~Jesse's POV~
THREE WEEKS LATER
I work inside the garage, already sweaty in the sweltering mid-day LA heat. Dom is sitting inside the front of a Civic, removing the engine for a complete reassembly. I can see Vince's boots sticking out from under the car and I hear a voice that's unmistakably his, uttering a string of curses as his wrench clatters to the concrete floor. Letty is doing an oil change on some woman's crappy Neon, while Leon checks the air in her tires. I know Mia's working the market today.
"Dom, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask.
"Sure, Jess. What's up?"
"Well, I was.I was thinking."
"Yeah..." Dom smiles.
"About...well, Dom, how did, how did you know when you fell in love with Letty?"
"What?" he asks surprised. "Well, I just....I just knew." He thinks about this for a moment, and then a smile comes to his face. "I sure as hell didn't want to admit it at first."
"But HOW did you know?"
"Jess, don't think. You just feel it."
"Dom, I just.. I don't know....when did you start thinking differently about Letty?"
"It was, well I was 20, so she had to be.16 or almost 17. It was a little while after I got back from Lompoc. She'd definitely...grown up. And by that time, she was some kind of genius mechanic. She could fix anything I couldn't and that.." He shakes his finger towards me with a laugh. "That's hot."
I laugh. "Yeah, man."
"Jess, what's this all about?"
"Well.."I start. "Yeah. I don't know. She's different. She's not some race whore, you know, so I don't really know how to handle it all. She...oh I don't know. This must sound stupid, but everything is better when she's around."
"Whpshhhhhhhh!" Dom smiles and makes a whipping motion with his hand.
"Naww, man. Nawww. Things like that don't happen to me." I get up and walk towards the office, conscious of every step I take. I relax into the swivel chair and suddenly I realize my heart is racing. Could I...Naww, man, naww!
"Hey, yo Jess!" I hear Dom shout.
"What?"
"She comin' tonight?"
"Yeah. I invited her yesterday. She seemed pretty stoked to come to a race. Guess she's never been. I told her what to wear."
~THAT NIGHT~
"Holy shit!" Gin exclaims when she sees the tricked-out imports lining the street. "It really does look like this!"
I smile at her. "Just wait till the actual race man. It's sweet. Dom's amazing, no one can beat him man. I don't know why people try."
She looks at me with shining eyes and we both step out of the car. She's dressed to impress in boots, black leather pants, and a navy tank, showing a hint of her stomach. Her hair is down, the ends curling a little in the humid night.
We meet at the front of the car and I slip my arm around her waist. Walking up to the rest of the team, I can see her taking it all in. She shivers with excitement. Let gives her a reassuring glance and Mia smiles.
"Yo ese." Hector says to Dom. "Who's the chiquita with Jesse?"
"Hector, Gin. Gin, Hector."
~Gin's POV~
"Hey," I say with a friendly smile.
"Hey, chiquita. You a latina?"
"Tu mejor lo crees." ~You better believe it~ I smile. "Mi madre fue de Brazil, pero ella vivó en Costa Rica y Mexico. Entonces, esa es porque yo no hablo portugesa." ~My mother was from Brazil but she lived in Costa Rica and Mexico. So, that's why I don't speak Portugese.~
"Ahh. Estas competiendo to coche esta noche?" ~Are you racing your car tonight?~
"No se termina al momento, pero veremos como esta haciendo pronto." ~It's not ready at the moment, but we'll see how it's doing soon.~
Hector laughs and points to me. "I like her." He says to Dom.
"Good, cuz she'll be sticking around."
"So how's it going down tonight?"
"The usual. Two large."
"Well alright! Let's get this shakin'!"
Hector leaves to his car and we follow suit. We drive to an empty street in East LA. It's not surprising it's so deserted, considering what time it is. Jesse taps his fingers absent-mindedly on the steering wheel and nods his head to the song blaring from his sub-woofers. Shifting into fourth, he's so intent on the road and the song that he doesn't notice my staring at him. I study his hands, every line in his face, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs or squints. I look at him as if I've never seen him before. A sharp pain shoots through my chest and I wince, but it's gone as quickly as it came. With my knees pulled to my chest, I lean my head against the cool glass window. He glances over and catches me staring at him intently.
"What?" he asks.
"Nothing." I say.
"What are you doing?"
"Just.looking."
"Looking? At what?"
"You.." I feel the pain again, but it's more intense. I hesitate to consider it a pain, because it doesn't hurt. It's just...an intense shooting feeling in my chest. It feels tight and I have to try harder than normal to breathe. It's oddly familiar.
"Oh." He looks back at the road, a smile playing at his lips. "Why?"
"No reason. I just.want to look at you."
We pull up to the open street and park alongside several hundred other cars. Dom is already at the starting line, next to a viper and a mustang, both with unfamiliar drivers. Hector holds his hands up and they all shift into first. His arm swoops down as he yells, "NOW!" and the cars seem to hesitate, their wheels spinning in place. They shoot forward, Dom in the lead. Nine seconds later it's over and Dom has won by almost a full car length, without using any NOS. That man can drive! He turns his car around and drives back to the start. Getting out, Hector hands him the money and he comes over to the team. Vince pats him on the back and Dom gives Let a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She whispers something in his ear and he laughs.
It seems as soon as it started, the experience is over and we're driving back to the Toretto house, where no doubt, a party will be in full swing soon. I get out of the car, but stumble, experiencing slight vertigo. Jesse jumps out of the car and comes around to pick me up.
"Baby, you ok?" He asks concerned. There goes that feeling again.
"Yeah, fine fine I jus...uh" I give a small gasp, truly only realizing then what is plaguing me.
"You sure? You're acting a little strange."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." I try to smile, but a feeling of dread sets in.
We get inside and I curl up on the couch as he goes to get a drink. I feel dizzy and nervous. He comes back with a coke for me and when I don't respond, he touches my arm. That simple touch sends chills up and down my spine and I curl into a tighter ball. "Thanks," I say to him and take the icy can. He smiles, not really noticing my strange state and goes over to talk to Vince. What is wrong with me! Well, I know exactly what's wrong with me, but I'm trying to avoid it. I can't do this. No one would ever guess that I'm so weak.
The evening draws to a close. Everyone's pretty much gone home and Mia's grabbing random beer bottles off the coffee table. I get up to leave. Jesse grabs my hand and he trails me to the door. "Stay," he asks me.
I hate this. Why am I feeling this way? "Jess.."
"Yeah?"
"I...We..can't do this anymore. It's, it's not going to work. I'm sorry. I think it's better if I go now."
He's so surprised that his hand goes limp and I slip mine from his. I walk out the door and to my car. He doesn't see how I'm feeling as the silent drops of pain fall from their trails on my face to absorb in my pants. Another shooting pain fills my chest, this time truly painful, and I fight not to fall down. This time, though, I know the pain won't pass.
~OK SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH GIN??? REVIEWS REVIEWS!!! I WANT GUESSES! YOU'LL FIND OUT IN THE NEXT 2 CHAPTERS.. HAHAHHA. REVIEWS!!!!!~
THREE WEEKS LATER
I work inside the garage, already sweaty in the sweltering mid-day LA heat. Dom is sitting inside the front of a Civic, removing the engine for a complete reassembly. I can see Vince's boots sticking out from under the car and I hear a voice that's unmistakably his, uttering a string of curses as his wrench clatters to the concrete floor. Letty is doing an oil change on some woman's crappy Neon, while Leon checks the air in her tires. I know Mia's working the market today.
"Dom, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask.
"Sure, Jess. What's up?"
"Well, I was.I was thinking."
"Yeah..." Dom smiles.
"About...well, Dom, how did, how did you know when you fell in love with Letty?"
"What?" he asks surprised. "Well, I just....I just knew." He thinks about this for a moment, and then a smile comes to his face. "I sure as hell didn't want to admit it at first."
"But HOW did you know?"
"Jess, don't think. You just feel it."
"Dom, I just.. I don't know....when did you start thinking differently about Letty?"
"It was, well I was 20, so she had to be.16 or almost 17. It was a little while after I got back from Lompoc. She'd definitely...grown up. And by that time, she was some kind of genius mechanic. She could fix anything I couldn't and that.." He shakes his finger towards me with a laugh. "That's hot."
I laugh. "Yeah, man."
"Jess, what's this all about?"
"Well.."I start. "Yeah. I don't know. She's different. She's not some race whore, you know, so I don't really know how to handle it all. She...oh I don't know. This must sound stupid, but everything is better when she's around."
"Whpshhhhhhhh!" Dom smiles and makes a whipping motion with his hand.
"Naww, man. Nawww. Things like that don't happen to me." I get up and walk towards the office, conscious of every step I take. I relax into the swivel chair and suddenly I realize my heart is racing. Could I...Naww, man, naww!
"Hey, yo Jess!" I hear Dom shout.
"What?"
"She comin' tonight?"
"Yeah. I invited her yesterday. She seemed pretty stoked to come to a race. Guess she's never been. I told her what to wear."
~THAT NIGHT~
"Holy shit!" Gin exclaims when she sees the tricked-out imports lining the street. "It really does look like this!"
I smile at her. "Just wait till the actual race man. It's sweet. Dom's amazing, no one can beat him man. I don't know why people try."
She looks at me with shining eyes and we both step out of the car. She's dressed to impress in boots, black leather pants, and a navy tank, showing a hint of her stomach. Her hair is down, the ends curling a little in the humid night.
We meet at the front of the car and I slip my arm around her waist. Walking up to the rest of the team, I can see her taking it all in. She shivers with excitement. Let gives her a reassuring glance and Mia smiles.
"Yo ese." Hector says to Dom. "Who's the chiquita with Jesse?"
"Hector, Gin. Gin, Hector."
~Gin's POV~
"Hey," I say with a friendly smile.
"Hey, chiquita. You a latina?"
"Tu mejor lo crees." ~You better believe it~ I smile. "Mi madre fue de Brazil, pero ella vivó en Costa Rica y Mexico. Entonces, esa es porque yo no hablo portugesa." ~My mother was from Brazil but she lived in Costa Rica and Mexico. So, that's why I don't speak Portugese.~
"Ahh. Estas competiendo to coche esta noche?" ~Are you racing your car tonight?~
"No se termina al momento, pero veremos como esta haciendo pronto." ~It's not ready at the moment, but we'll see how it's doing soon.~
Hector laughs and points to me. "I like her." He says to Dom.
"Good, cuz she'll be sticking around."
"So how's it going down tonight?"
"The usual. Two large."
"Well alright! Let's get this shakin'!"
Hector leaves to his car and we follow suit. We drive to an empty street in East LA. It's not surprising it's so deserted, considering what time it is. Jesse taps his fingers absent-mindedly on the steering wheel and nods his head to the song blaring from his sub-woofers. Shifting into fourth, he's so intent on the road and the song that he doesn't notice my staring at him. I study his hands, every line in his face, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs or squints. I look at him as if I've never seen him before. A sharp pain shoots through my chest and I wince, but it's gone as quickly as it came. With my knees pulled to my chest, I lean my head against the cool glass window. He glances over and catches me staring at him intently.
"What?" he asks.
"Nothing." I say.
"What are you doing?"
"Just.looking."
"Looking? At what?"
"You.." I feel the pain again, but it's more intense. I hesitate to consider it a pain, because it doesn't hurt. It's just...an intense shooting feeling in my chest. It feels tight and I have to try harder than normal to breathe. It's oddly familiar.
"Oh." He looks back at the road, a smile playing at his lips. "Why?"
"No reason. I just.want to look at you."
We pull up to the open street and park alongside several hundred other cars. Dom is already at the starting line, next to a viper and a mustang, both with unfamiliar drivers. Hector holds his hands up and they all shift into first. His arm swoops down as he yells, "NOW!" and the cars seem to hesitate, their wheels spinning in place. They shoot forward, Dom in the lead. Nine seconds later it's over and Dom has won by almost a full car length, without using any NOS. That man can drive! He turns his car around and drives back to the start. Getting out, Hector hands him the money and he comes over to the team. Vince pats him on the back and Dom gives Let a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She whispers something in his ear and he laughs.
It seems as soon as it started, the experience is over and we're driving back to the Toretto house, where no doubt, a party will be in full swing soon. I get out of the car, but stumble, experiencing slight vertigo. Jesse jumps out of the car and comes around to pick me up.
"Baby, you ok?" He asks concerned. There goes that feeling again.
"Yeah, fine fine I jus...uh" I give a small gasp, truly only realizing then what is plaguing me.
"You sure? You're acting a little strange."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." I try to smile, but a feeling of dread sets in.
We get inside and I curl up on the couch as he goes to get a drink. I feel dizzy and nervous. He comes back with a coke for me and when I don't respond, he touches my arm. That simple touch sends chills up and down my spine and I curl into a tighter ball. "Thanks," I say to him and take the icy can. He smiles, not really noticing my strange state and goes over to talk to Vince. What is wrong with me! Well, I know exactly what's wrong with me, but I'm trying to avoid it. I can't do this. No one would ever guess that I'm so weak.
The evening draws to a close. Everyone's pretty much gone home and Mia's grabbing random beer bottles off the coffee table. I get up to leave. Jesse grabs my hand and he trails me to the door. "Stay," he asks me.
I hate this. Why am I feeling this way? "Jess.."
"Yeah?"
"I...We..can't do this anymore. It's, it's not going to work. I'm sorry. I think it's better if I go now."
He's so surprised that his hand goes limp and I slip mine from his. I walk out the door and to my car. He doesn't see how I'm feeling as the silent drops of pain fall from their trails on my face to absorb in my pants. Another shooting pain fills my chest, this time truly painful, and I fight not to fall down. This time, though, I know the pain won't pass.
~OK SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH GIN??? REVIEWS REVIEWS!!! I WANT GUESSES! YOU'LL FIND OUT IN THE NEXT 2 CHAPTERS.. HAHAHHA. REVIEWS!!!!!~