~Alright, here's the next part in Redline. Thanks so much to all the
reviews I got for that little nothing chapter!~
~Letty's POV~
I scuff my shoes walking down the sidewalk. I only live across the street a few houses down, but I don't want to spend the whole night alone in my house so I take my time.
"Hey Letty! Wait up a second." Mia calls from the steps in front of her house. She jogs across the silent avenue and meets up with me on the other side. "Just thought I'd walk ya home. I don't really want to hang out with dad and Dom tonight." She smiles and I give a half-smile back.
"Sure thing. Not much to do over at my house, but you can stay for a while." We walk side by side, passing the occasional lawn ornament and laughing at its hideousness. Arriving at my house, I take the few stairs two at a time and reach under the doormat for the key. It glides into the lock and the door swings open with a small creak. The house is only illuminated by the fading sunlight outside. I flick on the kitchen light and see the red light blinking on the answering machine. *Gotta be from mom* I think. I casually press play as Mia takes a few steps into the kitchen. The message is in a mixture of Spanish and English and I half- listen as I root around in the cupboard for something to eat.
"Hola, niña. Lo siento, but I have to work late again. I'll probably be home around 11. No olvida comer algo. I'll come up and say goodnight when I get home, ok? Te amo. Hasta luego."
I sigh at the message. She's always gone, but I'm used to it. Mia looks at me in surprise, with her big doe eyes. "She's not coming home till 11?"
"Nope. She doesn't usually though. Hungry?" I ask.
"A little, but dad will be mad if I eat here and then don't eat dinner."
"Ok. Nothing, though? Little salsa and tortilla chips?" I tempt her.
She smiles. "Sure! Just not too many."
I laugh at how easily I persuade her. I grab the chips and put them on the counter. Then I swing the fridge open and grab the salsa and two Jarritos sodas, kicking the door shut after me. "Salsa and carbonation. You are going to die!" I smile devilishly, and she laughs.
"I can handle it."
We begin to eat, and I flip on the TV, watching some random basketball game. Surprisingly, Mia eats the salsa like it's not spicy at all. Iron stomach. I like that. A little while into our snack, the phone rings. I grab the cordless off the counter.
"Bueno?" I say, expecting it to be my mother. "Letty?"
"Yes."
"This is Tony Toretto. Is Mia there?"
"Yeah, hold on Mr. T." I grin at my own joke. "Mi, it's your dad."
She picks up the phone without taking her eyes from the TV. "Hey dad."
"Hey Mia. Dinner's ready. You ready to come home?"
"Yeah. Can Letty come too? She's all alone here and her mom won't be home till elev-" I cut her off with a vigorous shaking of my head. Too late. I can here him agree on the other end. She hangs up the phone. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine by myself."
"Come on, Let. You know you don't want to be alone. Besides, it's just dinner."
"I'm not a charity case. Don't invite me to dinner 'cause you feel sorry for me." I frown.
"Letty!" She cries, exasperated. "You're my best friend. Why would my inviting you to dinner, make you a charity case?"
I give a small smile and then nod my head. "Ok. I'll come." Actually, I love being at the Toretto's. Something's always going on there, and somebody's always home. It's just the atmosphere of a real family that I like. I switch off the TV and we head back towards the twinkling porch lights of the Toretto's.
Mia leads me around the back of her house, directly into the kitchen, where I can smell tomato sauce. Her dad is cooking, a Corona on the counter next to him. He's stirring the pasta in a big pan and jokingly puts the colander on Dom's head. Dom laughs and puts it back into the sink and then steals a swing of his dad's beer. Tony fakes a glare, but then lapses his stern stance and smiles, showing he doesn't care. "Hey little one. Hey Letty. You guys hungry?" We nod. Tony's pasta is the best. "Well, it'll be ready in a little while. Can you guys set the table?"
Mia reaches into a drawer for napkins and placemats as I grab a handful of silverware. Dom sets glasses at three places and fills them with a few ice cubes and then iced tea. We each sit down by a place setting and Dom starts to thumb wrestle Mia. She laughs and shrieks as he lets her win. Sometimes I wish I were just another one of the Toretto kids, having dinner with my family. I've known them all my life, but sometimes, I still feel like I'm on the outside looking in.
In a few minutes, a huge bowl of pasta and sauce is placed on the table and we bow our heads. "Letty, how about if you say grace tonight?" Tony asks, smiling at me.
I nod and do my best. "Uh, Dear lord, thank you for the food before us. We pray that you keep Tony safe in races and that the Toretto's don't get tired of me coming over. Amen." Everyone chuckles and we dig in. I attack the pasta ravenously, only now realizing how hungry I am. Everyone is silent for a few minutes as we eat and then Tony clears his throat.
"I was thinking about going out to Palmdale next weekend. Anyone up for it?" I grin, until I think about it and realize he's only talking to Dom and Mia. They both nod their heads excitedly, as I keep my eyes downcast. "Letty?" He asks. A ray of hope shoots through me and I meet his gaze. "How about you? Do you want to come too?" I can't hide my smile any longer and I yelp.
"Yeah!"
He laughs. "It's settled then. We'll make a day of it. The four of us, plus if Vince wants to come, he can too. Now, anyone up for seconds?" We all hold out our plates.
A few hours later, everyone is seated in the living room, on the couches or the floor, watching a movie. Mia has dozed off on Tony's lap in a chair and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open sprawled out on the couch. Dom's sitting, his back against the couch still intently awake.
"Dominic?" I faintly hear Tony say.
"Huh?" he asks, not taking his eyes from the TV.
"I think it's time we all got to bed. You guys have school in the morning. I'm going to take Mia upstairs. Do you think you could take Letty home? Her mom should be there by now."
He grumbles quietly, but nods his head. "Yeah dad." His voice has a definite scratch to it, but not quite the gravelly tone he'll take on in later years. Gently he picks me up off the sofa and starts towards the door.
"I can walk. You don't have to carry me." I mumble groggily. He ignores my statement and continues down the street, my head leaned against his chest. He reaches my porch quickly with his long stride and gently sets me down.
"Where's the key?"
"Under the.the..thingie." I point at the doormat in my stupor.
~Dom's POV~
I laugh and unlock the door. The door swings in on its hinges and I see all the lights are off. "Your mom isn't home yet."
"That's ok. She'll be home at 11."
"I can't leave you here by yourself till 11, Let. You're only 10."
"I do it every other night." she tells me. That's really sad.
"You do?" I ask shocked.
"Sure."
"Well not tonight. I'm gonna sit here until your mom gets home. You go on up to bed."
"No, I'll wait with you." She mumbles again
"Alright." I concede, closing the door. A few minutes pass and only the sound of crickets is heard. "Letty?"
"Yeah."
"Where does your mom work?"
"She waitresses over at the diner on 2nd street. She only works till 9, usually, but then goes out for coffee or whatever with her friends."
"Oh," is all I can say. "Where's your dad now?" I know he's in the military.
"I think he's stationed around DC, in Virginia or Maryland somewhere. I can never remember."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"May, last year." She replies. "He came out while on leave. I wish he could come out more often."
"I'm sure he wants to. Your parents divorced?"
"Yeah. When I was really little. He told me he'd always be there. He has, best he can, I guess." I can see a small smile in the moonlight.
"It must suck that you don't get to see him."
"Yeah, but at least he's there. I mean, you must really hate the fact that your mom's gone-really gone." Damn her childlike honesty! I know she didn't mean anything by it, but being reminded that my mom's dead isn't a great feeling. "Oh Jesus, Dom. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" I cut her off with a shake of my head.
"S'okay. I know you didn't. Cancer's a bitch, right?" I laugh almost bitterly. "Look, it's late. You should sleep a little." "Yeah." She shivers and I see she's only got a little tank top and shorts on.
"Commere." I grunt and she crawls towards me. I put my arm around her, trying to keep her warm. She sighs and closes her eyes, leaning her head against me. I must have drifted off because before I know it, I'm being shaken awake by Letty's disgruntled mother.
"Dominic?" She asks confused. "What are you doing here?"
I sit up, trying to remember that for myself. Then it comes back to me. "Letty had dinner at our house and when I brought her home, I didn't want her to be alone."
"That's sweet of you Dominic, but Letty's fine. You better get on home before your dad gets worried about you."
"Thanks, Mrs. Rodriguez." I jog home and find my dad sitting on the couch, the blue glow of the television playing shapes across his face. "Hey dad."
"Where were you?" He asks.
"Sitting on Letty's porch with her. Her mom wasn't home and I didn't think it was right for me to leave her all alone."
"Good, Dom. That was the right thing to do. Now you should probably crash before you have to go to school yourself." He smiles at me, letting me know he's not angry, and I slip up the stairs. Quickly, though, I dart back down.
"Dad?"
"Hmm?"
"It's not right."
"What isn't?"
"Letty, being left alone all the time."
"Yeah, I know." He sighs. "But we can't do anything about it, except keep inviting her over, or hoping she comes by herself."
"Yeah.....Well, goodnight."
"Night."
~Alright, there ya go. Reviews are always nice! In a chapter or two, I'll jump it up a bit so it's not ten year old Letty forever!~
~Letty's POV~
I scuff my shoes walking down the sidewalk. I only live across the street a few houses down, but I don't want to spend the whole night alone in my house so I take my time.
"Hey Letty! Wait up a second." Mia calls from the steps in front of her house. She jogs across the silent avenue and meets up with me on the other side. "Just thought I'd walk ya home. I don't really want to hang out with dad and Dom tonight." She smiles and I give a half-smile back.
"Sure thing. Not much to do over at my house, but you can stay for a while." We walk side by side, passing the occasional lawn ornament and laughing at its hideousness. Arriving at my house, I take the few stairs two at a time and reach under the doormat for the key. It glides into the lock and the door swings open with a small creak. The house is only illuminated by the fading sunlight outside. I flick on the kitchen light and see the red light blinking on the answering machine. *Gotta be from mom* I think. I casually press play as Mia takes a few steps into the kitchen. The message is in a mixture of Spanish and English and I half- listen as I root around in the cupboard for something to eat.
"Hola, niña. Lo siento, but I have to work late again. I'll probably be home around 11. No olvida comer algo. I'll come up and say goodnight when I get home, ok? Te amo. Hasta luego."
I sigh at the message. She's always gone, but I'm used to it. Mia looks at me in surprise, with her big doe eyes. "She's not coming home till 11?"
"Nope. She doesn't usually though. Hungry?" I ask.
"A little, but dad will be mad if I eat here and then don't eat dinner."
"Ok. Nothing, though? Little salsa and tortilla chips?" I tempt her.
She smiles. "Sure! Just not too many."
I laugh at how easily I persuade her. I grab the chips and put them on the counter. Then I swing the fridge open and grab the salsa and two Jarritos sodas, kicking the door shut after me. "Salsa and carbonation. You are going to die!" I smile devilishly, and she laughs.
"I can handle it."
We begin to eat, and I flip on the TV, watching some random basketball game. Surprisingly, Mia eats the salsa like it's not spicy at all. Iron stomach. I like that. A little while into our snack, the phone rings. I grab the cordless off the counter.
"Bueno?" I say, expecting it to be my mother. "Letty?"
"Yes."
"This is Tony Toretto. Is Mia there?"
"Yeah, hold on Mr. T." I grin at my own joke. "Mi, it's your dad."
She picks up the phone without taking her eyes from the TV. "Hey dad."
"Hey Mia. Dinner's ready. You ready to come home?"
"Yeah. Can Letty come too? She's all alone here and her mom won't be home till elev-" I cut her off with a vigorous shaking of my head. Too late. I can here him agree on the other end. She hangs up the phone. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine by myself."
"Come on, Let. You know you don't want to be alone. Besides, it's just dinner."
"I'm not a charity case. Don't invite me to dinner 'cause you feel sorry for me." I frown.
"Letty!" She cries, exasperated. "You're my best friend. Why would my inviting you to dinner, make you a charity case?"
I give a small smile and then nod my head. "Ok. I'll come." Actually, I love being at the Toretto's. Something's always going on there, and somebody's always home. It's just the atmosphere of a real family that I like. I switch off the TV and we head back towards the twinkling porch lights of the Toretto's.
Mia leads me around the back of her house, directly into the kitchen, where I can smell tomato sauce. Her dad is cooking, a Corona on the counter next to him. He's stirring the pasta in a big pan and jokingly puts the colander on Dom's head. Dom laughs and puts it back into the sink and then steals a swing of his dad's beer. Tony fakes a glare, but then lapses his stern stance and smiles, showing he doesn't care. "Hey little one. Hey Letty. You guys hungry?" We nod. Tony's pasta is the best. "Well, it'll be ready in a little while. Can you guys set the table?"
Mia reaches into a drawer for napkins and placemats as I grab a handful of silverware. Dom sets glasses at three places and fills them with a few ice cubes and then iced tea. We each sit down by a place setting and Dom starts to thumb wrestle Mia. She laughs and shrieks as he lets her win. Sometimes I wish I were just another one of the Toretto kids, having dinner with my family. I've known them all my life, but sometimes, I still feel like I'm on the outside looking in.
In a few minutes, a huge bowl of pasta and sauce is placed on the table and we bow our heads. "Letty, how about if you say grace tonight?" Tony asks, smiling at me.
I nod and do my best. "Uh, Dear lord, thank you for the food before us. We pray that you keep Tony safe in races and that the Toretto's don't get tired of me coming over. Amen." Everyone chuckles and we dig in. I attack the pasta ravenously, only now realizing how hungry I am. Everyone is silent for a few minutes as we eat and then Tony clears his throat.
"I was thinking about going out to Palmdale next weekend. Anyone up for it?" I grin, until I think about it and realize he's only talking to Dom and Mia. They both nod their heads excitedly, as I keep my eyes downcast. "Letty?" He asks. A ray of hope shoots through me and I meet his gaze. "How about you? Do you want to come too?" I can't hide my smile any longer and I yelp.
"Yeah!"
He laughs. "It's settled then. We'll make a day of it. The four of us, plus if Vince wants to come, he can too. Now, anyone up for seconds?" We all hold out our plates.
A few hours later, everyone is seated in the living room, on the couches or the floor, watching a movie. Mia has dozed off on Tony's lap in a chair and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open sprawled out on the couch. Dom's sitting, his back against the couch still intently awake.
"Dominic?" I faintly hear Tony say.
"Huh?" he asks, not taking his eyes from the TV.
"I think it's time we all got to bed. You guys have school in the morning. I'm going to take Mia upstairs. Do you think you could take Letty home? Her mom should be there by now."
He grumbles quietly, but nods his head. "Yeah dad." His voice has a definite scratch to it, but not quite the gravelly tone he'll take on in later years. Gently he picks me up off the sofa and starts towards the door.
"I can walk. You don't have to carry me." I mumble groggily. He ignores my statement and continues down the street, my head leaned against his chest. He reaches my porch quickly with his long stride and gently sets me down.
"Where's the key?"
"Under the.the..thingie." I point at the doormat in my stupor.
~Dom's POV~
I laugh and unlock the door. The door swings in on its hinges and I see all the lights are off. "Your mom isn't home yet."
"That's ok. She'll be home at 11."
"I can't leave you here by yourself till 11, Let. You're only 10."
"I do it every other night." she tells me. That's really sad.
"You do?" I ask shocked.
"Sure."
"Well not tonight. I'm gonna sit here until your mom gets home. You go on up to bed."
"No, I'll wait with you." She mumbles again
"Alright." I concede, closing the door. A few minutes pass and only the sound of crickets is heard. "Letty?"
"Yeah."
"Where does your mom work?"
"She waitresses over at the diner on 2nd street. She only works till 9, usually, but then goes out for coffee or whatever with her friends."
"Oh," is all I can say. "Where's your dad now?" I know he's in the military.
"I think he's stationed around DC, in Virginia or Maryland somewhere. I can never remember."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"May, last year." She replies. "He came out while on leave. I wish he could come out more often."
"I'm sure he wants to. Your parents divorced?"
"Yeah. When I was really little. He told me he'd always be there. He has, best he can, I guess." I can see a small smile in the moonlight.
"It must suck that you don't get to see him."
"Yeah, but at least he's there. I mean, you must really hate the fact that your mom's gone-really gone." Damn her childlike honesty! I know she didn't mean anything by it, but being reminded that my mom's dead isn't a great feeling. "Oh Jesus, Dom. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" I cut her off with a shake of my head.
"S'okay. I know you didn't. Cancer's a bitch, right?" I laugh almost bitterly. "Look, it's late. You should sleep a little." "Yeah." She shivers and I see she's only got a little tank top and shorts on.
"Commere." I grunt and she crawls towards me. I put my arm around her, trying to keep her warm. She sighs and closes her eyes, leaning her head against me. I must have drifted off because before I know it, I'm being shaken awake by Letty's disgruntled mother.
"Dominic?" She asks confused. "What are you doing here?"
I sit up, trying to remember that for myself. Then it comes back to me. "Letty had dinner at our house and when I brought her home, I didn't want her to be alone."
"That's sweet of you Dominic, but Letty's fine. You better get on home before your dad gets worried about you."
"Thanks, Mrs. Rodriguez." I jog home and find my dad sitting on the couch, the blue glow of the television playing shapes across his face. "Hey dad."
"Where were you?" He asks.
"Sitting on Letty's porch with her. Her mom wasn't home and I didn't think it was right for me to leave her all alone."
"Good, Dom. That was the right thing to do. Now you should probably crash before you have to go to school yourself." He smiles at me, letting me know he's not angry, and I slip up the stairs. Quickly, though, I dart back down.
"Dad?"
"Hmm?"
"It's not right."
"What isn't?"
"Letty, being left alone all the time."
"Yeah, I know." He sighs. "But we can't do anything about it, except keep inviting her over, or hoping she comes by herself."
"Yeah.....Well, goodnight."
"Night."
~Alright, there ya go. Reviews are always nice! In a chapter or two, I'll jump it up a bit so it's not ten year old Letty forever!~