And just like that, she was gone. She stood in the middle of the airport wondering how the hell her life got to this. She was sixteen years old and she was being shipping to the other side of the United States. She had been sneaking out to see Johnny Tran since she was fourteen years old. But she seemed to be the only one who got in trouble for anything. The night after she lost her virginity to Johnny she had arrived home just in time. Her dad had arrived about ten minutes after she did. His face was as white as could be as Dom carried Letty into the living room. Vince wasn't too far behind him with Mia in his arms. She had screamed wondering what happened. Letty had beat this guy Amarillo in the race that night and he wasn't too happy about it. As the cops came to break up the race, Mia and Letty took off in her Ford Torino Cobra. They were running from the cops and Amarillo. Why the hell their dad let them go to Boyle Heights was beyond her but he did and the night ended in shit. Letty found herself blocked by Amarillo and his goons. Dom wasn't too far behind but Letty knew she had to do something quick. Without thinking she floored it and running straight into a retaining wall. Water went everywhere as she pressed the gas to get through. When Vince and Dom brought them into the house, they were soaking wet and Letty had a piece of wood sticking out of her arm. The only thing that kept Stella from freaking out was Letty was laughing. What went through her mind to run her brand new car into a retaining wall will forever be a question Stella had. There was no hospital involved. They didn't want that. The cops showed up and they could all get into trouble. But no trouble happened at the house. I guess getting hurt is enough punishment but for Stella, she was gone. She didn't want to sit down as she looked at the rest of her family sitting around waiting for her plane. Why where there? She was angry. And she was getting angrier as the minutes went on. What was taking so long? She just wanted to go. "Will you sit down with me?" Her father asked. She shook her head. She was mad at him. She hadn't seen Johnny since that night. And no one ever found out about it. And if they did, nothing was said. "Stella, please." She gave in as she walked over to him and sat down next to him. "This isn't your brother or your sisters fault. This was my decision. You will be back before you know it."

"Then why am I leaving if this isn't forever?"

"When was the first time that you snuck out of my house to go see that boy?" Stella shook her head. "This will not change my decision, Stella. I believe this is for your own good. I just want to know." The tears sprung to her eyes. "Tell me…"

"I was fourteen." She covered her face. "Johnny had invited me and Maggie to a party at his house. I didn't do anything though. Me and him just sat and talked until it was time to go home. It became easier after that because all of your focus went on Dom and the team. "

"You were fourteen years old and sneaking out of the house. How can you not see how bad that sounds?"

"I wanted out." She replied. "I didn't feel like some child when I was with him. Every time I was around here I just felt like I was being protected for even breathing. It was suffocating me. You were suffocating me." The tears fell down her face. "I just wanted to be able to live my life for once. He's not a bad person. And part of me wanted him to be so I could get back at you…I don't know why. You made me so angry." She wiped her face. "I got in trouble for everything. I looked at the wall a certain way I was grounded. Mia and Letty run from the cops and run into a retaining wall and all they get is a 'be careful next time'. Are you serious? I get grounded for life because I knew of a race that almost caused Dom to lose his arm. Nothing happened to anyone else. Admit that you picked on me because I am the youngest."

"It wasn't picking on you. You were too young to be involved and I thought if I kept you from it then nothing bad would happen to you. I never expected this. I never wanted this."

"You were protecting me from something we have in our blood to do. You kept me from really being a part of this family."

"We are now boarding flight 180 to Orlando Florida." The woman's voice sounded throughout the entire airport as Stella wiped underneath her eyes before standing up. "I love you." She replied wrapping her arms around his waist. Tony squeezed her body as she tried to fight the urge to scream…beg him not to let her go. He finally released her as she looked over at Vince who was waiting his turn to say goodbye.

"This isn't goodbye forever." He replied softly. "It's only for a little while."

"Sure." She replied softly wrapping her arms around his body. "I love you, V."

"Love you too." He released her as she took in a deep breath and walked over to her sister. This was someone who used to be her best friend but now it was like they strangers. She threw her arms around her sisters neck just as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't hate her. She didn't hate Letty either. Things were just different. And it was Stella's fault. She made herself distant from everyone. She ruined the relationships. "Stel…" Mia cried. "I love you so much."

"I love you too!" The girls bodies shook as they cried together. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"We will write, okay." Mia pulled away wiping the tears from Stella's face. "We will talk every day." Stella nodded her head. It was Dom's turn. He was standing at the window with his hands in his pockets. She placed her hand on his back as he slowly turned around. "I know that I was hard on you about Johnny." He replied. "I want you to have the best life. I want you to get everything out of life." She nodded her head. "You are my baby sister and you deserve the best."

"I know." She whispered. "I love you, Dom."

"Be good, okay." He jerked her forward. "Stay out of trouble." She nodded her head. "I love you. I love you so much." Was he crying? She couldn't tell. "You have a few more minutes before you have to board…" He released her. "Go say goodbye." She was confused at first.

"Stel…" Johnny was standing a few feet away from her as she looked up at Dom who nodded his head. "I just…"

"Johnny!" She shouted as she ran towards him jumping straight into his arms. "Johnny." She whispered. She could have stayed that way for forever. She could feel his breath in her ear. "I love you, Stella." He replied. "I will always love you."

Her hands shook as she stepped off the plane into the hot, humid Florida air. She could feel the stickiness on her skin as she pulled her sunglasses down.

This wasn't California. This was nothing like California. She heard someone clear their throat as she looked up at them with a disgusted look on her face. She definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore. She moved forward holding tight to her bag as she walked through the terminal. She looked around at all the people as she looked for someone who resembled her Uncle. She hadn't seen him in years. Her mom died and he dropped off the face of the earth. "Stella!" She heard her name being shouted as she quickly turned around. Uncle Sal was his name. He was big, bulky, with a bald head. Stella couldn't help but chuckle. Dom was the spitting image of him. He was her mom's brother though and Tony never liked him which is why Stella was so surprised that he was okay with her coming here. She set her bag down on the floor before running straight in the man's arms. "Hi!" He chuckled returning the hug. "It's good to see you, Mija." He kissed her on top of the head. "Stella, this is Jamison. He works for me. I thought we might need some help with you bags so I brought back up." Stella began to laugh.

"Hi." She replied with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too. I've heard a lot about you."

"Well come on, I have dinner cooking in the crockpot." Sal put his arm around her shoulder as she watched Jamison grab her bag from the floor.

"You cook?" She asked turning her attention back to her uncle. Sal laughed as she looked behind her again. "Who is he? Pops didn't tell me that you had any help."

"I didn't want him to." Sal stopped. "We can talk about it when we get to the house. We have a little drive and I know you are probably tired." She didn't push it as she watched him walk to the car as she stayed behind.

"I can help you." She replied walking over to him grabbing some bags from his arm. She had brought her entire closet with her. She didn't know what to bring. She heard of the summers and winters on the east coast. It was unpredictable. "How are you?"

"Eighteen." Jamison spoke. His voice was deep and covered in a southern accent. She wanted to laugh but she held it in. "You?"

"Sixteen. I'll be seventeen in about two months." She continued to look at him as he put the bags in the trunk of the car. He has sandy blonde hair that hung in front of his face every chance it got. His skin was tan, like an olive color. She could smell the salt on his skin if she got close enough. His eyes were green, like piercing almost. It was like he could see straight through her. "Thank you." She replied. "For…helping I guess."

"It's no problem." He replied shutting the trunk. "Shall we?" She nodded her head as she followed him over to the side of the car where he opened the car door. She was over it. Why was he being so nice? She climbed into the car. "He can stop that." She replied looking over at Sal. "It's annoying already."

"He's a southern gentleman. It's what they do." Stella shook her head as she rolled her eyes.

Stella looked out the window most of the drive to the house. There were cares everywhere. It was bumper to bumper traffic. "Are we near Disneyworld?" She asked with a smile.

"It's about forty miles away." Sal smirked. "Maybe we can go soon."

"I would love that." She squealed. She returned to looking out the window. The sun was shining so bright in the sky without a cloud around it. "I'm sure your dad has probably called already to see if you made it." Her head slowly turned to look at him. "I know this isn't a place you want to be. Me and him agree on something at least. What you were doing was dangerous and irresponsible. I know you are mad at him."

"I'm not mad." She replied. "I'm just…" She stopped herself.

"You aren't going to be on a tight leash here. I know just about everyone on this side of town. They will let me know if you get into any trouble. As punishment, you will be working at the garage with me. This is your street racers that come to get their cars worked on. This is everyday people who need their oil changed, tires rotated, stuff like that. You will not get a car until I say you can have one. I am easy going here, Stella. But don't piss me off."

"I just wanted to be able to live my life, Uncle Sal. I didn't mean to step on anyone's feet. I was just…too young to breathe. It's hard living there."

"I know what it must be like. I was the youngest to you know." She bit the inside of her cheek. "Anyways…everything will be okay once you get settled in here. You will make friends in no time." She nodded her head before looking back out the window. She missed home already. She took in a deep breath and held it as she fought to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. She had to be strong now. She got herself into this. She leaned in to the window letting the cold touch her forehead before closing her eyes. It was still morning in California but she wondered what they were doing. The tears fell down her face as she quickly wiped them away. It was already a long day and she was ready for it to be over with.

Stella felt the softness of a pillow under her face as she slowly opened her eyes and peered towards the door. Where was she? She quickly shot up. The room was small. The house looked like it was made of wood. Her room was wood. Everything in the room was wood. She sighed as she threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the door but she stopped. There hanging on the wall was a picture. It looked old. It was her mother. She could see her even though she looked so young. There was soft knock on the door as she jumped. "Mija?" Sal was standing at the door.

"You can come in." Stella replied as she continued to stare at the picture. "She was beautiful."

"You look exactly like her. She was sixteen in that picture." Sal held the phone in his hand. "Your dad called. I told him you were sleeping and you would give him a call back." Stella shook her head. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, Stel. I would be angry too if I were you."

"He sent me away." She replied softly. "I'll call him tomorrow." She went and sat back down on the bed and sighed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Well the sun has gone down for the day." Sal chuckled. "I figured you were exhausted with everything going on. I wanted to let you sleep. I have food ready for you if you are hungry. Jamison went ahead and took off."

"Speaking of Jamison…what is his purpose here?"

Sal sighed. "Tell me." She stood up.

"About six months ago, I had a heart attack. It wasn't…"

"Pops never told me!" Stella shouted. "I didn't know anything about this."

"Stella, your father doesn't have anything to do with me. I don't even think he knew. Once your mom died…I just…" He couldn't find the words.

"You are still my family, Sal. I would have liked to have known. I'm sorry that we never see each other. I'm sorry it took me getting into all this trouble just for us to be together."

"Oh sweetheart, none of this is your fault. Your father was doing what he thought was best."

"He does that a lot."

Sal put his hand on her shoulder. "Stella, your father is a good man. We just don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. He is a great father to you and your sister and brother." Stella nodded her head. "Please forgive me for not telling you."

"Sal, is this serious? Do you need someone to come look after you?"

"No." Sal replied softly. "Jamison works for me at the garage. He doesn't have a father figure. I kind of ended up being that for him. He looks after me because he wants to. I am healthy as a horse right now."

Stella nodded her head. "This isn't what I wanted your first night to look like."

"It's okay, Uncle Sal. We have a long time to get this right." Sal began to laugh. "Let's go see what you made in this crockpot of yours."

Stella kicked her feet into the sand as she plopped down on her butt. Sal had convinced her to get out of the house and go down to the beach. She now regretted it. It reminded her of home. She had only been there a week but it felt like eternity. She hadn't spoken to anyone from her family yet. Every time she gets up the courage, she gets angry and just wanted to scream at them. Sal thought it would be best to give it time. She looked out into the ocean. It was different looking. The sand wasn't as white as California. The water wasn't as blue as California. "Hey!" Jamison was standing beside her as she jumped. "I've been calling your name."

"I'm sorry." She replied as her face turned red from embarrassment. "I was just thinking…"

"I was going to go down to the pier, would you like to come?"

"I mean…I guess I can." Jamison nodded his head as he rolled his eyes.

"We are going now." She drew in a breath as she lifted herself up knocking all the sand off of her body. He started walking ahead of her as she hurried to catch up with him. "So, how long have you known Sal?"

"Five years." He stared straight ahead. He wasn't very friendly. He wouldn't even look her in the eye.

"Thank you for taking care of him."

"I'm all that he has, of course I would." She pressed her lips together stopping her in her tracks. He didn't stop as he climbed up the hill of sand to the top of the pier. "Let's go!" He called after her. She began climbing as he held his hand down to help her up. "Just stick by me. This place is going to be packed."

She nodded her head as rubbed her hands on her pants again to get the sand off. She could hear the music coming from inside as they rounded the corner where a line was forming to get in. "Wow." She replied.

"This is where most of the locals hang out. You have your tourists that come but they usually don't get in."

"Why not?"

"Because, this is our place. They can't just take over the whole fucking state." Stella nodded her. "Like I said, just stick by me." He grabbed her hand in his as the pair walked up the steps.

"Yo, Jamie, my man!" The man taking the money slapped hands. "She with you?"

"Griffin, this is Stella Toretto. She is Sal's niece and will be staying with him for the summer. I thought I would show her around a bit."

"Aight, I see you. Welcome, Stella Toretto." Stella couldn't help but smile as she walked past him. Jamison's attitude seemed to have changed the moment he got around his friends. He was nicer.

"Jamie!" A girl squealed running over to him. "Hey, baby!" She planted her lips on his. Stella moved away as she began walking away. That wasn't her scene. She never hung on Johnny like that…well not in the group anyways. She wondered what he was up to? She had talked to him once since she moved. She talked to Maggie everyday on the other hand. She sighed as she picked a table and sat down. "Hi." A red head walked up to her with two cups in her hand. "I'm Hannah. Jamie told me about you coming into town. I was wondering when he was going to bring you around."

"Stella. And that's my fault. I haven't really wanted to leave the house too much."

"California, right?"

"Yeah." She looked down at the red solo cup. "Is that for me?"

"Yes, it's just juice. They don't really like for us to drink around here. Underage and all." Stella began to laugh. "So how do you like it here so far?"

"It's different. I finally caught up with the time zones so I can sleep better at night. We lived near the beach but it didn't smell like this. I can smell the salt everywhere I go. The sun is hotter. I mean…it's sticky all the time."

"That doesn't really go away. But you get used to it."

"Hey!" A boy with red hair sat down next to Hannah. "Who is this?"

"Stella, this is my twin brother, Harry."

"Harrison." He smirked holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Stella." Stella grabbed his hand and shook as she began to giggle. She was only there for a week and was already beginning to make friends. She looked up at the entrance of the pier where Jamison was still standing with his arm around the girl that kissed him, but instead his eyes were on her. He stared at her even when she caught him. She gave a little smile to him wondering what was going through his head at the moment. She turned her attention back to the twins who were discussing their psychic powers as Stella began to laugh again. This could be okay. This could work.