Chapter Nine Race Night
The rest of the week just flew by for Stacey. She was constantly busy, and every minute of her day was spent at school, at the café working, or at practice. Her relationship with Brian was slowly getting better, but the still had their occasional fights like all brothers and sisters do. The day after her talk with Dom she told Tess and Jade what he'd said about cheerleaders. They were pissed and decided that these three cheerleaders were going to have to show up at the next race, which happened to be that Friday. They were going to show him just how stupid cheerleaders were. Before they knew it, it was Friday and Tess was waiting outside of the Toretto's house. Standing on the curb next to her car she took the small nail file she kept in her purse and began cleaning under her nails. That was one thing she couldn't stand. Dirty finger nails. She didn't understand how people could just let their nails get all that gunk under them; it was gross.
Suddenly Stacey appeared in her bedroom window. Looking down at Tess she knew exactly what her friend was doing. She then opened her window and yelled to her,
"I'll be right there. I'm trying to find my shoes!"
"That's alright, you want some help?" Tess yelled back, looking up from her nails to the window and not finding her friend there anymore. She'd no sooner blinked then Stacey was again, visible from the window.
"Yeah, I'll meet you at the door!"
Smiling and shaking her head at her friend, she threw her keys into her purse and started for the door. Tess couldn't help but think that the two of them might have been separated at birth. They were so much alike. They both liked to eat the same things, loved cheerleading, and acted older than they really were but at times could act like they were years younger than they were. Straightening her clothes as she got to the steps, she walked to the door. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it was yanked open, causing her to take a step back while letting out a small scream.
"Girlie, you scared the shit outta me!"
"Sorry," Stacey said trying to keep a straight face and hold back her laughter, "Thought I might beat you to the door."
"No problem," Tess told her as she stepped in the house, "Now where was the last place you had your shoes?"
"In my room next to my duffle bag. Now they aren't there!"
"Well let's get crackin' then. We really don't wanna be late. The last thing either one of us needs is to give her another reason to give us a detention."
"Yeah, the woman tends to get a bit bitchy."
"A bit?" Tess asked unbelievingly.
"Okay so a lot." Stacey said, correcting herself.
"Me n' Jade have a theory on that though."
"Really? And what's that?" She asked as she opened her bedroom door and they walked in. The two of them immediately started looking for the shoes.
"She's just jealous cuz we're everything she wished she could be in high school. You know popular, athletic, and pretty." Tess said as she looked under the bed.
"How do you know she wasn't any of that in high school?" Stacey asked her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Jade and me were working on this teachers page in yearbook last year and it was a 'then and now' type of thing. We had to get all the teachers yearbook pictures and when we got to hers let's just say it wasn't pretty. And that's putting it nicely."
"Damn, it couldn't be that bad." She said through her laughter.
"It can and it was. I'll get that yearbook out and show you what it looks like, and then you can judge it yourself."
"You're on. DAMN IT!! Where the hell are my shoes?"
"What shoes are we looking for anyway?" Tess asked feeling dumb for not asking that question sooner.
"My cheerleading shoes. I can't find them and I've looked everywhere!"
"What size shoe do you wear?"
"Seven and a half, Why?"
"Don't worry bout it for now, I got an extra pair in my car. It's a good thing we wear the same size, cuz if we didn't you'd be so screwed."
"Thanks. I still can't believe I lost my shoes. It really pisses me off, I've never lost track of my cheerleading stuff."
"It isn't a problem. Why do you think I keep an extra pair of shoes in my car? I don't know how many times I've forgotten my shoes at home by accident." Tess told her, then looking at the alarm clock on the side table exclaimed suddenly, "Shit! Girl we gotta go like now!"
"Alright, let's get outta here then." And with that the two of them walked out of the room and headed towards the stairs. When they were about halfway down the stairs Tess, who had been talking animatedly about their plans for that night, hadn't noticed the shirt lying where she was about to step, tripped and fell down the stairs taking Stacey with her. They both screamed as they rolled down the stairs. As soon as they had stopped and Tess had got her laughter under control, she hopped up from her spot on the floor, flung her pony tail behind her shoulder, and said in a highly amused voice,
"Well that was fun but we gotta get going. Are you ready to leave?" All Stacey could do is look at her as if she was crazy. Trying to figure out just what the hell her friend was on she asked in a slightly worried voice,
"Tess, did you hit your head or something?" Causing her friend to laugh even more. "No I didn't hit my head. Where is everyone anyway?"
As she watched her friend try to stop giggling she notice Dom walk in from the kitchen door, followed closely by Brian, Leon, and Mia.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Dom asked looking at the two girls, one still on the floor and the other leaned up against the wall trying to catch her breath. "What were you two screaming about?" As soon as she'd regained her composure Tess answered him.
"Sorry, I'm kinda a klutz." She said, but the grin on her face showed she wasn't sorry at all. "I tripped on a shirt and fell down the stairs and decided that I'd take Stace along for the ride." As soon as she said this Leon found himself trying not to laugh at the look Stacey was throwing at her friend.
"Ha ha, I think I'd have survived if you'd have left me standing on the stairs." Stacey told her while glaring at her half heartedly.
"Aww girlie you know you had fun!"
"Oh yeah, I always throw myself down stairs when I'm bored and want something fun to do."
"Crap!! We're gonna be so late!" Tess said as she looked at the clock and saw that it was already ten minutes into their first period. "Wanna skip homeroom?" Brian decided that it was time to make himself known.
"Umm... Hi," He said as Stacey groaned as she got up from the floor. "I'm Stacey's brother, Brian."
"Oh uhh... Hi." She said trying to talk her way out of this mess already. She decided the truth would be the best option in this situation. "Okay I know that don't make me seem like the best person for Stacey to hang out with and all." She began and allowed Brian to get in his 'yeah you're right it doesn't' before she began again. "But you really don't understand. Our homeroom teacher is totally evil. She hates me and Stace! But she only hates Stacey because she's friends with me! So yeah I know I really don't need a detention and that Stacey prolly doesn't want one, and that's the only way to keep us from getting one. And okay I'ma shut up now cuz I've talked way too much."
"Oh that was really smooth Tess." Stacey said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and wondering how her friend could ramble on like that.
"Well I appreciate your honesty," Brain said looking at his little sister's new friend, and glad the girl hadn't tried to lie to him about why she'd said that in the first place. "But why are you guys still here anyways?" Stacey decided to answer her brother before Tess got the chance to speak again.
"I couldn't find my cheerleading shoes and Tess came up to help me look for them."
"Did you find them?"
"No but Tess has an extra pair in her car so she told me not to worry about it for now."
"Oh I'm sure that they'll turn up somewhere." Seeing the look in his eyes, Stacey knew she hadn't lost them and she knew exactly where they disappeared to.
"Where are they Toretto?" She asked, quickly becoming angry.
"Where are what?"
"Don't play dumb," Tess said coming to her friend's aid, "We're better at it. Remember, cheerleaders are stupid."
Brian could tell that cheerleading was everything to these two girls. It was like air, without it they couldn't live. He could tell the two were pissed off at the large man standing in front of them. Brian knew someone was bound to get hurt, and he'd put his money on these two teens against Dom any day. He decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.
"Stacey I'll just call you in for the day." He said hoping she'd calm down.
"What?!? Are you serious cuz that ain't even something to joke about." She said looking at him like he'd grown three heads. She couldn't believe that her brother had just given her permission to skip school.
"Yeah, I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be? Wouldn't you rather spend the day hanging out with your friend doing whatever you two do?" Deciding to jump back into the conversation, Tess answered for her still shocked friend.
"Okay you call the school. Tell them to send her homework home with Nathalia Andrews. I'll call my mom and have her call me in sick." She knew exactly what to say to her mom. She also knew her mom would eat that story up like an ant to sugar. "Your mom would actually do that for you?" Stacey asked, amazed.
"Not without a good reason. That's why I'ma tell her that a friend's grandma died and that she really needs me to be there for her."
"You do this a lot don't you?" Leon asked her, while smirking at the strawberry-blonde.
"No, I'm the good one in my family." Tess said trying to look innocent.
"Yeah, until no one's looking then you just let loose." He answered back.
"Okay so you got me there. But now can we get off the subject of my deviousness and back to the important matter at hand? Now after all that is taken care of, you" She said pointing at Brian, "Give Stacey some money, and me and girlie go shopping for outfits for the races tonight."
"You go to the races too?" Brian asked, not thinking that she was the kind of girl who would like that sort of thing.
"Yeah I usually go with my older brother."
"Oh now I know who you are. I thought that you looked familiar." Mia said to her. "You're Jason's little sister!"
"Bingo. So you ready to hit the mall Stacey?"
"Of course. Bri, hurry we gotta tear the mall up!" Stacey said wanting to get to the mall as soon as possible. She hadn't been to one since she'd been in California.
"Fine, here's two hundred. Knock yourself out." He said no understanding how the concept of women and their love of shopping, especially at the mall. Now auto parts stores he could understand.
Stacey, after saying 'thanks' and making all the proper arrangements as far as the school went, walked out the front door with Tess. Soon after leaving they were at the mall, thanks in a large part to Tess' driving and the fact that it was after rush hour. They searched for hours for the perfect outfit. After going into many different stores, and trying on a countless number of clothes they finally found them. Tess had gotten a black, pleated mini skirt and a black, sleeveless v-neck shirt that said 'CHEER' in small silver studs across her chest, and stopped about four inches above her bellybutton. Her shoes were a pair of black buckle strap stilettos, and she'd gotten a new bar bell for her bellybutton that was silver and had two clear rhinestones that dangled down.
Stacey had gotten the same skirt as Tess, except that hers was white, and a tan tank top the stopped two inches above her bellybutton and had a dark brown string that laced up the front and kept the shirt closed. She got a pair of shoes that were the same color as her shirt had four inch heels, and wrapped around her calves tying at the back of her knees. The two of them had just sat down at the food court when Tess' cell phone rang. She picked it up quickly and answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?" Tess said.
"Where the hell were you today?" Jade said through the phone.
"At the mall shopping with Stacey. Why?"
"I can't go tonight!"
"What?!?" Tess exclaimed loudly causing Stacey to look at her questioningly, "Why the hell not?"
"My dad found out about me walking out of class this week and grounded me for two weeks. I can't do anything except for fucking go to school and practice!"
"Damn! Oh and sorry we missed practice today."
"It wasn't a problem; we had to cancel it anyway."
"Okay well sorry that you can't go to the races tonight, but I gotta go cuz my dippin' dots are melting."
"Oh I see how I rate. Ice cream comes before one of your best friends."
"Always, bye Jade."
"Bye Tess see ya on Monday." And with that the hung up.
What was that about?" Stacey asked after Tess had gotten a bite of her ice cream.
"Jade can't go to the races her dad found out about Franklin's class and grounded her for the next two weeks."
"Damn that's harsh." "Yeah I know, hey do you wanna go get our hair highlighted after we're done eating?"
"Sure, I need to get mine redone anyway."
"Me too." As soon as they were done they threw away the cups that had held their ice cream and headed for the hair salon. By the time they were done it was almost seven and they hurried back to the house to get ready. They ran up the stairs and into Stacey's bedroom. After they both had taken a shower they did their hair make-up. Tess put on a little bit of tan frosty eye shadow and lined her eyes with black eye liner and a coat of black mascara. On her lips she had a light coat of mocha lip gloss with clear lip gloss over it. Stacey had on black eye liner and mascara with a cream colored eye shadow, and a pale pink strawberry lip gloss. At around ten when the guys started to yell they walked down the stairs, where everyone was waiting at the bottom. As they continued walking the guys stared at them, looking slightly shocked, while Letty and Mia smiled at the looks on the boys' faces. Brian was the first one to recover from his shock and say something.
A/N: Okay so here's my chapter. Hope you all liked it cuz I luved writing it. Temp hope you liked it. I left the racing scene for you!! I pass it on to you! Well I'ma go now. Talk to ya'll later. And lets keep up the good work. Luv ya!!
Jess
The rest of the week just flew by for Stacey. She was constantly busy, and every minute of her day was spent at school, at the café working, or at practice. Her relationship with Brian was slowly getting better, but the still had their occasional fights like all brothers and sisters do. The day after her talk with Dom she told Tess and Jade what he'd said about cheerleaders. They were pissed and decided that these three cheerleaders were going to have to show up at the next race, which happened to be that Friday. They were going to show him just how stupid cheerleaders were. Before they knew it, it was Friday and Tess was waiting outside of the Toretto's house. Standing on the curb next to her car she took the small nail file she kept in her purse and began cleaning under her nails. That was one thing she couldn't stand. Dirty finger nails. She didn't understand how people could just let their nails get all that gunk under them; it was gross.
Suddenly Stacey appeared in her bedroom window. Looking down at Tess she knew exactly what her friend was doing. She then opened her window and yelled to her,
"I'll be right there. I'm trying to find my shoes!"
"That's alright, you want some help?" Tess yelled back, looking up from her nails to the window and not finding her friend there anymore. She'd no sooner blinked then Stacey was again, visible from the window.
"Yeah, I'll meet you at the door!"
Smiling and shaking her head at her friend, she threw her keys into her purse and started for the door. Tess couldn't help but think that the two of them might have been separated at birth. They were so much alike. They both liked to eat the same things, loved cheerleading, and acted older than they really were but at times could act like they were years younger than they were. Straightening her clothes as she got to the steps, she walked to the door. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it was yanked open, causing her to take a step back while letting out a small scream.
"Girlie, you scared the shit outta me!"
"Sorry," Stacey said trying to keep a straight face and hold back her laughter, "Thought I might beat you to the door."
"No problem," Tess told her as she stepped in the house, "Now where was the last place you had your shoes?"
"In my room next to my duffle bag. Now they aren't there!"
"Well let's get crackin' then. We really don't wanna be late. The last thing either one of us needs is to give her another reason to give us a detention."
"Yeah, the woman tends to get a bit bitchy."
"A bit?" Tess asked unbelievingly.
"Okay so a lot." Stacey said, correcting herself.
"Me n' Jade have a theory on that though."
"Really? And what's that?" She asked as she opened her bedroom door and they walked in. The two of them immediately started looking for the shoes.
"She's just jealous cuz we're everything she wished she could be in high school. You know popular, athletic, and pretty." Tess said as she looked under the bed.
"How do you know she wasn't any of that in high school?" Stacey asked her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Jade and me were working on this teachers page in yearbook last year and it was a 'then and now' type of thing. We had to get all the teachers yearbook pictures and when we got to hers let's just say it wasn't pretty. And that's putting it nicely."
"Damn, it couldn't be that bad." She said through her laughter.
"It can and it was. I'll get that yearbook out and show you what it looks like, and then you can judge it yourself."
"You're on. DAMN IT!! Where the hell are my shoes?"
"What shoes are we looking for anyway?" Tess asked feeling dumb for not asking that question sooner.
"My cheerleading shoes. I can't find them and I've looked everywhere!"
"What size shoe do you wear?"
"Seven and a half, Why?"
"Don't worry bout it for now, I got an extra pair in my car. It's a good thing we wear the same size, cuz if we didn't you'd be so screwed."
"Thanks. I still can't believe I lost my shoes. It really pisses me off, I've never lost track of my cheerleading stuff."
"It isn't a problem. Why do you think I keep an extra pair of shoes in my car? I don't know how many times I've forgotten my shoes at home by accident." Tess told her, then looking at the alarm clock on the side table exclaimed suddenly, "Shit! Girl we gotta go like now!"
"Alright, let's get outta here then." And with that the two of them walked out of the room and headed towards the stairs. When they were about halfway down the stairs Tess, who had been talking animatedly about their plans for that night, hadn't noticed the shirt lying where she was about to step, tripped and fell down the stairs taking Stacey with her. They both screamed as they rolled down the stairs. As soon as they had stopped and Tess had got her laughter under control, she hopped up from her spot on the floor, flung her pony tail behind her shoulder, and said in a highly amused voice,
"Well that was fun but we gotta get going. Are you ready to leave?" All Stacey could do is look at her as if she was crazy. Trying to figure out just what the hell her friend was on she asked in a slightly worried voice,
"Tess, did you hit your head or something?" Causing her friend to laugh even more. "No I didn't hit my head. Where is everyone anyway?"
As she watched her friend try to stop giggling she notice Dom walk in from the kitchen door, followed closely by Brian, Leon, and Mia.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Dom asked looking at the two girls, one still on the floor and the other leaned up against the wall trying to catch her breath. "What were you two screaming about?" As soon as she'd regained her composure Tess answered him.
"Sorry, I'm kinda a klutz." She said, but the grin on her face showed she wasn't sorry at all. "I tripped on a shirt and fell down the stairs and decided that I'd take Stace along for the ride." As soon as she said this Leon found himself trying not to laugh at the look Stacey was throwing at her friend.
"Ha ha, I think I'd have survived if you'd have left me standing on the stairs." Stacey told her while glaring at her half heartedly.
"Aww girlie you know you had fun!"
"Oh yeah, I always throw myself down stairs when I'm bored and want something fun to do."
"Crap!! We're gonna be so late!" Tess said as she looked at the clock and saw that it was already ten minutes into their first period. "Wanna skip homeroom?" Brian decided that it was time to make himself known.
"Umm... Hi," He said as Stacey groaned as she got up from the floor. "I'm Stacey's brother, Brian."
"Oh uhh... Hi." She said trying to talk her way out of this mess already. She decided the truth would be the best option in this situation. "Okay I know that don't make me seem like the best person for Stacey to hang out with and all." She began and allowed Brian to get in his 'yeah you're right it doesn't' before she began again. "But you really don't understand. Our homeroom teacher is totally evil. She hates me and Stace! But she only hates Stacey because she's friends with me! So yeah I know I really don't need a detention and that Stacey prolly doesn't want one, and that's the only way to keep us from getting one. And okay I'ma shut up now cuz I've talked way too much."
"Oh that was really smooth Tess." Stacey said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and wondering how her friend could ramble on like that.
"Well I appreciate your honesty," Brain said looking at his little sister's new friend, and glad the girl hadn't tried to lie to him about why she'd said that in the first place. "But why are you guys still here anyways?" Stacey decided to answer her brother before Tess got the chance to speak again.
"I couldn't find my cheerleading shoes and Tess came up to help me look for them."
"Did you find them?"
"No but Tess has an extra pair in her car so she told me not to worry about it for now."
"Oh I'm sure that they'll turn up somewhere." Seeing the look in his eyes, Stacey knew she hadn't lost them and she knew exactly where they disappeared to.
"Where are they Toretto?" She asked, quickly becoming angry.
"Where are what?"
"Don't play dumb," Tess said coming to her friend's aid, "We're better at it. Remember, cheerleaders are stupid."
Brian could tell that cheerleading was everything to these two girls. It was like air, without it they couldn't live. He could tell the two were pissed off at the large man standing in front of them. Brian knew someone was bound to get hurt, and he'd put his money on these two teens against Dom any day. He decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.
"Stacey I'll just call you in for the day." He said hoping she'd calm down.
"What?!? Are you serious cuz that ain't even something to joke about." She said looking at him like he'd grown three heads. She couldn't believe that her brother had just given her permission to skip school.
"Yeah, I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be? Wouldn't you rather spend the day hanging out with your friend doing whatever you two do?" Deciding to jump back into the conversation, Tess answered for her still shocked friend.
"Okay you call the school. Tell them to send her homework home with Nathalia Andrews. I'll call my mom and have her call me in sick." She knew exactly what to say to her mom. She also knew her mom would eat that story up like an ant to sugar. "Your mom would actually do that for you?" Stacey asked, amazed.
"Not without a good reason. That's why I'ma tell her that a friend's grandma died and that she really needs me to be there for her."
"You do this a lot don't you?" Leon asked her, while smirking at the strawberry-blonde.
"No, I'm the good one in my family." Tess said trying to look innocent.
"Yeah, until no one's looking then you just let loose." He answered back.
"Okay so you got me there. But now can we get off the subject of my deviousness and back to the important matter at hand? Now after all that is taken care of, you" She said pointing at Brian, "Give Stacey some money, and me and girlie go shopping for outfits for the races tonight."
"You go to the races too?" Brian asked, not thinking that she was the kind of girl who would like that sort of thing.
"Yeah I usually go with my older brother."
"Oh now I know who you are. I thought that you looked familiar." Mia said to her. "You're Jason's little sister!"
"Bingo. So you ready to hit the mall Stacey?"
"Of course. Bri, hurry we gotta tear the mall up!" Stacey said wanting to get to the mall as soon as possible. She hadn't been to one since she'd been in California.
"Fine, here's two hundred. Knock yourself out." He said no understanding how the concept of women and their love of shopping, especially at the mall. Now auto parts stores he could understand.
Stacey, after saying 'thanks' and making all the proper arrangements as far as the school went, walked out the front door with Tess. Soon after leaving they were at the mall, thanks in a large part to Tess' driving and the fact that it was after rush hour. They searched for hours for the perfect outfit. After going into many different stores, and trying on a countless number of clothes they finally found them. Tess had gotten a black, pleated mini skirt and a black, sleeveless v-neck shirt that said 'CHEER' in small silver studs across her chest, and stopped about four inches above her bellybutton. Her shoes were a pair of black buckle strap stilettos, and she'd gotten a new bar bell for her bellybutton that was silver and had two clear rhinestones that dangled down.
Stacey had gotten the same skirt as Tess, except that hers was white, and a tan tank top the stopped two inches above her bellybutton and had a dark brown string that laced up the front and kept the shirt closed. She got a pair of shoes that were the same color as her shirt had four inch heels, and wrapped around her calves tying at the back of her knees. The two of them had just sat down at the food court when Tess' cell phone rang. She picked it up quickly and answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?" Tess said.
"Where the hell were you today?" Jade said through the phone.
"At the mall shopping with Stacey. Why?"
"I can't go tonight!"
"What?!?" Tess exclaimed loudly causing Stacey to look at her questioningly, "Why the hell not?"
"My dad found out about me walking out of class this week and grounded me for two weeks. I can't do anything except for fucking go to school and practice!"
"Damn! Oh and sorry we missed practice today."
"It wasn't a problem; we had to cancel it anyway."
"Okay well sorry that you can't go to the races tonight, but I gotta go cuz my dippin' dots are melting."
"Oh I see how I rate. Ice cream comes before one of your best friends."
"Always, bye Jade."
"Bye Tess see ya on Monday." And with that the hung up.
What was that about?" Stacey asked after Tess had gotten a bite of her ice cream.
"Jade can't go to the races her dad found out about Franklin's class and grounded her for the next two weeks."
"Damn that's harsh." "Yeah I know, hey do you wanna go get our hair highlighted after we're done eating?"
"Sure, I need to get mine redone anyway."
"Me too." As soon as they were done they threw away the cups that had held their ice cream and headed for the hair salon. By the time they were done it was almost seven and they hurried back to the house to get ready. They ran up the stairs and into Stacey's bedroom. After they both had taken a shower they did their hair make-up. Tess put on a little bit of tan frosty eye shadow and lined her eyes with black eye liner and a coat of black mascara. On her lips she had a light coat of mocha lip gloss with clear lip gloss over it. Stacey had on black eye liner and mascara with a cream colored eye shadow, and a pale pink strawberry lip gloss. At around ten when the guys started to yell they walked down the stairs, where everyone was waiting at the bottom. As they continued walking the guys stared at them, looking slightly shocked, while Letty and Mia smiled at the looks on the boys' faces. Brian was the first one to recover from his shock and say something.
A/N: Okay so here's my chapter. Hope you all liked it cuz I luved writing it. Temp hope you liked it. I left the racing scene for you!! I pass it on to you! Well I'ma go now. Talk to ya'll later. And lets keep up the good work. Luv ya!!
Jess