Chapter 27: The Drive-In and Deep Thoughts

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July's head shot up as she heard the sound of a car revving and the sound of a car peeling out. She looked over in time to see the last of what she thought was Vince's car round the corner. She looked on in confusion before turning back to Max.

"Who was that?" Max asked with a frown.

"I think it was Vince," July said checking the driveway next to her to see if Vince's car was there; it wasn't.

"Who's Vince?"

"A friend who lives next door," she answered lost in thought on why Vince would have sped off. She turned as she heard her name being called. She found Leon standing on the porch next door.

"Was that V?" he called across the yard, gesturing to the new tire marks on the road.

"Yeah, I just saw the last of his car whip around the corner."

"Wonder what crawled up his butt?"

"No clue," July said shrugging. Leon waved bye and disappeared back into the house.

"Now who was that?" Max asked.

"That was Leon. He's cool," she said absently. July looked at the road, studying it as if it would give her the answers to why Vince had left when Max's voice penetrated her thoughts.

"So you were saying?"

"Oh yeah. Anyways…"

July finished explaining the last of the parts to Max before she turned back into the garage. Opening a cabinet that was hanging on the wall, she found some old work shirts. Buttoning one over her shirt, she rolled up the sleeves and then began to rummage through the drawers, gathering the various tools she would need. Grabbing a wrench, a couple of sockets, and a screwdriver just in case, she went back over to Max's car. She then began to work on fixing his car, explaining what was wrong and how to fix it.

Twenty minutes later, she was done and was wiping her dirty hands on a rag. She put away the tools and took off the work shirt.

"That's it?" Max asked staring at the engine.

"That's it," July said washing her hands at the sink she found in the farther corner of the garage.

"That was pretty easy. I could have done that if I knew what I was doing," he mumbled.

July laughed at him. "Yeah wait 'til something big goes wrong and then you're going to be glad you don't have to do the work. Especially when you can't figure out what's wrong."

"Are you guys done yet? We've got to get going," Amy asked sticking her head out from the door.

"Yeah, we just finished," July answered. She pushed the button to close the garage door and then went into the living room.

"So you fixed it?" Amy questioned as she followed July out the front door.

"I think so," she replied, closing the door behind them. "Have to run the car first." They went out side and joined Max at his car. "So get in already and let's see if I fixed it."

Max got into the car and turned the ignition. His car started up with a steady purr. The girls got into his car and rolled down their windows, allowing the evening's cool breeze to flow through the car. As Max reversed out the driveway he couldn't help but smile.

"I guess you did it," he said heading towards the drive-in.

"Well, that'll teach you not to doubt me. Just goes to prove girls are smarter than boys," July taunted sharing a smirk with Amy.

"Whatever," Max mumbled, shaking his head while the girls laughed at him.

Max easily maneuvered through the evening traffic and soon they were pulling into the drive-in and found a spot to park.

"Who wants to go get snacks?" Amy asked.

"I'll go get them," Max said and held out his hand. Amy dug into her pocket and passed him the money.

"I want nachos," she said. "Oh, and a Sprite. Oh, and a box of milk duds," Amy added, practically bouncing in her seat.

"What about you July?" Max asked getting out of the car and leaning in the open window.

July bit her lip as she though, and then finally answered. "Um… how about a Mt. Dew, and some gummy worms?"

Max nodded, standing up, but then leaned back into the car. "Anything else before I go? Because I'm not going to go during the middle of the movie Amy," he said glaring at her.

Amy gave a guilty smile at her brother's glare. "How about a big thing of popcorn to share?"

"Fine. I'm going now," Max stated, turning and leaving.

The two girls sat and talked, commenting on the previews while they waited for their snacks. Max soon returned, loaded with a box full of food and a tub of popcorn. He got in the car and passed back the box to Amy, who took her items out before passing the box back to the front.

"I swear that if anyone spills anything I will make them walk home," Max threatened, glaring at July then Amy.

July chuckled at his over protectiveness of his car but it would have been the same thing for her car; well maybe not so much with the Accord, but definitely with the Soarer. Before anyone could say anything else, the movie began and they all fell silent.

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Earlier at the Toretto house…

Leon walked back into the house, the front door banging close behind him. Everyone looked up at him expectantly.

"July said it was V, but she didn't know why he left," he answered their silence question and took back up his spot next to Letty.

"I thought July wasn't home," Mia said from her spot next to Brian.

"Well apparently she is. She was out on the driveway with some guy fixing his car."

Mia and Letty shared a knowing looking, both realizing why Vince had sped off.

"Maybe I should go over and check on her," Dom said starting to get up.

"Dom, no," Mia argued, standing up and placing herself in front of her brother. "You can't rule over her life. She isn't even part of the team."

"So, that doesn't mean I can't check on her," Dom countered back.

"Dom, if you want to stay friends with her, I suggest you leave it be. She doesn't need you to check up on her every time she's not around us for more then five minutes. She's not a kid," Mia said, hands on her hips.

"Fine," Dom grumbled, sitting back down with a sigh. He knew from the look on Mia's face that she wasn't going to let him go over no matter what he said.

Mia smiled a small smile at her victory and sat back down. Letty was fidgeting on the couch. Leon kept giving her looks and trying to pull her closer, but Letty just didn't feel comfortable like she normally was with Leon. She needed to get away and think. She jumped up and everyone looked at her.

"I'm going to go for a drive," Letty said reaching into her pocket for her keys.

"Why?" Leon asked.

"Just to drive and see if I can find V," she answered, even though she wasn't really going to.

"V can take care of himself."

"I know that. I just want to go for a drive too," Letty said backing up towards the door. She had to get away from Leon and his insightful view long enough to think.

"Want me to come?" he asked as he got up too.

If he were Dom, he just would have let me go, he would have understood, Letty thought to herself.

"No. I'll be back soon," Letty said giving him a quick peck on the cheek and was out the door before he could protest.

Leon couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. All week Letty had been acting weird and she had began to distance herself from him. He just didn't understand it. Last week everything was fine and this week it seemed like she was disgusted at his touch. Irritated, Leon gave one last glance around the room before stomping down to his room to do a little thinking himself.

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Outside, Letty got into her car and headed off in the direction of the tire tracks. She drove, not really having a destination in mind; she just kept driving, taking random turns. Eventually she arrived at the beach and parked her car. Turning off the car, she got out and looked around. It was a more secluded area of the beach. There was no one around but she could spot a few people about a mile down. She took off her boots and socks, rolled up her pants a bit, and walked out towards the beach.

The ocean always seemed to have a calming effect on her. She stood in the middle of the sand and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the ocean fill her. The waves pounded onto the sand and a gull or two sounded off in the distance. Once she felt herself calm a bit, she wondered down farther and sat in the warm sand. She watched as the sun began to drop in the sky.

How did things get so messed up? How did I get so messed up? Letty asked herself.

Everything was all wrong. She guessed it all started with the trucks, but she had moved past that; everyone had. That only left one thing that had changed, the guys, mainly Dom and Leon. It all started in Mexico. She had grown to depend on Leon so much in that little amount of time that they had been on their own. She was hurt and who took care of her and made sure she was okay, Leon, not Dom. Leon had taken such good care of her. Then the idea that Leon was what she needed, what she wanted, had struck her. Someone who was tough and protective and she didn't have to worry about being cheated on. Leon wasn't that type of guy. She never had to worry about him sneaking home late or coming home smelling like cheap perfume, and that had made her happy.

But, she had to admit that Dom hadn't cheated on her after the whole fiasco with Tran's sister; or at least she didn't think he had. But that still did nothing to stop the other girls or that nagging suspicion at the back of her mind that always whispered at her. That's why it had been so nice with Leon. She never had second doubts about him--until now. And even now it wasn't so much about his loyalty but more with whether she still wanted to be with him.

God she was so confused. She love Dom; she always would. She loved Leon, but she wasn't sure if it was the right kind of love. She loved him more like a brother. Sure, there was chemistry between them and if things were different then they'd make a great couple and probably be together for a long time, but things weren't different. She still had feelings for Dom, deep feelings. Feelings she was sure would never go away. It was like whenever he was around, thing were just better.

Letty had come to realize that maybe Dom was the one for her. Things with Leon were nice but it wasn't the same that she had with Dom. Dom had been her first for everything so far and deep down inside, she hoped he would be her first for a lot of things to come. She couldn't stay with Leon. It just wouldn't be fair to him, to Dom, or to her. Dom might not even still like her that way, and that idea sending her stomach into knots. What the hell was she going to do?

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tbc…