Introduction
Lauren Agostini was born in Liberty City. At the age of 8, she moved out to south Los Santos with her mother.
Since the age of 17, she has drifted, moved, and survived on her own via whatever means necessary.
Biography
Early Life
Lauren was born and raised in Liberty City as an only child to her parents. She also had a close relationship to her mother's side of the family, the Agostinis.
By the age of 8, Lauren's world turned upside down. One day her father didn't return home from work. Instead, she found her mother crying on the couch, with her uncle (mother's brother) consoling her. There was a duffel bag full of money, and her uncle implored them both to leave as soon as possible and to start a new life. Given that she was a child, Lauren couldn't understand what was going on, so she figured that her father simply left - something she still believes to this day.
Her father actually botched a hit that her uncle was assisting with for an east coast crime family, and since he was a liability, he was murdered.
Moving West
Both Lauren and her mother traveled the states, staying at different motels along the way. Her mother struggled to cope with the loss, often not sleeping sleep, and started to show signs of alcoholism as a coping mechanism.
When they reached Los Santos, they were able to afford a relatively nice home in Mirror Park. It didn't last long, though, as Lauren's mother struggled to find work, and fell deeper into alcohol. She was often out late at night, spending her time at local bars, and looking for male companionship, while Lauren was left at home alone.
She had squandered the money, and their home was foreclosed.
The two ended up being forced to move into a small, run down apartment in south Los Santos, by the Olympic Freeway near Innocence Blvd. Her mother struggled to make ends meet, and often neglected her daughter. Lauren also struggled to fit in with the constant moving and the new life.
Belonging and Suffering
Lauren caught herself outside of a local Lucky Plucker, where she was being picked on by a group of kids her age. Lauren lashed out and attacked them. She took some hits, but came out the victor. This was how she met her closest friend, Martén.
Martén accepted Lauren for who she was, and showed her the ropes to surviving in south Los Santos as a kid. With his friends, they often committed petty theft, tagged buildings and property, and roamed around on their BMX bikes together. Martén and his friends had family ties to the gangs in the south, his brother being a member of the Vagos. They helped Lauren navigate and understand how things worked. These were some of the closest people who helped shape her early life.
One day, the group made their way to Forum Drive to connect with one of their friends who lived on the block. As they were chatting, there was the sound of squealing tires, and loud gunshots...
It happened so fast, but before she knew it, Lauren was laying on the ground with gunshot wounds to her arm and shoulder. She looked to see Martén bleeding out nearby, as he was riddled with gunshot wounds. Both innocent people and gang members were attacked in a drive-by one of the opposing gangs.
Lauren laid there, watching her friends die around her, and as the sirens closed in, she saw the retaliation that was taken by some of the young Vagos members, and Martén's older brother, who she knew... It's a trauma that haunts her still.
Moving Back East
After the events of that day, Lauren was stricken with anxiety and nightmares. Her mother refused to let her leave the house outside of school hours, and she was escorted to and from school every day. Feeling trapped, and missing the ability to simply be a kid, Lauren started to lash out.
When her mother was in a drunken slumber, Lauren would sneak out of the house to wander the streets - but she made sure to avoid the Forum and Grove area down south. She would commit petty theft, get into trouble, and started to neglect her responsibilities at school. After a few years, her relationship with her mother continued to grow strained, and the two would often fight.
By the time Lauren was 15, her uncle came back into the picture, after years of silence. When he found out about his sister's alcoholism, and Lauren's delinquency, he took action. He helped to get his sister into rehab, and took Lauren under his wing, helping her move back east with his family.
She lived in the suburban outskirts of Liberty City - in a very safe, quiet, and mediocre neighborhood.
Despite the change of scenery, due to her experiences in Los Santos, Lauren struggled to fit in here and find where she belonged. She continued to lash out and eventually started to steal from her family (taking their cash and jewelry). She often stayed out late, got into fights, and dropped out of high school, falling in with a group of kids who did light drugs.
After trying to reign her in for 2 years, her uncle had enough of her, and he kicked Lauren out.
At 17, she relied on her friends, survival instincts, and the kindness of others to survive...
The Spiral
At 21, Lauren found easy work being a dancer at a club. She went by the stage name of Elle, but soon discovered the dangerous realities of her line of work.
She met a young man named Sam, who was a regular at the club. The two eventually started to date, and she moved in with him early on. What started as perceived bliss quickly changed as he was very emotionally and physically abusive. Sam also introduced Lauren to heavier drugs, including opiates, as he was a user, himself. Eventually, she was fired for simply not showing up.
Not realizing how trapped she was in her situation, Lauren grew desperate for money for drugs, and did whatever she needed to do in order to secure her fix. She was eventually arrested after a botched armed robbery attempt and was forced into a rehabilitation program during her incarceration.
Reconnection
During her journey back to sobriety, Lauren had finally woken up to the life she was living with Sam. He would visit her occasionally in prison, and the longer she was away from him, the more she was able to see his manipulative ways. Fearful of being released back to him, she lied to him, telling him that her sentence was extended due to a fight she started with an inmate.
The reality was when she was released, she reached out to a friend, who helped get her whatever cash they could spare, and she made the long travel back west - hoping to reconnect with the few roots she remembered out there.
Some of the damage had been done. Lauren gained an aversion to physical touch, and an aloofness when it came to trusting people. Now her anxiety and nightmares included Sam and the fear of what would happen when he realizes she lied to him about her release...
Once Lauren made it back to Los Santos, she discovered that it was a different city than she had left. But, she was quickly able to reconnect with old friends Jadyn Caesar and Paco Gonzalez. She quickly gained social ties to the Los Santos Vagos through friendships with members Rory Lucas, Noel, and Paco. She also made friendships with some of the employees at RedLine, and the Tribe Skate Park.
Through Paco, she found a kindred spirit of sorts, as they both struggled and shared their demons together from their past. Yet, due to her recent experiences with her ex, who she is currently dodging - she was too scared and hesitant to want to commit to anything with him, despite his interest in her. That slowly started to change after Al Saab came down to the Barrio, causing trouble, and harassing Rory. Lauren stayed with her, so she wasn't alone, until the rest of the Vagos could figure out how to handle the situation. Al Saab also made the mistake of touching Lauren.
Paco and Saab had a fist fight in front of the Los Santos Vagos and The Grove Street Collective members, to square what he did in the Barrio. Paco made the statement loud and clear that he was fighting for Lauren, and after knocking Saab out with knuckledusters, he made it known that she wasn't to be touched.
Lauren turned down a bartending gig at Bahama Mamas after realizing the danger it would potentially cause since starting to date Paco, and his ties to the Vagos. She still stops by on occasion to drink and party.