"You sure it's not too late to turn around?" Kendall asked Roman as they stood opposite each other getting ready to fill their gas tanks.
"An hour to go and you wanna go back? That's some messed up shit." Roman shook his head.
"You're gonna do it and do it well." Dominic walked up, swiping his credit card in the pump for Kendall and Roman.
""What, no snacks? I need food, Dom." Roman stretched and rubbed his stomach, making Kendall giggle.
"Damn, guys, didn't you pack snacks?" Letty muttered. "I know Dall packed some in every car." She said, pulling her car up to the pump as Roman pulled out and up closer to the convenience store.
"She did…They're just gone." Jesse laughed. "I think K needs a pep talk." He noted, watching Kendall stare off into space, chewing on her lip.
"Yo, where the hell is Brian?" Dominic asked, counting all of his crews cars minus Brian's. He soon came pulling in behind Vince's car.
"You mean we didn't loose him?" Kendall muttered to Vince, making him laugh.
"Sorry Kiddo. I been tryin for a while and it ain't worked yet." Vince shook his head. "You hungry?" He asked. She shrugged. "Nerves?" He asked.
"A yep." She folded her arms, watching her cousin. "Why didn't Mia come?" She asked, the question popping in her head.
"Mia? She's tired of racing, races. We had some shit go down, it was all dramatic and she's done with it all." Vince said, frowning at the memories. His arm was healing nicely, though it was still sore.
"Yeah. All the skanks, assholes, yeah. I couldn't imagine why." Kendall smiled, half absorbed in her own thoughts.
"Dude, Dome. I know she's hiding somethin 'bout San Diego from us." Brian mentioned to Dominic after they had made their way to Famous Dave's Barbeque. Kendall got out, self consciously checking her black leather flair pants and her white wife beater she had thrown on. She was beginning to act jumpy. She hated it yet she couldn't help it.
"Yo, Dall, you ok?" Roman asked his childhood friend , putting an arm around her as they walked inside the loud restaurant, barbeque filling their noses.
"Yeah. Listen Ro, you gotta help me keep Dom and Brian under control. And yourself. No matter what." She hesitated as the rest of the group was seated.
"Tell me what you're worried about, Please, homegirl." Roman begged.
"Just freakin promise me, Roman." She looked him the eyes.
"I'll try my best, Dall, I will." He nodded, the urge of food grasping at him heavily.
"Good, let's get our grub on." Kendall smiled.
"You know. I do remember you having an appetite like mine. Where'd it go, you stick?" He teased.
"I still got it. When I'm not all nerves." She hit him as he tousled her hair.
"Nerves? You're part of the Toretto family. You don't have nerves." Letty growled in a whisper behind her making Kendall jump. "Damn, Dall, maybe you do. Bad ones." She teased.
"Funny…Never figured you to be so funny." Kendall retorted.
"You ladies gonna eat or gossip?" Dominic asked as he opened his menu. Kendall and Letty looked at each other and laughed. They both sat down, opposite sides, putting Dominic in the middle between them. "So, Kendall, you gonna tell them or not?" He asked, taking a drink of his Coke the waitress had brought.
"Tell us what?" Jesse asked, eating a cheese stick from the appetizer's.
"I'm Dom's cousin. Our dad's were brothers." She said, making Brian cough and almost spit out his drink of water he had just taken.
"How ya like that Blondie? You messed with two of Dom's kin." Vince whispered lowly to Brian, making Brian pretend he didn't hear him.
"Shut up, Cuz." Brian shook his head and said under his breath. "Cousins, huh?" He grinned boyishly.
"Yup." Dominic grinned, loving to see Brian sweat and be so uncomfortable. Letty laughed. Dinner went on as though they were home. Dominic paid and the group got up heading fort their cars. Kendall lingered behind.
"What's the deal, Kendall?" Brian asked.
"Leave me alone. I'm not talking to you." Kendall said assertively.
"Ok, don't care. I'm talkin to you and I know as well as you do that there is somethin you're not tellin us." Brian said, giving her one of his intent looks.
"Doesn't work on me Playboy." Kendall held up her hand and said in her meanest voice. She walked out, leaving Brian speechless.
"I can't win for loosing." Brian shook his head. The rest of the crew were already set to go, buckled up and engines started.
"Let's go before it starts raining." Leon whistled, pointing to the clouds.
"I'm tired, Dom. Can't we get a hotel?" Kendall tried one last time to stall. She had pulled up to Dominic and rolled down her window.
"Nice try, Babe, but no. We're going to drive the last hour and by then we should hit it at the right time." Dominic frowned, putting his foot down.
"Fine. I'll lead." Kendall sighed, exasperated.
"Just make sure and take us to the right place, Dall." Dominic gave her a fake smile. She returned a faker one back and pulled out. Her tires spinning in the gravel. They rode in silence. Kendall led the group and they made good time. As she predicted, outside, on the edge of town they rolled up onto the racing scene. It looked just like L.A.'s version.
"This is it, Kendall. Do or die time." She told herself, her pride kicking in and her adrenaline pumping. She recognized quite a few people. Swallowed hard, she stepped out, her head held high.
"Look who it is. We thought you were gone for good!" An excited voice behind her cried, ecstatic. She turned to see her best friend, Callissa.
"Hey Calli." She said, almost coldly. Callissa looked confused.
"I tried to call you. You left me." Callissa's face fell.
"Well, I don't stay friends with friends who sleep with my boyfriend. Excuse me, ex-boyfriend." Kendall said, her jaw held tight.
"Oh, no. You got it all wrong. You do. If you woulda stuck around." Callissa's blue eyes welled up with tears.
"For what? An explanation? I got all I needed when I let you move in with us and one night after getting drunk, finding him in your room." Kendall folded her arms, running her tongue over her teeth.
"Dall, he drugged me and you." Callissa backed up, looking ready to flee.
"Good excuse. How long did it take you to think of it?" Kendall asked, trying not to flinch.
"Whateva?" Callissa turned and walked away.
"You have any problems, you let us know." Dominic got out in his black wife beater, looking down at his cousin. He knew her well enough by now to know she was putting up a front. She nodded.
"I'll be back. Any of your boys want in on the race?" She asked.
"I do." Brian walked up. Kendall sighed. "You asked." He grinned.
"I'll be back." She nodded, taking off. She went to find Trex, her ex-boyfriend. He was the Dominic of the San Diego scene. She found him where she knew he'd be. "Bad habits never leave I see." She said, glaring at him. He turned around, looking amazed.
"You got nerve. I'll give you that." Jeremy looked at her, scowling. His 6'5" frame towered over her 5'5" frame.
"Keep, I don't want anything from you. My crew and I are here to race, that's it." She said, her tone deep.
"You managed to get another crew?" He scoffed. "Where would you get another crew who would race with someone who can't race." Trex laughed, highfiving one of his boys.
"Whoa, whoa. Let's settle this on the blacktop. I didn't come to referee." Tej Parker stepped between them.
"You're new." Kendall noted. He nodded and grinned. "I'm here for a friend. You race?" He asked, showing her the line up.
"Not yet, But I got a boy who's game." She said, motioning for Brian to pull up. He did and jumped out, his mouth open, jaw dropped.
"Tej Parker. What up boy?" He asked, his eyes bright from the lighting streaks in the clouds. It was ready to storm, with the smell of the rain in the air.
"Bullit, hey man." Tej grinned, all the racers looking shocked. "This boy can race. Don't say I didn't warn you." He said as the fourth rolled up.
"I wanna race you, Kendall." Trex growled as Kendall watched Brian and Tej converse.
"Oh, you'll get you chance, don't worry. Me and my crew are in for the long haul." She smirked.
"Yeah, we'll see. I thought maybe you realized how much you needed us." He said as Tej got ready to flag the racers.
"Nope. Don't need you to race, help me, not for anything Trex. Not even to beat my ass." She looked at him.
"You had it comin. You musta not learned your lesson. Do you need another ass whippin?" He asked, standing up. Dominic, overhearing, tapped him on the shoulder.
"Better stop givin her shit." Was all he said.
"Who are you, Baldy?" Trex asked.
"Her cousin. And I think I just heard you bet her up. You wanna hit someone, take it up with someone you own size." Dominic took a deep breath. Kendall stepped between them, pushing Dominic back.
"Stop, Dom. Please. I got this. We're here to race, not fight." She reasoned and led him back to where Leon and the crew were already out of their cars out of concern.
"Kendall, is he your reason? He hurt you? I want the story and I want it now." Dominic ordered, shrugging her off.
"Yes and no. Look, yes, he hit me more than I shoulda let him. But there's more to it." She said.
"Spill it. Before he looses it and goes after him." Letty advised.
"He and my best friend slept together. I walked in, in my own house. Ok. I started to leave and he beat me so bad he put me in ICU. I got out of the hospital and took off from the hospital. With nothing." She explained as Letty and the boys looked shocked. "Then lying about me losing the races, fixing all my cars, and stuff I learned the night I met you guys." She said, hands in her pockets and looking down.
"Wow, Dall, that's tough." Leon said sympathetically.
"I'm gonna go line up to race, check over my cars. Promise not to do anything crazy." She sighed, taking the time to eye each team member individually.
"Ro! Ro, man, Tej is here." Brian said., parking his car. "Oh, and I made your team mad." He laughed, holding up his 12 thousand.
"Ha ha. They won't know what him them." Kendall laughed, happy it was off to a good start.
"Ok, so she needs some revenge. Anyone not up for racin?" Dominic asked, itching to race Trex. He had plans tonight.
"Nope. All our babies are runnin tight as hell. I personally made sure." Jesse grinned proudly.
"That's my boy." Dominic nodded. "So, we'll take turns unless Kendall goes more than once. I know Trex is gonna be runnin a lot." Dominic said.
"Yeah, runnin behind." Vince quipped.
"He's really here? Is it cool if I go next?" Roman asked, watching Kendall do a once over on her car. They all shrugged.
"What's you name?" Callissa caught Roman's eye. Roman, who was doing some looking around.
"Roman. Why?" He asked, his shoulders tense, knowing her and Kendall had already had a heated encounter.
"Kendall's my best friend. We've been best friends for six years. Trex date raped me. Kendall has it all wrong. I just need some help convincing her to talk to me after races." Callissa said.
"Beat it." Letty walked up, used to dusting off her boys of racer skanks.
"I…you don't understand. Look, all I'm askin is for one chance for us to talk. If she hates me after that, I'll quit." Callissa begged. "Shit. She's racing Trex." She took of to the start of the line. "Trex, you clip her or anything…she's got 6 boys back there to make you pay. Leave her alone and race fair." She threatened.
"Back off, Ho." Trex laughed, gunning his engine.
"Ass, Ass, Ass." Kendall looked at him as he gunned his engine. She looked at her gages and focused on Tej, waiting for the flag to drop. "Everything's on the line, Kendall." She said, turning up her radio. 'The Reason' by Hoobastank was on the radio and affected her adrenaline so she switched the station to a CD and put on 'Alive" by P.O.D. She looked over at Trex to find him staring at her. She flipped him off. Then Tej dropped his arms. The race became a blur as her and Trex fought for first place. She growled as she neared the finish line and passed him by maybe and inch. She jumped out ecstatic.
"That's fucked up!" Trex jumped out, breathing hard.
"Ha. Shoulda used your cheat tactics. Woulda had a better chance." Kendall smiled sweetly as Tej handed over the money.
"Bitch." Trex headed over towards her.
"Hey, bad attitude boy, care to race me?" Roman asked, his car behind him. Kendall looked somewhat relived. Letty came up, putting an arm around her and grinning.
"He's gonna have his ass handed to him tonight, Dall. We got it all covered." Letty laughed, watching Trex get back into the car to take Roman up on his challenge.
"I'm glad I got you guys. Well, all but one." Kendall smiled, pulling her long dark hair into a clip.
"He's not so bad. But yeah, we're glad we got you too, kid." Letty laughed.
"An hour to go and you wanna go back? That's some messed up shit." Roman shook his head.
"You're gonna do it and do it well." Dominic walked up, swiping his credit card in the pump for Kendall and Roman.
""What, no snacks? I need food, Dom." Roman stretched and rubbed his stomach, making Kendall giggle.
"Damn, guys, didn't you pack snacks?" Letty muttered. "I know Dall packed some in every car." She said, pulling her car up to the pump as Roman pulled out and up closer to the convenience store.
"She did…They're just gone." Jesse laughed. "I think K needs a pep talk." He noted, watching Kendall stare off into space, chewing on her lip.
"Yo, where the hell is Brian?" Dominic asked, counting all of his crews cars minus Brian's. He soon came pulling in behind Vince's car.
"You mean we didn't loose him?" Kendall muttered to Vince, making him laugh.
"Sorry Kiddo. I been tryin for a while and it ain't worked yet." Vince shook his head. "You hungry?" He asked. She shrugged. "Nerves?" He asked.
"A yep." She folded her arms, watching her cousin. "Why didn't Mia come?" She asked, the question popping in her head.
"Mia? She's tired of racing, races. We had some shit go down, it was all dramatic and she's done with it all." Vince said, frowning at the memories. His arm was healing nicely, though it was still sore.
"Yeah. All the skanks, assholes, yeah. I couldn't imagine why." Kendall smiled, half absorbed in her own thoughts.
"Dude, Dome. I know she's hiding somethin 'bout San Diego from us." Brian mentioned to Dominic after they had made their way to Famous Dave's Barbeque. Kendall got out, self consciously checking her black leather flair pants and her white wife beater she had thrown on. She was beginning to act jumpy. She hated it yet she couldn't help it.
"Yo, Dall, you ok?" Roman asked his childhood friend , putting an arm around her as they walked inside the loud restaurant, barbeque filling their noses.
"Yeah. Listen Ro, you gotta help me keep Dom and Brian under control. And yourself. No matter what." She hesitated as the rest of the group was seated.
"Tell me what you're worried about, Please, homegirl." Roman begged.
"Just freakin promise me, Roman." She looked him the eyes.
"I'll try my best, Dall, I will." He nodded, the urge of food grasping at him heavily.
"Good, let's get our grub on." Kendall smiled.
"You know. I do remember you having an appetite like mine. Where'd it go, you stick?" He teased.
"I still got it. When I'm not all nerves." She hit him as he tousled her hair.
"Nerves? You're part of the Toretto family. You don't have nerves." Letty growled in a whisper behind her making Kendall jump. "Damn, Dall, maybe you do. Bad ones." She teased.
"Funny…Never figured you to be so funny." Kendall retorted.
"You ladies gonna eat or gossip?" Dominic asked as he opened his menu. Kendall and Letty looked at each other and laughed. They both sat down, opposite sides, putting Dominic in the middle between them. "So, Kendall, you gonna tell them or not?" He asked, taking a drink of his Coke the waitress had brought.
"Tell us what?" Jesse asked, eating a cheese stick from the appetizer's.
"I'm Dom's cousin. Our dad's were brothers." She said, making Brian cough and almost spit out his drink of water he had just taken.
"How ya like that Blondie? You messed with two of Dom's kin." Vince whispered lowly to Brian, making Brian pretend he didn't hear him.
"Shut up, Cuz." Brian shook his head and said under his breath. "Cousins, huh?" He grinned boyishly.
"Yup." Dominic grinned, loving to see Brian sweat and be so uncomfortable. Letty laughed. Dinner went on as though they were home. Dominic paid and the group got up heading fort their cars. Kendall lingered behind.
"What's the deal, Kendall?" Brian asked.
"Leave me alone. I'm not talking to you." Kendall said assertively.
"Ok, don't care. I'm talkin to you and I know as well as you do that there is somethin you're not tellin us." Brian said, giving her one of his intent looks.
"Doesn't work on me Playboy." Kendall held up her hand and said in her meanest voice. She walked out, leaving Brian speechless.
"I can't win for loosing." Brian shook his head. The rest of the crew were already set to go, buckled up and engines started.
"Let's go before it starts raining." Leon whistled, pointing to the clouds.
"I'm tired, Dom. Can't we get a hotel?" Kendall tried one last time to stall. She had pulled up to Dominic and rolled down her window.
"Nice try, Babe, but no. We're going to drive the last hour and by then we should hit it at the right time." Dominic frowned, putting his foot down.
"Fine. I'll lead." Kendall sighed, exasperated.
"Just make sure and take us to the right place, Dall." Dominic gave her a fake smile. She returned a faker one back and pulled out. Her tires spinning in the gravel. They rode in silence. Kendall led the group and they made good time. As she predicted, outside, on the edge of town they rolled up onto the racing scene. It looked just like L.A.'s version.
"This is it, Kendall. Do or die time." She told herself, her pride kicking in and her adrenaline pumping. She recognized quite a few people. Swallowed hard, she stepped out, her head held high.
"Look who it is. We thought you were gone for good!" An excited voice behind her cried, ecstatic. She turned to see her best friend, Callissa.
"Hey Calli." She said, almost coldly. Callissa looked confused.
"I tried to call you. You left me." Callissa's face fell.
"Well, I don't stay friends with friends who sleep with my boyfriend. Excuse me, ex-boyfriend." Kendall said, her jaw held tight.
"Oh, no. You got it all wrong. You do. If you woulda stuck around." Callissa's blue eyes welled up with tears.
"For what? An explanation? I got all I needed when I let you move in with us and one night after getting drunk, finding him in your room." Kendall folded her arms, running her tongue over her teeth.
"Dall, he drugged me and you." Callissa backed up, looking ready to flee.
"Good excuse. How long did it take you to think of it?" Kendall asked, trying not to flinch.
"Whateva?" Callissa turned and walked away.
"You have any problems, you let us know." Dominic got out in his black wife beater, looking down at his cousin. He knew her well enough by now to know she was putting up a front. She nodded.
"I'll be back. Any of your boys want in on the race?" She asked.
"I do." Brian walked up. Kendall sighed. "You asked." He grinned.
"I'll be back." She nodded, taking off. She went to find Trex, her ex-boyfriend. He was the Dominic of the San Diego scene. She found him where she knew he'd be. "Bad habits never leave I see." She said, glaring at him. He turned around, looking amazed.
"You got nerve. I'll give you that." Jeremy looked at her, scowling. His 6'5" frame towered over her 5'5" frame.
"Keep, I don't want anything from you. My crew and I are here to race, that's it." She said, her tone deep.
"You managed to get another crew?" He scoffed. "Where would you get another crew who would race with someone who can't race." Trex laughed, highfiving one of his boys.
"Whoa, whoa. Let's settle this on the blacktop. I didn't come to referee." Tej Parker stepped between them.
"You're new." Kendall noted. He nodded and grinned. "I'm here for a friend. You race?" He asked, showing her the line up.
"Not yet, But I got a boy who's game." She said, motioning for Brian to pull up. He did and jumped out, his mouth open, jaw dropped.
"Tej Parker. What up boy?" He asked, his eyes bright from the lighting streaks in the clouds. It was ready to storm, with the smell of the rain in the air.
"Bullit, hey man." Tej grinned, all the racers looking shocked. "This boy can race. Don't say I didn't warn you." He said as the fourth rolled up.
"I wanna race you, Kendall." Trex growled as Kendall watched Brian and Tej converse.
"Oh, you'll get you chance, don't worry. Me and my crew are in for the long haul." She smirked.
"Yeah, we'll see. I thought maybe you realized how much you needed us." He said as Tej got ready to flag the racers.
"Nope. Don't need you to race, help me, not for anything Trex. Not even to beat my ass." She looked at him.
"You had it comin. You musta not learned your lesson. Do you need another ass whippin?" He asked, standing up. Dominic, overhearing, tapped him on the shoulder.
"Better stop givin her shit." Was all he said.
"Who are you, Baldy?" Trex asked.
"Her cousin. And I think I just heard you bet her up. You wanna hit someone, take it up with someone you own size." Dominic took a deep breath. Kendall stepped between them, pushing Dominic back.
"Stop, Dom. Please. I got this. We're here to race, not fight." She reasoned and led him back to where Leon and the crew were already out of their cars out of concern.
"Kendall, is he your reason? He hurt you? I want the story and I want it now." Dominic ordered, shrugging her off.
"Yes and no. Look, yes, he hit me more than I shoulda let him. But there's more to it." She said.
"Spill it. Before he looses it and goes after him." Letty advised.
"He and my best friend slept together. I walked in, in my own house. Ok. I started to leave and he beat me so bad he put me in ICU. I got out of the hospital and took off from the hospital. With nothing." She explained as Letty and the boys looked shocked. "Then lying about me losing the races, fixing all my cars, and stuff I learned the night I met you guys." She said, hands in her pockets and looking down.
"Wow, Dall, that's tough." Leon said sympathetically.
"I'm gonna go line up to race, check over my cars. Promise not to do anything crazy." She sighed, taking the time to eye each team member individually.
"Ro! Ro, man, Tej is here." Brian said., parking his car. "Oh, and I made your team mad." He laughed, holding up his 12 thousand.
"Ha ha. They won't know what him them." Kendall laughed, happy it was off to a good start.
"Ok, so she needs some revenge. Anyone not up for racin?" Dominic asked, itching to race Trex. He had plans tonight.
"Nope. All our babies are runnin tight as hell. I personally made sure." Jesse grinned proudly.
"That's my boy." Dominic nodded. "So, we'll take turns unless Kendall goes more than once. I know Trex is gonna be runnin a lot." Dominic said.
"Yeah, runnin behind." Vince quipped.
"He's really here? Is it cool if I go next?" Roman asked, watching Kendall do a once over on her car. They all shrugged.
"What's you name?" Callissa caught Roman's eye. Roman, who was doing some looking around.
"Roman. Why?" He asked, his shoulders tense, knowing her and Kendall had already had a heated encounter.
"Kendall's my best friend. We've been best friends for six years. Trex date raped me. Kendall has it all wrong. I just need some help convincing her to talk to me after races." Callissa said.
"Beat it." Letty walked up, used to dusting off her boys of racer skanks.
"I…you don't understand. Look, all I'm askin is for one chance for us to talk. If she hates me after that, I'll quit." Callissa begged. "Shit. She's racing Trex." She took of to the start of the line. "Trex, you clip her or anything…she's got 6 boys back there to make you pay. Leave her alone and race fair." She threatened.
"Back off, Ho." Trex laughed, gunning his engine.
"Ass, Ass, Ass." Kendall looked at him as he gunned his engine. She looked at her gages and focused on Tej, waiting for the flag to drop. "Everything's on the line, Kendall." She said, turning up her radio. 'The Reason' by Hoobastank was on the radio and affected her adrenaline so she switched the station to a CD and put on 'Alive" by P.O.D. She looked over at Trex to find him staring at her. She flipped him off. Then Tej dropped his arms. The race became a blur as her and Trex fought for first place. She growled as she neared the finish line and passed him by maybe and inch. She jumped out ecstatic.
"That's fucked up!" Trex jumped out, breathing hard.
"Ha. Shoulda used your cheat tactics. Woulda had a better chance." Kendall smiled sweetly as Tej handed over the money.
"Bitch." Trex headed over towards her.
"Hey, bad attitude boy, care to race me?" Roman asked, his car behind him. Kendall looked somewhat relived. Letty came up, putting an arm around her and grinning.
"He's gonna have his ass handed to him tonight, Dall. We got it all covered." Letty laughed, watching Trex get back into the car to take Roman up on his challenge.
"I'm glad I got you guys. Well, all but one." Kendall smiled, pulling her long dark hair into a clip.
"He's not so bad. But yeah, we're glad we got you too, kid." Letty laughed.
