Los Santos Polaroids

Snip Snip

Ray stared at her phone. It was early in the morning, she had just driven in to Los Santos after being gone for a few days, and she was bleary eyed and ready to crash into her bed. The sun wasn't even up yet, and usually she wouldn't be either, but she had taken the red eye bus into the city so she'd be there, ready to grind, the next afternoon. She had shut off her city phone while she was away, and before she fell asleep she had decided to check her messages from her friends.

This was not what she had expected. 

Ray Mond, heads up. Tommy T wants to stab you.

Excuse me?

The text was from Yuno. He could be trolling her. He was known for it, in fact, finding glee in causing chaos. It was his own fault that her first instinct was to mistrust the text. In fact, she had almost dismissed it out of hand. But... 

Tommy had been acting strange lately. Very standoffish, keeping her at arms' length. But why would he want to stab her? Ray decided to call Yuno for an explanation.

The phone rang and rang. It was early, and he was probably asleep, but she knew he had her listed as one of the few people that could bypass his Do Not Disturb on his phone. Finally, after probably the tenth ring, the call connected. 

"Mmrph..." she heard on the other end. 

"Yuno!" 

"Huh?" The confusion was evident in his voice.

"Wake up and explain yourself!"

"R-Ray?"

"Yes of course it's me!" she snapped. "What does this text message you sent me mean? Why does Tommy want to stab me?"

The rapid-fire questions seemed to wake him up more. "Oh. Yeah. Hang on." She heard shuffling around, like he was getting up. A huge yawn came over the phone, and she began tapping her toe in irritation. Not like her life was on the line or anything. "Sorry," he apologized after the yawn. "What time is it, anyways?"

"Like four o'clock."

"IN THE MORNING?" he gasped out. "Why are you up so early?"

"What do you MEAN? I just got home. And I just turned on my city phone, and the first message I see is you telling me my ex wants to stab me. OF COURSE I'm gonna call to see what you mean!"

"Wait, Tommy's your EX?"

"Well... my ex- situation-ship or whatever... You knew about that!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!" Ray could feel her patience fraying, more quickly than usual. She was tired, and it was wayyy past her bedtime. 

"I swear you never told me about it, Ray Mond," Yuno said firmly. 

She sighed, willing her anger away. "Why... does Tommy T want to stab me, Yuno?"

"Because of CG."

"Chang Gang?"

"Celibate Gang," he clarified. 

Ray's brow furrowed. "But I just joined. He didn't have a problem with it a few days ago."

"No, no. It's because he thinks Benji is folding for you."

"I mean, he is, but why would that make Tommy want to stab ME? I didn't fold for anybody, least of all Benji." Ray flirted with and teased Benji, but she wasn't interested in more. Relationships caused drama she didn't want in Los Santos again. When she sensed Benji was about to pull a Raymond Romanov and get possessive, she'd called him out and backed off with the teasing. Like at her birthday party, when he was mad about Ray Romanov being her second date. That had raised alarms in her head. She'd thought she had been clear, she didn't want a relationship with him.