Drugs and Candy

Carlie's a typically good student who's just looking for a bit of excitement while studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan. She meets Twinkie, gets mixed up in the racing world, and lands herself a position in Han's garage. She's a brave little soul in a great big world of racing, violence, and relationships. Rated M for some "adult" language, some violence, probably more later. Han x OC

As the first three movies from the Fast and Furious franchise are now on Netflix, I binged them all in one night and have thus been inspired, for better or for worse, to write this little piece. I must admit, I have a soft spot for those brooding, mysterious, long-haired fellows. So, this first chapter is more of an introductory piece for my character. It's going to explain why she's in Tokyo, how she connected with the people she knows, all that. I'll probably pick up with the movie in Chapter 2. This is also my first published piece so uh… It's a "yikes" from me. To be honest I had a hard time debating between writing in 1st person vs 3rd person. I'm in the process of writing a Supernatural fic that is in 3rd so I figured I'd do a little trade-off and write this one in 1st. Read and review and the whole lovely package if you would like to. I would very much appreciate feedback because I'm really new to this world of writing, I'm a lot more used to writing argumentatively and for essays. Is it too long? Am I writing people OOC? Was it choppy or could some sections benefit from more editing? From everything I've read on here, I guess this part should come next:

Disclaimer: I only own my original characters and original scenes that are not canonical. Everything from the Fast and the Furious franchise belongs to Gary Scott Thompson and Universal Pictures.

Also, more of a personal warning: I probably won't have a very strict upload schedule (if any) as I'm currently in college and I have a lot of coursework that takes priority. Hell, finding the time to just write this first chapter was hard, it's been roughly a week or two since I started. But I really do want to come through with this, so I will try my best.

Enjoy x

Chapter 1: Introduction

The hustle and bustle of the city was always so enticing. Between the flickering lights and the constant background noise, the city always made me feel a little bit less lonely. It was always so busy; it distracted me from my generally lackluster life, providing the illusion that my life was much more exciting than it really was. Whether it was in the Americas, Europe, or Africa, I loved visiting cities. Naturally, this made my university's study abroad program to Tokyo, Japan ideal for me. I had never been further East than Greece and West than California. What could beat an opportunity to travel to the Far East and immerse yourself in another culture? So, I applied with a little bit of hope and a grant provided by my college and packed up my things to live a semester abroad. Tokyo was probably the best city I could've gone to. I'm majoring in graphic design and working towards a minor in digital art. Japan was always known for being a prominent figure in advancing technology. From the towering skyscrapers to the handheld devices; Tokyo made New York feel like it was still in the 20th century. So, since I moved here, most of my time has been absorbed by my studies and related experiences. I'm in the process of completing my checklist for Japan; visiting as many landmarks as I could with what little time I have, admiring the buildings and urban designs, and most of all admiring the cars. Afterall, Toyota is the global leader in car manufacturing, Honda following a little further down the list. The honking of car horns and the constant shuffling of business coats and briefcases brought me back to the present. Nothing was quite as mesmerizing as a city at night.

While walking along a side street, I passed hundreds of blinking, neon lights and street vendors. A constant buzz hung in the air from the various stands and customers. One particular stand selling some version of street food caught my eye. I held up two fingers to indicate what I wanted and the vendor pointed at the sign. I exchanged what yen I had in my pockets and took the two buns from the man. I was still trying to learn a few key phrases for emergencies, growing up only knowing English turned out to be an unfortunate handicap in a foreign country. Thank God for Google translate. Amongst the constant noise, one sound pierced through the others. A solitary shout echoed from an alleyway off of the side street I was on. What was that? I started walking towards where I thought I heard the sound coming from and put the paper-wrapped buns in my bag.

"It ain't my fault!" A panicked voice sounded closer than the first shout. Well that wasn't a happy tone. Peeking around the corner of a building, I saw a couple of guys huddled together in a group. A dirty alleyway: not my ideal location for meetings. This is definitely not shady whatsoever. Muffled thuds came from the group. Looking closer, it looked like the group was huddled around somebody, and with those thuds I could only assume what was going on. Oh God, was somebody getting mugged? More hushed arguing took place and I tried to gather what I could.

"Don't bullshit me! You sold us faulty parts. Give us what you owe us, and this will all be over." One of the guys threatened the shorter guy in the center.

"The parts were fine when I sold 'em! If you weren't such a dumbass—" his voice got cut off by his own grunt as he got punched again. Somebody has to stop this, and seeing as nobody else is around, I'm the sole option. I sighed to myself; I'm not good with conflict, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I closed my eyes and mentally prepared myself, clutching my small can of pepper spray before turning the corner and approaching the group.

"Hey! What do y'all think you're doing?" I shouted, holding my pepper spray to my side. The group stopped what they were doing and turned to face me. And just like that, what little bravery I had mustered up earlier quickly dissipated. The group turned to face each other, laughed amongst themselves, and turned towards me once more. One of them scoffed and approached me. His somewhat shaggy, semi-bleached hair was the first thing I noticed; an interesting look, to say the least. A small laugh escaped before I could prevent it. Oh God, shut up, this is not the time to make a fool out of yourself.

"You think something's funny?" The blonde guy got close enough so he was practically in my face. And then it hit me how quickly this situation could go sour. I mean, this group clearly had no problem beating up people in a shady alleyway. I'm sure giving them a reason to get upset wouldn't help my case.

"No- I mean. It's just your hair. But, not that's it's funny, I was just taken back by it. I mean it's a nice color, I just personally would never bleach my hair—" I quickly cut myself off before that could spiral any further out of control. God.. That was so awkward and unnecessary. "It doesn't matter. What matters is what you guys were doing a minute ago. Leave that guy alone." I was pretty proud of myself, my voice didn't quiver nearly as much as I thought it would. The blonde gave me the once over and smirked.

"You're not in any position to be demanding anything. You don't know who you're talking to. I'd suggest you scurry on home before you get involved in something you really don't want to get involved with." He was now uncomfortably close to me and my hand twitched. What I really don't want to be doing is pepper spraying him, but I was beginning to think I might have to. He had such a cocky look, as if he knew that I wasn't going to be able to stand my ground for very long. He wasn't wrong, my confidence was dwindling and I needed to act now.

"Well I don't think you're in any position to be beating somebody up in some dirty alley. So… I'd suggest that you 'scurry on home' before I call the police." I had a feeling my threat wasn't going to do much to deescalate the situation at hand. I took a step backward to regain some semblance of comfort and safety. However, this only seemed to challenge him as he matched my backwards step with his own forward step.

"Alright listen, I don't know how this shit normally goes down in America but let me tell you how this is going to play out here," His tone was so condescending. He kept following me as I continued to back up, my hand started to twitch. "You're going to turn around and walk away, forget you ever saw this. This really doesn't seem like your kind of scene."

"Hey, Morimoto! Your beef is with me. Leave her alone." The guy from before shouted out from amongst the rest of the group. The blonde turned around and shouted at him to shut up, the other guys taking that as a queue to punch him again. That's it, I walked into this with the intent of saving that guy and I'm going to do it. Mama didn't raise no pussy. Well, actually, yes. Yes, she did. But she raised a pussy with a moral compass, and this clearly wasn't going to go away on its own. The second the blonde one, Morimoto I think, turned back towards me, I whipped up my arm and sprayed the contents of the can directly into his eyes. He shouted and started furiously rubbing at his eyes, stumbling around, trying to ground himself.

"Fuck!"

Okay, that was not a happy shout. My heart rate was through the roof, I haven't had to pepper spray somebody in a long time. He reached out a hand to try and find where I was, panic coursed through my veins. On instinct my, knee flew up and connected with his groin, quickly causing him to keel over. The distraction was enough for the guy getting beat up to break free from the group. He ripped his arm out of the hold one of the guys had on him, whipping around and throwing a wild punch. It connected with the guy's jaw with a loud pop and the guy I helped booked it towards my end of the alley. Shouting erupted from the guys he slipped from and I took that as a sign that they didn't like how the situation just played out. I felt a hand grab my wrist and I was quickly pulled out of the alley. The guy was pulling me along the street, weaving in between people and vendors, running down side streets and making quick turns. People were shouting behind us and I wasn't sure if it was the people from the alley or the people we accidentally knocked over in our hurry; I really didn't want to find out. It was all I could do to keep up with him. My God could he run. Eventually we slowed to a stop, the guy checking behind us every couple of seconds. My heavy breathing and pounding heart made me realize how out of shape I was. He slumped against a wall and started to focus on his breathing.

"Are…" I leaned over a bit, my hands on my thighs as I fought the losing battle of catching my breath. I needed to work out more. "Are they behind us?"

"No… No we're good," he breathed out, not nearly as winded as I was, but still catching his breath. I nodded and continued attempting to stabilize my heartrate. "Hey, thanks for that back there. Not that I needed help, I would've been alright." I let out a breathy laugh at his remark.

"Yeah, it was no problem. Glad to be of service. Unnecessary service, according to you, but nonetheless," I joked, standing up to get a proper look at the guy. He was around my height and had his hair in cornrows. He looked young, probably around my age. "You sound American, are you from the States?"

"I'm an army brat, what about you? Your parents military?"

"No. I mean yes, I'm from the U.S., but my parents aren't military. I'm doing a semester abroad here."

"Cool." It was silent for a little bit before he started talking again. "So, you wanna grab a bite to eat, you know, so I can thank you?"

"Oh, you really don't have to do that, it's cool." I didn't want him to feel like he owed me or something.

"Yeah, but I want to. 'Sides I can't pass up the chance to dine with a pretty lady like you." He flashed a smile and I laughed a little. I didn't need a mirror to know that I wasn't the most attractive right now. I could feel the sweat trickle its way down the side of my face, my cheeks probably tainted red from the workout. Man, I haven't gone for a run in a long time. I really don't have anywhere better to be so dinner couldn't hurt. I nodded in agreement and his eyes lit up.

"Cool! I know this place a couple blocks down. We can get to know each other a little bit, and you know, if one thing leads to another…" he trailed off with a suggestive eyebrow cock. I laughed, a little bit of awkwardness seeping through.

"I'm not that kind of girl, sorry," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. I hope he wasn't seriously expecting that. He laughed at my nervous habit and shook his head.

"Nah, I was just messing around. The name's Twinkie, by the way."

"Carlie." He nodded and started walking down the street, motioning for me to follow him.

Eventually we reached a small café of sorts and sat down with our food. We talked for a good long while, talking about schooling, families, Tokyo, anything really that came to mind. I found out Twinkie manages his own small business selling tech and parts to whoever needs them; I could only assume that's how he got into a spot of trouble earlier. Business deals gone wrong seem like they would be a common issue for him. I mentioned what I was studying, graphic design and digital art, and he mentioned his car, his pride and joy. He designed it himself and offered to show me sometime. Twinkie was sweet, he was only a year or two younger than me and was better company than some of my own peers that came here through the same program. We had been talking for nearly 2 hours when I checked the time and realized how late it was getting.

"Are you sure you're okay? Should we take you to a doctor, just in case?" I was worried that I might have wasted too much time before intervening. From what little I heard and saw, he was dealt some harsh punches. If he had gotten seriously injured during the time I wasted to build up confidence, I would've felt partly responsible.

He simply nodded. "Nothin' but a couple of bruises, I'll be alright." His response did little to ease my concern, but I trusted he knew his body better than I did.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?" I asked, biting into the previously forgotten bun I purchased earlier, sliding over the second one to Twinkie's side of the table.

"Shoot," he replied, biting into his own bun, which he told me was actually called anpan.

"What was that about earlier? What did those guys want and what did he mean by not knowing who they were?" I glanced over at him and he put down his anpan. He looked like he was thinking of a way to answer, like he needed to word it carefully.

"They're uh… They're nobody, really. Just some jerks who thought I sold faulty parts. Bunch of idiots, really. Willing to spend the money on the parts but not look up how to properly install and use them."

"I don't know, it's just the way he said it. As if I should know who they were, as if they were well known. Are they?" I shoved the rest of the roll into my mouth as I waited for his answer.

He scoffed. "Of course, they think they're the shit. Just a couple of punks who act like they run these streets just 'cause they win a couple races." Now I was curious. Races? He looked like he let a secret slip, his eyes slightly widened as he stared at me, waiting for my inevitable questions.

"Like running track and field?"

"Uh…" The hesitation and uncertainty in his response made me realize it probably wasn't cross country competitions that really got the locals going.

"What, like racing cars? Like NASCAR? Does Japan have something like that?" The last question was really just me thinking out loud, but my questions still hung in the air. He waited for a bit to reply, occasionally opening and closing his mouth, as if choosing his next words carefully.

"It's nothin' like NASCAR, but I don't think it's really your kind of scene anyways. It's just local fun and it's filled with a bunch of assholes anyways. That guy from earlier, it's the kind of crew he runs with." He was trying to brush it off, but I was too curious now. Local fun is exactly what I was desperate for.

"Woah wait, local fun? I've been trying to get involved in local fun for weeks, racing sounds fun to watch, and putting up with a few assholes is worth the entertainment. Can you show me sometime?" I've had my fill of museums and monuments. Most of my free time as of late was filled with shopping or perusing the streets of Tokyo. I was running out of things for a tourist to do, I wanted to find things for a local to do. Tourists busy themselves with landmarks and museums; locals busy themselves with concerts, food, and fun.

"I don't know, Carlie…"

"Come on, please! I have been dying to find something to do, I'm sick of museums and tourist traps. I need something exciting in my boring life." I was desperate for something exciting to do. The city was beautiful and captivating, but there was only so much I could find to do after having recently moved here.

"Fine. There's a race this Friday night, I can swing by and pick you up." He finally caved, slumping back in his seat and crossing his arms. He didn't fully approve, but that didn't matter, he would still do it. A smile spread across my face as I thanked him.

"Thank you so much, Twinkie. You're saving me from a boring semester!" And with that, we exchanged numbers and went our separate ways.

The setting sun bathed my room in warmth and light, still rendering the electrical lights useless. Soon the nightlife would be upon Tokyo, showering it in a mixture of neon signs and streetlights. In the meantime, I sat back on my bed and watched as the wall opposite my window was colored different shades of orange and red as time passed. The vibration of my cellphone pulled me from my daydreams.

"address?"

It was finally Friday and Twinkie was fulfilling his promise. We had talked throughout the week, shooting messages back and forth about anything and everything. He learned more about my university and I learned more about his schooling. He seemed genuinely interested in my passion for art and design, it was nice talking to him about some of the ideas I had and some of the personal sketches I've done. From the stories he told me, he had a knack for business. He had quite the small empire forming in his school and it was quickly expanding to the streets of Tokyo. I shot him back the address to my temporary residence and hopped out of bed to grab my shoes. I had finished up my classes for the day a few hours ago and haphazardly tossed them across the room. I retied my shoes and laid back down in my bed, my feet hanging off the foot of the bed. I'm not a monster, I don't lay in bed with my shoes on. I didn't know what to feel. Excitement? Nervousness? Nothing? I've never been to a race. My only experience was from movies or sometimes it would be on TV. My car back in the States is a used Toyota Camry. I don't even own a car here. The sun had quickly set, and my room was mostly shrouded in darkness. A soft vibration interrupted my thoughts for the second time this evening.

"im here" I sent a simple "k" back and pocketed my phone, hopping off the bed and leaving my room. I raced down the stairs and stepped outside of the apartment complex, searching for Twinkie. A car approached that I could only assume was Twinkies. The bright green minivan had bumps on the outside of the car resembling fists and feet, it was only when I saw the front of it did I realize what it was. Twinkie had a hulk minivan. It even had hair! I hopped in the passenger side and he drove away from the building.

"You have a hulk minivan."

"Beautiful, isn't she." The pride in his voice was unmistakable as he smirked to himself. This had to have been incredibly expensive. What inspires somebody to decorate their car like this?

"She's unique," I laughed before realizing how they might have come off to him. He sent me a side glance before shrugging and facing the road again.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way or anything. You could probably find it really easily in a parking lot. Not that it sticks out in a bad way, it's actually really cool—" God, I was rambling again. He chuckled from beside me and I busied my hands with my sleeves, so I would have something else to focus on. "So, you designed it yourself?" I was genuinely impressed. It was very fitting of Twinkie's style. His car was unique and spoke for his personality, it didn't blend into the mixture of greys, reds, and blacks that typically covered the streets.

"Yeah, she's my pride and joy. You said you're studying graphic design or something, right? You should swing by the garage with me sometime and try your hand at one of the cars."

"I don't know, I haven't worked with cars before. Would I even be allowed to? I don't have the appropriate training for it and I don't even have a work permit here." Applying is such a lengthy process and I would need a company to vouch for and employ me. I keep putting it off, it wasn't an immediate necessity, but if I planned on extending my stay then I would need to look into a more permanent situation.

"Nah it's cool, you won't be working a job, you'd just be messing around. I can talk to the guy who runs the garage, it won't be a problem." We stopped at a red light and he glanced over at me. "Are you always so by-the-book? Because, that ain't gonna fly where we're going." My cheeks burned slightly, I wasn't sure it was from embarrassment or frustration. Probably a mix if I was being honest with myself.

"I'm not always so by-the-book, I can let loose sometimes..." I mumbled, shifting so I could look out the window. We settled into a silence for the remainder of the ride as I watched the lights around us pass in a blur.

"Alright, we're here. You've probably never been to nothing like this before, so just stick by me." I nodded as we pulled up to a parking garage. I had been to some clubs a few years back; I usually got dragged out by my roommates and ended up drinking myself into oblivion to cope with the nerves. I'm sure my liver is still upset with me. I was curious: what kind of racing takes place in a parking garage? As soon as we entered, we faced an overwhelmingly large crowd of sports cars and people. It felt like we were driving into a rave. Music from a multitude of speakers and subwoofers blended together and I could feel the bass reverberating in my ribcage. My anxiety was picking up steadily and my nerves put my body on high alert. Definitely not my typical scene. Twinkie pulled into an empty space and turned the car off.

"You good?" I glanced over at him after he asked. Honestly, I wasn't great, but I wasn't backing out.

"Yeah, I just haven't been to something like this in a long time. This feels like I'm back in freshman year. Even then I wasn't a huge party person." I let out a breathy laugh, my nerves edging their way into my voice.

"It's cool, it'll be fun." He reassured me and we stepped out of the car. The music intensified the second I opened the passenger door. I felt out of place, but I was determined to have fun and make the most of my time in Tokyo. Most of the girls were dressed to impress, how I used to dress when I went clubbing. But, at the moment, I was not dressed to blend in; I didn't get the memo on the skirts and heels. In fact, I didn't get any kind of memo. So, here I stood in my jeans and dirty vans. I crossed my arms, as if that formed a defensive shield from the inevitable judgment. As we walked through the garage, weaving in and out of crowds in less of a hurry than last time, I admired the cars around us. Some of these designs were just too cool. The creativity some people possess astounds me. From the bright colors, to the intricate designs on the sides, I was impressed. I appreciated Twinkie's offer to try my hand at it, just to have the opportunity to have my art displayed alongside all of these masterpieces was enough.

"Some of these designs are incredible," I whispered, trailing behind Twinkie through the parking garage. Some cars simply had a racing motif with numbers and stripes, but others had swirls and characters and personal logos. There were splashes of neon, the occasional matte finish, and I spotted at least one car that looked like it was completely plastered with stickers. The designs on every other car were different and had unique twists to them. I love art, and cars were no different; they were just another canvas.

"'Sup Earl, Reiko." Twinkie's voice brought me back to reality and I turned to see who he was talking to. Two people turned towards us and the guy waved in greeting. The girl was holding a laptop in her hand, she seemed extremely focused on whatever she was looking at as she only glanced up at is briefly in acknowledgement. She turned to the guy and they started conversing in Japanese, occasionally gesturing towards the car beside them. "The guy's Earl and the girl's Reiko. They're part of the crew from the garage I mentioned earlier. They're wizards at tuning cars." He then herded me towards them and introduced me before I could. "This is Carlie, she's studying abroad, got me out of a situation with Morimoto earlier this week." I waved at them as he said my name.

"Thanks for helping him out, Twinkie's constantly attracting trouble." Earl nodded at me and I smiled. He had an accent, I wonder if he was from out of country too.

"It's no problem, I'm glad to have helped."

"Yeah, she pepper sprayed the guy and kneed him in the dick. She's a living legend." Twinkie added, swinging his arm around my neck and giving me a side hug. Earl laughed and patted me on the shoulder.

"I already like you." I laughed at Earl's remark and shook my head.

"I panicked, and it just sort of happened, I swear I'm not a violent person!" I didn't want them thinking I was the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later. "So, what are you guys looking at right now?" I gestured towards Reiko and her laptop.

"Oh, that? Funnily enough we're tuning up Morimoto's car. He's racing tonight and just installed some new parts." The blonde guy from the alley? "He wouldn't shut up earlier about some shitty parts so D.K. had Han have us run some tests."

"Man, fuck you! You know that's some bullshit." Twinkie said, releasing me and moving towards the car. "I sold him good parts, he's just too stupid to use what I give him." Earl's laughter was interrupted by some angry shouting. We turned and saw the blonde guy, Morimoto, hastily walking over towards us, pointing at Twinkie and shouting something in Japanese. The panic coursed through my veins and I walked around behind Reiko and Earl, he didn't seem like the most forgiving guy, so I thought it best just to avoid him all together. Twinkie turned to face him and frustration flew across his face in an instant.

"Stop ruining my rep just 'cause you're too dumb to know what to do with what I give you!" Twinkie poked into Morimoto's chest as yelled. The blonde shouted something back in Japanese and pushed Twinkie hard enough to cause him to stumble back a bit.

"I want my money back!" This didn't seem like it was going to end well. He glanced over at Reiko and Earl, his eyes still just barely containing a wildfire. "Is it good to race?" Reiko nodded and flipped the laptop around, showing him some numbers and waves that I didn't entirely understand.

"You should be good to go, whatever happens in the race is on you now, not the car." Reiko shut the laptop and put it down to her side. "Or Twinkie," she added, glancing over at the still fuming kid. Morimoto glanced behind her and his ever-permanent scowl only deepened as he noticed me. His anger picked back up and he walked towards us.

"You keep your nose out of my business," he shouted, getting in my face and pushing one of my shoulders, causing me to stumble back a bit. "Next time you kick me, I'm kicking back. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," he spat, glaring down at me. I was trapped in a staring contest with him. I was absolutely out of my element, but we had maintained eye contact for too long. At this point, it was almost like he was challenging me. I couldn't back down and look away, it would just be a sign of me submitting, letting him walk all over me. So, I narrowed my eyes and maintained my own glare, all the while my brain was telling me that I was being stupid and that I should leave. I guess he figured he made his point because he turned back around towards his car. Don't say anything, just let the situation deescalate its own. My mouth started moving before I could stop it.

"If this is you in a good mood, I'd hate to see you on a bad day. Such a jackass…" I muttered under my breath, turning towards Twinkie and starting to walk away. I heard an angry huff and I felt a hand wrap itself around my arm, an iron grip whipping me around, causing me to stumble. I looked up at him and his wild eyes were dangerously staring down at me. My hand flew up to try to push his own off of my arm but his grip didn't loosen, his knuckles turning white and my skin doubtlessly turning blue.

"What's your problem, Morimoto? This ain't got nothin' to do with her!" Twinkie shouted, rushing forward, Earl and Reiko following a few steps behind him.

"She's my problem, she needs to learn her place and keep her mouth shut." Learn my place? Well that feels a little misogynistic.

"Hey," I protested, twisting my arm and pushing at his hand until he let go. My arm throbbed slightly and I cradled it with my other arm. "Look, I didn't mean to start anything, just relax." I tried to make peace, he already seemed to be toeing the line for murder and the last thing I needed to do was push him over the edge. He simply scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

"Bullshit," he glared and took a step forward before a hand shot out to his shoulder.

"Cool it, Morimoto." A guy with shorter black hair walked around him and glanced between Twinkie, me, and Morimoto. "Don't lose it before the race." He mumbled something in Japanese to Morimoto and the blonde just huffed, glared at Twinkie and I, and walked away. Another guy walked up with longer black hair, popping something into his mouth and glancing between Twinkie and myself. Not even ten minutes into this event and I already almost got into a fight. This is not how I imagined the night would go. I guess I did ask for some excitement in my life, so I can't really complain. However, it's less than exciting waiting for my nerves to calm down and my heartrate to slow. The guy with shorter hair followed the blonde back to his car and Twinkie turned towards me.

"He's crazy, man. You good?" I nodded and rubbed my arm, massaging the sore area.

"He's got a short fuse and one hell of a grip," I muttered. "I guess I got that excitement I was looking for." That is definitely going to be bruised by morning. He stared at me for a second before letting out a single laugh in disbelief.

"You were about to get pulverized, but yeah I guess some people consider that exciting." I laughed along with him before asking him about the guy who so kindly intervened before my inevitable hospitalization.

"The guy with the shorter hair is Takashi, A.K.A D.K. Morimoto rides with him." I nodded at the explanation and glanced over at the pair next to Morimoto's car. The car was a beautiful shade of gold with swirls running along the side of it. I have to hand it to him; he may be an ass, but just like most others here, he has a beautiful car. "And this is Han, he's the guy who runs the garage I mentioned earlier. Han, this is Carlie." I turned around and the guy with the longer hair was right behind us. He nodded in greeting and continued eating from the bag he had in his hand, I provided my own small wave. "She's into graphic design and she hasn't stopped looking at the cars since we got here. I was thinking we could take her to the garage sometime and have her try her hand at designing one of the junk cars." Wow, Twinkie's just jumping right into it then. His eyes never left me as Twinkie talked. His stare was so intense, like he was analyzing every fiber of your being. It was hard maintaining eye contact with him and I broke it off after a few seconds, deciding to look around the garage as he continued to stare.

"Okay." His short reply caught me off guard and I looked back at him, getting caught in his stare again.

"Wait, really? Just like that? I mean I really appreciate it, I don't want to come across as ungrateful or anything. I'm just shocked, I mean you don't know me, what if I mess the design up?" I wish I could control my thoughts before they spew out of my mouth. It always makes me come across as annoying and anxious. Not that I'm not, I just don't want people to perceive me that way. Even now, in my head, I'm rambling. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to compose my thoughts once more. "Thank you." I opened my eyes and saw the amusement in his eyes, the faintest smirk dancing across his lips as he nodded at my thanks. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I need to take advantage of that. His stare finally left me for Twinkie and I felt like a weight was lifted. I took the time to study him while he was no longer focused on me. His hair was longer, but it wasn't shaggy in a bad way, it seemed to suit him.

"The race is starting soon, c'mon." he turned and walked in the direction Morimoto and Takashi went. The revving of engines pulled my attention from the man in front of me and I looked past him, searching for the source of the noise. Two cars had pulled up side by side and the crowds of people cleared out of the way. Morimoto was in his car, in the car next to him sat somebody I didn't know, but they both held their cocky smirks, occasionally revving the engine. Twinkie pulled me along until we stood next to Reiko, Earl, and Han. The bass was still pounding through the garage and people left their music blaring. I guess it only added to the atmosphere. A guy walked in front of the two cars and the crowd started cheering louder before dying down. He simply pointed to his side and I looked to where he was looking. A girl rocking a leather jacket and ripped fishnets smirked and started the countdown.

"Ready." He then pointed to a girl standing on the opposite side.

"Set."

He stared between the cars for a second, letting the suspense build before standing between them.

"Go!"

The smoke from the tires clouded the starting line for a few seconds. Their taillights were all could see through the first few seconds of haze. They were going so fast, how were they planning on racing like that in a garage? Morimoto pulled ahead of the other driver early on and was approaching the tight turn rapidly. I held my breath, awaiting the inevitable crash. But it never happened; Morimoto's car slowed slightly and his car shifted to the side, his tires leaving skid marks on the garage floor. He smoothly rounded the corner and straightened the car, speeding off down the straightaway. I couldn't help the slight gasp that left me as he continued to put distance between the other car and himself. Twinkie laughed and patted me on the back.

"I told you; it ain't nothing like NASCAR." He motioned for me to follow him and he raced off towards the elevators, Reiko and Earl following closely behind. There was a massive crowd waiting to ride the elevators and I saw the doors close behind D.K., his crew, and a girl with wavy black hair. Twinkie found himself crammed into an elevator mostly filled with beautiful women and he looked more than pleased with the situation. Han, Earl, Reiko, and I were left behind with the rest of the crowd trying to make their way up. Eventually, the four of us were crammed into an elevator, the doors barely able to close on everybody. Most of the people in the elevator were shouting about the race, placing bets, or singing along to a song that was playing on the ground floor. Out of all the noise, I heard chewing behind me. I tried shuffling around to get a better view, but only ended up pushing up against them and the people all around me. There was muffled choke and I felt the person behind me shuffle slightly. There was a hot breath against my ear that tickled my neck and made me shiver, flinching away slightly and further shuffling into the people around me.

"You might not want to do that," a voice whispered into my ear, their hand reaching out and holding my hip in place, preventing me from moving further. My face flushed and I stopped moving, the warmth spreading from my cheeks and down my neck. The chewing noises stopped and the person behind me was starting to fidget slightly, like they were restless. I stood still for the remainder of the ride up, the hand never leaving my hip and my blush never fading. My cheeks remained a dusty pink partly from the heat within the elevator, mostly from the unexpected close contact. The elevator slowed and the doors were starting to open when the hand tightened its grip, keeping me from moving forward with the others. The breath was back on my ear and neck and my cheeks flared back up, a knot forming in my gut. "Next time," he breathed into my ear, my stomach doing a sudden flip, "you should wear a few less layers." The hand gave my hip a slight squeeze and then let go. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and we followed the group out of the elevator.

We stepped out onto the top layer of the parking garage and the fresh air helped to calm my blush. Turning around, I saw Han step out of the elevator. His stare unwavering as he brought his hand up to his face, popping something in his mouth once more. The familiar chewing made me realize he was behind me on the elevator and the blush returned in full force. I broke the stare, but not before noticing the smirk on his features. A tug took my attention away from the man in front of me as Twinkie pulled me to the front of the crowd. The race. The incident in the elevator made me forget for a moment. The crowd buzzed in anticipation as we waited. Was Morimoto good enough to maintain the lead he quickly gained at the start? I'd imagine it was difficult to catch up with so few straight areas in this kind of race. The occasional screeches from harsh turns could be heard along with the sound of an accelerating engine. A few seconds later a gold car appeared at the top of the ramp and the crowd started cheering, running towards the victor's car as he slowed to a stop. So, I guess Morimoto's cocky for a reason; he's got a nice car and he wins races. People around us were jumping around, some patting Morimoto on the back as he and D.K. celebrated.

"So, what'd you think? That was your first race in Tokyo. Pretty different, right?" Twinkie looked at me expectantly, raising his arm and gesturing around to the scene in front of us. You could still feel the bass pulsing from several floors below. It mingled with the music from some of the stereos people brought up on the elevator. From the crowds to the cars, it wasn't that bad. It was exciting, and that was exactly what I was looking for. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth.

"I like it, it was exactly the excitement I was looking for. Thanks again, Twinkie. I'd like to keep coming back if you wouldn't mind picking me up." Twinkie nudged my shoulder and grinned, nodding in approval and walking away to join a group of girls celebrating. He seemed like such a ladies' man in the making as he swung his arms around a few of the girls. Glancing around, I fully took in the scene before me. I could get used to this. This semester is shaping up to be pretty memorable.

"You can swing by the garage with Twinkie on Monday." His voice startled me slightly, not enough to get a physical reaction, just enough to make me aware of his presence next to me. I looked over at him, he was observing the crowd, staring at D.K. mostly, and still popping the occasional piece of food in his mouth. I nodded and took that as a sign that he didn't want to talk right now. But when have I ever been right.

"Why'd you do it?" I looked at him curiously, what did he mean?

"Why did I do what?"

"Why'd you help Twinkie, why'd you come here?" Oh.

"He sounded like he was stuck in a bad situation and I felt I needed to help. His shouting was loud enough for me to hear, so it was obviously loud enough for those around me to hear, but none of them did anything. If the roles were reversed, I would want somebody to intervene, not ignore it. If I didn't, I would've been responsible for whatever happened to him after I walked away." Han's attention left the crowd in front of us and turned towards me. "As far as why I came here; I wanted excitement. I'm studying abroad and I've done everything a tourist possibly can. I've seen the museums, I've gone to the landmarks. I want to experience the Tokyo life as a local does."

I turned and walked towards the concrete wall, looking out at the city behind us. The twinkling lights and tall buildings were another reminder that I was miles away from my home. The homesick feeling swelled up and choked my heart for a brief moment before I let it go. I had a feeling this city would become home to me sooner than I expected.

"Well, if it was excitement you needed," his voice was closer to me than it was a second ago and I could feel his presence beside me, "You've come to the right place."

He walked until he was directly in front of me and leaned back against the concrete wall, staring past me at the still celebrating crowd. Even as he leaned against the wall he was taller than me. I turned around to glance at the crowd. I felt his hand settle on my hip and my heart rate shot up for a split second before settling at a slightly elevated level, my stomach fluttering ever so slightly. He tugged me back gently and my back was nearly leaning against his chest. His hand settled over my lower midriff and he lowered his head near my shoulder, his breath once more tickling my ear. A small shiver climbed its way up my back and there was no doubt he felt it. I struggled to decide if I should stay or move; it felt like he was teasing me. Like he knew how my stomach jumped in that elevator. I honestly couldn't remember the last time somebody made me feel this way. It felt good to be held this way, but it was inappropriate and I didn't know him. But he was really attractive… But I don't know him. The conflict within me continued for a moment before I found the willpower to pull away, stepping out of his group and taking a few steps forward. I kept my gaze turned towards the crowd to avoid him seeing the faint rosy tint in my cheeks.

The mass of people had now engulfed the loser's car as he pounded his fist against the steering wheel. He eventually got out and reluctantly tossed his car keys over to Morimoto, who then tossed them to D.K. The cheers eventually died down as the people took the lifts down, going to watch the start of the next race. The music continued to pulse throughout the parking garage and Twinkie started jogging over to where Han and I were, no doubt to collect me and drag me downstairs once more. A smile spread across my face as I met him in the middle and he grabbed my hand, tugging me along in the direction of the elevators. I turned towards Han once more and his mysterious smile and intense stare met me. Between the racing, fighting, and teasing, there was enough excitement to last me years in this parking garage alone. Yeah, I think I could get used to this.