Chapter 41

It was race night and the upstairs bathroom was as usual packed with women trying to get ready. Mia was taking her own sweet time with her hair. She was hoping that white boy might show up at the races. Letty pushed her way past Mia for her makeup bag deciding it was best to get ready in her and Dom's room. Sky on the other hand had no choice but to wait. She needed a shower bad. "Mi come on already. I smell girl. Got to get a shower and be ready in an hour."

Mia turned around, "Just five more minutes."

"Forget it. I'll use Vince and Leon's bathroom."

"Thank you thank you thank you."

"Yeah whatever." Down the stairs she stomped not wanting to have another scene with Leon. Luckily the bathroom was completely empty. In seconds she stripped to nothing jumping into the hot streaming water. It was then she heard someone open the bathroom door. "Shit." She forgot to lock the door. "Please let it be Vince." She repeated over and over in her head.

"Yo dawg how long you gonna be in there? Need to get hosed off myself."

Sky peeked her head out the curtain. There was Leon in nothing but boxer shorts taking a piss. She had to laugh at the situation. As a joke Leon flushed the toilet. The water scalded her back. She squashed the urge to scream long enough for Leon to leave the room.

He walked out of the bathroom laughing his ass off until he saw Vince coming out of his bedroom. If Vince was in his room then who did he just scald in the shower? Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the bathroom door to see Sky toweling off. "What can't use the bathroom upstairs?"

"Not with Mia in it. The shower's all yours and this time I left you some hot water." She wondered if he remembered the night they spent in the motel after they ran away. Sky wrapped the towel around her tightly and moved past Leon her skin lightly brushing his. Her heart skipped a beat being that close to him. She made a silent prayer that someday they could be close again.

The alley between the warehouses was thick with cars. Dom led the team into the alley in formation. Leon and Letty were positioned at his sides. Vince and Jesse formed the rest of the V with Sky between them. Cheers from the crowd greeted Dom. No race was legit without the King of L.A. The welcoming party better known as Monica and Giselle made their way up to him. Letty walked up behind Dom, "I smell...skanks. Why don't you girls pack it in before I leave tread marks on your face?"

"Letty we were just talking." Dom came to his own defense.

"Yeah whatever." She wasn't having it that night.

Sky walked up behind Letty and patted her on the shoulder, "Nice. I'm gonna have to remember that one."

"I got more than that. Girl stick with me. I'll teach ya right." Letty spotted a gold 300zx parked near the entrance to the alley. "Hey ain't that your boy's car?"

Sky closed her eyes silently wishing when she turned around it would be another car. "Shit. I swear to God I'm going to kick his ass. Why can't he take the hint?" Sure enough Troy got out of the driver's side sending a kiss her way. Sky pushed through the crowd and got up in his face. "Go away and never come back. Do you understand what I am saying to you? Go away. There's nothing happening here."

He brushed his hand on her left cheek, "Please give me another chance. I don't know what was wrong with me. Just wanted to know you. Damn it girl I fell for you. I need to be next to you."

"No this can't work." She pushed his hand away. "Troy please do yourself a favor and run in the opposite direction."

"Can't. I'm drawn to you. Just hear what I got to say and if you still don't want to be with me I'll leave you alone."

The sound of engines firing caught her attention. "Not now. Time to get out of here. Meet me at the party tonight. We'll talk then." She didn't wait for him to speak. There was no time for it; she jumped into her car following Jesse out.

The crowd stood in the middle of the street celebrating another fine victory by Dominic Toretto. White boy had put up the pink slip to his Eclipse and lost. Dom was reading the guy the riot act for shitty driving. "Granny shifting not double clutching like you should." Everyone was having a good time at the boy's expense, all except Mia. She had it bad. The baby blues stole her heart the first time she saw them.

"We got cops cops cops go!!!!" Leon shouted into the radio.

The celebration ended with everyone scattering to their cars. Cruisers came from all directions. A cop pulled in front of Sky blocking her in or at least that's what the cop thought. She slammed the car in reverse running up on the sidewalk. For a block she rode the sidewalk jumping the curb right before her turn. In and out she weaved through the massive line of cops. Once she cleared the traffic no one could catch her. A few minutes later she arrived at the house. Being the first home she took the first spot in the driveway. Leon and Letty pulled in behind her. "Hey guys that was fun."

"Where the hell did all those cops come from Leon?" Letty was pissed thinking he didn't do his job.

"The scanners were clear. It doesn't make sense at all."

"There's a cop in the scene. That's the only way they'd find us." Sky hesitated then spoke what was on her mind. "Yo white boy is a cop. Why else would he subject himself to Mia's tuna?"

Leon shook his head, "He's not a cop. He's just trying to get him a piece."

"We'll see who's right. Bet you that boy is a cop."

"What you wanna put up?" He figured he could make an easy buck.

"If he turns out to be a cop I get to drive your car for a day and Let and I go on a shopping spree with your money."

"Hold up. Not my car."

"What not so sure of yourself?"

"You got yourself a deal and if I win you." He thought for a moment as to what he really wanted. "You have to wash my car naked in the driveway every weekend for a month and I get to go shopping for my car on your money."

"Deal."

Letty looked from Sky to Leon and then back again, "Both of you are out of your f'n minds."

Troy was waiting on the couch when Sky walked into the room. She motioned for him to follow her upstairs. When he reached the hallway Sky threw him up against the wall. "Alright you better start talking cause I have a nasty temper and I'm at boiling point."

"Look I screwed up. I asked too many questions. Can we just sit down and talk this out? I really want to be with you."

"You said all this shit already. Give me something new."

"Fine here's the truth. You're such a mystery to me. Never seen you before and then one day you show up at the races. I'm curious where you came from and want to make sure that you're not just playing me for my money."

"Why the hell would I play you for your money? I have plenty of my own." Sky leaned back away from him. "Just dance with me. We'll worry about the rest later." He took her hand leading her back down the stairs to the middle of the living room. Sky spotted a blond sitting on Leon's lap intently listening to him. Blood rushed to her face and the room felt hot. "I need a beer." She snatched one of Vince's beers and grinded her body against Troy while downing the liquid.

"Hey." Vince yelled. "That was my beer."

"Gone now. Get another." Her tongue slipped across her lips. "Damn that was good."

Dom was having one hell of a night. He had to hide his car. While running from the cops he ran into the white boy and then Tran blew up the car that he had just won. To his disappointment no one from the team had bother to call to see if he needed a ride. He had to share a cab with Brian back to his place. The party was going strong by the time they arrived at the house. As a thank you, he invited Brian in for a beer. Dom's temper exploded when he walked in the door and no one noticed. He knocked the beer out of Leon's hand and headed right at Vince. "That your beer?"

"Yeah."

Dom walked off with two of Vince's beers and turned his focus to another member of the team, "Yo Einstein take that shit upstairs. You can't detail a car with the hood on. Can't even get that right."

It pissed Sky off the way he talked to Jesse, "Leave off of him Dom."

"Not now Sky."

"Don't give him shit cause you can't dial a telephone. All you had to do was call somebody and we'd of come got your ass."

Letty grabbed Dom's arm, "You alright?"

"Am I alright? Am I alright?"

"It was just a question."

Vince saw Brian walk in the door and went off, "Why'd ya bring the buster here?"

"Cause the buster kept me out of handcuffs. He didn't just run back to the fort. The buster brought me back."

Dom handed Brian one of the beers, "Enjoy that it's Vince's".

Brian excused himself to the bathroom leaving the team to deal with the situation. "He ain't got no call being up in here. You don't know that fool for shit."

"Vince there was a time I didn't know you."

"That was the third grade." Vince gave Dom a light push.

Letty enticed Dom into leaving the party a little early. Sky watched as Vince, Jesse, and Leon circled in on Brian. She was sort of looking forward to seeing someone get their ass kicked. Might as well be the white boy. In the nick of time, Mia saved the pretty boy from the gang.

"Ah Mia we were just about to get along." Leon was unhappy to miss his chance to pound Brian.

At 3am it was time to end the party. Sky was the only member of the team still awake. She pushed out the few stragglers including Troy. She broke it to him that no matter what he said she still didn't want to see him again. He accepted it and left. The house was a complete mess. It was her turn to clean it up. She grabbed the garbage can out of the kitchen. By the time she was done the can was completely full of bottles.

After taking out the trash she started turning out the lights. She noticed a light on down in the basement and went down to see which one. Lying on the floor next to his bedroom floor was Leon covered in his own vomit. She helped him up and guided him to the bathroom. As soon as she stepped inside of the bathroom he puked on her. "Ah Leon couldn't you wait until you got to the toilet?" She pushed him down on his knees in front of the toilet. "Stay here while I get you some clean clothes." The door to his bedroom was locked. No matter how hard she banged no one answered. "Deal with that later." She grabbed a pair of Vince's clean boxers from his drawer and went back to take care of Leon. He hadn't moved from the spot she left him. In his state it was difficult to get him into the shower to wash off the vomit. Sky had to get in with him to make sure he didn't fall.

There was nowhere to put him but her bed. Leon fought her until she got him under the covers. He didn't want to go to bed he kept telling her. Sky sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his hair until he was asleep. Softly she crept out of the room. She turned the light off on her way out.

Time to clean up after Leon. The stench of the vomit caused her to wretch and gag. Her stomach was not very strong. She tied a towel around her face covering her mouth and nose. Somehow she got the job done, but not before throwing up herself. She at least made it to the bathroom.

The door to Leon's room opened when she came out of the bathroom. The blond girl who was sitting on Leon's lap earlier stumbled out into the hallway with the sheet wrapped around her. Sky took the opportunity for a little fun. She told the girl that Leon was waiting for her in the kitchen. They walked up the stairs together. When they reached the kitchen, Sky ripped the sheet away from the girl and threw her out. Sky locked the door and headed back down to the bedroom.

It was filthy beyond anything she could've imagined. Leon needed a full- time maid. Sky decided she would have to be his maid just this once. She gathered up his dirty clothes from the floor and the sheets from his bed and started the laundry. She vacuumed and dusted every surface. On the floor Sky found the necklace she broke on the night Leon cheated. She slipped it into her pocket and left the room satisfied with the cleaning job.

"Jesse. Jesse." Her finger rubbed along the bridge of his nose. "Jesse. Wake up."

"Urr. What you need Sky?"

"Need you to help me with something."