Ch.4 That night, the reunited team was found sprawled out in the living
room watching a movie. Vince was hungry.where was the popcorn? He spotted
it in Brian's lap.
"Hey dude! Gimmie the popcorn."
"Go make your own!" Brian loved to get a raise out of Vince.
"Boy, I will kick your ass!"
"Yeah, ok."
That was the last straw! Laughing, Vince attacked Brian, sending the bowl of popcorn across the room and the guys wrestling on the floor.
"Aw, come on guys!" Letty yelled, her and Mia started hitting them with pillows. It was just like old times.
Leon yelled over Vince and Brian to Dom, "Yo, you wanna head out to the streets? A bunch of people are goin, ya know, Hector and the guys.?"
Letty glanced up at Dom, she gave him the "you-better-not-if-you-know- what's-good-for-you" glance. Dom didn't want to look like a sissy in front of the guys, but also wanted to make Letty happy.
"Come on, Let. What if I don't race and just watch?"
Letty stared at him in disbelief. After what seemed like eternity, she sighed and reluctantly said yes. ~~~* The team all hopped in their Hondas and started pulling out. Letty was the last one out. She had forgotten what it felt like. The power around her, the NOS just hissing to be hit. Turbo speed. They all pulled out onto the highway for a joyride. Letty pulled ahead of Mia who was first in front of her. Next was Brian. Time to kick ass. She hit her turbo booster and sped out in front of the pack. Vince whooped and rolled down his window letting the hip-hop sounds blare out. Letty was slowing down now, she pulled back behind Vince, letting him lead the way to the race spot. ~~~* The team rode into the alley with their engines roaring. Dom coolly stepped out. Every tramp and slut stared him down. Letty slammed the door shut and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him.
She leaned up to his ear, "No skank will get you this time. Come on, time to holla at Hector."
She grabbed his ass and made her way to the rest of the team.
They were all standing around Hector. Letty and Dom squeezed in between everyone.
Hector was in shock, "Hey, man! You staying for good?"
"Naw, we're only visitin."
"Well, you racin then?"
Dom stood there debating his answer, "Naw, not tonight."
Hector sighed and climbed onto a platform. "Hey! Yo, people!"
The crowd silenced and the engines all shut off, "Guess who's here?...Dominic Toretto!"
The whole crowd burst into applause, Dom was a legend.
Hector held up his hand to silence the crowd again, "But a tragedy has happened.he's not racing!"
Again, the crowd burst out, but in anger this time. Questions were thrown back and forth between everyone, which made Dom want to sulk back to the car and get the hell outta there.
"Even though Dominic isn't racing, we're still gonna make the best of it! Let's pull out!"
Hector jumped down and climbed into his car. All around, engines revved. Dom and the team ran to their cars, and everyone was out of there, making their way to the ΒΌ mile stretch. ~~~* All the cars lined the street as two people at each end of the stretch crossed the street spray painting the start and finish lines.
"You ready for this?" Leon asked Vince.
"Yea, just nervous."
"$1000 is a lot to be putting down."
"Pay up, V."
Hector came up behind them. Vince laid down the money and slid down into his car, driving up to the starting line. Three other cars drove up beside him, they all leaned over and looked at Vince through their windows.
"Piece of cake." Vince muttered to himself.
Mia was on the sidelines and grabbed a green flag. She walked out in front , between the two middle cars. Her hair blowing in the wind, Vince couldn't keep his eyes off her, even after all these years. She held up the flag and glanced at each one of the cars, each of them revving their engines. Car cat calls. The anticipation was killing Vince, when was Mia- AND THE FLAG WAS DOWN! Every car slid into first gear, speeding past Mia and down the stretch. Second gear, Vince hit his first turbo. He pulled ahead of two cars, one to go. Third gear, he was pulling into first. He was there, the finish line was all that was between him and his money. And then, his whole life flashed before his eyes when the car he just passed hit their turbo and won the race.
"Damnit! Shit!" Vince slammed on the brakes as he crossed the finish line and continued to beat and curse at the steering wheel. He stormed out of the car, slammed the door, and walked to the winner's car as they were getting out. Vince stopped dead in his tracks. Damn! It was Letty! She turned around enjoying her applause and looked Vince dead in the eyes.
She took off her sunglasses saying, "I don't know why you didn't set your second booster off," one of Hector's buddies slapped the money into Letty's outstretched hand and she began to count it, "you were right there."
Vince stood there shocked. "But don't worry, your money's safe. $1000 is a lot to lose," she waved Vince's money in the air, "had it been someone else, you would've been died.but you're lucky tonight, here."
Letty sidled over next to him and set his $1000 in his hand. "Use it to your advantage." And Letty walked away.
The crowd parted to let Letty through as she finished counting her money but she ran into someone. It was Dom.shit.
"What the hell, Let? Why are you racing?"
Letty looked up at him with soft, doe-full eyes, "I'm sorry, babe. Speed got the best of me."
"Yea? I'm over here suffering with anticipation to race, but no, I decide to make you happy and then you go off and decide to race yourself!"
"I'm sorry, I--" Dom held up his hand, it was such crap, why would she do that?
Letty sighed, she was truly sorry, but she also knew that if she hadn't filled the spot, someone else would've and if Vince raced the way he just did, he would've lost all his money.
"Hey!" Letty turned and saw Leon on the hood of a car, "Let's get outta here! We got cops!"
He jumped down and ran into his car, starting it up. Everyone dispersed into their own car and drove like bat outta hell to get out of there. Next thing they knew, the place was swarming with cops. Dom and the team barely made it out of there and headed on home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey dude! Gimmie the popcorn."
"Go make your own!" Brian loved to get a raise out of Vince.
"Boy, I will kick your ass!"
"Yeah, ok."
That was the last straw! Laughing, Vince attacked Brian, sending the bowl of popcorn across the room and the guys wrestling on the floor.
"Aw, come on guys!" Letty yelled, her and Mia started hitting them with pillows. It was just like old times.
Leon yelled over Vince and Brian to Dom, "Yo, you wanna head out to the streets? A bunch of people are goin, ya know, Hector and the guys.?"
Letty glanced up at Dom, she gave him the "you-better-not-if-you-know- what's-good-for-you" glance. Dom didn't want to look like a sissy in front of the guys, but also wanted to make Letty happy.
"Come on, Let. What if I don't race and just watch?"
Letty stared at him in disbelief. After what seemed like eternity, she sighed and reluctantly said yes. ~~~* The team all hopped in their Hondas and started pulling out. Letty was the last one out. She had forgotten what it felt like. The power around her, the NOS just hissing to be hit. Turbo speed. They all pulled out onto the highway for a joyride. Letty pulled ahead of Mia who was first in front of her. Next was Brian. Time to kick ass. She hit her turbo booster and sped out in front of the pack. Vince whooped and rolled down his window letting the hip-hop sounds blare out. Letty was slowing down now, she pulled back behind Vince, letting him lead the way to the race spot. ~~~* The team rode into the alley with their engines roaring. Dom coolly stepped out. Every tramp and slut stared him down. Letty slammed the door shut and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him.
She leaned up to his ear, "No skank will get you this time. Come on, time to holla at Hector."
She grabbed his ass and made her way to the rest of the team.
They were all standing around Hector. Letty and Dom squeezed in between everyone.
Hector was in shock, "Hey, man! You staying for good?"
"Naw, we're only visitin."
"Well, you racin then?"
Dom stood there debating his answer, "Naw, not tonight."
Hector sighed and climbed onto a platform. "Hey! Yo, people!"
The crowd silenced and the engines all shut off, "Guess who's here?...Dominic Toretto!"
The whole crowd burst into applause, Dom was a legend.
Hector held up his hand to silence the crowd again, "But a tragedy has happened.he's not racing!"
Again, the crowd burst out, but in anger this time. Questions were thrown back and forth between everyone, which made Dom want to sulk back to the car and get the hell outta there.
"Even though Dominic isn't racing, we're still gonna make the best of it! Let's pull out!"
Hector jumped down and climbed into his car. All around, engines revved. Dom and the team ran to their cars, and everyone was out of there, making their way to the ΒΌ mile stretch. ~~~* All the cars lined the street as two people at each end of the stretch crossed the street spray painting the start and finish lines.
"You ready for this?" Leon asked Vince.
"Yea, just nervous."
"$1000 is a lot to be putting down."
"Pay up, V."
Hector came up behind them. Vince laid down the money and slid down into his car, driving up to the starting line. Three other cars drove up beside him, they all leaned over and looked at Vince through their windows.
"Piece of cake." Vince muttered to himself.
Mia was on the sidelines and grabbed a green flag. She walked out in front , between the two middle cars. Her hair blowing in the wind, Vince couldn't keep his eyes off her, even after all these years. She held up the flag and glanced at each one of the cars, each of them revving their engines. Car cat calls. The anticipation was killing Vince, when was Mia- AND THE FLAG WAS DOWN! Every car slid into first gear, speeding past Mia and down the stretch. Second gear, Vince hit his first turbo. He pulled ahead of two cars, one to go. Third gear, he was pulling into first. He was there, the finish line was all that was between him and his money. And then, his whole life flashed before his eyes when the car he just passed hit their turbo and won the race.
"Damnit! Shit!" Vince slammed on the brakes as he crossed the finish line and continued to beat and curse at the steering wheel. He stormed out of the car, slammed the door, and walked to the winner's car as they were getting out. Vince stopped dead in his tracks. Damn! It was Letty! She turned around enjoying her applause and looked Vince dead in the eyes.
She took off her sunglasses saying, "I don't know why you didn't set your second booster off," one of Hector's buddies slapped the money into Letty's outstretched hand and she began to count it, "you were right there."
Vince stood there shocked. "But don't worry, your money's safe. $1000 is a lot to lose," she waved Vince's money in the air, "had it been someone else, you would've been died.but you're lucky tonight, here."
Letty sidled over next to him and set his $1000 in his hand. "Use it to your advantage." And Letty walked away.
The crowd parted to let Letty through as she finished counting her money but she ran into someone. It was Dom.shit.
"What the hell, Let? Why are you racing?"
Letty looked up at him with soft, doe-full eyes, "I'm sorry, babe. Speed got the best of me."
"Yea? I'm over here suffering with anticipation to race, but no, I decide to make you happy and then you go off and decide to race yourself!"
"I'm sorry, I--" Dom held up his hand, it was such crap, why would she do that?
Letty sighed, she was truly sorry, but she also knew that if she hadn't filled the spot, someone else would've and if Vince raced the way he just did, he would've lost all his money.
"Hey!" Letty turned and saw Leon on the hood of a car, "Let's get outta here! We got cops!"
He jumped down and ran into his car, starting it up. Everyone dispersed into their own car and drove like bat outta hell to get out of there. Next thing they knew, the place was swarming with cops. Dom and the team barely made it out of there and headed on home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~