~Letty's POV~
"Ok, turn off here." I say to Gin. "There's a pretty open strip right up here. What do you want to do?"
"Let, have you...have you ever raced before? Or you know, seen a race?"
"What kind of race?" I play dumb.
"You know..a street race!"
Inwardly, I laugh. "You could say that. Why?"
"This may sound really stupid and poser-ish but I wanted to.well, to try it. I want to see how fast my car will go. But, I'm kind of afraid that I'll, you know.either be incredibly slow or...or blow out my engine or a tire or something. I want to see how, if I can handle it. God, this sounds so incredibly stupid. I feel like I'm trying to be something I'm not."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone has to start somewhere. I mean, even I did." I slip.
She turns to me with wide eyes. "So, do you win?"
"Hell yeah, chica, why would I race if I didn't?"
"Ha.you know it's kinda funny. I mean, I see all your cars and...and I know they're racing cars, but I never really made the connection that you guys actually raced them."
I smile at her excitement. "Well, no racing today girl. A stock Integra does the quarter mile in..." I strain to think back to what I'd read. "I think it's 15.5 seconds. I mean it only goes 0-60 in 7.1 seconds." Her face falls a little. "We need to improve on that time. But. if you want to do this, to soup up your car.I think we could swing it."
She bounces up and down in the driver's seat. "SWEET! Thanks Let. How much is this gonna be though?"
"Hard to say, depends on what systems you want. I'd say it might take 15 grand. Maybe more, maybe less."
"Right, well, what else am I going to do with my inheritance? My car's as good an investment as any."
"Gin, just how much are you worth?" I dare to ask.
"Well, I don't know exactly. He wrote his will out to my brother and me. Forbes appraised him at something like 140 mil, so I guess I'll be getting 70 mil. It's sickening how much money that is. I really should give a nice chunk of that to some kind of charity, but I've got to find one that isn't out for fraud." She looks at me and smiles. I guess the expression on my face is funny, 'cause I can feel my mouth hanging open. I have no idea what being that rich feels like..I'll never know. Not that anyone ever needs that much money!
"Hey Gin? Is there any way that you can marry into my family?" I smile and she starts to giggle.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ ~THAT AFTERNOON~ ~Gin's POV~
"Yeah, come around ten. Thanks for agreeing on short notice. You're doing the right thing. He'll be so happy." I say into my cell.
~THAT EVENING~ ~Gin's POV~
"So, Auz, how do you like being in the Navy? I mean, doesn't being away from friends and family all the time bother you?" Jesse hounds him at the table in the backyard. He seems so fascinated by my brother's career.
"Yeah, it gets to be a bit much, especially when there's a mission during the holidays and I can't get home to be with Meghan or Gin. But I call as much as I can, and this is really what I want to do so, to me, it's worth it. I wouldn't give it up for anything."
I snort loudly. "Come on Auz. Be truthful. You know if it was Meg or being a SEAL, you'd choose her."
Auz looks at me through the dim light of the evening hours and smiles sadly. "You're right, Gin, but I don't have that option anymore. It was too little, too late for her. But anyway," He continues, breaking sad thoughts away, "being a SEAL never gets boring."
"What kind of training stuff do they have you go through?" Vince asks.
"Well, last week they made is do this training exercise where we had to go out in small speedboats to Alcatraz and dive and come up from the underwater pipe systems. I can say it was damn creepy, after seeing 'The Rock' a thousand times."
"I love that movie man!" Leon pipes up.
"Yeah, but try watching it after having been there.. It's weird."
"I can see that, brotha."
"So, how'd you guys meet my sister?"
"Well," Mia grins at Jesse a little. "She used to come by the store, Toretto's, all the time at lunch."
"Whoa, how'd you get off campus? Maybe it's changed in the five years I've been gone, but Eastwood was like some kind of Camp David security Op."
"So I pulled a mission impossible. Ok, ok." I relent. "Sometimes they have student monitors around campus, and they all have their price."
"You payed them to let you off campus?"
"Not exactly... I know things about each one that I could have released to the student body if they didn't let me off.." I smile devilishly. "What?" I say at the surprised look on my brother's face. "I know for a fact you did the same thing!"
He starts to chuckle remembering. "Yeah, yeah, but those were different times."
"Oh here we go again with the 'Back in my day' shit! You aren't THAT old!"
Everyone starts to laugh, and then there's a knock on the door. Jesse gets up, but I jump to answer it. I don't even try to explain myself.
"Hey girl," I greet a leggy brunette with baby blues.
"Hey Gin." She greets me fondly. "It's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since, when, Christmas?"
"Yeah, I think it was then."
"Where.where is he?" She asks tentatively, running a hand through her hair. And slipping her thumb through the belt loop of her jeans.
He's out back." She follows me towards the backyard, where in the last few minutes the guys have decided to play basketball..Shirts and Skins!
She and I grab seats at the table unnoticed. "Mia, Let," I start. "This is Meghan."
"Hey!" Mia and Letty give genuine friendly smiles. "So you are..were...Auz's girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Maybe it'll be are after tonight. We'll see." She sighs like she's been through this too many times.
"Yeah!" I yell as Jesse steals the ball and makes a layup. "Kick some ass. Take names!" I'm the rowdy spectator. He looks over and smiles at me. Auz looks over as well. He stares, seeming captivated by Meghan, almost not believing she's there. "Sub," he calls and Let jumps into the game. Silently, he takes Meghan's hand and leads her towards the front. Turning back for a second he comes over to me and hugs me. "Thank you, Gin. Truly, thank you." He then glances towards Mia. "Thanks for dinner Mia. It was nice meeting all of you. Gin, I'll see you tomorrow at.well..at nine." Then he returns to Meg, grabs her hand and they walk towards the street.
~ OK REVIEWS! THANKS TO HARLESS FOR REVIEWING AND TALKING WITH ME TO HELP ME GET OUT OF MY BLOCK!!! SOMETIMES ALL I NEED IS A DISTRACTION~
"Ok, turn off here." I say to Gin. "There's a pretty open strip right up here. What do you want to do?"
"Let, have you...have you ever raced before? Or you know, seen a race?"
"What kind of race?" I play dumb.
"You know..a street race!"
Inwardly, I laugh. "You could say that. Why?"
"This may sound really stupid and poser-ish but I wanted to.well, to try it. I want to see how fast my car will go. But, I'm kind of afraid that I'll, you know.either be incredibly slow or...or blow out my engine or a tire or something. I want to see how, if I can handle it. God, this sounds so incredibly stupid. I feel like I'm trying to be something I'm not."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone has to start somewhere. I mean, even I did." I slip.
She turns to me with wide eyes. "So, do you win?"
"Hell yeah, chica, why would I race if I didn't?"
"Ha.you know it's kinda funny. I mean, I see all your cars and...and I know they're racing cars, but I never really made the connection that you guys actually raced them."
I smile at her excitement. "Well, no racing today girl. A stock Integra does the quarter mile in..." I strain to think back to what I'd read. "I think it's 15.5 seconds. I mean it only goes 0-60 in 7.1 seconds." Her face falls a little. "We need to improve on that time. But. if you want to do this, to soup up your car.I think we could swing it."
She bounces up and down in the driver's seat. "SWEET! Thanks Let. How much is this gonna be though?"
"Hard to say, depends on what systems you want. I'd say it might take 15 grand. Maybe more, maybe less."
"Right, well, what else am I going to do with my inheritance? My car's as good an investment as any."
"Gin, just how much are you worth?" I dare to ask.
"Well, I don't know exactly. He wrote his will out to my brother and me. Forbes appraised him at something like 140 mil, so I guess I'll be getting 70 mil. It's sickening how much money that is. I really should give a nice chunk of that to some kind of charity, but I've got to find one that isn't out for fraud." She looks at me and smiles. I guess the expression on my face is funny, 'cause I can feel my mouth hanging open. I have no idea what being that rich feels like..I'll never know. Not that anyone ever needs that much money!
"Hey Gin? Is there any way that you can marry into my family?" I smile and she starts to giggle.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ ~THAT AFTERNOON~ ~Gin's POV~
"Yeah, come around ten. Thanks for agreeing on short notice. You're doing the right thing. He'll be so happy." I say into my cell.
~THAT EVENING~ ~Gin's POV~
"So, Auz, how do you like being in the Navy? I mean, doesn't being away from friends and family all the time bother you?" Jesse hounds him at the table in the backyard. He seems so fascinated by my brother's career.
"Yeah, it gets to be a bit much, especially when there's a mission during the holidays and I can't get home to be with Meghan or Gin. But I call as much as I can, and this is really what I want to do so, to me, it's worth it. I wouldn't give it up for anything."
I snort loudly. "Come on Auz. Be truthful. You know if it was Meg or being a SEAL, you'd choose her."
Auz looks at me through the dim light of the evening hours and smiles sadly. "You're right, Gin, but I don't have that option anymore. It was too little, too late for her. But anyway," He continues, breaking sad thoughts away, "being a SEAL never gets boring."
"What kind of training stuff do they have you go through?" Vince asks.
"Well, last week they made is do this training exercise where we had to go out in small speedboats to Alcatraz and dive and come up from the underwater pipe systems. I can say it was damn creepy, after seeing 'The Rock' a thousand times."
"I love that movie man!" Leon pipes up.
"Yeah, but try watching it after having been there.. It's weird."
"I can see that, brotha."
"So, how'd you guys meet my sister?"
"Well," Mia grins at Jesse a little. "She used to come by the store, Toretto's, all the time at lunch."
"Whoa, how'd you get off campus? Maybe it's changed in the five years I've been gone, but Eastwood was like some kind of Camp David security Op."
"So I pulled a mission impossible. Ok, ok." I relent. "Sometimes they have student monitors around campus, and they all have their price."
"You payed them to let you off campus?"
"Not exactly... I know things about each one that I could have released to the student body if they didn't let me off.." I smile devilishly. "What?" I say at the surprised look on my brother's face. "I know for a fact you did the same thing!"
He starts to chuckle remembering. "Yeah, yeah, but those were different times."
"Oh here we go again with the 'Back in my day' shit! You aren't THAT old!"
Everyone starts to laugh, and then there's a knock on the door. Jesse gets up, but I jump to answer it. I don't even try to explain myself.
"Hey girl," I greet a leggy brunette with baby blues.
"Hey Gin." She greets me fondly. "It's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since, when, Christmas?"
"Yeah, I think it was then."
"Where.where is he?" She asks tentatively, running a hand through her hair. And slipping her thumb through the belt loop of her jeans.
He's out back." She follows me towards the backyard, where in the last few minutes the guys have decided to play basketball..Shirts and Skins!
She and I grab seats at the table unnoticed. "Mia, Let," I start. "This is Meghan."
"Hey!" Mia and Letty give genuine friendly smiles. "So you are..were...Auz's girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Maybe it'll be are after tonight. We'll see." She sighs like she's been through this too many times.
"Yeah!" I yell as Jesse steals the ball and makes a layup. "Kick some ass. Take names!" I'm the rowdy spectator. He looks over and smiles at me. Auz looks over as well. He stares, seeming captivated by Meghan, almost not believing she's there. "Sub," he calls and Let jumps into the game. Silently, he takes Meghan's hand and leads her towards the front. Turning back for a second he comes over to me and hugs me. "Thank you, Gin. Truly, thank you." He then glances towards Mia. "Thanks for dinner Mia. It was nice meeting all of you. Gin, I'll see you tomorrow at.well..at nine." Then he returns to Meg, grabs her hand and they walk towards the street.
~ OK REVIEWS! THANKS TO HARLESS FOR REVIEWING AND TALKING WITH ME TO HELP ME GET OUT OF MY BLOCK!!! SOMETIMES ALL I NEED IS A DISTRACTION~