Chapter One
Gracie stepped out the front door and took one long last look at her house. She sighed and shook her head as she got into her aunts well taken care of Honda Civic. She started the engine, knowing that what she was doing might get her into trouble again, but why did it matter? She had nothing left to live for anyway. She had already tried to kill herself once, slitting her wrists and sitting in a tub full of hot water, but her aunt found her before she had even passed out. An EMT stitched up her wrists and she was sent to a psyciatric ward of a cold and gray hospital. Gracie would have preferred to be dead, rather than in that hospital. She was constantly given medicine to "help ease her mind". She knew there was nothing wrong with her mind, she wanted to die and that was that. Did there have to be something wrong with her for her to wish that upon herself? Her parents died in a car accident, she had a drunk of an aunt who took care of her only when she was sober, which wasn't often. Her best friend also died from cancer and when that happened Gracie shut herself down. She resorted to drinking herself to sleep with her aunt and doing the drugs she could get her hands on, which wasn't much. But when she could get at them she did them. Shit basically couldn't get much worse for Gracie at that point so she tried to kill herself, being more drunk than sober at the time. The one time her aunt had actually been awake during the day she found her in the tub bleeding. Apparently it just wasn't her day to die. Gracie was released from the hospital having been diagnosed with some sort of severe "ajustment disorder". Gracie knew that was bull shit, the doctors just couldn't figure out for the life of them what was wrong with her. They basically shooed her out the door with her belonging and a prescription which she had already decided not to get filled. She showed up to her home in a taxi that day. She jumped out and ran to the door for some reason, happy to sleep in her own bed. Gracie was greeted by her aunt with a bottle of Tequila and a shot glass. They had a hell of a time that night, but when Gracie woke up and tried to stir her aunt, she wouldn't move. She wasn't breathing. The woman had finally drinken herself to death. Gracie put her head in her hands and decided to call the police. They showed up with an ambulence that took the body away. There was no money for a funeral or a service, there wasn't any family or friends to go to it anyway, so Gracie had to say her goodbyes to her aunt there. After the years of growing up without a real family and no friends, Gracies mind had become hard and tough, not giving a damn about anyone else but herself and her car. That car was her baby. She was 15, didn't even have a learners permit but she sped around in that black Honda Civic like there was no tomorrow. It had been her aunts, but since she was always too drunk to drive it, Gracie took charge of it. Now she was leaving that house for good. The bank foreclosed on it, leaving Gracie with no where to go. She had just finished packing when she remembered being eight years old and living in a different house with her parents. They had lived next door to the Toretto's, a good natured family with a 16 year old boy who loved cars named Dominic, and a girl about 12 named Mia. She thought that maybe they would take her in, she had heard about their dad dying in a stock car race, being slammed into a wall. She heard about it on t.v. and she had even known about Dominic getting sent to Lompac for two years for nearly beating the man who had caused the accident to death. Gracie figured that she had nothing to lose, maybe they would take some pity on her and take her in, knowing what she was going through. She started the engine of the car and peeled out of the driveway, trying to get as far away from the house that she had felt so much misery in. About two hours later she pulled up into Toretto's Café parking lot. She stepped out of the car, took a deep breath and walked into the Café. A girl with dark hair looked up at her and smiled.
"Can I help you?" she said. Gracie knew it was Mia, she remembered her loving tone of voice, that had hardly ever been raised to anyone, even Dominic when she was mad as hell at him. "Um well, yeah I guess you wouldn't remember me, it was a long time ago."Gracie said almost inaudibly as she pushed her long black hair out of her face. "Well you do look sort of familiar.but I cant place you for some reason.", said Mia with a distinct tone of thoughtfulness
Gracie sighed and smiled. That's what did it. No one had the same smile as Gracie did, it was one of those smiles that although rarely shown, it could light up a room and make everyone else smile. "Holy shit!" Mia screamed, "Gracie Tallence, is that you?"
"Yeah Mia, it's me." Gracie replied, happy that someone was glad to see her.
Mia jumped over the counter from where she was standing and gave her the biggest hug she had received in a long time. It had been a long time since she had even been hugged.
"Wait until Dom gets a load of you! How old are you now?" Mia asked her excitedly.
"I just turned 15 about a month ago." Gracie said eyeing the car that was in the parking lot, she knew Mia would make a comment.
"Gracie your so beautiful!" Mia said hugging her again, and when she did this she noticed the car and put two and two together. "Your not running away are you? Your not old enough to drive!"
"No I didn't run away..it's, it's a long story can I tell you later?" Gracie said hoping Mia would just forget about the car and not get into it.
"Sure we'll talk lat-" Mia was cut off by the sound of two engines.
Dominic pulled up in his car getting out with Letty on the passengers side, and Vince in the back. Leon and Jesse got out of Jesse's white Jetta. They walked into the café saying their hellos as they walked by Mia. But Dominic stopped short.
"Whose this?" he said coyly tilting his head to the side looking her up and down. Gracie could tell that he recognized her but couldn't put a name to her face, so she decided to give him the surprise and she smiled at him.
Dominic immediately knew who she was and picked her up and spun her around hugging her tightly. Gracie giggled as he put her down.
"Little Gracie Tallence, how you been girl? You've gotten so old, you must be what 16, 17 now?" Dominic rambled on inquisitively.
"Actually, I just turned 15 about a month ago." Gracie said "Jesus Christ time flies! Guys come over and see whose here!" He called to Letty, Jesse, Leon and Vince.
They rushed over trying to see who Dom was making such a fuss about and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Gracie's smiling face. It felt good for her to smile, she couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy.
"Holy hell.." Jesse trailed off as Leon and Vince basically tackled Gracie both giving her the same welcome and questions that Dominic had. Letty stood smiling, she remembered the days when Gracie was eight years old and she taught her everything she knew about cars.
When Jesse finally got out of his state of shock he went over to her hugged her, and questioned her just as everyone else had.
"Give the girl some room to breathe! She just got here and your acting as if this is the Spanish Inquisition!" Letty laughed coming over and giving Gracie a hug.
Gracie thought that she had missed Letty the most. She had looked up to her, she was a girl who knew about cars and that was unheard of, she taught Gracie everything there was to know. She was hard and cold towards many others but with Gracie she always had time and there was no attitude.
"So where are your parents?" Dominic said to her. Gracies smile immediately faded and she looked to the floor.
"Your kidding me right?" Dominic said not even having to ask. All the others looked like they held so much pity for Gracie.
"No their gone.that's kinda why I'm here.." Gracie said trailing off. She had a lot of story to tell.
Gracie stepped out the front door and took one long last look at her house. She sighed and shook her head as she got into her aunts well taken care of Honda Civic. She started the engine, knowing that what she was doing might get her into trouble again, but why did it matter? She had nothing left to live for anyway. She had already tried to kill herself once, slitting her wrists and sitting in a tub full of hot water, but her aunt found her before she had even passed out. An EMT stitched up her wrists and she was sent to a psyciatric ward of a cold and gray hospital. Gracie would have preferred to be dead, rather than in that hospital. She was constantly given medicine to "help ease her mind". She knew there was nothing wrong with her mind, she wanted to die and that was that. Did there have to be something wrong with her for her to wish that upon herself? Her parents died in a car accident, she had a drunk of an aunt who took care of her only when she was sober, which wasn't often. Her best friend also died from cancer and when that happened Gracie shut herself down. She resorted to drinking herself to sleep with her aunt and doing the drugs she could get her hands on, which wasn't much. But when she could get at them she did them. Shit basically couldn't get much worse for Gracie at that point so she tried to kill herself, being more drunk than sober at the time. The one time her aunt had actually been awake during the day she found her in the tub bleeding. Apparently it just wasn't her day to die. Gracie was released from the hospital having been diagnosed with some sort of severe "ajustment disorder". Gracie knew that was bull shit, the doctors just couldn't figure out for the life of them what was wrong with her. They basically shooed her out the door with her belonging and a prescription which she had already decided not to get filled. She showed up to her home in a taxi that day. She jumped out and ran to the door for some reason, happy to sleep in her own bed. Gracie was greeted by her aunt with a bottle of Tequila and a shot glass. They had a hell of a time that night, but when Gracie woke up and tried to stir her aunt, she wouldn't move. She wasn't breathing. The woman had finally drinken herself to death. Gracie put her head in her hands and decided to call the police. They showed up with an ambulence that took the body away. There was no money for a funeral or a service, there wasn't any family or friends to go to it anyway, so Gracie had to say her goodbyes to her aunt there. After the years of growing up without a real family and no friends, Gracies mind had become hard and tough, not giving a damn about anyone else but herself and her car. That car was her baby. She was 15, didn't even have a learners permit but she sped around in that black Honda Civic like there was no tomorrow. It had been her aunts, but since she was always too drunk to drive it, Gracie took charge of it. Now she was leaving that house for good. The bank foreclosed on it, leaving Gracie with no where to go. She had just finished packing when she remembered being eight years old and living in a different house with her parents. They had lived next door to the Toretto's, a good natured family with a 16 year old boy who loved cars named Dominic, and a girl about 12 named Mia. She thought that maybe they would take her in, she had heard about their dad dying in a stock car race, being slammed into a wall. She heard about it on t.v. and she had even known about Dominic getting sent to Lompac for two years for nearly beating the man who had caused the accident to death. Gracie figured that she had nothing to lose, maybe they would take some pity on her and take her in, knowing what she was going through. She started the engine of the car and peeled out of the driveway, trying to get as far away from the house that she had felt so much misery in. About two hours later she pulled up into Toretto's Café parking lot. She stepped out of the car, took a deep breath and walked into the Café. A girl with dark hair looked up at her and smiled.
"Can I help you?" she said. Gracie knew it was Mia, she remembered her loving tone of voice, that had hardly ever been raised to anyone, even Dominic when she was mad as hell at him. "Um well, yeah I guess you wouldn't remember me, it was a long time ago."Gracie said almost inaudibly as she pushed her long black hair out of her face. "Well you do look sort of familiar.but I cant place you for some reason.", said Mia with a distinct tone of thoughtfulness
Gracie sighed and smiled. That's what did it. No one had the same smile as Gracie did, it was one of those smiles that although rarely shown, it could light up a room and make everyone else smile. "Holy shit!" Mia screamed, "Gracie Tallence, is that you?"
"Yeah Mia, it's me." Gracie replied, happy that someone was glad to see her.
Mia jumped over the counter from where she was standing and gave her the biggest hug she had received in a long time. It had been a long time since she had even been hugged.
"Wait until Dom gets a load of you! How old are you now?" Mia asked her excitedly.
"I just turned 15 about a month ago." Gracie said eyeing the car that was in the parking lot, she knew Mia would make a comment.
"Gracie your so beautiful!" Mia said hugging her again, and when she did this she noticed the car and put two and two together. "Your not running away are you? Your not old enough to drive!"
"No I didn't run away..it's, it's a long story can I tell you later?" Gracie said hoping Mia would just forget about the car and not get into it.
"Sure we'll talk lat-" Mia was cut off by the sound of two engines.
Dominic pulled up in his car getting out with Letty on the passengers side, and Vince in the back. Leon and Jesse got out of Jesse's white Jetta. They walked into the café saying their hellos as they walked by Mia. But Dominic stopped short.
"Whose this?" he said coyly tilting his head to the side looking her up and down. Gracie could tell that he recognized her but couldn't put a name to her face, so she decided to give him the surprise and she smiled at him.
Dominic immediately knew who she was and picked her up and spun her around hugging her tightly. Gracie giggled as he put her down.
"Little Gracie Tallence, how you been girl? You've gotten so old, you must be what 16, 17 now?" Dominic rambled on inquisitively.
"Actually, I just turned 15 about a month ago." Gracie said "Jesus Christ time flies! Guys come over and see whose here!" He called to Letty, Jesse, Leon and Vince.
They rushed over trying to see who Dom was making such a fuss about and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Gracie's smiling face. It felt good for her to smile, she couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy.
"Holy hell.." Jesse trailed off as Leon and Vince basically tackled Gracie both giving her the same welcome and questions that Dominic had. Letty stood smiling, she remembered the days when Gracie was eight years old and she taught her everything she knew about cars.
When Jesse finally got out of his state of shock he went over to her hugged her, and questioned her just as everyone else had.
"Give the girl some room to breathe! She just got here and your acting as if this is the Spanish Inquisition!" Letty laughed coming over and giving Gracie a hug.
Gracie thought that she had missed Letty the most. She had looked up to her, she was a girl who knew about cars and that was unheard of, she taught Gracie everything there was to know. She was hard and cold towards many others but with Gracie she always had time and there was no attitude.
"So where are your parents?" Dominic said to her. Gracies smile immediately faded and she looked to the floor.
"Your kidding me right?" Dominic said not even having to ask. All the others looked like they held so much pity for Gracie.
"No their gone.that's kinda why I'm here.." Gracie said trailing off. She had a lot of story to tell.