Chapter 1 China Tells Her Past
China's P.O.V.
Present
Let's see, where should I begin? Guess the only place to start is the beginning.
Flashback
Two and a half years ago I ran away from my home in L.A, California. My older brother, Dom, and my older sister, Mia, ignored me whenever there was a party at our house, which was practically every goddamn night cause Dom always won the goddamn races they all went to. Then they left me home and let me have some friends over. But, when they got home, they never paid any attention to me, they always fucking ignored me, and just for the fucking record, I couldn't do a single goddamn thing. I couldn't go to my room to get away from the parties, I couldn't go outside to hang with my friends. My friends and I always got stuck in the goddamn kitchen. Alright enough of that. During the week I went to school, afterwards I was at the garage or at the grocery store/café with Mia, and let me tell you, working at the store was not fun. Besides, I wasn't like Mia, I couldn't work at the store me and Letty always hoped that Mia would hurry up and get back from where ever she went when we got stuck working the store so that we could get back to our work in the garage. I was more like Dom and our dad. I like cars, you could say it's in my blood.
I'd work in the garage six days a week. Five days a week after school, all day Saturday or until Dom says we can all go home. And while I was working, Dom was a mean ass fucker, I couldn't have friends talking to me or hanging around. Mean, Dom has known my friends since we were like fucking five years old! I couldn't see why my friends couldn't hang, talk and watch me do my thing with all of the damn cars I worked on. I just couldn't understand, until the day Dom said, " You're friends are a damn distraction to you while you're working!" I just could not understand that part of Dom. I couldn't understand him. It was like that since I was twelve. So, you could say that I got sick and tired of Dom's bullshit. My friends even got scared of Dom, Leon, Vince and Jesse. I could've killed those four. I swear if Letty wasn't there, I probably would have killed them. So, that's the reason why I left L.A. I couldn't handle watching my friends being put down like that, especially since they were trying not to freak out in front of me. My friends in L.A knew I was going out of town for a while. I told them I was leaving and that I didn't know where I was going. I told them I'd call to check in and write once a week. I told Mia and Let I was leaving but I made them promise not to tell Dom and the guys. So, I packed some clothes, cell phone and pager for my friends for whenever they needed me, left a note for the guys, got in my car and left.
Didn't know where the hell I was going, I just drove, East for a general direction. While I was in Dallas, Texas, my car decided to give me some trouble. So, I stopped at this tattoo parlor to assess the damage, and then remembered that I didn't bring any of my tools for the car. While I was checking the engine, with my head under the goddamn hood, some girl comes up behind me and says, " Need some help?" I jumped at the sound of her voice and hit my head on the underside of the hood.
"Ow! Shit!" I exclaimed turning around to look at who said the question. I sighed. "Yeah...my car's giving me some trouble and I didn't bring any of my goddamn tools." I said once again looking at my engine.
"My name's Angel, but people 'round here call me Devil cause I'm a fast little bitch in my car. I got some tools in my car if you want to use them." Angel said.
"Cool. My name's China but people back home called me either Angel or Rain, or even C. If you don't mind." I said leaning against my car. She left to go get her tools when two guys came out of the parlor. One looked about 6'2" while the other was just over 6'1".
"Need some help?" the one that was 6'2" asked me sizing me up.
"Nah, I'm set." I said as Angel came back over.
"Here you are. You need any help?" Angel asked looking at the two guys. "Ronald, Denver, what the hell you two doing out here? You two are supposed to be working." Angel said. I just shook my head and went to work on my car. "Yo, China."
"What?" I asked from underneath the hood.
"You got to actually look for this." Angel said laughing slightly. I said something incoherent but obliged. "This is Denver and this is Ronald. He doesn't like his name so we just call him either Trickster or Trick or both." Angel said introducing them to me.
" My name's China. Nice to meet you." I said bluntly and went back to work. "Shiiiit!" was soon heard from under the hood. "Why me? Why fucking now?" I said under my breath slamming the tool I had in my hand down on the cement sidewalk. Angel, Denver, and 'Trick' come back outside with a little girl seeing that I was having some trouble.
"Having some trouble?" Angel asked.
"Yeah..well, no. There wouldn't be any street races here in Dallas, would there?" I asked. My car was a racer, Dom had made sure of that.
"Yeah. Always is. We meet over at the abandoned warehouses in downtown." Denver said looking suspicious of me.
"Thanks. One race, that's all I need to get enough money to get my own place." I said the last part to myself.
That Night
Trick and his team were waiting to see if I was going to show up, and when I did, they made sure everyone knew I was in town, and new at that. I found a place, parked, got out and sat on the hood of my car, like I used to do at home. I looked around when Trick and his team came over with smirks on their faces.
"What?" I asked not knowing what they were about to do.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just going to go give my speech now." Trick said.
"Oh, joy. Used to get those at home, and not only at the damn races." I said as Trick walked off.
"We get it here and at the house. And what the fuck is he doing?" Angel said looking at Trick. "Uh-oh he went through with it Den."
"Who went through with what?" I asked them curiously.
"Oh you'll see or rather you'll hear." Denver said still looking at Trick. "Uh-oh. He's calling you out." Denver said as Trick and some other people came over to our group.
"Alright. The buy-in is 10-grand. And you're racing me chick." Trick said. "Give your money to...Angel." Trick said to me.
I laughed and said, " Alright. Here you go. Let's do this fool" I said jumping off the hood of my car and got in my car.
"Follow me little girl." Trick said with a smirk as he got in his car.
At the Race
The street was blocked off as me and Trick pulled up to the starting line. I turned on my NOS system and blasted my music. I looked over at Trick and smiled, not an overconfident smile, but a slight grin. Trick grinned back. I rolled my eyes. We waited patiently for the "go" signal. Angel threw her hands down when we made eye contact with her. We took off. Trick started from straight up zip, while me, chuckle , I started from about 80 mph. I let Trick think that he was going to win but, I hit the second NOS button and won the race. Trick didn't look pissed, he didn't look mad at all, he just looked shocked and surprised that I, a girl no less, beat him at street racing. chuckle Let's just say that he's a very sore loser. He so didn't like it that I won the race instead of him. But anyway this is what he said -
"Bitch! What the hell do you think you were doing?!" he yelled at me as Angel handed me my winnings.
"What the fuck you think it looks like fool? I just dusted your ass in my smoke. Yo! Denver! What'd I stop from? 280?" I asked Denver smirking.
"Trick, she's right. She did stop from 280. Man, she's a fast one." Denver said looking at me. I smiled.
"All right, look, we need one more person on our team. Want to join? You just beat me, and so did Denver and Angel." Trick said trying not to beg.
Trying not to bust out laughing I said, "Want to know something, Ronald ," I said emphasizing his real name. He flinched at the use of his real name as the crowd erupted in laughter. "I didn't have to beat you like I did, I could've been in the buy-in with a couple other racers, but, you had to go and call me out to a one on one race. Now, tell me something, who's fault was it that you lost the damn race? Mine? Nah, I don't think so. Yours, now that's absolutely an absolute yes!" I said laughing with the rest of the crowd. "Oh, um...I will join your team by the way." The whole crowd laughed at that. "Oh, and uh...don't call me a little girl ever again, otherwise your nose is broken." I said smiling as the crowd started to laugh. All of a sudden I heard sirens. And everyone scattered for their cars before the cops showed up.
End Flashback
Present
In a Hotel Room Outside of LA
I laugh when I look back at that race. But, now, me and the team are headed back to my home in L.A. "Yippee!" for me. Didn't know I missed everyone so much. Guess it took Emerald, Trick's five and a half year old little girl, to make me see how much I miss Dom screaming at my friends to go home and to come over to the house later. I missed Letty and how she used to get Dom to let me do the things that I wanted to do. I miss Mia and how she used to make me help with the Sunday barbecues every week. I miss Leon, Vince and Jesse and how they used to crack jokes just to make me laugh at work after Dom made my friends leave and made me cry while doing that. I miss Dom the most cause he always reminded me of daddy and how he made me feel like I'm more than what people say about me at the races. I miss them all. I've kept in touch with all my friends in L.A. They all know that I'm coming back and with the team and Emerald. Hope they all like my new friends/team. Hope Dom doesn't blow up at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Wonder what everyone's going to think of me when I just show up tomorrow, without calling them first. Oh boy, I just hope tomorrow goes over really well and doesn't end up with me or anyone else in the fucking hospital.
yawn Well, now I'm tired and I best be getting to bed before Trick comes in here and decides to yell at me for something I didn't do. SO, Diary, I'm out and I'll write again soon. xChinax
I put my diary back in my suitcase and got ready for bed. I had just laid down when my cell phone for my friends rang. I groaned and answered it.
"Hello?" I asked into the phone.
"Yo, Rain. How's it hanging?" the male voice said.
"Listen Bri, we'll talk tomorrow, promise. Meet me at the garage around noon. I got some friends I want you to meet." I said sleepily.
"Alright. Lata dayz Rain." Brian O'Conner said hanging up.
"Yeah, lata dayz Bri, lata dayz." I said hanging up my cell phone. "Just hope no one else calls me, pages me, or knocks on my door. Otherwise, they dead meat." I said closing my eyes and drifting off to dreamland.
China's P.O.V.
Present
Let's see, where should I begin? Guess the only place to start is the beginning.
Flashback
Two and a half years ago I ran away from my home in L.A, California. My older brother, Dom, and my older sister, Mia, ignored me whenever there was a party at our house, which was practically every goddamn night cause Dom always won the goddamn races they all went to. Then they left me home and let me have some friends over. But, when they got home, they never paid any attention to me, they always fucking ignored me, and just for the fucking record, I couldn't do a single goddamn thing. I couldn't go to my room to get away from the parties, I couldn't go outside to hang with my friends. My friends and I always got stuck in the goddamn kitchen. Alright enough of that. During the week I went to school, afterwards I was at the garage or at the grocery store/café with Mia, and let me tell you, working at the store was not fun. Besides, I wasn't like Mia, I couldn't work at the store me and Letty always hoped that Mia would hurry up and get back from where ever she went when we got stuck working the store so that we could get back to our work in the garage. I was more like Dom and our dad. I like cars, you could say it's in my blood.
I'd work in the garage six days a week. Five days a week after school, all day Saturday or until Dom says we can all go home. And while I was working, Dom was a mean ass fucker, I couldn't have friends talking to me or hanging around. Mean, Dom has known my friends since we were like fucking five years old! I couldn't see why my friends couldn't hang, talk and watch me do my thing with all of the damn cars I worked on. I just couldn't understand, until the day Dom said, " You're friends are a damn distraction to you while you're working!" I just could not understand that part of Dom. I couldn't understand him. It was like that since I was twelve. So, you could say that I got sick and tired of Dom's bullshit. My friends even got scared of Dom, Leon, Vince and Jesse. I could've killed those four. I swear if Letty wasn't there, I probably would have killed them. So, that's the reason why I left L.A. I couldn't handle watching my friends being put down like that, especially since they were trying not to freak out in front of me. My friends in L.A knew I was going out of town for a while. I told them I was leaving and that I didn't know where I was going. I told them I'd call to check in and write once a week. I told Mia and Let I was leaving but I made them promise not to tell Dom and the guys. So, I packed some clothes, cell phone and pager for my friends for whenever they needed me, left a note for the guys, got in my car and left.
Didn't know where the hell I was going, I just drove, East for a general direction. While I was in Dallas, Texas, my car decided to give me some trouble. So, I stopped at this tattoo parlor to assess the damage, and then remembered that I didn't bring any of my tools for the car. While I was checking the engine, with my head under the goddamn hood, some girl comes up behind me and says, " Need some help?" I jumped at the sound of her voice and hit my head on the underside of the hood.
"Ow! Shit!" I exclaimed turning around to look at who said the question. I sighed. "Yeah...my car's giving me some trouble and I didn't bring any of my goddamn tools." I said once again looking at my engine.
"My name's Angel, but people 'round here call me Devil cause I'm a fast little bitch in my car. I got some tools in my car if you want to use them." Angel said.
"Cool. My name's China but people back home called me either Angel or Rain, or even C. If you don't mind." I said leaning against my car. She left to go get her tools when two guys came out of the parlor. One looked about 6'2" while the other was just over 6'1".
"Need some help?" the one that was 6'2" asked me sizing me up.
"Nah, I'm set." I said as Angel came back over.
"Here you are. You need any help?" Angel asked looking at the two guys. "Ronald, Denver, what the hell you two doing out here? You two are supposed to be working." Angel said. I just shook my head and went to work on my car. "Yo, China."
"What?" I asked from underneath the hood.
"You got to actually look for this." Angel said laughing slightly. I said something incoherent but obliged. "This is Denver and this is Ronald. He doesn't like his name so we just call him either Trickster or Trick or both." Angel said introducing them to me.
" My name's China. Nice to meet you." I said bluntly and went back to work. "Shiiiit!" was soon heard from under the hood. "Why me? Why fucking now?" I said under my breath slamming the tool I had in my hand down on the cement sidewalk. Angel, Denver, and 'Trick' come back outside with a little girl seeing that I was having some trouble.
"Having some trouble?" Angel asked.
"Yeah..well, no. There wouldn't be any street races here in Dallas, would there?" I asked. My car was a racer, Dom had made sure of that.
"Yeah. Always is. We meet over at the abandoned warehouses in downtown." Denver said looking suspicious of me.
"Thanks. One race, that's all I need to get enough money to get my own place." I said the last part to myself.
That Night
Trick and his team were waiting to see if I was going to show up, and when I did, they made sure everyone knew I was in town, and new at that. I found a place, parked, got out and sat on the hood of my car, like I used to do at home. I looked around when Trick and his team came over with smirks on their faces.
"What?" I asked not knowing what they were about to do.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just going to go give my speech now." Trick said.
"Oh, joy. Used to get those at home, and not only at the damn races." I said as Trick walked off.
"We get it here and at the house. And what the fuck is he doing?" Angel said looking at Trick. "Uh-oh he went through with it Den."
"Who went through with what?" I asked them curiously.
"Oh you'll see or rather you'll hear." Denver said still looking at Trick. "Uh-oh. He's calling you out." Denver said as Trick and some other people came over to our group.
"Alright. The buy-in is 10-grand. And you're racing me chick." Trick said. "Give your money to...Angel." Trick said to me.
I laughed and said, " Alright. Here you go. Let's do this fool" I said jumping off the hood of my car and got in my car.
"Follow me little girl." Trick said with a smirk as he got in his car.
At the Race
The street was blocked off as me and Trick pulled up to the starting line. I turned on my NOS system and blasted my music. I looked over at Trick and smiled, not an overconfident smile, but a slight grin. Trick grinned back. I rolled my eyes. We waited patiently for the "go" signal. Angel threw her hands down when we made eye contact with her. We took off. Trick started from straight up zip, while me, chuckle , I started from about 80 mph. I let Trick think that he was going to win but, I hit the second NOS button and won the race. Trick didn't look pissed, he didn't look mad at all, he just looked shocked and surprised that I, a girl no less, beat him at street racing. chuckle Let's just say that he's a very sore loser. He so didn't like it that I won the race instead of him. But anyway this is what he said -
"Bitch! What the hell do you think you were doing?!" he yelled at me as Angel handed me my winnings.
"What the fuck you think it looks like fool? I just dusted your ass in my smoke. Yo! Denver! What'd I stop from? 280?" I asked Denver smirking.
"Trick, she's right. She did stop from 280. Man, she's a fast one." Denver said looking at me. I smiled.
"All right, look, we need one more person on our team. Want to join? You just beat me, and so did Denver and Angel." Trick said trying not to beg.
Trying not to bust out laughing I said, "Want to know something, Ronald ," I said emphasizing his real name. He flinched at the use of his real name as the crowd erupted in laughter. "I didn't have to beat you like I did, I could've been in the buy-in with a couple other racers, but, you had to go and call me out to a one on one race. Now, tell me something, who's fault was it that you lost the damn race? Mine? Nah, I don't think so. Yours, now that's absolutely an absolute yes!" I said laughing with the rest of the crowd. "Oh, um...I will join your team by the way." The whole crowd laughed at that. "Oh, and uh...don't call me a little girl ever again, otherwise your nose is broken." I said smiling as the crowd started to laugh. All of a sudden I heard sirens. And everyone scattered for their cars before the cops showed up.
End Flashback
Present
In a Hotel Room Outside of LA
I laugh when I look back at that race. But, now, me and the team are headed back to my home in L.A. "Yippee!" for me. Didn't know I missed everyone so much. Guess it took Emerald, Trick's five and a half year old little girl, to make me see how much I miss Dom screaming at my friends to go home and to come over to the house later. I missed Letty and how she used to get Dom to let me do the things that I wanted to do. I miss Mia and how she used to make me help with the Sunday barbecues every week. I miss Leon, Vince and Jesse and how they used to crack jokes just to make me laugh at work after Dom made my friends leave and made me cry while doing that. I miss Dom the most cause he always reminded me of daddy and how he made me feel like I'm more than what people say about me at the races. I miss them all. I've kept in touch with all my friends in L.A. They all know that I'm coming back and with the team and Emerald. Hope they all like my new friends/team. Hope Dom doesn't blow up at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Wonder what everyone's going to think of me when I just show up tomorrow, without calling them first. Oh boy, I just hope tomorrow goes over really well and doesn't end up with me or anyone else in the fucking hospital.
yawn Well, now I'm tired and I best be getting to bed before Trick comes in here and decides to yell at me for something I didn't do. SO, Diary, I'm out and I'll write again soon. xChinax
I put my diary back in my suitcase and got ready for bed. I had just laid down when my cell phone for my friends rang. I groaned and answered it.
"Hello?" I asked into the phone.
"Yo, Rain. How's it hanging?" the male voice said.
"Listen Bri, we'll talk tomorrow, promise. Meet me at the garage around noon. I got some friends I want you to meet." I said sleepily.
"Alright. Lata dayz Rain." Brian O'Conner said hanging up.
"Yeah, lata dayz Bri, lata dayz." I said hanging up my cell phone. "Just hope no one else calls me, pages me, or knocks on my door. Otherwise, they dead meat." I said closing my eyes and drifting off to dreamland.