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Chapter Three

Dinner was quieter than I believe it's ever been between the three of us. Usually when Leigh wasn't around, we talked up a storm. We didn't now because of the argument between Mari and I. DJ didn't know what was going on, but he was too afraid to ask about it. He wanted to keep his head tonight.

"Mari." I said quietly. She ignored me and continued to poke a meatball around her plate as if she were bored out of her mind. "Mari!" I said louder. She looked up and then back down to the meatball.

"What's up?" DJ asked looking at me. I shrugged and I noticed Mari grit her teeth. I bit my lip and was half tempted to blurt Mari out to her brother. I knew he'd force her to give up a name and he'd try and kick that guy's ass. No matter how much bigger or smaller he was than him. He'd always been really protective over his little sister, just like my older brother was for me.

"Your sister is pregnant." I blurted out. Before I realized I said it, it was out. I looked down at the table and DJ looked at Mari.

"Mom!" Mari screamed at me. "I can't believe you!" I looked up and glared across the table at her, she glared back. She was pissed, but she was just pissing me off more by glaring back. "I'm leaving." She started to get up but I hit the table with the palm of my hand and she sat back down.

"I'll leave." I got up and walked out of the kitchen. I walked into the living room and stood against the couch for a minute. I looked out the little crescent window in the door and it was dark and obviously wet outside. I grabbed a jacket and my keys and walked out the door.

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"Are you really pregnant?" DJ asked his sister, who was two years younger than him. "Tell me who."

"DJ, don't worry about it." She tried. He shook his head and looked at her. His eyes were dark and she could tell he was very upset.

"Mari, you're my little sister, I love you. You better still be with this guy unless you want me to kick his ass. Who is he?" He questioned. She shook her head and he sighed. "Mari, tell me who it is."

"No." She said roughly. He nodded and licked his lips nervously.

"I'll just ask mom."

"Like she knows. I didn't tell her either. The only person that knows who the father of my baby is me. He doesn't even know I'm pregnant."

"Do you plan on telling him?"

"Nope." She said standing up. He nodded and sat there.

"Mari, tell me who he is."

"No." She picked up the plate that had spaghetti left on it and slammed it into DJ's face. He jumped back and stood quickly with his fists clenched. DJ would never hit his sister and he didn't plan on starting tonight. She leaned against the back door and watched him wipe the spaghetti and sauce off of his face. She turned and wet down a rag and tossed it to him.

"Thank you." He said quietly and used it to wipe his face off. He tossed it into the sink when he was done and looked at his sister.

"Sorry. You pissed me off." She said with her arms crossed in front of her. He nodded and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him for a big hug, which she'd needed.

"I know him, don't I?" Mari gave a little nodded and squeezed DJ. "Is it Sam's brother?" Mari gave another little nod and he squeezed her tighter. "I knew it."

"How'd you know it?"

"Because whenever he was around you'd act funny around him. It was obvious. I'm surprised mom doesn't know."

"Mom's blind." DJ nodded a little and Mari sighed loudly.

"You okay?" Mari nodded and bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Pressuring you just now."

"No worries. You know now, don't you?" He nodded and she nodded back. He stepped away from her and she stepped away from the door. "We should get this all cleaned up before mom gets back."

"Yep." He said walking over and picking up the plates. He emptied the contents into the trash and put them in the sink where Mari was running water to wash them with.

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I walked across the grassy field. It was dark and wet from the rain that had fallen earlier tonight. I took a seat on a swing and pushed my feet against the ground a little. My butt was no longer dry after my jeans soaked up the water on the swing. The park was quiet and very empty but I wouldn't have expected it any other way. But I heard sobbing from a picnic table on the other side of the basketball court. There was a teenager sitting there with her head down, crying. I stood up and started over toward her.

"Hello?" I asked so I didn't scare her when I walked closer. She sat up and looked at me. "Are you okay?"

"Who are you?" She questioned wiping her eyes with her knuckles. I walked over and sat next to her with my back to the table. She turned a little and looked at me. "Who are you?" She repeated.

"I'm Letty Ramirez." I said. "Who are you?"

"Lorynn Toretto." She said quietly. I nodded a little then the name registered.

"Toretto?" She nodded a little and I smiled. "So, what are you doing out here after dark by yourself." She looked at me like I was a serial killer. "I'm not going to hurt you. I have two kids about your age."

"Oh. What are their names?"

"You know my daughter." I said. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Mari Ramirez." She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Oh yeah, I know her." I chuckled the way she said it. "She doesn't like me. Do you know why?"

"I have a pretty good idea." She nodded. "You shouldn't really be out here all alone especially in the dark. It's not the best neighborhood." She nodded and looked at the table. I leaned back and put my elbows on it.

"My dad's drunk. I went out with my boyfriend, he just wanted to have sex so he dropped me here since I didn't want to give it up." I nodded and sighed. "What are you doing here? After all, it isn't the best neighborhood." She mocked lightly.

"I'm much older than you."

"Yeah, I know. So?"

"You seem like a good person. There's only one possible reason why I can see Mari not liking you."

"Why?"

"Because your last name." She gave me a funny name. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this stuff. Your… dad probably wouldn't like you to know about me."

"My dad's last name is James. My step dad's last name is Toretto." I nodded a little and smiled a bit. So he didn't have other kids? "I call Dom my dad because he's the only one I've ever known to be my dad. He's a sweetie."

"He can be."

"You know him?" I nodded a little. "Really, how?"

"Where do you live?"

"A few blocks over."

"How about I walk you home. I'd hate for something to happen to my daughters enemy." She laughed and nodded a little. We both stood up and she laughed a little harder. "Okay it wasn't that funny." She nodded and stopped laughing but kept the smile on her face. As soon as we made it to the edge of the park, a car pulled up and Lorynn stopped when the passenger's side window went down.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her. "You're supposed to be at your dad's house." He scolded a little. "Who's that?" He asked pointing to me.

"She was looking out for me. She was about to walk me home." He nodded and looked at me. I was happy he didn't recognize me, or did he and was just being stupid? "What are you doing out here?"

"I was just going to the store and saw you walking across the park." She nodded and looked at me.

"I don't want to stay with my read dad. I want to stay with you, not him. He's a drunk and I don't like him." He nodded and looked at me nervously.

"Are you a cop?" He asked. I looked at him and shook my head. "Who are you?" I shrugged and he sighed. "Do you know her?"

"Not before tonight." He nodded and looked at the teen. "She seemed like a sweet kid, she was just sitting there alone and I decided I should keep her company and maybe give her somebody to talk to if she needed. I didn't mean her any harm." He nodded.

"I knew that. If you meant her harm you wouldn't be standing here talking to me through my car window. Why don't you get in, I can give you a ride home." I looked up the street toward my house.

"I just live up the street. I'll be okay to walk." Lorynn was getting into the backseat and I leaned into the passenger's side window.

"Go ahead and get in. I won't kill you." I nodded and bit my lip.

"I know you won't kill me. I just don't mind walking."

"I insist. Let me give you a ride home. It's the least I can do." I nodded and he opened the car door. I got in and pulled the door closed. He looked at me and smiled. He hadn't changed much. His head was still shaved, his eyes were still chocolate brown, but they seemed softer now. He pulled away from the curb and I pointed him in the direction of my house. It was literally just up the street. He stopped in front of the house and I looked at him.

"Um. Thanks for the ride." He nodded and smiled. I started to get out but stopped and looked at him. "Can you wait minute while I run inside, I want to give you something."

"You don't have to give me anything. It was just a ride. To say thanks for looking after my girl."

"No, there's something I want to give you." He nodded.

"I'll wait." I nodded and smiled. I walked toward the house and the door opened.

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"Mom…" Mari was standing there with a glass of water in her hand.

"Mari." I said to her quietly. "Where's that photo album with you and your brother and sister growing up in it?"

"Upstairs." She said slowly.

"Get it." She nodded went up the stairs. She came back down with a medium sized photo album under her arm. She handed it to me when she got to the bottom of the stairs. "Thanks."

"What do you need it for?" She asked. I shrugged and turned toward the door. I jumped when there was a man standing there. Mari backed away and almost knocked over the end table.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to see how the baby was doing." His eyes looked down at my stomach. I sighed and pushed him out of my way as I walked back to the car. I crouched down so I was looking in the driver's side. I handed him the photo album and he looked at me.

"Look at it." He nodded and kept looking at me. "Now." He looked down at it and opened it. He flipped through a couple of pages and then looked up at me.

"Letty?" He questioned. I nodded a little and he looked past me to the guy who was now standing behind me.

"Let, baby." He said putting an arm around my waist and squeezing my tummy gently. I turned toward him and he kissed me softly. I tried to push him away but he wouldn't let me go. He'd been drinking and I could smell it strong on his breath.

"Let go." I said quietly, not wanting there to end up being a fight tonight. "Now." I said through gritted teeth a little louder. I looked over his shoulder and Mari and DJ were standing there with their arms crossed. DJ looked very pissed and I raised an eyebrow at him. I heard a car door close and I turned to see him standing behind me. "Fuck." I said under my breath.

"Hey!" DJ yelled to the guy who was wrapped around me. He looked over at DJ and I sighed a little. I was stuck with looking at the guy from the car and he smiled a little at me. "What are you doing to my mom?" He glared at me and looked down.

"Who are you?" He asked over to him. DJ was running across the yard to be by my side. Car guy looked at his arms, which were wrapped around me.

"Get out of my sight before I kick your ass." I said with my teeth clenched tightly. He looked across the yard to Mari and then nodded. He walked away, hopefully for good. Mari was sitting on the lawn near the porch but she couldn't get up, she didn't want to. Lorynn was already out of the car and on her way up to her.

"Who are you?" DJ asked the guy behind me.

"Dominic Toretto." DJ raised an eyebrow and nodded a little. They shook hands. "And you are?"

"Dominic Ramirez. DJ."

"Your son." I added in. They both looked at me and then at each other in disbelief. As if they needed me to tell them, they looked exactly alike.

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"Here, let me help you up." Lorynn said reaching a hand down to Mari.

"I'm okay." Mari said rudely trying to stand on her own.

"I don't want trouble. I want to be your friend and I know you've made it clear that you don't wanna be mine but I don't see why we have to be enemies." Mari finally took her hand and Lorynn helped her stand. "So?"

"Fine."

"Fine?" Lorynn asked.

"We can be friends." Mari said simply.

"Damn, if I knew I could have done this a long time ago, I would have. I'd rather be a friend with you than fighting with you. I need to be in school."

"So do I." Mari said. Lorynn nodded and smiled a little. Mari looked across the yard to her mom and her dad, who she hadn't seen in almost ten years.

"How old are you?" Lorynn asked just to make conversation.

"Fifteen." Mari replied. "I'll be sixteen in two weeks."

"I'm sixteen."

"Wanna help me do something I've wanted to do since I was five?" Lorynn looked at her and shrugged a little.

"Why not?" Mari nodded and bit her bottom lip and looked across the yard to her parents. "What?"

"I want my parents back together." She said pointing. Lorynn nodded and smiled at her.

"Okay. I'll help. But you know that means we could be sisters."

"So? Your pretty cool."

"I'll help." They shook hands and smiled at each other.

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Yay. Dom's back… but will he be staying? Lorynn and Mari are friends… for now. Dani's coming back in the next chapter and trust me… you'll probably not see it coming. Woo. But it's just a bit of an idea I got from reading a story somebody wrote a LONG time ago. I love that story and I've read it a million times. I'll read it again too. But anyway… let me know what you thought. Good or bad. I'm open for anything and I do take suggestions.