck, she could at least gain enough muscle to fire some heavier guns. If she'd learned one thing from her time in Los Santos, it was this: whoever controlled the city was the one who had the biggest guns.
'Guns'…Heh.
Alexia stole another glance at Jess's boobs as the door opened. Jess led the way, half-skipping over to the Skulls' gym, while Alexia followed, clutching her lunch tightly to her chest.