Title: Waiting
Rating: M
Summary: A death has Matty homeless, leaving her no other choice than to rely on Toretto and his goon squad to take her in. Will this sarcastic, smart mouthed girl fit in with the team or will she push them past their breaking point?
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the criminally insane mind that conjured this story up and my favorite girl Matty. I DO NOT own the Fast and the Furious or any of the characters in the movie- so don't sue.
A/N: Since I am the puppet master in this show, this movie is set before the Fast and the Furious. I hope to tie this story in the movie later on or maybe in a sequel. Who knows…. Also, breaks in the story usually mean some time has passed. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up, this story was typed up after an episode of 24, so expect a lot of Bauer induced typing errors.
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I always love to know what you guys are thinking.
Chapter 1: Giving In
The day was dark and cold, which stood for what she was feeling. Matilda watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground and sighed softly.
The outskirts of the cemetery was lined with finely tuned imported legal and illegal cars from all over the world. She looked at all the bright colors and then at the crowd of a hundred or so that had shown up at her brother's funeral, feeling overwhelmed. Her brother was very loved and he would be missed. She stared at all the tear stricken faces surrounding her and silently wished she could shed a tear.
Her brother, Hector, was the only thing she had in the whole world and she couldn't even sheda tear for him. She felt dead to everything and everyone.
As the event came to a close, Matilda felt lost. She made her way to her car, ignoring all the people calling after her and the rain falling upon her.
--
She stepped inside the house her and Hector called home and shed her floor-length leather jacket. Matilda stood 5'5" without heels on and was a fierce woman. It was clearly shown in her tattoos, her sense of style, her walk and in her face that she didn't give a shit about anyone. Years of living on the streets had taught her well. She was an independent latina to the fullest.
Matilda, known as Matty to most, was a stunning portrayal of her Mexican and Dominican roots. She never knew her father but thanked him everyday for the beauty she held. She was lightly tanned with a curvaceous body and a killer set of green eyes. From her mother, she got her slightly exotic eyes and her straight jet black, waist-length hair that she kept cut in layers. Most wouldn't have guessed that her and Hector were related, but as soon as they opened their mouths to argue, it was clearly shown that they were family through and through.
Matty sat down on the couch, clad in her black slacks, heeled boots and a white button down shirt. She looked around the cluttered house, hating the silence it held instantly. Her brother was always doing something noisy- whether it was listening to some chicano rap or playing on the PS2 or watching some loud ass action movie.
She willed him to come down the stairs, yelling her name out with a string of Spanish curses after it, but she knew that the 18-wheeler had taken him forever.
Just as the silence was starting to drive her crazy, she heard the doorbell. She got up, wondering who would approach the house unannounced and opened the door.
She groaned inwardly, finding Mia and her bunch of fools on her doorstep. She spotted a covered casserole dish in her hand and almost smiled. This might no be so bad after all, she thought to herself.
Matty pushed open her door, letting them in. Out of the six, she was only known for hanging with three- Letty, Leon and Jesse. Letty was the most like her, while Leon was the easy going guy, and who doesn't like Jesse?
The team was dressed in their best attire, courtesy of Mia. Matty smiled softly as she noticed that everyone except Mia was uncomfortable in their current outfit.
They all smiled softly at her and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, can I talk to you?" Dom said, motioning to the porch. Matty nodded and motioned for him to step outside. "Make yourself comfortable," she said, to the rest of the team, which was an understatement because Vince and Leon already had their feet up on the coffee table. She rolled her eyes and walked on to the porch, closing the door behind her.
She glanced at Dom, leaning against the porch's railing and crossing her arms. "I know me and you never really got along-," Dom began to say. "You got that right," she said interrupting him.
Dom huffed slightly. "Because you have such a smart ass mouth," he said. Matty scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Back to what I came here for. Hector was like family to me, so that makes you like a sister to me. If you need something- anything, you now you can come to me. You need some money, a job or whatever, I got you babygirl," he said.
Matty cringed at the sound of the nickname Hector had for her and suddenly felt her blood boil. "Listen Dom, I don't need no fucking handouts from you or the goon squad. So pack it up and head on home," she yelled.
She pushed open the front door and found the team staring at her wide-eyed. "Get the fuck out! Leave me alone!" She yelled at the rest of the team, before racing up the stairs to her room.
--
Matty sat on top of one of the kitchen cabinets, eating a bag of chips in the moonlight coming in from the kitchen windows. She sighed softly, glancing at the pile of open bills on the table, mainly at the one that read 24 HOURS TO VACATE in big red letters.
It was six months after Hector's funeral and everything had fallen apart for her. Matty had tried to keep up with the bills with the money from her savings, but that didn't help much. She never realized how much effort Hector had put into running things. He paid all the bills, while she kept a clean house. She thought back to all the times she yelled at him, claiming that he didn't do shit around the house anda sob escaped her body.
She cried that night. Not only for Hector and for herself, but for her future. She knew her options were limited and that above all; she had to start making the right decisions.
--
Matty stood on the Toretto porch, running her hands through her hair. She knew she was stalling the inevitable. Someone would notice her out there and open the door. She fidgeted in her black converses, willing herself to ring the doorbell.
She pushed the button quickly and felt like crawling under a rock at the sound of the doorbell ringing through out the house. She heard footsteps approach the door and Matty fixed the black beanie on her head, for the thirtieth time in the last ten minutes.
The front door swung open and Dominic Toretto came into view. She gave him a weak smile and proceeded to sit down on the porch floor, leaning against the house. Dom followed suit, waiting for her to speak first.
"At first it was easy. I paid with my savings. Then I ran out of money. Then I just asked for extensions. He has a stash, you know, for when he hit the circuit officially, but I can't find it. Then the lights went and then the water and finally the gas. And I got a letter the other day. Eviction, Dom. It read eviction," she said, in a small voice.
Dom stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans. He extended a hand, which she accepted. "First, everything you want to keep goes in storage. Then what you don't want, you sell. Next, there's a room in the basement that's empty. It used to be Letty's before we officially got together, so it's all yours. You work at the garage now. Dinner's at seven. Don't be late or Mia will flip," he said.
And with that he was gone. He shut the door firmly behind him and left Matty alone on the porch. Dom was never one for many words, and when he chose to spoke, it either alleviated or doomed all those around him.
As she walked towards her car, a royal blue skyline across the street, she smiled slightly. Dom had alleviated her of so much stress, but at the same time put her in an awkward position.
Share a house with the goon squad or live on the streets? Both options were equal in her mind. "Can't be that bad," she muttered to herself, as she pulled out of her parking space and sped off.