Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake
Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 2
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Twelve years earlier:
Alyssa had moved into the Toretto's house when she was fourteen. They were all going to the same high school, and she had become fast friends with Letty Ortiz because Alyssa was in her advanced English class even though Letty was a year older than her. Alyssa loved to read because it helped distract her from most of the time she spent alone in her apartment. She and Letty had gotten paired for an assignment and Letty had insisted that they do it at the Toretto's she could get to know everyone better.
Alyssa had agreed reluctantly, mostly because Letty was quite pushy. They ended up in the Toretto's kitchen with Mia, writing an outline for their oral report on Jane Austen – an author which Alyssa loved and Letty had hated. Mia, a year younger than Alyssa, was actually quite helpful with the subject, and by some stretch of the imagination, also wasn't intimidated by Letty. Of course, her older brother was Dominic Toretto – enough said. After a couple hours of plotting, Alyssa was more than capable of holding her own against Letty herself, and her own argumentative side came out as she began debating pros and cons with the older girl.
"Well, that's not something you see every day", Dom had said from the opened back door, startling them.
Letty had just rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring him while Mia had waved a hand, making an insignificant attempt to 'shoo' him away, and saying, "Get out!" Alyssa took her cue from Letty and stared at the book in front of her. This was what she had been afraid of. She had no idea how to act around the male species. She had an older half-brother from her father's first marriage, but he was seven years older than her, and he lived with his mother two hours away, so she really only saw him every month or so. So, obviously that was no help to her whatsoever.
Dominic Toretto ignored his younger sister and made his way to the fridge, asking, "Who's the new girl? 'Cause I gotta say, anyone who can get Letty to do homework, should be around more often."
Letty's head snapped up, "Watch it, Toretto", she demanded.
He just laughed, taking a drink of a soda. "Oh, c'mon, this is like a bigfoot sighting", he teased. "Where's a camera when I need one?"
"Oh, I don't know", Letty said, "But if I find one, I'll shove it up your ass", she finished sweetly. Alyssa snickered.
"What are you guys working on?" he asked coming over to the table.
"An oral report on Jane Austen", Alyssa answered not thinking. She had been trying to keep the attention off of herself, and she barely resisted slapping a hand over her mouth in horror. Letty just groaned, not seeming to notice the impending doom that Alyssa felt.
Dom had quirked a side grin at her, seeming to read her expression correctly – this was beyond humiliating. "Are you going to tell me your name now?" he prodded humorously.
"Oh, give me a break", she muttered, obviously unhappy with his tone, "It's not like it's a huge secret." She stood up slowly, bracing herself, "Alyssa Connelly", she said calmly.
"Dominic Toretto", he said, copying her tone.
She raised an eyebrow, "I know", she replied, sliding carefully back onto her chair and picking her pencil back up pointedly.
"I have to go start dinner", Mia said getting up from the table. "Alyssa, will you stay for dinner?" she asked hopefully.
She looked up at the younger girl wide-eyed, "Oh, I don't-"
"You should", Dom said cutting her off, "You got Letty to crack a book for the first time this semester – over Jane Austen no less. Dad's gonna want to meet you", he laughed.
"Dominic Toretto", Letty threatened, "you are in so much trouble", she said, standing up defensively.
Alyssa stood up quickly, tilting her head teasingly towards Dom, "Do you do that often? Because that could be a potential problem…" she trailed off innocently, leaning her hip against the table.
He raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"
"Exaggerate", she answered neatly while leaning over to close her notebook. She heard Mia let out a laugh of surprise.
Dom had leaned over her playfully, "You'd better watch who you talk to like that around here, sweetheart."
Her lips trembled with laughter. Is this what she had been missing out on for her whole life? She purposefully crossed her eyes at him momentarily, "I'm not scared of you", she said honestly, quite surprised to find that she really wasn't.
He laughed, "Just a friendly warning", he explained. He shook his head, "You're staying for dinner", he said deciding for her.
"Will your parents care?" Mia called from the kitchen. "You can call them."
Alyssa pursed her lips, she shook her head finally, "They won't care", she said, "They aren't even home."
Mia squealed, "I'll get you out a plate!"
Letty laughed lightly, "I think you just made her day", she said beginning to clean off the table for dinner. Alyssa grabbed her things and slid them into her backpack that was on the floor leaning against the chair. "We can finish this tomorrow", Letty said.
Alyssa nodded, "Where should I put my bag so it's not in the way?" she asked. Letty quirked a brow at her. "Oh, stop looking at me like I just jumped off the crazy train. I know how to be polite", she stated exasperatedly.
Letty laughed, picking up her bag, "I'll put it in the corner. You'll fit in here just fine", she called over her shoulder as she walked down the hall.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Alyssa grumbled, forgetting she wasn't alone.
"You just got the Letty-stamp of approval", Dom said amusedly from behind her.
She whirled around nervously to face him, "I'm still confused", she admitted.
"Letty doesn't always play nice with strangers", he explained. "She likes you even after she had to do homework, and that says a lot. Mia is easy; she likes almost anyone."
She nodded slowly, "And you?" she wondered curiously.
He gave her a long look, and she forced herself not to look away. She had a feeling he was testing her for her earlier skittishness. "I'm more of a wait and see kind of person", he said finally.
She smiled softly, "And in the meantime?"
"I usually have fairly good instincts", he admitted, "So I tend to give the people that seem trustworthy the benefit of the doubt until they screw it up."
Now Alyssa grinned, "Oh, I see; you're a secret pessimist."
He grimaced, "And here I thought I was hiding it so well. You know, it takes one to know one", he said seriously.
Her smile dropped, "Yeah, it does." She walked past him, planning to help Mia in the kitchen when he called her again.
"I hope you realize you still have to get past my dad… and Vince", he added after a moment.
Damn, she thought. She had forgotten that Vince lived with them. She didn't know him, but his dangerous appearance scared her slightly. To her he resembled Wolverine from X-Men. She tossed a sarcastic look over her shoulder, "Thanks so much for that", she complained. His laughed followed her as she went into the kitchen.
An hour or so later, Mr. Toretto arrived with Vince behind him. He was a large muscular man with black hair that was grayed around the edges that made him look slightly intimidating. Alyssa watched as he hugged his daughter, swinging her around gently making Mia laugh.
Alyssa looked up to see Vince watching her carefully, "Hey, Mia", he questioned, "Who'd you bring home?"
"Dad, this is Alyssa", Mia said as he put her down. "She has an English project to work on with Letty. I invited her to stay for dinner, alright?"
"Sure, girly. You're the one cooking dinner tonight, anyway", he said with a chuckle. He approached her and held out a hand for her to take. "Hi, I'm Mr. Toretto", he said with a smile.
"Hello, Sir", she said shaking his hand.
He raised an eyebrow, "Ooh, this one has manners", he laughed jokingly.
"Don't get her started on her manners, Mr. T", Letty said teasingly, coming into the kitchen.
Alyssa laughed lightly, "What happened? Did it just hit you that we spent two and a half hours working on a project?"
"Watch it, girly", Letty mock-glared, "I can take you down."
Alyssa tossed her hair, "Ooh, I'm scared of you", she said with a giggle.
"What did I hear about you doing homework, Miss Ortiz?" Mr. Toretto questioned in disbelief.
"Didn't you hear, Dad", Dom said from where he was leaning against a wall, "Apparently that girl's a miracle worker of sorts."
Letty managed to elbow him in the ribs, "You should be nice", she hissed.
"Letty, there's no violence in my kitchen", Mr. Toretto reminded dryly.
"Sorry, Mr. T.", she said.
"Wow", Vince finally spoke, "if someone can finally get the book-hater over there to do actual schoolwork, we might have to keep that girl."
Alyssa finally raised an eyebrow in his direction, "Oh, I'm sure it can't be that unheard of", she said calmly.
Vince answered her question, "Letty hasn't done any actual homework since sixth grade."
"How did you pass?" Alyssa asked Letty in disbelief.
Letty rolled her eyes, "I guess I just do better on tests."
"You're my new idol", Alyssa said seriously. Anything else that may have been said was cut off by her shriek as she was picked up off of the ground and spun in a circle.
"Ok, Mr. T.", she heard Vince's rough voice in her left ear – which explained who had been spinning her, "I say we keep the ankle-biter."
"I think I'm a little offended by that nickname", Alyssa mumbled, not at all forcefully.
"Vince, put her down", Dom said sternly, but she could see the tilt of his lips from the corner of her eye. "And as for keeping her", he continued, "She's staying for dinner."
She was dropped gently to the floor and buried a grin when Dom winked at her. Apparently he had been playing her earlier – or else she had just tamed a Wolverine. She wondered if she would get a chance to ask. But Letty was grinning at her, although she looked somewhat shocked, and she took it as a good sign. "Dinner's ready", Mia called and there was a stampede to the dining room table.
Letty hooked an arm through hers and pulled her into a seat next to her, "You are so gonna have to tell me how you managed that, chica", she whispered in her ear as they all began digging into the lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.
Dinner was a fun affair. There was a lot of laughing and chatter, something Alyssa wasn't used to, and so she stayed mostly quiet, just taking it all in. They let the boys clean the kitchen, and they all eventually ended up in the living room. Finally, reluctantly, she looked to Letty and Mia, "I have to go", she explained, getting up from her spot on the couch.
"How are you getting home?" Mr. Toretto asked as he stood up from his recliner. "It's getting dark", he said, gesturing out the window.
Alyssa smiled lightly, "I was going to take the bus", she replied. "It comes around eight."
He squinted at her, "Where do you live?"
"At the apartment building on Fourth Street", she said matter-of-factly.
"That's about twenty minutes from here", he said giving her a stern look. She just nodded. "Won't your parents be upset with you riding the bus at night?"
Alyssa grimaced, "No, they wouldn't", she said. She wasn't used to people asking her about what she was doing, and she found it odd.
"Dominic can drive you home", he said decisively.
Her eyes widened slightly as she shook her head in shock, "Oh, no, Mr. Toretto", she protested, "That's not-"
"It will ease my peace of mind", he said firmly, interrupting her. "And you can call me 'Mr. T.'", he said, "I expect to see you around, Miss Alyssa."
She had to smile, "You will. Thanks for having me", Alyssa turned to everyone else who had been watching the ping-pong match, all the while knowing who would win. Mr. T. was a force to be reckoned with. "Letty, I'll see you in class tomorrow; Mia, thanks for dinner", she said with a grin.
Letty tossed her a half-grin, "Later, girl."
"I'll walk you guys to the door", Mia said getting up.
Alyssa looked around quickly to see Dom behind her with her book bag in tow. She gave him a quick smile and reached for her bag only to have him hold it up and out of her reach. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, "That's not fair", she complained. He smirked at her and stared down at her until she let out a huff of annoyance, "Fine", she conceded grumpily.
He laughed, "Be back later", he said to everyone else with her following behind him.
She turned around feeling braver than she had earlier, "Hey, Vince", she called. He raised an interested eyebrow at her. "Nice meeting you", she said with a grin.
His look matched hers, "Later, Ankle-biter", he laughed. She rolled her eyes but laughed as she followed Dom and Mia to the door, pretending not to notice that they were snickering.
When she got into the front seat of Dom's car, she still didn't get her bag back; instead it was tossed into the backseat, which she didn't mind. They drove for a few minutes in silence, and she was moderately surprised that he was such a good driver. Not really though, seeing as his father was the go-to guy when it had anything to do with cars. It did take her a few minutes before she asked what she had been wondering. She cleared her throat lightly, "So were you just screwing with me earlier?" she asked, "Or was today what people would consider a fluke accident?"
He turned his head to glance at her momentarily, "What do you mean?"
"Vince", she said in exasperation. "Do I need to be worried about him trying to bite me or something tomorrow, or what? Because, I would really prefer the warning."
He laughed, "Well, I don't know exactly how he feels about biting", he started, "But, no, I wasn't really messing with you earlier. Vince is a lot like Letty when it comes to new people – probably worse."
Alyssa groaned, "Well, that's great", she muttered sarcastically. "Letty can be scary."
Dom snorted, "No shit."
She snickered. "You didn't exactly answer my question", she pointed out.
"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where all that came from. Are you sure you don't have magical powers, or something?" he teased.
She rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure", she monotoned indulgently.
"Good to know", he answered dryly. "You're probably lethal to the male species, in any case."
She gave him an incredulous look, "Excuse me? I do hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds."
"You're like a lion tamer or something", he continued. "Whatever you did to chill Vince out seriously worked."
Alyssa sighed, "Alright, let me rephrase this: I have no experience with the male species whatsoever. Interacting with them is absolutely terrifying to me, so I'm fairly certain whatever threw Vince off his rocker was completely circumstantial", she finished, slightly embarrassed.
"Well, then, I guess I'm flattered", he drawled, "Or maybe insulted."
She tilted her face back away from the window to peer over at him in the dark car, "What do you mean?" she wondered in confusion.
"Well, either I'm your fluke accident, or you clearly don't realize that I'm a guy", he said.
She bit the tip of her tongue as she tried not to grin, "You're right in front of me", she said confidently, "Trust me, I noticed."
"Okay, what was that shit?" he complained. "For someone who claims to be afraid of guys, you are an awful flirt."
She pouted momentarily, "First of all, I didn't say I was afraid-"
"No, if I remember correctly, you said 'terrified'", he pointed out.
"And secondly, what do you mean by 'awful'? Does that mean good or bad in your book?" she questioned.
He gave her another side-glance, "I wasn't complaining", he said finally. She smirked. "Ok, where am I going?" he asked after a moment.
She let out a quiet laugh, "Turn left at the next light", she answered as she settled back against the comfortable seat cushion. He pulled into the parking lot for her apartment building a few minutes later and parked the car before turning it off. "What are you doing?" she questioned suspiciously.
"I'm walking you in", he said. "And don't even try arguing about it; you won't win this one either." He reached around to grab her bag and she tried to ignore his chest brushing against her shoulder.
"At least give me my bag then", she said convincingly.
He rolled his eyes, "Uh-uh, I don't think so. I can see the wheels turning in your head", he said getting out of the car, "The bag is my bargaining chip."
She followed him around the front of the car, sauntering closer to him, "Exactly what do you think you're going to need to bargain for?" she questioned in a quiet voice. He just held the bag out of her reach again. She growled incoherently and stalked towards the walkway leading to the door, ignoring the fact that he was laughing at her again. She whirled around to face him, still walking backwards up the walkway, "And for the love of carbs, stop reading my mind! It's annoying, and frankly, it's quite disconcerting."
He jogged to catch up with her, and pulled her out of the way of the aluminum trash bin, keeping her under his arm as they walked through the door. He stopped them just inside to point at her sternly, "No more walking backwards", he said seriously. She just laughed and tugged him towards the elevator and hit the up arrow.
She hit the button for the fourth floor and leaned against the rail to stare up at him, "You really don't have to come up", she said.
He gives her an odd look, "Are your parents home?"
She laughed derisively, "Are they here? Absolutely not." The elevator pinged, and the doors opened.
"You're evading the question", he said pointedly as he followed her down the hall.
She stopped in front of a door and leaned against the wall next to it, "Can I have my bag now so I can dig the key out?" she asked. "I won't lock you out, I promise", she said with a quiet laugh.
"And you'll answer my question?" he asks, although it sounded more like a statement.
She rolled her eyes, "Yes", she said honestly. He hands her the bag.
She digs through it for a minute until she finds her keychain. She unlocks the door and steps in, flipping the light switch on the wall to light up the kitchen. Alyssa let him step in behind her and shut and locked the door before sliding her tennis shoes off and throwing them into the closet near the door. She makes her way quietly to the fridge and peers inside. "Want a soda?" she asks taking two off a shelf. She slides his across the counter for him without waiting for an answer.
He follows her to the living room where there is a soft red couch, a coffee table and a small television setting on what looks like a dresser. A red blinking light catches her eye and she walks over to the shelf with a phone and answering machine setting on it. She can see Dom behind her, watching her with a raised eyebrow. She was glaring at an answering machine. She groaned, "Just a sec", she mutters as she hits the button to play the message.
"Hey, Ali-cat", a deep voice plays through the speakers. "Just wanted to make sure you're still alive. I haven't spoken with Dad in about a month, so I just wanted to check in. Call me back tonight, alright? Bye." She hit the save button and ran a hand through her hair.
"Who was that?" Dom asked her.
She turned around reluctantly, "John", she said, "My brother."
He raised an eyebrow, "He doesn't live around here", he said, making it a statement, not a question.
Alyssa shook her head, "No, he lives in Washington with his fiancée Rachel. He's my half brother; my dad was married to his mother Anne for four years. John is seven years older than me, so we aren't very close, but he calls every few weeks to check on me", she finished with a sigh. "Let me call him back real quick and get it over with. It will only take a minute." He nodded and she picked up the phone before moving to sit on the arm of the couch, motioning for him to have a seat.
She dials the familiar number slowly, deliberately, and it rings three times before it gets picked up. "Hi, Rachel", she says when she hears her soon-to-be sister-in-law's energetic voice answer the phone. "Can I talk to John for a minute?"
When her brother comes to the phone she stands up and begins pacing the room. They have the same conversation every time he calls. He wants to make sure she's alright, that's she's not skipping school – which, of course, she's not. She doesn't understand why he doesn't remember that she like to spend as little time alone as possible.
"How long has it been since they called you?" he asks finally with a sigh. The answer to that question is always different.
"Two months", she says after a moment. She marks it on the calendar.
"They're still sending you money?" he makes sure. That's not as offensive as it could be; she figures that they wouldn't even do it if they couldn't set up the automatic withdrawal.
She rolls her eyes, "Yes", she answers.
"Look, I'm completely aware that they are assholes", John started, "But I don't get why you didn't just go with them. It's not like they were ever home anyway."
"Well, they didn't really ask my opinion about it to begin with", she retorted bitingly. "Of course they lied to you. What parent would willingly admit that they moved to a different country and left their kid alone?" She could feel Dom staring at her.
Her brother sighed, and she could practically hear him scrubbing a hand over his face, "I'm sorry", he said, "I should have known. So, besides the fact that everything sucks, are you alright?"
She chuckled, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"If anything changes, I want you to call me", he said seriously. "When you come up next month, I'll sign for you to get a cell phone. I don't like the idea of not being able to get ahold of you."
She sighed, "How'd you turn into such a worry-wart?" she teased.
"You try having you as a little sister when we have such an idiot for a father", he countered.
She laughed, "I'm sure that would be impossible. I'll talk to you next week", she said finally.
Alyssa hangs up the phone, putting it back on the charger and grimaces when she turns to see Dom still staring at her, shock and disbelief crossing his faces and she groans. He stands up to cross the small living room and stops in front of her. "Where are your parents?" he asks seriously.
She crosses her arms defensively, "In Europe somewhere", she answers quietly, "England I think."
He studied her seriously, "They aren't coming back, are they?"
"No", she said finally, "They're not."
"Why don't you live with your brother?" he wondered.
"We haven't spent time together for real since I was five", Alyssa said running a hand through her hair, "And my dad would never admit to failing with another kid."
"I'm sorry", Dom said quietly.
Alyssa gave a wry smile, "Well, like my brother said, it's not like they were home often before anyway. It just means that I learned to take care of myself quickly." She cleared her throat after a moment. "Hold on a minute", she said lightly, "I can't stand this outfit for another second." He gave her a slightly alarmed look and she laughed, "That wasn't a line", she said honestly.
He shrugged, "I'll take your word for it", he said dryly and she disappeared into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Dom went back to sit on the couch and wait for her to come back. He turned the television on and surfed channels for a few minutes until he heard a loud shriek followed by expletives he was surprised to hear, "Mother-fucking son-of-a-bitch!"
He got up and opened the door to the bedroom without knocking, looking around cautiously, only to find it empty. He walked farther into the room warily, noticing light coming under another door. Dom walked around the unmade bed, taking note of the double-sized bed with a turquoise and black comforter that matched the turquoise sheets, and approximately six giant pillows. He got to the door, taking a glance at the messy opened closet across from it, and knocked before opening it partially, not waiting for a response. "What are you doing?" he asked incredulously.
"Madre de Dios!" she hissed, "You scared the crap outta me. Don't move", she commanded. She had changed into a dark pink tank top and black shorts, but now she was crouched on top of the bathroom counter, leaning forward slightly with an upside-down Dixie cup dangling from her hand, aiming it towards the floor.
Dom peered further around the door to see the tiled floor. He started laughing when he saw what she was aiming the cup at and pushed the door opened so he could get in. Without much thought, he squashed the offending cockroach with the heel of his shoe. "Eww", he heard. Her voice was closer to his ear from her position on the counter than it would have been if she were standing on the floor.
He chuckled. "I'm assuming that I didn't just kill a pet", he said, gesturing to the cup in her hand with amusement even as he took off his shoe to smack it against the garbage can hard enough to dislodge the squished bug and put the shoe back on.
Alyssa rolled her eyes, "No, that was not a welcome guest." She stood up from her crouched position and began to walk the length of the sink, carefully avoiding the items on the counter. Instead, she was grabbed around the waist, and Dom set her on the floor. "My hero", she drawled with a laugh. "Thank you", she said seriously. "I hate bugs in general – but those fuckers hiss, and that freaks me the hell out", she explained, brushing stray hairs out of her face. "Which is why after I catch them, I drown them and put them down the garbage disposal", she finished darkly.
He raised an eyebrow, "Well, that's sadistic", he said. "Aren't you a little young to have such a potty-mouth?" he teased.
She laughed, "I'm almost fifteen; so, no, I don't think so."
"When's your birthday?" he asked amusedly.
"January fourth", she said blandly as she slid past him and went back into the living room to sit on the couch. "What about you?"
"My birthday?" Dom asked with a laugh taking a seat next to her.
"Mhm", she hummed, "When is it?"
"March twenty-third", he answered. "Where'd you learn Spanish?" he asked after a moment.
She quirked her head sideways to look at him, "What do you mean?"
"You don't even know you did it, do you?" he chuckled. "You yelled at me in Spanish when I scared you in the bathroom", he explained.
Alyssa scrunched her eyebrows thoughtfully and shrugged, "My parents hired a 'nanny' of sorts to stay with me in the evenings and mornings until I was twelve. She spent three years as a foreign exchange student in Mexico. Her name was Anna. She was only twenty-four when they hired her. She started teaching me to speak Spanish almost immediately – I was seven at the time. By the time I actually had to take the class in sixth grade, I was almost fluent. I guess now I do it sometimes without thinking about it."
Dom stroked his chin, "I see", he said in a deep voice.
Alyssa let out a peal of laughter, "You are so not the Godfather."
"You've seen those movies?" Dom asked in surprise.
She got up and went to the dresser that the television was sitting on and opened a drawer. A few seconds later she held up all of the Godfather DVDs. "Guilty pleasure", she said.
He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned even farther back against the cushions looking at her intently, "Why's that?"
She quirked a grin, putting the movies back and taking her seat again. "When I was younger, my brother would come to the house for a weekend maybe once a month – he was living with his mother a few hours away. Our dad, at least, made it a point to be home on those weekends. Dad bought them for John's birthday when he turned eleven, and he loved them so much that he would bring them with him every time we came over and we would spend a whole Saturday watching them. It was one of the few times that we spent time together without Dad getting interrupted by work. John bought me the movies two years ago for Christmas. I probably watch them once a month, even now. I haven't decided if it makes me miss those times more or less."
"Maybe it's a little bit of both", Dom suggested.
Alyssa gave a soft laugh and nodded, "Probably", she admitted. "Every three or four months though, John, Rachel, and I get on the phone and watch them together – if I haven't been at their house to watch them for a while. That is something that ends up being quite fun."
"How often do you go see them?" he asked.
She shrugged, "Once every month or two, it just depends on our schedules."
"You don't like being alone, do you?" he asked. But it was more of a statement, and she had a feeling he did that a lot.
"No, I hate it", she admitted, "But I'm used to it." She glanced towards the kitchen, "Not that I'm trying to kick you out or anything", she said reluctantly, "but it's getting late. And I have an hour or so of algebra homework to muddle through – if I don't kill myself in the process", she said with a grimace.
"Math hater?" he asked with a laugh.
"I hate it because I suck at it", she grumbled. "That shit is just annoying."
"Algebra Two?" he asked knowingly.
"Yes", she groaned.
He stood up, "If you need help let me know", he said with a grin.
She made a face, "Oh, no", she complained, "Are you a math genius?"
"Nah", he chuckled, "But I'm probably better than you."
"That's not saying much", Alyssa admitted standing up next to him. "God, why are you so tall?" she asked exasperatedly looking up.
He ruffled her hair, "Because I'm awesome", he said nonchalantly.
She laughed, swatting his hand away, "And you clearly have a conceited streak a mile long."
"Yeah, maybe", he admitted. "But me and my conceited streak can still help you with your math."
"Maybe I'll take you up on that", she said. "But not tonight. Something tells me that your dad will be wondering where you are."
He groaned, "Yeah, probably", he said with a stretch. "Got a piece of paper?" he asked abruptly.
She nodded and went to the kitchen and opened a drawer. "Here", she said handing him a piece of paper and a pen.
He wrote quickly and handed it back to her, "It's our house number", he explained.
She studied it intently, "Surprisingly neat hand-writing", she said under her breath.
"Call if you need anything", he said seriously.
She fought to keep the amusement off her face, "Don't tell me you're a worry-wart too", she chided.
"You're lucky I'm not hauling your tiny ass back to my house right now", he admitted.
She quirked an eyebrow, "You've been looking at my ass?" she asked teasingly.
"No", he said defensively. "And you completely missed the point."
She laughed, "Yeah, I'm just good like that."
He scrubbed his hands over his face in annoyance, "I have the feeling that this is the start of an odd relationship."
"If you can handle me", she said. "I can be difficult."
He smirked at her, "I noticed", he said wryly.
She looked up at him seriously, "So, did I pass your test?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I didn't notice", she reprimanded.
"Sorry", he said unrepentantly.
"No you're not", she returned dryly.
He sighed, "No, I'm not", he agreed. "I'm just a little-"
"Over-protective?" she supplied.
He chuckled, "Well, that's a nice way of putting it. Letty and Mia usually call me something along the lines of 'over-bearing asshole'."
"I can see that", Alyssa said with a grin. "You didn't answer my question", she pointed out.
He took on a serious face, "Once you're in you can't get out, you know."
She grinned, "Do I need to sign a contract?"
"I'll let you know tomorrow night", Dom said. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're staying for dinner; I'll drive you home."
"You don't have to do that", she protested. He gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes. "Fine", she conceded.
He laughed, "Don't even act like you're upset about it."
"Jerk", she grumbled light-heartedly as he headed towards the door.
"See you tomorrow, Alyssa", he said teasingly.
"Dominic", she returned, opening the door for him to step out. He gave her a chin-up gesture and she shut and locked the door behind him. "What the hell just happened?" she wondered aloud.
Alyssa went to the fridge to get a water bottle before dragging her book bag out of the corner and down the hall to her room. She pulled out her math book and notebook and got comfortable on her bed, settling in for a night of studying.
--
She went to the Toretto's with Letty after school again the next day; it was much like the previous night. Although it was the guy's turn to cook, so they ordered pizza. Mr. T. just shook his head saying, "I'm pretty sure that's cheating", and dinner went on much like it had the night before.
"Did you girls finish your project?" Mr. T. asked as he pulled out a carton of Rocky Road ice cream out of the freezer.
Letty groaned, "Yes, but I don't know why", she complained glaring at Alyssa. "It's not due until Friday."
Alyssa laughed, "Sorry, Letty, but I have dance class on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to finish it by yourself."
Mia giggled as she set out bowls and spoons, "That would have been interesting."
"Oh, hush, Mia", Letty said with a glower. "I hate Jane Austen."
"We know", Vince said exasperatedly.
Dom chuckled, "Now you don't have to procrastinate."
Alyssa laughed, "I'm the champion procrastinator, I believe. I usually wait until the exact last second to start homework. I just don't have time for extra projects when I dance three days a week, so I have to do them when I get them."
"You dance?" Mia asked interestedly.
"Jazz and hip-hop", Alyssa explained. "Hip-hop shoes are the bomb", she continued.
"You take dance class for the shoes?" Vince asked incredulously.
She laughed and shook her head, "Uh-uh", Alyssa refuted, "I dance because it reduces stress, it's good exercise, and it gets me out of the house."
She saw Dom giving her an odd look and gave his shin a sharp kick under the table. "Ouch!" he complained glaring at her. She just rolled her eyes. "That was only two", he said suddenly.
She raised an eyebrow, "That was only two what?" she asked.
"You said you dance three days a week and you said Wednesday and Thursday", he finished.
She eyed him momentarily, "And Saturday mornings from nine to eleven-thirty", she explained slowly.
Letty groaned, "You're a morning person? Get out", she teased as she got up and helped Mia pass out bowls of ice cream.
Alyssa laughed, "No, I'm not, actually. If morning started at eleven I would be ecstatic, but I don't sleep much anyway, so I figured I might as well have something to do. I can sleep when I'm dead – or old – whichever comes first", she explained lightly.
Mr. T. chuckled from the other side of the kitchen, "That's an interesting motto."
Alyssa shrugged and stuck her spoon into the pile of ice cream and taking a small bite, "It works for me I guess."
--
Two weeks later, she was just leaving her Saturday morning dance class to head back to her apartment when a familiar car pulled into the parking lot. She walked over to Dom's car and he rolled the passenger window down. She raised her eyebrows at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Get in", he said. Alyssa rolled her eyes but got in, tossing her bag to the floor near her feet.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she questioned. When he didn't answer her for over a minute she finally prodded, "Dom", she complained exasperatedly watching his profile.
His jaw muscle twitched, "Dad knows", he said finally.
"What-" she started to ask for clarification, but then she realized what he meant. She glowered at him angrily, "Toretto, I'm going to kill you", she said furiously.