Chapter 30 - Whatcha got Boy?
"Hey Manda, why don't you eat supper with us and then ride to races with Jesse? You know you're goin' down tonight anyway so why rush home and then rush down there."
"Well that sounds ok if no one minds." Manda looked around and all the guys said no problem. "But everyone has to take their cars home because I don't know when I'll be back here." Nyssa said. So the whole team each drove their own rides to the house.
They all had to see under the hood of Manda's car. She didn't have anything modded on hers. Jesse immediately started to talk her ear off about what could be done to make the car race worthy. Manda just listened with a super interested look on her face that Nyssa could see right through. Manda only went to races to see and be seen by guys. She had no desire to race her car, but she wanted to let Jesse talk about stuff he cared about so she let him go on about cold air intakes and direct port NOS, and stand alone fuel management systems. Nyssa rescued her cousin.
"Hey Jesse, the girl doesn't know how to pump her own gas, your expertise is wasted on her man. Let's go eat." Jesse blushed and Manda giggled,
"Well the way you were telling it was making it interesting." Manda said as she walked beside Jesse into the house.
"Smooth Nyssa. Real smooth." Vince laughed. "You want to hook her up with Jess then tell the car crazy mad scientist that she can't even pump her own gas."
"Well she can't. It is downright funny if she needs gas after full serve hours. She had to go in and show some cleavage to the cashier to get them to do it for her." Vince laughed, thinking Nyssa was joking, then when she didn't laugh too he looked at her.
"You're serious aren't you?"
"As a heart attack."
Vince just shook his head. He couldn't believe she wanted to hook someone like her cousin up with Jesse. They headed in the house and Mia and Nyssa made supper. They decided to make pizza, cause everyone knew homemade pizza was the best. They made 4 huge pizzas and by the time the guys were done there was none left.
"Well at least we don't have to worry about if we have any saran wrap for the leftovers I guess." Nyssa said as she surveyed the havoc that had been rent on the dinner table. The guys all laughed.
"After what you lady's put us through yesterday we need our strength." Vince said and Nyssa kicked him in the shin under the table. Everyone laughed at the look of pain on his face.
They went to races that night as a team. Nyssa took her own car and Vince caught a ride down with her just because he didn't want to be apart from her yet. Manda rode in the Jetta with Jesse. They got to the warehouse and talked with Edwin and Hector. Vince gave Brian some dirty looks but didn't say anything to him. There was another race of novices happening and Nyssa wanted in on it. She told Vince she was going for it and he just smiled at her. She was an ok racer and she needed the practical experience before race wars. She walked up to Hector and told him she was in. She handed him her 1000 bucks and she headed to her car. She was about to pull out to head to the line when Dom came up to her window.
"What are you doin?"
"Racing my car, there was a junior race called and Vince agreed that I need the experience. So I had the money so I got in on it. Why?"
"No one races without my say so that's why. I don't want you to race. It's too dangerous."
"Dom, for god's sake. You think I can race at racewars without more practise? It's my car and my life. I need to race. I'm doin this."
"You need to clear races with me you don't just get in on 'em. We're a team. There is no way you're racing tonight."
"If you think you can stop me from there you got another thought coming Dom." She said then squealed off. Dom watched her go with a look on his face that was a mix of shock that she would talk to him like that and anger that she didn't listen to him. She was going to race after he told her no? She clearly didn't understand that he was the leader of this team. Dom walked up to Vince.
"You tell her she could race without talkin' to me first?"
"I told her she needed the practise and that's all man. I didn't tell her to do it or not do it. She's her own person. Man I just got her back, you think I'm pissen her off again you got another thought coming man."
"Funny she said the same thing. 'If you think you're stoppen me from there when I'm in here Dom you got another thought comin'. I'll let this one go but she better not pull shit like this again Vince." Dom's shock had worn off and now he was just plain pissed.
"Tell her not me man. I know she's my girl but she's your team member. You think I am refereeing all the fights the two o'you have you're wrong brotha. I can't."
Dom looked a Vince for a moment and then the reason why Vince, as Nyssa's boyfriend could not take Dom's side in these kinds of things seemed to don on him. One Dom had to be able to run his own team and two Nyssa would think that Vince was taking Dom's side all the time and that would strain their relationship. Well then the girl had a lecture about the fact that there was no I in team coming up after this race.
Nyssa was so pissed that Letty had been right that Dom had no intention of letting her race but at racewars she was livid. She stopped on the line with a squeal. She sized up the competition and didn't see anything that should give her much trouble. She looked out her drivers side window and saw Letty running up to the car.
"Whatidi tell ya. He doesn't want us to race but on special occasions and at race wars. You fucked him up good. He didn't know what to make of the fact you stood up to him. I have before but he is so frosty and mad at me for days it just wasn't worth it anymore."
"Fuck him Letty. I wanna race and to get good enough for my plans for my future to work out I need to practice. I can't race at race wars if I have only ever raced once before."
"No need to tell me that girl, I know all about it. Now, about the punks you're racing tonight. Kid on this side of you, no challenge there, he's drivin a Civic, 'nough said. First kid on your left, in the MX-6, watch him. He's only got 5 gears to your 6 so your 2-3 shift is going to come sooner then his, he could get you then if you don't make the 2-3 shift snappy and tight. Or try to put it off if you can. But to do that you need to run the car to the redline." Nyssa nodded, she understood. "The last kid, he's Edwin's little brother. Now the Nissan 350z he's driving is only competition for you up to around 100 mph but you need to watch that one because he's fast and been doing this longer then you. Now, because you are in a 6 speed against 5 speed cars if I were you I would try to redline it. But you need to balance that against the fact that your torque and horsepower peek before the redline. You'll need both your NOS shots, be ready for that."
"Man Letty. You really know this shit don't you? We need to sit down and go over this stuff some time. I wanna be able to size up cars the way you do. I never thought of how the gear ratios could hurt me in the short races. You're so right, I am going to lose some ground to them when I need to go up to third a half second or more before they do." Letty nodded.
"Win this one for both of us chica, the better us ladies do the more likely Dom will take us seriously some time this century."
"I'll do my best Lett, I really will." Letty walked away and they waited another minute and then Leon got the all clear. Hector dropped his arms and they were off.
Nyssa got out front right away and just like Letty thought the kid in the Civic fell to 4th right away. Nyssa hit second just before the redline. So far so good. The two other guys were with her, the 350z with it's nose right at her door and the MX-6 at her rear bumper. Nyssa was at the point where she had to decide, shift the car now at the peek of the gear or run it to the redline and try to shift when the other two 'punks' as Letty called them did. She decided to redline it as Letty recommended. She gave it more gas and the rpm's climbed steadily. She slammed the car into third. She didn't lose any ground to them, they all shifted at the same time. She was running at 80mph right now, the Mazda was starting to lose ground to her and the Nissan 350z with Edwin's little brother. She glanced down and saw she was at 90mph. She went to 4th then she hit the first NOS shot and with a squeal she was forced back in her seat and the car screamed forward. A nanosecond later the 350 was almost caught back up with her. She now had to decide if she would use the second NOS shot now in 5th and hope to get enough acceleration to beat the other guy, or if she wanted to go to 6th then wait for the RPM's to get high enough for the second shot. She figured there was about three seconds of race left.
She shifted, it was as tight and quick as any shift she had ever done but it did allow the 350 to edge out on her. She hit 7000 rpm and hit the second NOS. She was again forced back in her Sparco seat and she got a car length ahead of the 350 and crossed the line.
"Woooooo, ahhhhhhhh." She kissed the air. "I won. I won. I won. I can't believe I did it." She realized no one could hear her now. She turned the car around and returned to where the other three cars already were. Hector handed her 6 grand. She had never held so much money.
Vince came running up to her. He picked her up and she put her arms around his neck, money still in her hand behind his head.
"You smoked 'em. Wow, what an awesome race. Edwin's brother is good." She smiled at him and he kissed her. "But you better go get back into your car and get ready to run so Dom doesn't spoil your night by choking you to death." She laughed down at him and realized that Vince was not laughing back.
"Your not kidden are you?"
"He was pissed as I've ever seen him when you pulled that stunt Nys. I mean I know you wanna race, I know you need the practice, but no one races without asking him first. I know I told you that at some point of your training."
"You did, but Letty told me he would never let me race 'cause I'm a chick and he doesn't think we belong street racing, just at racewars where it is safer. I didn't put in all this work to be patted on the head like a good little girl while the big boys play with their toys."
Vince groaned. "I know just don't piss Dom off if you can help it please. We all have to live with him you know."
"Well, I'm not hiding in my car. Let's go give him 4 g's of this 6 and see how much nicer he is about my racing without his permission."
They walked over to Dom arm in arm and Nyssa handed him the money.
"2/3's of what I won. It's yours el captian." Letty hugged her and so did Mia before Dom could even open his mouth.
"You were awesome. I'm so glad you went with my strategy for the 2-3 shift too. It was text book." Letty grinned at her, Nyssa grinned back. It felt good to be a winner. "So you had a hand in this little scheme did you Letty? I shoulda known." Dom could see the mark of Letty all over this now that it was pointed out to him.
"No, once she was going to race I helped her size up the competition is all. No reason why she shouldn't win just because she went against you to get the chance to race." Dom frowned.
"Nyssa, this is a team. I happen to be the leader of said team. We don't do things on our own or for ourselves on a team. There is no I in team." Dom said, smug look about working his line into his little speech on his face.
"Nope, there's no I in team, you're right on that Dom. However there is an M E in team." Dom groaned and Nyssa and Letty laughed.
Nyssa looked around for the rest of the team and was pleased to see Jesse and her cousin making out against the Jetta. She laughed and turned back to Dom. "So, Dominic, are we cool? I mean, I won, I made you money, I came back'n one piece and all. I think I proved I can race with the big boys."
Dom wondered who this cocky little girl was. He almost asked her what she did with Nyssa. She was nothing like the shy little girl who blushed behind Vince in his kitchen while Vince lied about taking her to work, and not the high school she was really late for. She sure had come around since she had been with them, and started to race. She was ten times more confident. Not shy anymore, and not scared of anything. He guessed he had been overbearing on the girls when they wanted to race. He might have to rethink that now. He didn't however, have to tell her that just yet. Let her worry about if she was ever going to race again for awhile just to teach her who ran this show.
"We're cool, but you need to clear all races with me from now on. And despite what you heard from Letty, I'll let you if I think you have a chance ok?"
"Deal. Thanks for being good about this Dom."
Dom ruffled her hair. She was like a slightly cockier Mia. "Ok, just don't make me regret it. And you can keep working with Letty to learn how to size up the cars on your own. We only have a month before race wars and I guess we all need the practice."
Dom raced that night and won. Then they all headed back to the house and had a party there. Manda called home and told her parents she was staying with Nyssa. Her mom wasn't thrilled but agreed in the end. Manda said she could hear her dad saying yes in the background and that was the only reason why. Manda and Jesse went to bed first.
"Hey Manda, why don't you eat supper with us and then ride to races with Jesse? You know you're goin' down tonight anyway so why rush home and then rush down there."
"Well that sounds ok if no one minds." Manda looked around and all the guys said no problem. "But everyone has to take their cars home because I don't know when I'll be back here." Nyssa said. So the whole team each drove their own rides to the house.
They all had to see under the hood of Manda's car. She didn't have anything modded on hers. Jesse immediately started to talk her ear off about what could be done to make the car race worthy. Manda just listened with a super interested look on her face that Nyssa could see right through. Manda only went to races to see and be seen by guys. She had no desire to race her car, but she wanted to let Jesse talk about stuff he cared about so she let him go on about cold air intakes and direct port NOS, and stand alone fuel management systems. Nyssa rescued her cousin.
"Hey Jesse, the girl doesn't know how to pump her own gas, your expertise is wasted on her man. Let's go eat." Jesse blushed and Manda giggled,
"Well the way you were telling it was making it interesting." Manda said as she walked beside Jesse into the house.
"Smooth Nyssa. Real smooth." Vince laughed. "You want to hook her up with Jess then tell the car crazy mad scientist that she can't even pump her own gas."
"Well she can't. It is downright funny if she needs gas after full serve hours. She had to go in and show some cleavage to the cashier to get them to do it for her." Vince laughed, thinking Nyssa was joking, then when she didn't laugh too he looked at her.
"You're serious aren't you?"
"As a heart attack."
Vince just shook his head. He couldn't believe she wanted to hook someone like her cousin up with Jesse. They headed in the house and Mia and Nyssa made supper. They decided to make pizza, cause everyone knew homemade pizza was the best. They made 4 huge pizzas and by the time the guys were done there was none left.
"Well at least we don't have to worry about if we have any saran wrap for the leftovers I guess." Nyssa said as she surveyed the havoc that had been rent on the dinner table. The guys all laughed.
"After what you lady's put us through yesterday we need our strength." Vince said and Nyssa kicked him in the shin under the table. Everyone laughed at the look of pain on his face.
They went to races that night as a team. Nyssa took her own car and Vince caught a ride down with her just because he didn't want to be apart from her yet. Manda rode in the Jetta with Jesse. They got to the warehouse and talked with Edwin and Hector. Vince gave Brian some dirty looks but didn't say anything to him. There was another race of novices happening and Nyssa wanted in on it. She told Vince she was going for it and he just smiled at her. She was an ok racer and she needed the practical experience before race wars. She walked up to Hector and told him she was in. She handed him her 1000 bucks and she headed to her car. She was about to pull out to head to the line when Dom came up to her window.
"What are you doin?"
"Racing my car, there was a junior race called and Vince agreed that I need the experience. So I had the money so I got in on it. Why?"
"No one races without my say so that's why. I don't want you to race. It's too dangerous."
"Dom, for god's sake. You think I can race at racewars without more practise? It's my car and my life. I need to race. I'm doin this."
"You need to clear races with me you don't just get in on 'em. We're a team. There is no way you're racing tonight."
"If you think you can stop me from there you got another thought coming Dom." She said then squealed off. Dom watched her go with a look on his face that was a mix of shock that she would talk to him like that and anger that she didn't listen to him. She was going to race after he told her no? She clearly didn't understand that he was the leader of this team. Dom walked up to Vince.
"You tell her she could race without talkin' to me first?"
"I told her she needed the practise and that's all man. I didn't tell her to do it or not do it. She's her own person. Man I just got her back, you think I'm pissen her off again you got another thought coming man."
"Funny she said the same thing. 'If you think you're stoppen me from there when I'm in here Dom you got another thought comin'. I'll let this one go but she better not pull shit like this again Vince." Dom's shock had worn off and now he was just plain pissed.
"Tell her not me man. I know she's my girl but she's your team member. You think I am refereeing all the fights the two o'you have you're wrong brotha. I can't."
Dom looked a Vince for a moment and then the reason why Vince, as Nyssa's boyfriend could not take Dom's side in these kinds of things seemed to don on him. One Dom had to be able to run his own team and two Nyssa would think that Vince was taking Dom's side all the time and that would strain their relationship. Well then the girl had a lecture about the fact that there was no I in team coming up after this race.
Nyssa was so pissed that Letty had been right that Dom had no intention of letting her race but at racewars she was livid. She stopped on the line with a squeal. She sized up the competition and didn't see anything that should give her much trouble. She looked out her drivers side window and saw Letty running up to the car.
"Whatidi tell ya. He doesn't want us to race but on special occasions and at race wars. You fucked him up good. He didn't know what to make of the fact you stood up to him. I have before but he is so frosty and mad at me for days it just wasn't worth it anymore."
"Fuck him Letty. I wanna race and to get good enough for my plans for my future to work out I need to practice. I can't race at race wars if I have only ever raced once before."
"No need to tell me that girl, I know all about it. Now, about the punks you're racing tonight. Kid on this side of you, no challenge there, he's drivin a Civic, 'nough said. First kid on your left, in the MX-6, watch him. He's only got 5 gears to your 6 so your 2-3 shift is going to come sooner then his, he could get you then if you don't make the 2-3 shift snappy and tight. Or try to put it off if you can. But to do that you need to run the car to the redline." Nyssa nodded, she understood. "The last kid, he's Edwin's little brother. Now the Nissan 350z he's driving is only competition for you up to around 100 mph but you need to watch that one because he's fast and been doing this longer then you. Now, because you are in a 6 speed against 5 speed cars if I were you I would try to redline it. But you need to balance that against the fact that your torque and horsepower peek before the redline. You'll need both your NOS shots, be ready for that."
"Man Letty. You really know this shit don't you? We need to sit down and go over this stuff some time. I wanna be able to size up cars the way you do. I never thought of how the gear ratios could hurt me in the short races. You're so right, I am going to lose some ground to them when I need to go up to third a half second or more before they do." Letty nodded.
"Win this one for both of us chica, the better us ladies do the more likely Dom will take us seriously some time this century."
"I'll do my best Lett, I really will." Letty walked away and they waited another minute and then Leon got the all clear. Hector dropped his arms and they were off.
Nyssa got out front right away and just like Letty thought the kid in the Civic fell to 4th right away. Nyssa hit second just before the redline. So far so good. The two other guys were with her, the 350z with it's nose right at her door and the MX-6 at her rear bumper. Nyssa was at the point where she had to decide, shift the car now at the peek of the gear or run it to the redline and try to shift when the other two 'punks' as Letty called them did. She decided to redline it as Letty recommended. She gave it more gas and the rpm's climbed steadily. She slammed the car into third. She didn't lose any ground to them, they all shifted at the same time. She was running at 80mph right now, the Mazda was starting to lose ground to her and the Nissan 350z with Edwin's little brother. She glanced down and saw she was at 90mph. She went to 4th then she hit the first NOS shot and with a squeal she was forced back in her seat and the car screamed forward. A nanosecond later the 350 was almost caught back up with her. She now had to decide if she would use the second NOS shot now in 5th and hope to get enough acceleration to beat the other guy, or if she wanted to go to 6th then wait for the RPM's to get high enough for the second shot. She figured there was about three seconds of race left.
She shifted, it was as tight and quick as any shift she had ever done but it did allow the 350 to edge out on her. She hit 7000 rpm and hit the second NOS. She was again forced back in her Sparco seat and she got a car length ahead of the 350 and crossed the line.
"Woooooo, ahhhhhhhh." She kissed the air. "I won. I won. I won. I can't believe I did it." She realized no one could hear her now. She turned the car around and returned to where the other three cars already were. Hector handed her 6 grand. She had never held so much money.
Vince came running up to her. He picked her up and she put her arms around his neck, money still in her hand behind his head.
"You smoked 'em. Wow, what an awesome race. Edwin's brother is good." She smiled at him and he kissed her. "But you better go get back into your car and get ready to run so Dom doesn't spoil your night by choking you to death." She laughed down at him and realized that Vince was not laughing back.
"Your not kidden are you?"
"He was pissed as I've ever seen him when you pulled that stunt Nys. I mean I know you wanna race, I know you need the practice, but no one races without asking him first. I know I told you that at some point of your training."
"You did, but Letty told me he would never let me race 'cause I'm a chick and he doesn't think we belong street racing, just at racewars where it is safer. I didn't put in all this work to be patted on the head like a good little girl while the big boys play with their toys."
Vince groaned. "I know just don't piss Dom off if you can help it please. We all have to live with him you know."
"Well, I'm not hiding in my car. Let's go give him 4 g's of this 6 and see how much nicer he is about my racing without his permission."
They walked over to Dom arm in arm and Nyssa handed him the money.
"2/3's of what I won. It's yours el captian." Letty hugged her and so did Mia before Dom could even open his mouth.
"You were awesome. I'm so glad you went with my strategy for the 2-3 shift too. It was text book." Letty grinned at her, Nyssa grinned back. It felt good to be a winner. "So you had a hand in this little scheme did you Letty? I shoulda known." Dom could see the mark of Letty all over this now that it was pointed out to him.
"No, once she was going to race I helped her size up the competition is all. No reason why she shouldn't win just because she went against you to get the chance to race." Dom frowned.
"Nyssa, this is a team. I happen to be the leader of said team. We don't do things on our own or for ourselves on a team. There is no I in team." Dom said, smug look about working his line into his little speech on his face.
"Nope, there's no I in team, you're right on that Dom. However there is an M E in team." Dom groaned and Nyssa and Letty laughed.
Nyssa looked around for the rest of the team and was pleased to see Jesse and her cousin making out against the Jetta. She laughed and turned back to Dom. "So, Dominic, are we cool? I mean, I won, I made you money, I came back'n one piece and all. I think I proved I can race with the big boys."
Dom wondered who this cocky little girl was. He almost asked her what she did with Nyssa. She was nothing like the shy little girl who blushed behind Vince in his kitchen while Vince lied about taking her to work, and not the high school she was really late for. She sure had come around since she had been with them, and started to race. She was ten times more confident. Not shy anymore, and not scared of anything. He guessed he had been overbearing on the girls when they wanted to race. He might have to rethink that now. He didn't however, have to tell her that just yet. Let her worry about if she was ever going to race again for awhile just to teach her who ran this show.
"We're cool, but you need to clear all races with me from now on. And despite what you heard from Letty, I'll let you if I think you have a chance ok?"
"Deal. Thanks for being good about this Dom."
Dom ruffled her hair. She was like a slightly cockier Mia. "Ok, just don't make me regret it. And you can keep working with Letty to learn how to size up the cars on your own. We only have a month before race wars and I guess we all need the practice."
Dom raced that night and won. Then they all headed back to the house and had a party there. Manda called home and told her parents she was staying with Nyssa. Her mom wasn't thrilled but agreed in the end. Manda said she could hear her dad saying yes in the background and that was the only reason why. Manda and Jesse went to bed first.