A/N: Happy Saturday! Please bear with me with these long a$$ chapters.
Please stay inside and stay safe.
I do a bit of time jumping so don't be startled.
Music Inspo: Leon- Lost Time
NAO- Girlfriend
SZA-Prom
Updates every Saturday (Youtuber voice)
Disclaimer: I do not own this franchise nor these characters. This is strictly free fun.
Read & Review so I know I'm not talking to myself.
Back Then: High School
Chapter Three- Lost Time
Letty hurried into the classroom and dropped her bag down on the floor. She then slid into the empty desk next to Mia. Mia flashed her a look that demanded an explanation for her being late but she couldn't exactly relay the story with Mr. Callen facing the class.
Unsatisfied, Mia leaned over and whispered, "Where were you? I sat on those stupid steps all morning."
Letty was about to respond when Mr. Callen shot her a pointed look. Mia leaned back to her desk, reluctantly.
She couldn't exactly blurt out she was late because of an incredibly awkward moment with Dom this morning.
She was itching for a drink of the vodka she had swiped this morning. She had it in an orange juice carton. It wouldn't look any different to someone checking her out. She went behind the school when she saw Dom and 'perfect Riley' making out. It was a good thing she didn't have anything in her stomach. Not where she saw her morning going, she was going to need the vodka now more than ever.
When Dom and Loren broke up she thought she would finally get a break from the jealously but it was only a few months later that he got with Riley. Worse than anything else, Riley wasn't anything like Loren. She was nice. Which made Letty hate her all the more.
She turned on her heals ready to bolt. She didn't want him thinking she was spying on him. It was just an unfortunate coincidence.
"Hey Sophmore," she heard him call out. She froze in her stride and hoped it wasn't too late to get out of this. She spun around and waved. He mentioned something to Riley in her ear before running to meet her.
"Don't you have class?" he said.
"Don't you? Or is the lecture in Riley's mouth?"
He rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Letty shrugged. "Was going to have breakfast,"
Dom's eyebrows rose, he tried to take the orange juice out of her hand but she put up a little fight. When he finally got it out of her grasp, he took a sip, confirming his apparent suspicions.
"Breakfast huh?"
Letty rolled her eyes. "Keep it, I don't want your germs. Lord knows where that mouth had been." she said.
He shot her a pointed look. "I was keeping it regardless, what have I told you about-"
She put her finger in his face to stop him.
"I'm not your kid sister Dom," she spun on her heels and left without another word.
Things were fine for the most part between them, once he didn't go all big brother on her. She was not his sister. She never forgot what he told her a year ago, it was for the best.
It was for the best after-all. Letty saw that overtime. By the last semester of Sophomore year, she was confident in her decision to stop pursue Dom last year. She had seen what reputations did to girls in high school. All drama, suicide attempts and mental breakdowns. She was glad she had avoided it all. But she would have preferred to come to that realization on her own.
Mia dropped her notebook with the completed note on Letty's desk. She gave her friend a smile before scribbling down the work she had missed. Mia remained her constant while Mia's brother remained…inconsistent.
She finished the note and passed the book back to Mia. Breathing in deeply, she reclined in the uncomfortable chair. The class was ignoring Mr. Callen, lest for Mia. Lucas was drumming his pencil against the desk. Calum was balling up paper and tossing it at Vanessa and Letty was daydreaming about Dom.
Sometimes, when he looked at her she could see clearly that his feelings for her were still there but then he would pull crap like he did this morning and she would really have to wonder.
Still, she never acted on her feelings.
It wasn't easy. Mia was her best friend and thus their lives overlapped all the time. At first, she had to fake it till she made it. She pretended that when she was studying over at Mia's his very nearness didn't make her insides crumple. Sometimes they would get rides home from him..if they had to. Though Letty would have rather walked than suffered through a ride with him.
She tuned into the lecture for a bit. Trying to keep her B plus average but the encounter this morning soon descended into her mind. He got annoying when he got all protective on them. She had promised her mother she would change and she had…for the most part.
She started to take her schooling seriously. Studying with Mia was a big help. She had also never been to a street race since that night. She'd like to think it was her mother's warning that stopped her but it was really Dom she didn't want to see.
Overtime, the pain dulled and he became a dream she had dreamt a thousand full moons ago. He remained on the top shelf she couldn't reach. And just because she stopped trying to reach the shelf didn't mean she didn't want to, deep down.
Even after class, as Mia drawled about wanting to be asked to the senior prom her mind wandered to him and if it would ever be possible in any reality that he would ask her. Unlikely, with his perfect fucking girlfriend in the picture.
"Are you even listening to me?" Mia said from behind her opened locker.
Letty was stooped on the floor leaning against the bottom locker, lost in thought.
"Yes, I am," Letty lied.
"What did I just say?" Mia challenged.
"Something about prom?" Letty tried, Mia rolled her eyes.
Letty didn't know what Mia was so worried about. She was bound to get asked, she had dates every weekend from guys brave enough to bear Dom's wrath. Of course, Dom put the fear of God in them and they were always perfect gentlemen.
Since Loren Tran had moved to another state, Mia was one of the top contenders for prettiest girl in school.
Still, Letty found it hard to listen to her while daydreaming about her almost-
"Yes, Dom is taking Riley to prom." Mia said, closing her locker dramatically.
Letty got up from the floor and said, "I didn't ask," She dusted her jeans trying to dodge eye contact with Mia.
Mia shot her a warning look.
Letty gave in and said "I was a little curious." Mia rolled her eyes, looped her hand through Letty's and they sauntered down the hall, in no rush to get to Geography. They waved to a few people in the hallway while Mia pondered aloud if going dress shopping Saturday was too presumptuous.
Letty mumbled a no, she was dreading it. Mia would drag her around the mall all day and dress her up like a mannequin until satisfied.
They hung outside their classroom door for a few moments while the students trickled in slowly.
"It would be so perfect if we both got asked and doubled."
Letty cringed internally. She could think of a thousand other ways she would want to spend a Saturday night than watching Dom and Riley slow dancing.
When they spotted their teacher coming down the hall they both filed into class and took their seats in the middle row with their friends.
This place they were so dreading freshmen year was now home. They had found their place; their niche. School was fine, from the broken water fountain to the stench of the boy's locker room. Arguably, a lot of this popularity had come from being connected to Dom but a lot of it had been of their own merit. Making a way for themselves, they weren't young Goddesses just yet, but they were well on their way.
Riley caught up to Dom on the bleachers after school. She was still in her track suit with her book bag slung over her shoulder. She did a quick look around and made sure no teachers were around before she pecked his lips.
"There you are," she said.
He tried to steal another kiss but they were too much in the open for Riley to risk it. She sat next to him and dug a cupcake out of her bag.
"Split some calories with me?" she said.
Dom sighed. Riley was amazing, but she had some heavy body issues he felt anxious around her sometimes because she often put it on his shoulders to make her feel beautiful.
But she was beautiful, incredibly so and Dom couldn't convince her that she would still be beautiful if she ate an entire cupcake by herself.
He silently took the half she offered him. She supported him so he supported her, even if that meant eating sweet desserts he didn't necessarily care for.
"Can't believe by next week, we're no longer gonna be high school students. I wish I had met you earlier." she said.
He nudged her playfully looking down.
"I think everything happens in perfect timing." Though he was more considering his and Letty's timeline. In the back of his mind, he had always planned on making a move her senior year. That way, nobody would have legs to stand on if they wanted to refute their relationship. But the more he thought about his timeline the more he felt like he couldn't wait that long.
He also felt guilty for entangling with girls he knew weren't going to be around in the long haul. In the end, it was always going to Letty.
"Prom has everyone going all out," Riley said as their classmate ran past them with a bouquet of flowers. He was going toward the cheerleaders, who were stretching in a circle, presumably to ask someone to prom.
Even he had been dragged into Vince's plan to ask Mia to prom. He would have shut it down if he thought there was anything there but there wasn't. It was just a date.
"High school is the end all that be all for some of them, this prom is going to be the highlight of their lives."
Riley licked her fingers as she finished the cake and said, "Okay tough guy, you get into New Mexico State and suddenly you don't care about high school?"
"Not at all, I just don't see the hype in putting on a monkey suit in a crappy decorated gym and slow dancing." he said.
"You had better not ruin my prom," she said.
Once Loren and Johnny had moved away, he was done with the frivolous relationships. He supposed he had Letty to thank for that.
He wanted something real, like what he almost had with Letty. He had found that in Riley when she transferred in. She was a serious athlete, down to earth and had a range of hobbies that matched his own. Though, he still dreamed of doe brown eyes, he was happy with Riley.
"I'll make it a night to remember," he said, getting a soft peck in response.
Dom put his arm around her shoulders. He wanted to remember this setting. The school bell had rung half an hour ago. Most of the students had gone home but the extracurricular clubs came alive at that time. Student body council were having a meeting about the plans for prom, cheerleaders stretching, the newbie footballers were getting their hours in, trying to impress coach to make first string. He would miss it.
He saw her then, tanned legs in denim shorts first, he knew who they belonged to. Letty. Her dark hair was piled into a bun on top of her hair and her book bag was dragging behind her, she was completely nonchalant at that. He loved that about her.
She was walking with his sister, dropping Mia off to cheer practice it seemed. The two brunettes were deeply engrossed in a conversation and he got lost in the sight of her like he always did. Riley seemed to be in a world of her own so this time he didn't have to hide his staring. Letty was laughing at whatever Mia was animating, he never fell out of love with her laugh, all these years later he still loved to hear it.
Every day he regretted it, but knew it was for the best. She was happy, free to make her own reputation. And she had. Letty was the wild one, Mia was the tame one. Mia was the cheerleader and Letty was the auto shop star. Fire & Ice. The two had began cementing their high school identities and Dom was proud they weren't identities formed by malicious rumors about senior boys. He had done the right thing. But that didn't mean he was over her.
Even as Mia spotted him and waved, when Letty realized who she was waving at, she flipped him off. He laughed in response and she rolled her eyes and looked away. Payback for this morning he knew. Still, a quiet hunger could be felt from across the field.
"They are so adorable," Riley commented, out of her daze.
Dom nodded but didn't agree verbally. He would never describe Letty as adorable.
Graduation wasn't what Dom thought it would be. Not in the literal sense. He expected the burgundy gowns and gaps with the gold tassels. He expected his dad to wear his Sunday best and he expected Principal Alexis to spit boulders at the microphone as he addressed the crowd.
What he didn't expect was to feel so sunken. Was this is? The end of the first chapter of his life. It was anti climatic for him.
Valedictorian, Gina Davis had started her speech when he looked around the field. Mia and his dad were talking quietly, he looked at the chair next to Mia. No Letty. It was strange, he rarely saw them apart and he almost expected that she would show up. Now that he thought about it, it was ridiculous. Why would she attend his graduation? On paper, she wasn't really anything to him.
But he did miss her presence. It was a memory he wanted her to be apart of. If he were honest, he would want her to be apart of all of his major life milestones.
He thought about what would happen when he left for college. With his watchful eye out of the way, it would be open season on Mia and Letty. He at least knew they had very good heads on their shoulders. But he couldn't quite digest that he was going to lose her to high school boys.
When the applause began, he realized the valedictorian was done and the commencement speaker was gad begun. He felt a thump behind his head and spun around to see Vince and Roman goofing off. He couldn't help but laugh at his friends who had, by some miracle, graduated.
He wouldn't see much of them. Vince was heading to Las Vegas to work in a family friend's casino. He said he was planning on staying for the summer until he figured out his next move but Dom had a feeling sin city would seduce him to stay for a little while longer.
Roman was heading to Florida to live with his mother. They were both leaving at the start of the summer. It wouldn't be too bad, he would be too busy to miss them. He would help his dad at the hardware and he also had a job lined up at Harrys.
Everything was shaping up fine except one thing was missing.
After the ceremony, Dom's father was telling him about his own high school graduation. It had been catastrophic after he fell down the stairs of the steps.
"Let's just say everyone remembers my fall more than accepting their diplomas."
Dom laughed, thought he couldn't picture his poised father tripping over his feet.
"How do you feel?" Sam said, "Think you gonna miss it?"
Dom shrugged. He really didn't know. Only time would tell.
"Let me tell you something, all the test and essays…you're gonna forget about them but what's really important are the connections you made. The people who you impacted, and the people who impacted you. That's what sums up your high school experience."
If his dad was right then he could sum up his experience in one word.
Letty.
He held on to that thought as the day progressed.
He took a few pictures with his family but he was ready to go home. Maybe he would get lucky and Letty and Mia would have plans. He just wanted a glimpse of her.
"I'm proud of you," Samuel said.
"Yeah, for a minute there I thought you wouldn't make it." Mia said, laughing. Dom knuckled her hair while she playfully swatted his hand away.
"Come on you two," Samuel put his arms around his two children, "Let's go get something to eat,"
That eve of senior prom, Letty and Mia were stretched out on a picnic blanket in the Toretto's backyard. Text books and highlighters were strewn about the blanket as the two girls had started the evening studying Chemistry. After declaring balancing equations 'sucked' Mia suggested a break. An hour rolled by on the longest break ever and Letty was laying on her stomach, using her bag as a pillow while Mia was using Letty's back as her pillow.
"He spelt PROM in flower petals in front of my locker," Mia cooed.
Letty had heard the story of Vince's prom proposal fifteen times now. She was keeping score.
"When I turned around, he's playing my favorite song on his stupid guitar, who knew he was any good?" Mia sat up holding her chest animatedly.
"Who knew Vince had it in him, so romantic."
"Yup, that's our Vincent, so romantic." Letty knew Mia was more excited about the proposal and the prom more than she was about Vince. She supposed deep down, Vince knew that too. He just took anything he got from Mia.
Her own prom proposal was way less dramatic. She was taking notes in the library when senior, Luke Hobbs, pulled a chair out from opposite her.
"Yo Let," he said. He had taken a liking to her when he helped out in auto shop with professor Stasiak.
"Whad up," she said, setting her pencil down. She figured he wanted to small talk.
"You wanna go to prom with me?" he had said. She loved that he didn't beat around the bush. More than that, she was glad he knew her well enough to ask her quietly, without a serenade and roses.
"Yeah, that could be cool," she had said, without missing a beat.
"Cool," he got up and sauntered away with a smile. She still was unsure why she didn't hesitate. Luke was a cool guy, she had taken a liking to him because his stature reminded her of Dom but he was actually a decent guy when you looked past his school fights.
She also figured, he wasn't asking for anything more than a prom date, after the summer he would be off to the police academy.
Mia would also kill her for turning down the opportunity to go the senior prom together. She tuned back into Mia who was saying, "Luke is going to have an aneurysm when he sees you in that dress," Mia laughed to herself, "I'm so glad you made me pick out a dress for you."
She didn't realize they were talking about dresses now. She was too aware of the hum of his engine. Dom and Vince came barreling into the backyard sweaty and dirty from the football field. They began tossing a ball around and Letty really wanted to join them but knew Mia would make a fuss so she stayed where she was.
She and Dom knew the routine, they acknowledged each other very little around other people. The rare times they were alone, he would ask her how she was.
She wouldn't have moved had the ball not landed in front of her. Her eyes fell on the ball the same time Mia rolled her eyes and declared she was going inside where it was safe from flying balls. She gathered her books and went inside, Vince following her for something cold to drink or so he said.
"Go long," Dom said when they were alone.
She grinned and went to the end of the backyard before tossing the ball back to him.
"Not bad for a girl," Dom taunted and she took off with the ball. He chased her around, humoring her for a minute before easily catching her from around the waist. She squealed as her back touched his wet chest. They caught themselves soon after and he set her down and took a large step back aware from her.
"You know, I didn't see you at graduation?" he said. Letty found his line of questioning random. Why would he expect her to come to graduation?
"Cuz' I didn't go." she said, he pursed his lips.
Unless he wanted her to be there, she thought. Interesting.
"So, you and Hobbs huh?" he said.
Letty shrugged in response. Dom's lips flattened into a thin line before he mumbled something about taking a shower and running inside.
Letty stood alone in the back-yard wondering what had just happened.
Dom didn't understand the 'magic' of prom, not until he stepped into gym. He had to admit, it didn't look like a gym anymore. The lighting was blue and purple, giving the wide room a cozy and intimate glow. The floor was covered in balloons and confetti and Riley had to literally wade through them on their way to their table.
There was a DJ, dancing more than his fellow graduates. He felt something twist inside of him. This was the last time they would all be together. These people he learned to love. Something beautiful but heart breaking at the same time. As if that wasn't enough emotion on his part, Letty was beneath the balloon arch taking cheesy pictures with Luke.
She was a vision. Her dress was black, with silver embroidery all over the floor length dress. A dramatic V cut exposed her perky cleavage and a swooping cut out at the back made the long dress extremely provocative. Her hair was curled beautifully and pinned up by Mia in strategic places. He almost wept, she stole his breath, all his strength. He forgot altogether Riley was in the room with him.
Vince, Mia, Roman and his date were at his table. They cheered their cider and indulged in all the sugary goodness of the sweets table but Dom was pretending the whole time. He was waiting for an opening to talk to Letty. He just had to tell her how beautiful she looked tonight.
"Where are you right now?" Riley said. His distance was palpable and the whole table seemed interested in his answer, though he suspected Mia knew, from the knowing look she flashed him.
"I guess I'm just gonna really miss everyone," he said, though not necessarily lying. He was just speaking about one person in particular.
Riley leaned against his chest. "Isn't he such a softie when he's ready." She kissed his lips.
"We're gonna miss you too," she said. They had talked about it, they would always be friends but she was going to NYU on a volley ball scholarship and he was going New Mexico State University to study business administration.
He took her to the dance floor, making sure he left nothing unsaid before the night was up.
They swayed to the music slowly, Riley was glowing, giddy even and though he wanted to look behind and see what Letty was doing. He kept on looking at her.
"You look absolutely beautiful tonight," Dom said. She blushed and looked down, still doubting it were actually true.
"What?"
"It's just that, I'm never going to be beautiful like Mia-but you make me feel like I am."
"You should feel that way regardless, you knock me off my feet Riley."
"I'll never forget you."
He kissed her forehead, and it felt like goodbye, he just hoped, if she believed anything he ever said, that she would believe that she was enough.
The girls from Riley's volleyball team pulled her away to take pictures and he was glad as Letty slipped out of the gym.
He hurried behind her in the dark hallway. He assumed she was going to the bathroom but she stood by a row of lockers and slipped out of the back pumps, rubbing the heels of her right foot. When she put her foot back down, he watched quietly as she began fishing bobby pins out of her hair, making her curls fall like a curtain over her face. She seemed to go slack with relief, he was amused as he could just picture her protest earlier when Mia was making her up.
He chuckled behind her, making her whip around, holding her chest when she realized it was just him.
"Don't be a snitch and tell Mia," she said, behind dark curls.
Dom closed the space between them and tucked her curls behind her ear.
"Farthest thing from my mind," he said, holding her with his gaze. He wasn't sure what game he was running even in that moment. He had just wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked. Maybe slip in how much she meant to him even if he didn't always act like it. But those damned doe eyes were consuming him and the longer he stayed the more he wanted to risk everything for her. His timeline be damned.
They held eyes far longer than that of two friends. Letty seemed to take notice and shifted her weight uneasily.
"I should get back," she said.
Dom held her hand tenderly, stopping her from putting on her shoes.
"Or… you could stay right here with me," he said. Dom knew he was giving in to her in that moment. All his friends were behind the wall making final memories together and all he cared about in that moment was Letty.
Letty pursed her lips. "What's in it for me?"
There was the rude girl he knew and liked so much. There was a fire inside of her that he was enthralled by. Something told him she would be worth the third degree burns.
He reached his hand out and lifted her chin with a few of his fingers. Their eyes locked again and it seemed that neither of them had taken a breath since.
Dom closed the remaining space between them and said, "I can make it worth your while," he pressed his lips to hers. Initial contact with her soft lips was surreal, he couldn't drink her in with his senses fast enough. Her scent, her feel and her taste. He pulled back after a few beats and she went with him, standing on her tip toes to follow his lips. Her body fell flush against his own when she couldn't sustain her own weight for much longer. Dom's arms invitingly, enveloped her smaller frame while he pried her mouth open with his tongue. The moment it slid inside she released a satisfied groan and wrapped her own tongue around his. Her delicate hands were against of his jacket before he let her down and linked his fingers with hers.
They stayed like that for a while, battling tongues and holding hands until Letty pushed off of him.
She was shaking her head as if trying to think straight. "What does this mean?" Letty said, wiping at the side of her mouth.
Dom smiled. "What does it mean when I ignore my entire senior prom for you? I think that means I like you."
Letty beamed.
"Wait, what about Riley?"
Dom shook his head. "We're here as friends, she's going to early admissions."
Letty grinned then, wide and uninhibited.
"Then say it again," she punctuated by poking at his chest.
He sighed before saying, "I like you, Letty Ortiz."
She fell back into his arms, brazen and wild now with the way she kissed him back.
"You know, I thought so."
He smiled down at her before kissing her again.