Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"I'm going to spend the summer with my dad," Letty informed him excitedly. "Pretty cool, huh?"
'Holy shit,' he says in his head, feeling completely stunned. She really is leaving. "Yeah," he says robotically without thinking. "That's great," he lies more.
The words coming from his mouth are far from the truth. It wasn't cool or great. In fact, to Dom it freaking stunk. Somehow he finds the strength to refrain from saying what is really on his mind. He truly wants to yell at her for not being more persistent and telling him a lot sooner. He wants to say, 'no, don't go' but, unfortunately he knows that he's in no position to tell her that. He spent practically the whole school year falling out of a great friendship with her. The right to being mad or upset with her because of a vacation for the summer was stripped away because of it.
Letty rocks back and forth on her heels calmly as she waits for Mia. Dom swallows hard and nervously shoves his pockets in his hands. "Look, about what I was saying……I just wanted you to know that I never meant for our friendship to become non-existe--"he continued but was soon cut off my Mia trekking downstairs.
"Sorry I took so long, I had to fix my hair," she apologies to Letty. "You ready to go?"
Letty nods and looks over at Dom. He removes his hands from one of his pockets and waves her off. "It's alright, go ahead. It can wait," he says.
"Alright, see ya later," Letty says and goes to meet Mia outside.
Dom inhales deeply and exhales his breath forcefully from his mouth. It was true that he had not hung around Letty for countless months, but simply knowing she was there was still a comfort. Now, this summer, she really was going to be non-existent and he felt weary about it.
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts the sound of the telephone ringing brings him afloat. He reluctantly pries himself from the living room and goes to answer. It's Suki, wondering where he is.
"Sorry," he tells her through the phone. "My dad kept me for something. I'm heading over to Hector's to get a ride to your house."
"I'll just have my cousin pick you up. I decided I want to see the new horror flick that came out. We can go to the theater by your house," she tells him.
"Okay," he says hastily and hangs up the phone.
Rather than flop down on the sofa and dwell on the situation with Letty, he locks up the house and waits for Suki on the porch. Maybe some fresh air will do him some good and clear his mind. Summer vacation was only three months, and more often than not, it flew by all too quickly. Perhaps he was overreacting. It's not like she was going to be gone for years.
He lightly chuckles to himself for getting so paranoid and acting as though she was going to Hawaii for permanent residence. The more he thought about it, the more he became more comfortable with the idea. She was going to be spending time with her dad – someone she missed irrevocably. He breathes a sigh of relief when he thinks how he fought the urge to bitch her out for letting him be the last to know.
By the time Suki and her cousin pulled up in front of his house the stress and worry that was crawling through his mind wriggled its way back out. He brushed lips with Suki through the rolled down window before sliding in the back seat with her.
They arrived at the movie theater in five minutes and purchased the tickets, along with popcorn and soft drinks. As usual, they climbed the stairs all the way to the top of the stadium seating to acquire the best view. And, just before the lights dim significantly Dom catches a glimpse of Letty and his sister just two rows below him. He smiles at how Letty still get's this goofy, excited expression on her face just before the start of gory horror flicks. And that very expression makes him regret how he treated her throughout the school year. 'What the hell was I think?' he wonders.
Before Suki could accuse him of checking out other girls he adjusts his eyes to the big screen. Within the first fifteen minutes Suki is already clutching to him and covering her eyes at. Suki is not even a fan of horror movies, but Dom assumes she likes to be held and feel protected. But, in this particular instance he doesn't mind. Her eyes are shut tight in his chest, which allows Dom to sporadically avert his eyes to Letty. All her reactions to the movies only make him miss the days when they'd watch them together.
When the movie credits begin to roll Suki and Dom are among the first people to stand and make their way to the exit. To Dom's delight they end up running into Mia and Letty outside.
"I saw you guys clinging to each other through the whole movie," Dom teased as he walked behind them.
Letty turned around and snorted. "Please, if anything that movie was hilarious."
Dom chuckled, only a person like Letty would agree with him. "It was, especially when the chick threw the shotgun at the serial killer instead of shooting him."
"Yeah, that was too funny," Letty says through her laughter. "They need to make more realistic horror movies."
Mia eyeballs them skeptically. "Okay, you two need serious help. That movie was filled with so much gore that I thought I was going to puke. I don't even see how that was close to being funny."
They both look at each other and then back to Mia before shrugging their shoulders in unison.
"Weirdos," Mia laughed awkwardly as she walked toward a payphone. "I'll go phone for our ride home."
Silence ensued as Mia walked away. All three of them were unsure on what to speak about. Before the atmosphere got any more awkward, Letty spoke up.
"So, Suki, how did you like the movie?" she asked, making sure that she did not feel left out.
"It was okay. Definitely a movie I can only watch once," she answered flatly before turning her attention to Dom. "So, I'm hungry."
Dom bites his tongue from lashing out on how rude her demeanor turned toward Letty. He wondered when Suki's possessiveness excelled so much. "Well, you didn't eat any popcorn, so I guess you would be. What do you feel like eating?"
"There's a subway across the street," she pointed.
Dom winced inwardly. He hated that place with a passion. He could never understand why people would spend money on a sandwich that could easily be made at home. He sighed audibly, "Alright."
Before they could begin a gait toward the cross walk Mia trekked back towards them. "Letty, your mom is on the way," she announced to her. "And where are you guys going?" she quickly asked.
"Subway," Dom begrudgingly stated.
Mia's eyes lit up. "Oh, I want to go. I couldn't eat during that movie, so I'm starving. Let's go too, Letty."
"How about we go to Fat Burger, or that Popeyes across from Subway," Letty suggested.
"I've had enough grease for the week," Mia informed her. "I'm going to Subway with or without you guys."
Letty sighed annoyingly. It was no surprise that she felt the exact same as Dom did about that place.
Knowing that neither one of them was going to change the others' mind about their food selection, all four of them made their way to the crosswalk. Inside Dom was smiling. He was glad that his sister spoke up about wanting to join them. It meant a few more minutes with Letty and he'd happily take them. She would be leaving soon and the need to make amends felt like a top priority. He had to admit that being within the same vicinity as Letty felt great again. It was always so carefree and fun.
When they arrived at their destination Mia was the first to enter followed by Suki. Letty was about to follow suit when Dom suddenly closed the door. Suki immediately turned around and gave Dom a quizzical look.
"We'll wait out here," he said to her through the glass doors. Suki briefly pressed her lips together tightly before turning abruptly to join Mia in line. She was trying her best to not become jealous or let her mind wander into dangerous obsessive territory. Dom had made a really big commitment to her by toning his friendship down with Letty. There was no way that he was going to resort back to his old ways, she thought.
Her quick annoyed expression did not go unnoticed by Dom and to his surprise not by Letty either.
"Are you going to get in trouble for this later?" she teased half-heartedly.
"Nah," Dom began as he hopped up on a rail nearby. "Believe it or not, she's actually toned down."
"Could have fooled me," Letty stated honestly as she hopped on the rail beside him.
Her words made the awful guilt he felt earlier return, making his grip on the rail tighten as he mentally beat himself up. "Letty, I never really said everything I needed to say earlier—about our friendship. You were, are, one of the great friends I have and you didn't deserve that kind of treatment I showed you throughout the school year. I was an ass and I just hope that you can forgive me. And, if it's alright with you I'd like if things could go back to normal."
Letty's lips curved up into a small. She knew deep down inside—through all the bull—he was a good guy. "Consider it water under the bridge."
Dom lifted his gaze from the ground he was nervously staring at as he apologized and looked at her in shock. Did she really forgive him that easily? He expected anger, for her to do anything but accept his apology. "Well, I wasn't expecting that."
Letty smirked. "What? Were you expecting a fuck you asshole, and your apology type of response?"
"Well yeah," he answered honestly. "With the way I brushed off our friendship, I was expecting nothing less than that. I guess you really don't hold grudges."
"Nah, not against people who I know are big softies inside," Letty teased playfully.
As the first step to making amends wrapped up Mia and Suki finally emerged from the glass doors. Letty immediately hopped down from the rail and averted her attention to Mia.
"We should go back across the street before my mom shows up and thinks we've been kidnapped." She then turned toward Suki—who was now standing in-between Dom's legs—and waved bye.
"Alright," Mia agreed. "See you guys later," she told her brother and Suki.
Dom desperately wanted to walk back across the street with his sister and Letty. He marveled at how effortlessly easy it was to fall comfortably back into that closeness with her. And, he knew, if he wanted that closeness to return between them, he needed to do so slowly if he wanted to keep Suki as his girlfriend. Despite her jealous, she still possessed certain qualities that Dom found endearing, and was not willing to part with.
"So, what nasty sandwich did you get this time?" He asked before she could question what he talked about with Letty.
"Turkey on wheat, with baby spinach, tomato, and cucumbers," she said sweetly.
Dom crinkled his nose in disgust. "Wow, sounds pretty gross."
She playfully hit his arm. "It's not gross; it's actually tasty and healthy."
"Since when do you care about eating healthy?" he asked. When he had first met her in junior high she didn't mind the occasional cheeseburger or fried chicken.
"Um, hello, I know you've seen the competition at our school. I can't let myself go," she stated adamantly.
Dom shook his head. "You girls and your competitiveness towards each other are funny."
She snorted, "Whatever. I've seen check out other girls."
Rather than argue with her Dom completely ignored her last comment. "Come on, let's go sit down somewhere while we for your cousin to pick us up."
It was comments like that, that could really mess up a good day for them. It only made him want to end their dates early and get far away from her negative vibes. So, while she delicately ate her sandwich both of them remained in annoyed silence. Now all he wanted to do was get home and hang out with Vince, and hopefully Letty as well.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Vince tore a piece of chicken off the drum stick with his teeth as he walked down the sidewalk toward the Toretto house. He had actually spent the night at his own house last night and that only meant one thing: to steal some cash from his mom. She was an alcoholic and it was going to go to waste on booze anyway. So, Vince didn't ever feel guilty about sneaking into her room when she passed out on the sofa. In a small way he felt he was doing her a favor. There would less money for booze, and it was going toward a good cause—food and clothes for her son, Vince thought.
When he finished off the piece of chicken he tossed the bone in the gutter and wiped the grease on his jeans. As he briskly walked up the porch steps he searched his pockets for the spare key Anthony had made him.
"Shit," he breathed out when his pockets felt no metal. Then he remembered he set it down on the kitchen counter inside. He sighed as he knocked and peered through the windows of the house. Empty. Great, he thought. He had no desire to go back to his mother's house so he decided to wait on the porch for someone with a key to open the door.
"Oh well, at least it gives me time to enjoy this," he said to himself as he lifted the lid to his bucket of chicken.
He was halfway through the delicious oil-greased chicken when he saw Letty and Mia exiting Anna's car.
"Hey," he called out to them. They both turned and walked across the street toward him.
"What's going on?" Mia asked.
"I'm locked out. You have a key?" He asked eagerly. The chicken was already starting to get to his stomach.
"Sorry, V. I left mine in my room. Didn't think I'd need it since I'm spending the night at Letty's house," she informed apologetically.
"You can hang out at my house until Anthony comes back," Letty offered. "And don't forget to bring your chicken with you," she added with a grin on her face.
Without any further discussion the trio retreated to Letty's house and headed straight to her room. They occupied their time by flipping through car magazines or playing video games. An elapsed when their ears finally heard the finally engine of Anthony's Chevelle SS.
"Man, I thought your dad was never going to come," Vince expressed as he peeked through the blinds to make certain it was him. "I'll catch you guys later, or tomorrow."
"Later V," Letty and Mia said in unison.
Just as Vince was walking out of the room a thought entered his mind. "Hey," Vince said excitedly. "Do you guys want to come out with me and Hector tonight? To the races?"
Letty and Mia looked at each, and then back at Vince. "Uh, hell yes."
It was just too exciting to not go.
"Sweet. Dom has been slacking, but maybe if he asks Suki nicely he'll be able to come tonight too," He chuckled.
"So, what time should we meet you outside?" Letty asked in a soft voice, taking persuasions just in cast her mom was nearby.
"Same time as always," Vince answered, adjusting the sound of his voice. "Hector was telling me about these news racers that showed up. They got this stuff called NOS and it supposedly makes their cars go faster. I want to see what all the fuss is about."
"Hmm," Letty pondered. The thought of new car enhancements intrigued her immensely and she suddenly couldn't wait for tonight.
"I'll see you guys tonight then," Vince said as he left the room. He quickly trudged downstairs and slide out the front toward.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Dom muttered a brief goodbye to Suki and exited the car without giving her a second glance. The day that had started out so well ended up turning bad the second he declined to spend the night at her house. He absolutely hated when she acted like that. He really didn't understand the source of her possessiveness. They spent all of their time together, so Dom felt little breaks away from each other were necessary, but, as always, Suki saw it differently and unfortunately a sign of something negative in their relationship.
"Hey dad, I'm home," he announced as he closed the front door behind him.
"Alright," his father answered. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."
His frustrated mood suppressed any signs of an appetite, so he trudged upstairs to his room for a nap. As the upstairs hallway came into view Dom's eyes caught sight of Vince.
"What's going on, V?" Dom greeted him.
"Not much, bro. I was just getting ready, for, you know," he informed him with a certain look.
Dom nodded, knowing he was talking about the races. "You know what, I think I'm gonna get ready too."
Vince paused and leaned against the doorjamb to Dom's room. "What? You're actually going with me and Hector? Suki let you?"
Dom shook his head. "I think I need a Suki free night."
Vince snorted, "More like a Suki free week, or month. That girl has a strong hold on you, brother."
"Whatever," he said dismissively. "Let's kill some time," he suggested as he turned on his Nintendo.
"Nah, I'm sick of street fighter, put in Punch out. That's the only one I don't suck at," Vince said as he grabbed the other controller.
Their customary routine ensued on the nights they discretely slipped out of the house, which basically meant kill time until the old man went to bed. After dinner, and a few movies, the loud snoring that crept from Anthony's room was the signal they needed to know they were in the clear. As usual Dom remained downstairs to clean up and lock up all the windows and doors, while Vince went upstairs to his room to turn on the TV. They always left it on in case Anthony woke up in the middle of the night and wondered where exactly they were.
Dom joined Vince in his room five minutes later and immediately locked the door behind him.
"You ready, bro?" Vince asked eagerly. The news about NOS hitting the streets of Los Angeles had him excited for tonight. "I already called Hector and said we'd meet him at the corner in ten minutes."
Dom turned off the lamp beside his bed and walked over to the window. "Let's get going then."
Vince crept out of the window first and Dom followed immediately after, making sure to leave his window partly cracked open. They both silently crawled to the edge of the roof toward one of the tall post attached to the porch, maneuvered their way down to the grass.
"Hey, we gotta sneak over to Letty's house. Her and Mia are coming with us," Vince informed him as they started walking down the street.
Dom nodded as he followed Vince across the street. He was glad that he'd be able to hang out with Letty again, especially around the thing they loved most; cars.
Vince grabbed a few small pebbles from the ground and gently tossed them at Letty's window. Letty instantly pulled her blinds up and opened the window.
"Dude how are we going to get down from the roof?" Letty asked.
Vince and Dom both eyed the roof and its small porch. The posts were too large for them to grip and slide down like they did at Anthony's house.
"Shit, I never noticed how thick those posts were," Vince stressed. "Why don't you guys come through a downstairs window?"
"Nah," Dom interjected quickly. "It's not safe to leave the downstairs windows or doors unlocked. They gotta come from an upstairs one."
He continued looking over the height from the edge of the roof to the ground. It wasn't considerably high and he knew he and Vince would have no trouble hopping down from the roof to the ground, but his sister and Letty would. Then it hit him.
"Hey, Vince, we'll do it like this: hop onto the porch rail and help them down from the edge of the roof," Dom instructed. They both were tall enough to touch the edge of the roof with their finger tips. All Letty and Mia had to do was slowly slide down and ease into their arms.
"Did you guys get that?" Vince asked as he and Dom hopped up onto the rail.
"Yeah," Letty whispered back to him as she and Mia crawl through the window. "I'm coming down first," she added as she slowly started lowering her feet.
Dom instinctively reached for her first and she slid effortless into his embrace. She fit so perfectly in his arms that he couldn't help but smile. He was glad that it was dark enough for his facial expression to be hidden; otherwise she and Vince would have seen the goofy expression displayed on his face. He didn't know what it was, but Letty sporadically brought out the weirdest feelings in him.
"Thanks, Dom," Letty whispered to him as she freed herself and jumped onto the grass.
Next up was Mia and she mimicked Letty's same movements into Vince's arms. When all of their feet touched the ground the wasted no time in meeting Hector and his cousin Phillip around the corner. All four of them piled into the backseat, and because it was so small, one of them needed to sit on someone's lap.
"I got my own seat," Vince yelled first.
"So do I," Dom added.
"Sorry, Letty, but I'm not sitting on my brother's lap. That is just too weird. And, no offense Vince, but you remind me of pigpen from Charlie Brown," Mia announced as she took the middle seat in-between Dom and Vince.
Letty sighed, "Well then I'm sitting on your lap, Mia."
"Nah, uh. My clothes will get wrinkled," she quickly explained.
"Man, hurry up and sit down. I want to get going," Phillip ordered from the driver seat. He was anxious to see how much of an improvement NOS had on cars.
Letty glared at him before flopping down on Dom's lap, who was smirking throughout the whole ride.
Saturday night drag racing was packed as usual. Dom, Hector, Letty, Mia, and Vince blended in with the crew Phillip hung out with and joined in on the conversation. It was no surprise that all the cliques were talking about the racer that was going to debut with his NOS tanks. The consensus about NOS amongst the racers was significantly divided. Some felt it took away from the 'sport', that it was an easy way out to go faster. And that a real, skilled driver didn't need to add enhancements to their vehicles to win. While others simply saw it as the newest and hottest trinket, as if it were the latest tires or rims.
"I bet it's like giving your car steroids," Vince expressed.
Dom and Letty—who were all for going fast by any means necessary—laughed hysterically.
"Seriously, Vince. You're comparing it to steroid juice?" Letty managed to ask through her giggles.
Vince shrugged his shoulders. "Well what else would you compare it to? It's like a runner taking steroids to run faster. They've giving the cars roids." He seemed to be the only one among them that was skeptical about these NOS tanks implanted into the cars.
"Maybe seeing it in action will change your mind," Dom told him as they climbed back in Phillip's car to reach the actual racing destination.
The night's particular bets were drastically different. Everyone was weary to go up against something they had yet to see in action. This was the first head to head race they had in a long time. Even side bets were at a crawl. People merely had an idea about NOS, but were not going to bet any money on or against it until they saw its performance first hand.
As the only two racers of the night lined up the whole crowd's anticipation intensified. Some people were even antsy enough to heckle the guy in charge of the 'go' signal. And when they sped off from the line the crowd wasn't yelling and cheering at the top of their lungs. In fact, it was rather timid. Everyone's eyes were intently focused on the car with the NOS, just waiting for something spectacular to happen.
Halfway through the race, people were on the verge of bad mouthing NOS. The race didn't appear any different than others. The car with NOS tanks wasn't significantly ahead, like they assumed it would be. If anything, it was only ahead by a bumper's length. But as the quarter-mile was quickly coming to a close, the big push they were waiting for manifested as they saw the car surge ahead at lightning speed, with flames shooting out of both mufflers. The entire crowd was awestruck, speechless as their brains tried to fathom what their eyes just witnessed. And, when it did register, everyone erupted in a roar of cheers.
As the racer slide out of his car and collected his money, everyone—no matter what clique they were from—encircled and praised him like he was a king. Dom looked on with intense fascination, and he knew, that's exactly what he wanted. He then shifted his gaze to Vince.
"Now Vince, tell me you wouldn't want any of that 'juice' for your car."
"Eh, I guess it isn't so bad," he confessed. "I mean, if everyone is going to have it, then I guess it would be a fair race."
Dom smirked knowing that Vince too craved the spotlight. But before any more celebration could take place the screaming of, "Cops!" had everyone dispersing from the scene.
Vince and Dom quickly ushered Mia and Letty to Phillip's car and climbed into the back seat.
"Man, did you see how fast that guy's car went when the NOS kicked in?" Hector asked excitedly from the passenger seat.
"Yeah, it was amazing," Letty agreed, remembering the flames that came out from the muffler.
The latest events they witnessed at the races had them so enthralled throughout the ride home. Growing up could not happen soon enough. They wanted their own cars, to be the fastest to ever do it, to be envied by their peers, to compete with other racers as they pleased, and to win. They craved that excitement, that adrenaline, and popularity. It was already becoming ingrained in their minds to be regulars of race scene.
By the time Phillip dropped them off on their block, they were all too excited to separate just yet. So, Vince and Dom took a gamble and accompanied Mia to Letty's room through the roof. If Anthony did discover they were gone, it was better to be caught a few houses down than with illegal street racers.
"It has to be ignited by a button of some sort," Letty inquired. She, Vince, and Dom wanted to learn everything possible about NOS, how it was assembled into a car, and how to use it while driving.
"I think so too," Dom agreed and then started laughing, "A timer to release the NOS just doesn't make sense."
Vince scowled and threw a pillow at Dom's face. "Hey, it's not an impossible theory."
Letty chuckled, "Vince, I doubt it comes with a timer that you can set to release the NOS. It's not a bomb."
Vince snorted. "Whatever. Knowitalls."
They remained awake for the next few hours, talking about the cars they wanted, where they'd place the NOS, who they would challenge, and how much money they'd make. They talked cars until their brains forced them to sleep.
Dom's eyes fluttered open as the first light of the day began peeking through the blinds. He lifted his head and peered around the room and remembered he was at Letty's house. Fuck, he mentally cursed himself as he got to his feet. At some point during the night he and Vince passed out on Letty's floor. He knew that he and Vince needed to get home quick before his dad woke up.
"Vince," he whispered and tapped his shoulder.
His only response was an annoyed grunt.
Dom sighed and hissed, "Vince!"
Another grunt and this time he rolled over on his side.
Dom shook his head and finally decided to shove Vince with the tip of his shoe that sent him flopping over on his face.
Vince's eyes quickly snapped open and sat up defensively. When his eyes focused and recognized Dom he breathed a sigh of relief. "Bro, what the hell are you doing to me?" he questioned sleepily.
Dom ignored his question. "Come on, we gotta get the hell outta here and go back home before my dad kicks our asses. Hurry up," he instructed as he climbed out of Letty's window.
They both silently padded across the roof and discretely hung from the ledge before maneuvering themselves down to the ground.
When it was time to climb yet another roof Vince waved his hand dismissively at Dom. "Ah, fuck this. I'm too tired to climb another roof. I'll wait for you by the front door."
Dom didn't bother arguing with him and climbed into his window as quick as he could. While in his room, he kicked off his shoes and swapped his jeans for basketball shorts just in case he bumped into his dad in the hallway, or on the stairs. He cracked his door open and strained his ears to hear any signs of his father. He was relieved when he heard the shower running in his room and hastily trekked downstairs to let Vince inside.
He mumbled a thank you to Dom before slipping his shoes off and collapsing back into a comatose state on the couch.
As Dom navigated his way back to his room he began reflecting on the night's events. It felt refreshing to not having Suki glued to his hip or analyze his every move around the opposite sex. It felt even better to hang out with the original core of friends—especially with Letty. He was really lucky—and thankful—that she had been so forgiving. It made him think twice about ever doing anything wrong to her again. He was simply happy that they were reconnecting their way back to best friends. As his head touched his pillow, it made him sad to know that she was leaving in a little less than a month. So, as his eyelids finally closed he knew that he wanted to make the best of the short time he had left with her.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Three weeks and six days manifested and disappeared all too quickly for Dom. Slowly but surely, he and Letty started falling back into their old best-friend routine—and to Dom's surprise—Suki didn't make a big fuss about it like she had done in the past. He assumed it was because of what he 'proved' to her throughout the school year. He hoped it wasn't because she knew that Letty was leaving soon and wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. But, whatever it was, he wasn't complaining at the moment. He only wished it could have been like this from the beginning.
Letty was leaving the next day, so it was only fitting that her mother, Anthony, and her best friends threw her a going away party. There were mounds of food, great music, and loads of sugary drinks to keep everyone up for days. There was no drama, no tears, just an overall blissful mood—at least until the party began to wind down.
"You know, I'll be expecting a party like this when I get back," Letty said as she licked her fingers clean of barbecue sauce.
"If there's as much food as there was tonight, then I say yes," Vince concurred as he tossed his kernelless corn into the trash.
Anthony chuckled and teased, "Sure, as long as the kids clean up the mess."
"Speaking of cleaning, we should start doing that," Anna interrupted and eyed Letty. "You have an early flight tomorrow."
Letty merely nodded and gathered her paper plate to dump it in the trash. Everyone else followed suit and the backyard was cleaned up within twenty minutes.
"I'm gonna head over to the house and make sure you have everything you need in your suitcases. Say your goodbyes and head straight home," Anna informed her daughter before turning to Anthony. "And you kind sir, thank you for everything. You've always treated Letty so well."
"You're welcome. And it's really nothing. Letty's a good kid," he said, winking at her.
When Anna left and Anthony disappeared into the kitchen to store leftovers, Dom, Vince, and Mia began saying their goodbyes.
It took less than a minute for Mia's eyes to prick with tears. "So, I said I wasn't going to cry, but you know me," her voice shaky from trying to fight back her tears. "It's not like you're not coming back, but………I'm so gonna miss you, girl," she sputtered out and engulfed Letty into a huge.
Letty smiled at Mia's sensitivity. "Don't worry. I'll call……a lot," she reassured her. "And there's no way that I'm not gonna miss you, Mia."
After a few moments, Mia finally pulled away. "You better, or else," she threatened.
"It's only three months, Mia. Relax," Vince interrupted, and playfully pushed Mia to the side so he could hug Letty. He tried to lighten the mood by mimicking Mia's sobs, which gained a few chuckles. "But, seriously, we'll miss you Letty," he confessed. "Oh, and you remember the right cross I showed you, right?"
Letty giggled, "Yeah, man. I remember."
"Good, because I don't have that kind of money to fly all the way to Hawaii and kick some guy's ass," he reminded her. "So, I'll see you soon, Let."
"Alright, V."
When it was Dom's turn, Mia and Vince decided they needed their goodbye by themselves, so they retreated to the kitchen to help Anthony with the leftovers.
Letty and Dom simply shook their heads at their shenanigans.
"These four weeks went by fast, huh?" Dom asked as he took a seat on the table.
"Yeah," Letty agreed as she sat next o him. "But, I'm glad it did, I'm excited to see my dad, and I guess Hawaii too."
Dom nodded mechanically. He wished he could agree with her, but couldn't. "Hey, if you happen to catch a glimpse of what racing is like over there, be sure to take notes and share them with us when you come back."
She smiled, "I will." Then something hit her. She never told Dom what her dad had gotten her. "Oh, Dom, I completely forgot to tell you. My dad got me a used car; the Nissan I wanted."
"You're kidding me?" he asked, completely stunned. "I'm actually a little jealous."
"Yeah, he said he was going to show me how to drive and everything," she explained enthusiastically. "That's another reason why I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow."
Now, suddenly, he couldn't blame her wanting to leave. If he had a car waiting for him—one that he wanted so badly—he'd be just as excited. "That's great, Letty. And, now you're on step closing to racing," he informed her. "Now the rest of us need to catch up."
"Letty, your mom called. I think you know what she said," Anthony yelled from the kitchen.
Dom looked over at her and offered a crooked smile. "Well, I guess I better say bye then." He instantly wrapped one arm around her tiny frame and pulled her close. "I'll miss you, Letty. And," he paused, cleared his throat before continuing, "I'd be lying if I said I hope these three months fly by."
Letty smiled and teased, "Don't worry, softie. I'll make Mia pass the phone to you too when I call."
Dom laughed, "Well shit, that's the last time I tell you anything serious."
They both rose from the table and planted their feet on the ground, Dom's arm still protectively wrapped around her.
"Well, I'll see you Letty, and try not get into too much trouble," he said before planting a soft, gently kiss on her temple. And, he didn't know why, but he let his lips linger a little long against her skin.
Before Letty allowed her mind to over-analyze the situation, she detached herself from Dom's hold. She was not about to have those overly friendly feelings again. The last time she had she just ended up being disappointed.
"Bye, Dom," she whispered, before walking away.
The next morning, Dom was reluctant to get out of bed. For the first time ever, he didn't jet from the house on the first day of summer and go look for mischief with his best-friends. He laid there in bed for a few minutes, trying to think of ways to prepare his mind for the next three months. Just when he had reconnected with Letty, proof, she was gone again. Only this time there was nothing he could do about it, but wait.
When he did wrestle the sheets off his body, he lazily sauntered over to his window, and peered down the street toward Letty's house. The curtains were closed and the car was gone, she was gone. She was probably on a plane flying across the ocean right now.
You're capable of keeping your mind occupied, he mentally told himself, as he pried himself away from the treated her like she hardly existed for months, so three months without Letty should be a breeze.
Before showering, he grabbed a red marker from his dresser and blotted a tiny dot on the day's date.
The rest of the day he kept himself preoccupied with Vince, Hector, and other friends from school. They caught a flick, went to the arcade, and even went to the beach for a swim. But, by the time the day was over, Dom found he kept sporadically hovering near the phone, waiting for it to ring. He had to admit, that when Letty wasn't on the other end of the phone, he went to bed a little disappointed.
The next day, and the few that followed, he, Vince, and Hector managed to get a little routine going. He also made sure to make time for Suki and whatever she felt like doing. And while all of it kept his mind busy, it was never really quite satisfying. Their outings and fun didn't quite feel complete with one of their crucial friends missing in action. But, the highlight of the week came when Letty called toward the weekend. She spoke to everyone briefly, reiterating each time of how great the scenery was, how the people were so friendly, and how her car needed some major wrench time. The only parts of the conversation he disliked were when she had to hang up.
What served as even more of a distraction was that late night racing that extended before—and sometimes beyond—the weekend. However, being in that atmosphere triggered the thought of Letty the most. He wondered what she would think of certain cars and racers, or if she would laugh at some of the newcomers just as he did. His mind would wonder if she was begging her dad for the racer modifications.
With his distractions and sporadic calls throughout the months, Letty's lack of presence of became easier.
And he wasn't sure why, but he kept doing the same thing every morning since she left: blotting a little red dot on each day.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Dom woke from his peaceful slumber and automatically walked over to his calendar to make a mark on the day's date. After two months, it was becoming a customary ritual to do in the morning, as if it were the same as showering or brushing his teeth. He simply had to do it.
As he began picking out the clothes he was going to wear he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said.
To his surprise, it was Suki. She immediately ran to and threw her arms around his neck. "God, I missed you," she purred into his ear. "One week felt like an eternity, right?"
Dom squeezed back, "Yeah. But was a week with your dad really that bad?"
She pulled away, "Uh, yeah. You weren't there."
Dom merely chuckled, "Well, let me shower and get dressed so we can go get into some trouble."
He quickly brushed his lips with hers and before making his way into the bathroom.
Suki plopped onto his bed and flipped through one of his car magazines to keep herself occupied. But, after about five minutes, she gave up on reading and starting looking around the room for something else. As she continued to scan the room her eyes fell onto the calendar. She immediately narrowed her eyes as she noticed little blotches of red. Her heart nearly melted at what she saw. It was the first week of August—the same days that she was gone—that had been marked as if he was counting down the days for her return.
She quickly walked over to the calendar and ran her fingers along the small dots. "He did miss me," she whispered giddily to herself.
As she retracted her hand away from it the calendar suddenly fell to the floor, with the page turning back to the previous month.
Suki's eyes didn't catch it at first, but as she bent to pick it up she saw them, little red dots throughout the previous month. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she flipped the page backward again to see when the dots first began.
The date that they began on infuriated her beyond belief.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who continually reviews each chapter, despite the few-and-far-between-updates. They really are the fuel that keeps the fic alive, so, they're definitely appreciated.