A/N: Thanks to SweetCherryLove- I'm happy to see that someone is actually reading the story and above all enjoying it. Love yah hun!
Chapter 12: Thinking
Letty threw the wrench on the floor, crying victory against the car in front of her. "That's what Jesse? The third car I've finished today?" She asked, a shit eating grin on her face.
Jesse scowled and continued typing away at his computer, mumbling something about Letty being a show off underneath his breath. She walked over to Mia and Alex who were talking over a magazine.
"How does it feel to be working in a garage again?" Mia asked as the girl made her way over to them. "It feels great chica. Poor Leon stuck at that post office, shipping and unloading shit," she said, shaking her head softly.
"Well he wanted a break from fast cars and the fast life," Mia said. "The only one that didn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary was Jesse. God that kid is my fucking idol," Letty said. Alex nodded along with Letty and glanced at the kid. "That's why out of all of us, he's going to make something out of himself. Just you wait and see," Alex said.
The three girls nodded in unison and stared at Jesse, who felt the three set of eyes boring holes into him. "WHAT!" He yelled loudly, throwing his hands in the air.
The girls giggled, enjoying his frustration.
--
It was four in the afternoon, when Dom got out of bed, wondering where the hell Letty was with his food. A couple of minutes later, it all came back to him. The fight. Her leaving. Days passing by. Alone.
As he walked to the bathroom, the thought of food made his stomach churn- last night's drunken rage not agreeing with him. Dom ran to the bathroom garbage can, willing himself not to throw up, when something caught his eye at the bottom of the can.
A pregnancy test.
--
Leon wiped the sweat off his face after placing the last box in the shipping truck. As he went to close the truck's door, a hand reached up and helped him. "Glad to see you found your way up this morning," Leon said, recognizing the hand.
Vince chuckled to himself and sighed. "The old Mia's back. She was vacuuming in my room and wouldn't turn it off. Her ultimatum was either get up or die," he said, locking the door.
The two friends sat on the rail of the back of the truck quietly. "Is this it for us? Loading trucks and sticking stamps on shit to make ends meet in a shit hole town where no one knows us?" Leon said, popping a toothpick into his mouth.
"Not if I have my way brother. This is a fresh beginning for us without having to worry about anything," Vince replied. Leon looked at him, cocking an eyebrow. "Spill it," he said, knowing Vince was up to something.
"I'm still working out the kinks and shit, but I want to open up my own garage and I so happen to know someone who has a for sale sign on theirs," he said. "Alex?" Vince nodded. "Mia told me about it and I want in, Le," he said.
Leon saw the determination in his friend's eyes and patted him on the back. "God help those who say no to you."
--
Lex glanced up as Jesse entered the garage's small makeshift office. She was currently looking through some papers on her desk and went back to them quickly. "What's up?" She asked as he headed to the mini-fridge for a drink.
"Nada, just tired," he replied, sitting on the chair next to her. "Maybe you should take a day or two off. You're over-working yourself considering your physical status a couple of months ago," she said. When she received no answer, she knew Jesse wasn't listening to her.
She glanced up at him and found him reading off of a paper on her desk. "You're selling the garage?" He asked, jumping up from the chair and picking the paper up. She could see he was clearly upset and understood why. His life had come tumbling down in a few hours and just when things were starting to get back to normal- she was fucking it up.
"You're abandoning me too?" He asked, a tear slipping down his face.
Letty looked up from the car she was working on, alarmed at the commotion that was going on. Lex held her hand up, motioning to her that it was all under control before closing the office's door.
"Jesse, I would never abandon you. You are like the little brother I never had and I would rather die than see you hurt," she said.
"So what's this?" He asked, throwing the paper at her. Lex ignored him and walked over to a filing cabinet, pulling it open and retrieving a rolled up piece of paper.
"Take a look at this," Lex said, unrolling the paper to reveal blueprints and handing them to him. "It's a small, broken down hotel not far from here. I plan to open up the rooms to fit cars and open the second floor to make lifts, doubling the amount of cars we can have in the garage. Maybe a small spray booth in the back," she said.
Jesse stared at he blueprints, his eyes growing wide by the second. "With the spare rooms maybe a storage area for parts and an office or entertainment area for the crew," he mumbled, ideas already turning in his head.
"You missed one room," she said, pointing to a room in a far corer. Jesse lit up as he realized what it was- a room specially built for him.
"What's this Alex?" He asked, jumping up ad down. "It's a room I plan to equip for you with a new computer and software for your designs," she said.
Jesse jumped up, throwing his arms around her. Alex smiled happy at the thought of doing something good for once.
--
As they sat down to dinner, Mia noticed how much her family had changed. As the plates of food were passed around, she pictured everything as it should have been.
They would be sitting out back in the yard. Dom at the head of the table, his girls at his side. Leon would be to the side, chewing on a toothpick and Jesse itching to get to the food. Vince would come stomping from inside the house, an arm full of beer and a mouth full of curses.
He would hand them out, Jesse would grab at the food and say grace after a quick reprimand from Dom. The team would eat and catch up, then follow that with a movie- something usually action filled or violence stuffed. The testosterone outnumbered the ovaries in the house. Mia would always lose the vote.
Jesse and Leon would head off to the video store, leaving Vince and Letty to challenge each other in Need for Speed. Mia would read a magazine or book on the couch, while Dom would sit back and take in the view of his family.
How times have changed, Mia thought to herself, everything coming back into focus. The house was cramped, everyone was bitchy and Dom was M.I.A.. She knew her brother had to deal with life, but he didn't have to outcast his family and hole himself up in a hotel room.
She glanced at Leon, Letty, Vince and Jesse, who had given up everything in an instant. She admired their love for their makeshift family and knew that if things took a turn for the worse they would have each other's backs- with or without Dom. She knew that if and when things got tough, she wouldn't give up on any of them because they were her one and only family.