Jamie: The Road to Glory

Jamie sat in the alleyway, looking down at the ground, dusty as always, filled with small holes. The cement was probably 100 years old. Suddenly, he spotted Jackie getting escorted by two officers. Jamie bolted over toward the scene, hiding at the edge of the alleyway.

Jackie shouted, "Hey! What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to buy some food!"

Cop one responded, "We know that's dirty cash you got from selling stolen goods. Just cooperate, and you might end up with a less harsh punishment."

Jackie yelled, "THE HELL YOU TALKIN' ABOUT PUNISHMENT?! Let me go, dammit!"

Cop two pulled out his baton and slammed it into Jackie's head. SLAM!

"OUCH! Goddammit, that hurt!" Jackie groaned.

Cop two smirked, "Huh, you want more or what, kid? We're the law—obey us or learn to feel the pain."

Jamie, watching the scene unfold, noticed the two five-year-olds standing nearby, visibly worried. Without a second thought, Jamie rushed toward the cop, sucker-punching him in the head with a hard jab. The cop, caught off guard, collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The second cop turned toward Jamie and swung, grazing Jamie's cheek with his punch.

Jamie, undeterred, wiped his cheek and threw another jab, aiming for the cop's face. The cop quickly stepped back, dodging the punch. Suddenly, Jackie grabbed a rock and smashed it into the cop's leg.

"FUCK, THAT HURTS, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" the cop yelled in pain.

"Yeah, that's what you get, idiot," Jackie spat back.

The cop collapsed, both knees buckling, and sat in front of Jamie, who looked down at him menacingly. Before the cop could even beg for mercy, Jamie delivered a full-power jab to his face, knocking him out cold.

"Huh, that was interesting. You okay, Jackie?" Jamie asked, wiping his knuckles.

Jackie quickly responded, "Yeah, I'm good. Looks like we gotta keep a lower profile now."

Suddenly, the two five-year-olds popped out from their hiding spot, thanking Jamie for helping. Jamie shrugged it off. "You know, that was a clever trick, Jackie. Hitting the cop with the rock was pretty smart, can't lie."

Jackie grinned. "Thanks, Jamie."

They dragged both unconscious cops into the alleyway, then parted ways, promising to meet the next day to steal more for some quick cash. Jamie headed back to the gym, where Dekam waited, arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

Dekam shouted, "Jamie, you're back! I wanted to say something before you left earlier."

Jamie, clearly annoyed, snapped back, "What do you want, old man?"

Dekam's eyes locked onto the fresh scar on Jamie's face. He grabbed Jamie's chin, inspecting the cut.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING, JAMIE?! YOU BEEN FIGHTING OUTSIDE THE GYM AGAIN?!"

Jamie pulled away, nonchalant. "Yeah, so what? You don't need to protect me. I can handle myself, old man. Quit being so overprotective and annoying all the time. You're lucky I even agreed to this boxing crap for a week. Speaking of which, the week's almost up. You better have the cash ready."

Dekam, devastated and exhausted, sighed. "I have the money, but I still believe in your potential. I'm not giving up on you."

"Whatever, old man," Jamie muttered.

They resumed training—jump rope, pad work, bag drills. Jamie half-assed it at first, but Dekam wasn't having it. He pushed Jamie to do serious work, correcting his form and shouting commands.

"ONE-TWO! JAB-CROSS!" Dekam barked. "Good combinations, Jamie."

"Yeah, alright, is that all for today? It's late. I need sleep for those night runs, right?"

Dekam glanced at his watch and sighed again. "Yeah, head on home. I'll stay and train Yosuke for a bit."

As Dekam stayed behind to train Yosuke, Jamie walked back to the guest room he was staying in. He tucked a small amount of cash—about $25, earned from selling stolen goods—under his pillow. Walking to the kitchen, he rummaged through the fridge. Most of the food was either too old or just unappetizing. Spotting a fresh apple, Jamie shrugged to himself. Eh, he won't be mad if I take this. I need food, after all.

Jamie took the apple, heading back to his makeshift bed, which was barely held together, and sat down, eating it quietly.

Later, he drifted to sleep, but the peace didn't last long. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! His alarm blared. The clock read 3:00 AM. It was time for his morning run. Groaning in frustration, Jamie forced himself out of bed, dragging his feet onto the road for a short jog. He ran until he found a bench, where he sat for an hour before heading back to the house.

As he arrived, he saw the kids outside, excited.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Jamie asked.

Jackie grinned, "Yo, Jamie! We've got a sick plan!"

"Oh yeah? What's the plan?" Jamie replied, intrigued.

Jackie explained, "We're gonna upscale our business by scamming the rich quarter of the city. We'll use the two five-year-olds as bait. They'll go up to a rich house, ask for some change, and get rejected. That's when we swoop in. We'll be the 'news crew' filming the rejection, making the rich look heartless."

Jamie laughed at the idea. "That's pretty slick, but the rich won't care if they're on the news."

"True," Jackie said, nodding. "But we're not targeting just any rich house. It's the governor's son's place."

Jamie looked at Jackie, surprised but intrigued. "You sure about this?"

Jackie grinned wider, "11:00 AM tomorrow. That's when we hit it."