Velocity: The Neon City

Grab 'N Go

Since Shaquille and I didn't have a ride, we took the subway to try and get to the car impound, but as i sat on the subway train my mind drifted back to the past. Looking back on my upbringing.

I was born alone, grew alone in Maravilla. And I know I said I had a brother named Kelly, but it was like he wasn't even there.

He was always busy with his girlfriends, his friends, racing and he had some secret job he refused to tell us about. He never had any time for me, plus we never really got along anyways so it was best we stayed away from each other.

Dad was stationed all the way in Japan so the only other person I had left was my mom, but when she put a bottle to her head she transformed into some else, becoming cold and abusive towards me and Kelly. I tried to tell myself it was the alcohol speaking and acting through her, but sometimes it was too hard to tell which was which. I never felt she would understand any of my problems, so if I had a one, I would just keep it to myself.

I never had much friends, never had any sort of luck with girls either, and I never felt I was special to anyone or felt loved. The only person I thought loved me was my mom, and I would do anything to protect her. Every boyfriend my mom came back with after the divorce, was never into me or Kelly and we feared they just wanted to hurt her. So we did alot of things to sabotage her dates growing up. We once lit a guys pants on fire under the table, glued another to the toilet, and Kelly pissed in anothers drink while he was upstairs. We were like five and eight by the way.

I remember I used to see fathers and big brothers teaching kids how to ride their bicycles, but I never had that. I taught myself how to ride with a bicycle I stole from some drunk guy, and everything else I knew I taught myself. Never had any mentors or father figure types but I didn't need one.

I learned to drive by running off with Kelly's Plymouth one night while he was asleep to impress some girl at a party, the car wooed her, but my personality didn't, she ditched me for Mr. Charismatic with a pick up truck.

Later that night I came back with a few bumps and dents but I drove like a natural. He and i got into a fight over it and mom had to break us apart in the middle of the night on the front lawn.

He told me I was a pain and that he wished I was never born, I told him I hated him and that we were no longer brothers, upset he left with his dented up Plymouth, never saw him since. Its been two years since he left.

I was upset with the world, it felt like everyone and everything was against me. I just wanted to enlist in the army and jump on the battlefield so I could take my frustrations out on someone, since no one loved me, surely no one would miss me if I went to war and never came back.

I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize the subway train had stopped.

"hey man wake up, we're here" said Shaquille as he nudged my arm.

We got off the train and headed out of the subway to the car impound, in the drop of night.

Eventually we got there and a tall fenced gate with chains on it stood before us. Above the fence, some lights were rotating across the entrance so we had to hide behind a car illegally parking on the side of the road by a fire hydrant. Right next to a car impound, how ironic was that.

An old man in a security uniform was sitting at the post and he was fast asleep, so when the light rotated over to the other side we quickly dashed back to the gate and Shaquille grabbed the crowbar from his bag and snapped open the lock.

This made a slight noise but the man was so deep in sleep he only shifted to one side, completely oblivious to us.

We took each side, slowly opening the gate as it screeched open. We then looked around for Shaquille's car. We saw some dented up vehicles that got in accidents, some that were probably towed away for traffic violations and some others that looked like they were seized by the LSPD.

Eventually we stumbled upon Shaquille's dented up Mitsubishi Lancer hanging out with a black sedan on the corner.

"There's ma baby!" said Shaquille as he ran to his car and hugged the damaged hood.

He got in the front and I sat beside him in the passengers seat.

"hey man, you think she'll start?" I said as I watched Shaquille dusting off the dashboard.

"I dunno breh, let's hope she does, she usually likes it when I turn her on" said Shaquille as he inserted his key in the ignition.

At first the engine didn't start so he turned the key again, this time it only reved up and shut off. He then sighed as he gave a third attempt, this time the engine roared and started up.

"breh?, you hear that?" Shaquille turned to me.

"Yeah man"

We heard a buzzing sound from the hood and Shaquille was about to get out and go check it out when we heard the old man yelling at us, with a shotgun in his hand.

"what you think yere doin you pineskins! get out of there!" yelled the old security as he aimed the shotgun at the car.

"Ah dang, what now!" I said concerned.

Shaquille closed his door and looked at me with a grin, this became his trademark for when he was about to do something stupid.

"hang on breh!" said Shaquille as he floored the gas pedal toward the old man.

I edged up with my feet on the seat, bracing myself as the man prepared to shoot at us. A loud shot then rang out and the front windshield flew open sending splinters everywhere as the bullets struck my seat right between my legs. It was a good thing I had squatted on the seat instead of sitting, or else my nuts would've been blown off.

"Shaquilllllllllllle!!" I shouted in panic as we were about to hit the man who was reloading his shotgun.

The man quickly jumped out of the way as we flew passed the gates. Shaquille then spinned the steering wheel and grabbed the handbrake as we drifted onto the road, the back of the car knocking away a fire hydrant causing water to gush up from the ground.

We drove steadily down the road and looked at each other in amazement.

"Whooooooooo! woo! woo! woo!" we both said simultaneously like wild gorillas.

"we did it breh!"

"Yeah that was awesome man!"

"Yeah! and you almost lost them nuts haa! haa! haa!" geered Shaquille to which I shrugged.

Eventually I sat down on my seat full of bullet holes as Shaquille cruised with one hand on the wheel.

"so where are we going now?"

"oh we gon drop by Zero"

"Who's Zero?" I said curiously.

"Zero is the best mechanic in town, plus if you wanna be hip with everyone at school, you need a ride, and Zero can hook you up with one for free, buuuut!, you gotta win some races and pay him 50% of your winnings"

"thats not too bad" I said indifferently.

After a couple minutes, we got to an old gas station which seemed out of service, but Shaquille pulled up around the back and we saw a garage, next to it was a trailer park.

We got out and went in, and boy was I swept off my feet for what was ahead of me.