Chapter 2 Meet the Team.
The Torreto team all ran for their cars and took off. As Vince was speeding away he saw some red headed chick walking away from the alley. Walking! He squealed to a stop and yelled at her,
"Hey baby, you should run to your car and take off. This is not going to be pretty when the cops get here. It sure ain't no time to walk."
"I have no car to run to, my ride took off on me. And I am not your baby."
"This is not the time to argue that, get in the car." What made Vince care if she got caught he had no idea. He told himself it was just looking out for another racer, they were like a big group of friends when it came to being united against the cops.
Nyssa heard the sirens coming and while she had thought she was ready to be caught she was scared now so she decided to take the out this person offered her. She knew it was crazy to get in a car with a stranger but was it better then getting picked up by the cops right? She decided to take her chance on this guy with the shaggy hair and scruffy beard. She jumped in his Nissan and they took off. They outran the cops easily. He asked her where she wanted him to drop her off. She did not answer right away and he looked over at her.
"Forget where you live or you just don't want me to know?" Vince knew he looked like a thug, he wouldn't be surprised if she was wondering what the hell she had been thinking getting in his car and sure as hell didn't want him to know where her house was.
"Nothing like that I just don't know where to tell you. I was staying with my cousin but she took off and left me there to get picked up by the cops. I mean one second she is right there telling me about people then that guy in the skyline says cops and she abandons me there. She threw me to the wolves and she knew that was my first race night ever. So I don't want to go there. But if I go home to my stepfather I am going to catch real hell."
"Why?"
"Cause I was supposed stay with Manda for the night and he will want to know why I am not with her. We were not supposed to go out of her house. And then he will want to know where the clothes came from. And why I am wearing them. And if he should find out I went to a street race, and ran from the cops with a strange guy. And if he has been drinking I don't want to think about what will happen. Maybe you could take me to the garage where I have my car stashed. Then I could stay in my garage with my car then pretend I just got home in the morning."
"Well you could come hang with us at our party for awhile if you don't know what you want to do. I can take you somewhere later if you decide."
"Ok, why not. Let Manda worry about me for awhile. Serves her right."
"Is this Manda Williams?"
"The one and only."
"If you want revenge on your cousin coming with me is the best thing to do."
"Why is that?"
"Cause when you tell her you partied at Dom Torreto's she is going to be flippin. She has never been invited to our place but she wants to get on Dom worse then anything."
"You run with that Torreto guy she showed me?"
"Since third grade. Here we are. This is our place."
There were cars everywhere. All imports all slammed. She wished in that moment she knew what she was doing enough to take her car and race it. The adrenalin, the atmosphere, the chance to finally not be a good girl for a change. But who was she kidding. She had only ever driven to school and stuff, and even then she knew that the car had no business being on the street. It was designed to drive on the other side of the road. Her brother had raced on the NIRA circuit with it, not the streets. Then she wondered what the hell she was doing going to a strange house with a strange guy. Oh well, she guessed it was just one of those stupid things you were supposed to do when you were young. She just hoped she lived to learn from it.
She and Vince climbed out of his car and headed for the house. She stopped him just before they climbed the porch.
"Um, hey buddy, what's your name? You're the only person I'm likely to know in here so I'd kinda like to be able to tell people who brought me more so then you know that guy, you know, the tall one with like the hair." She did her best valley girl impression.
"Good point. I'm Vince. If anyone asks who brought you say Vince. Or better yet just don't stray too far from me ok?"
"Um, ok. Is this a mean crowd?"
"No, we just don't take well to strangers. But if your with me no one will say anything to you so don't worry 'bout it, Kay?"
"Sure thing Vince."
"Ok, now what's your name? Being introduced as Manda Williams' cousin will not go over well in here. Does everyone around races know you're her cousin?"
"My name's Nyssa and no one should know because I have never been around street racing."
"Ok, good. But you say that like you have been around other kinds of racing."
"Well I have been. My brother raced on the NIRA circuit."
"Oh ok. Let's head in Nyssa."
Nyssa was assaulted by the noise right in the door. The music was a throbbing base line and trance highs. There were no words to it but it made her want to grab Vince and just move. She resisted the impulse and followed Vince into the kitchen. He grabbed a corona and asked if she wanted one. She was only 19 and had never drunk before. She was the stereotypical good girl and had not planned on drinking till she turned 21 but she figured she may as well go all the way tonight and she took the beer. It was good. Cold and crisp and she was thirsty. What was one beer likely to do? It was not like she was doing body shots of tequila or anything.
They headed out to the living room. Vince asked Skyline guy, who was also there, and named Leon, where Dom was. Seems he had never returned. Leon said they didn't know where he was but if he was not back in another 5 minutes someone had to go find him. Everyone groaned, no one wanted to leave the house after escaping the cops, and they all seemed scared of what Dom would do to them for not going sooner. Nyssa knew how it felt to be abandoned so she figured they should go looking now. She didn't know any of these people so she kept that to herself.
Vince sat down and grabbed his guitar and asked her if she wanted to hear any song in particular. Nyssa told him no but she would love to hear him play. She sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of him. Vince was an awesome guitar player. If the music and Vince playing had not been so loud they would have heard the car pull up to the front of the house.
The Torreto team all ran for their cars and took off. As Vince was speeding away he saw some red headed chick walking away from the alley. Walking! He squealed to a stop and yelled at her,
"Hey baby, you should run to your car and take off. This is not going to be pretty when the cops get here. It sure ain't no time to walk."
"I have no car to run to, my ride took off on me. And I am not your baby."
"This is not the time to argue that, get in the car." What made Vince care if she got caught he had no idea. He told himself it was just looking out for another racer, they were like a big group of friends when it came to being united against the cops.
Nyssa heard the sirens coming and while she had thought she was ready to be caught she was scared now so she decided to take the out this person offered her. She knew it was crazy to get in a car with a stranger but was it better then getting picked up by the cops right? She decided to take her chance on this guy with the shaggy hair and scruffy beard. She jumped in his Nissan and they took off. They outran the cops easily. He asked her where she wanted him to drop her off. She did not answer right away and he looked over at her.
"Forget where you live or you just don't want me to know?" Vince knew he looked like a thug, he wouldn't be surprised if she was wondering what the hell she had been thinking getting in his car and sure as hell didn't want him to know where her house was.
"Nothing like that I just don't know where to tell you. I was staying with my cousin but she took off and left me there to get picked up by the cops. I mean one second she is right there telling me about people then that guy in the skyline says cops and she abandons me there. She threw me to the wolves and she knew that was my first race night ever. So I don't want to go there. But if I go home to my stepfather I am going to catch real hell."
"Why?"
"Cause I was supposed stay with Manda for the night and he will want to know why I am not with her. We were not supposed to go out of her house. And then he will want to know where the clothes came from. And why I am wearing them. And if he should find out I went to a street race, and ran from the cops with a strange guy. And if he has been drinking I don't want to think about what will happen. Maybe you could take me to the garage where I have my car stashed. Then I could stay in my garage with my car then pretend I just got home in the morning."
"Well you could come hang with us at our party for awhile if you don't know what you want to do. I can take you somewhere later if you decide."
"Ok, why not. Let Manda worry about me for awhile. Serves her right."
"Is this Manda Williams?"
"The one and only."
"If you want revenge on your cousin coming with me is the best thing to do."
"Why is that?"
"Cause when you tell her you partied at Dom Torreto's she is going to be flippin. She has never been invited to our place but she wants to get on Dom worse then anything."
"You run with that Torreto guy she showed me?"
"Since third grade. Here we are. This is our place."
There were cars everywhere. All imports all slammed. She wished in that moment she knew what she was doing enough to take her car and race it. The adrenalin, the atmosphere, the chance to finally not be a good girl for a change. But who was she kidding. She had only ever driven to school and stuff, and even then she knew that the car had no business being on the street. It was designed to drive on the other side of the road. Her brother had raced on the NIRA circuit with it, not the streets. Then she wondered what the hell she was doing going to a strange house with a strange guy. Oh well, she guessed it was just one of those stupid things you were supposed to do when you were young. She just hoped she lived to learn from it.
She and Vince climbed out of his car and headed for the house. She stopped him just before they climbed the porch.
"Um, hey buddy, what's your name? You're the only person I'm likely to know in here so I'd kinda like to be able to tell people who brought me more so then you know that guy, you know, the tall one with like the hair." She did her best valley girl impression.
"Good point. I'm Vince. If anyone asks who brought you say Vince. Or better yet just don't stray too far from me ok?"
"Um, ok. Is this a mean crowd?"
"No, we just don't take well to strangers. But if your with me no one will say anything to you so don't worry 'bout it, Kay?"
"Sure thing Vince."
"Ok, now what's your name? Being introduced as Manda Williams' cousin will not go over well in here. Does everyone around races know you're her cousin?"
"My name's Nyssa and no one should know because I have never been around street racing."
"Ok, good. But you say that like you have been around other kinds of racing."
"Well I have been. My brother raced on the NIRA circuit."
"Oh ok. Let's head in Nyssa."
Nyssa was assaulted by the noise right in the door. The music was a throbbing base line and trance highs. There were no words to it but it made her want to grab Vince and just move. She resisted the impulse and followed Vince into the kitchen. He grabbed a corona and asked if she wanted one. She was only 19 and had never drunk before. She was the stereotypical good girl and had not planned on drinking till she turned 21 but she figured she may as well go all the way tonight and she took the beer. It was good. Cold and crisp and she was thirsty. What was one beer likely to do? It was not like she was doing body shots of tequila or anything.
They headed out to the living room. Vince asked Skyline guy, who was also there, and named Leon, where Dom was. Seems he had never returned. Leon said they didn't know where he was but if he was not back in another 5 minutes someone had to go find him. Everyone groaned, no one wanted to leave the house after escaping the cops, and they all seemed scared of what Dom would do to them for not going sooner. Nyssa knew how it felt to be abandoned so she figured they should go looking now. She didn't know any of these people so she kept that to herself.
Vince sat down and grabbed his guitar and asked her if she wanted to hear any song in particular. Nyssa told him no but she would love to hear him play. She sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of him. Vince was an awesome guitar player. If the music and Vince playing had not been so loud they would have heard the car pull up to the front of the house.