Thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 51-Race Night
Letty's POV
Around eight p.m., we decided to get the meeting underway. Leon had arrived back from work, exhausted and impatient. Roman came to the house with Jeremiah, who looked pretty pissed off. Something about not getting McDonald's on the way. Vince and Jayden were on the couch, being bombarded with sympathy and questions. Dominic was in his recliner, patiently waiting his turn to comfort his friend.
"Thanks everyone for the support. But could you all calm the hell down for a minute please," Vince barked, rubbing his temples. Everyone moved away from them and found their own spots on the floor or furniture.
"Jayden, did your mother have a lot of friends? I mean, we need to know how many people are gonna show at the services," Dominic spoke for the first time in what seemed like eternity.
"Well, the neighbor, Mr. Dickens. They talked a lot. And some other people from the neighborhood, but she rarely left the house. I mean, she rarely left the kitchen," Jayden said, sitting Indian-style on the sofa.
"I met Mr. Dickens today, he's a talker. Sweet old fuck," Vince added, smirking a bit.
"Who's gonna handle the wake?" Senia asked.
"Sasha and I will do that," I spoke, receiving a nod from her.
"I offered to help with the casket. I mean, Rome and Jess can help me with that," Brian said, placing a comforting hand on Vince's shoulder. Vince nodded, relaxing a bit.
"We still going to the races tomorrow?" of course Jesse asked. I couldn't help but smile at the Kid. Even at a time of mourn, he thinks about cars.
"No. Now's not the time for anyone to get out," Dom ordered. I felt a bit disappointed. I understood where he was coming from, but I was dying to get back out there.
"No Dom. We're still going to the races," Jayden spoke up nervously, "one thing my mom actually taught me was to never back down. No matter what. She said go for what I wanted and don't let anything in my way. I'm sure she would still want me to get out and have fun," she continued, her voice cracking.
"Hey Jay, we don't have to do this tomorrow. We have plenty time to race. You need time to grieve girl," I said, amazed at the fight she had in her.
"I don't wanna grieve. I wanna race," she said with so much determination in her voice. I know she earned every person in this room's respect just then. Especially her uncle Vince's. V tossed an arm around her shoulder, smiling bright at her.
"Hell yeah Jay! That's what I'm talking about!" Chrystal yelled from across the room. We laughed as Ricky smacked her upside her head.
"Calm down and watch your mouth," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Aight guys, go home. Everyone needs to show up at work please. We'll worry about the funeral arrangements after the race tomorrow," Dominic said, standing from the recliner. He looked to be in a better mood from earlier.
Everyone filled out of the house after gathering their children from the upstairs. Left in the house was just Dom, myself, and the twins, who were still in their room.
"So did you tell her you saw him?" Dom asked, crawling onto the bed next to me.
"No. Ya know, I don't think I'm going to tell her. I mean, she's been doing fine without him. What good will it do to tell her?"
"She has the right to know Letty," Dominic said, pulling my body close to his chest. I nodded, knowing he was right. Sasha had the right to know that I saw our father. Though I'm not so sure how she'd take it.
xxx
Race Night
Sasha's POV
"Jayden, Chrys, hurry up girls!" I yelled from the hallway. I made my way downstairs to join Ricky and Vince. As I descended the steps, the looks on their faces were priceless.
"You look great," Ricky struggled to let out. I smiled, looking down at my clothes. I had on a Philadelphia 76ers jersey dress that stopped a few inches above my knees. I had on black flip flops and my hairs was in curly ringlets around my face.
"Thanks, you too," I said, nodding at her outfit. Ricky wore low-riding jeans and a baby blue beater that fit her form perfectly. "Vince, you okay?" I asked, waving my hand in front of his face. His eyes were glued to my legs.
"You think you'd wanna skip the race and have our own private party here?" he asked, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.
"As great as that sounds, we have to go," I said, placing my body firmly on his lap.
Here it was, finally. Race night. The return of Team Toretto. Although we weren't racing, the girls represent us. They're the new breed now. Yeah, we might come and do a few races here and there. But we're getting old. We can't do this forever, as much as we would all love too. I just hope Chrys and Jayden can pull through for us tonight. Thank goodness I helped Jayden brush up on her racing too. She's good, but not as good as Chrys.
"Hey, let's go," Ricky said, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
I jumped in my Porsche, Jayden riding shotgun. Ricky was in her Focus with Chrystal and Vince was behind in his Maxima. We droved over to the Toretto house to gather the rest of the Team. The children, including baby Jessica and Desmond, were at Aunt Leslie's house for the night. She didn't mind watching the kids, they were her only company. In the house, Dominic, Leon, Jesse, and Rome were sitting on the sofa watching the television. They all seemed to be dressed and ready.
"Um, don't we have somewhere to be in the next fifteen minutes?" I asked, curious to why they were just sitting around.
"Mia and the girls are taking forever," Leon spoke without removing his eyes from the television.
"Where's Brian?" Vince asked, taking a seat on the recliner. Jayden and Chrys shared the other recliner, leaving Ricky and I standing.
"Givin' Mia a quick lesson in driving a stick," Leon replied, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. The whole room burst into a fit of laughter.
"Watch it Le," Dominic growled and elbowed Leon in the chest.
"My bad dawg," Leon responded, rubbing his aching chest.
At the time, the ladies and Brian came filling down the stairs. The cat calls and whistles filled the room. This brought back so many memories of how we used to get ready for the races back in the day. The time before the races when we all just chilled was more fun that the actual race event.
"Mia, how'd the lesson go?" Chrys asked, receiving a smack in the for her comment. Ricky seemed to do that a lot. The crowd burst into laughter, including Dominic and Brian. Mia turned a deep red and glared playfully at the girl.
"You ladies look great," Dominic said, gathering his woman in his hands.
Letty was wearing baggy jeans that still managed to show off her curves. She had on a loose-fitting tank top; a very unusual 'Letty outfit' for the races. She was usually clad in see-through or leather gear for race night. I bet it was because of the baby that she chose not to go that route tonight. Senia's outfit included a pin stripped skirt and a white halter top that showed plenty cleavage. Leon didn't seem to mind whatsoever. Lily had a pair of Letty's red leather pants and a black see-through halter top that clearly showed her black bra and flat stomach. Rome said the outfit was a cry for attention, which he didn't like. Diana had on a denim skirt I let her borrow years ago and never got back. Figures, I thought. Her choice of top was an air-brushed shirt that said, "Mrs. Owenz". Guess she branded herself, I smiled at my thought. And finally Mia had on Baby Phat jeans that flared out at the bottom and a yellow spaghetti strap with yellow flip flops on. The yellow made her tan skin seem darker than usual.
Jayden tried to wear a short skirt and a shirt that stopped a high inches above her navel, showing her belly button ring. Once Vince got a glance of it, he tossed her over his shoulder and took her to change. She returned in baggy cargo jeans and a tight black t-shirt. Chrystal had on capri's and a camo top that showed off her belly piercing.
"You guys don't look so bad yourself," Ricky said, nodding in amusement. I agreed with her, looking throughout the men.
Dom wore black slacks and a black tank top, which seemed to be his favorite gear for race night. I tried to get him into other colors, such as blue or red, but he said he's more of a 'neutral' man. Whatever that meant. Brian was dressed like his normal, surfer-boy self. He had on baggy camo shorts and a black West Coast Choppers t-shirt. He still looked like a model. Leon wore all black, which he did for every night he watched the scanners. He had on black pants, a black t-shirt, and a black jacket with a black ball cap on. Jesse, though he had a neatly trimmed beard and bulked up some, he still looked like the baby of the group. He had on jeans, a Racer's Edge t-shirt, and a blue and green striped button-up over it. He had on his green beanie and sunglasses. Roman's outfit consisted of jeans that hung dangerously low on his hips and an unbuttoned, sleeveless top. Vince, who was happy to get back in his common routine, had on old, worn jeans that would only look good on him and a camo mesh top under his red one.
"Can we get out of here?" Jesse said, almost bouncing out of his sneakers.
"Let's go," Dom smiled, waving us out of the house. Once we filled out the house, Dominic stopped us before we got into our cars.
"We need to pair up. Somehow, someway, we're only taking a few cars," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Sasha and Letty, you ride together," Dominic said a little too anxiously. I caught the look on Letty's face, which showed anger and fear all at once.
"Jesse, Brian, and Roman, you can ride with me," Leon said, walking over to his Skyline.
"Vince, can you and Ricky ride together without killing each other?" Dom questioned, running his hands over his head.
"Yeah, it's cool. Girls, get in the car," V said, nodding to the Maxima. He was fiddling with papers that were stuck in the back pocket of his pants. The Team looked at him questioningly, wondering why he hadn't thrown a tantrum about Ricky.
"The ladies can have my car. It's more room," Jesse offered, tossing his keys to Diana. Mia, Senia, Lily, and Diana piled into the Jetta.
Everyone got into their cars and pulled out into the street, waiting for Dom to announce the formation. Letty was hesitant to get into the car, which made me worry. Did I do something? Or say something wrong? What was her problem with me?
"I'll be at the head. Diana and Letty behind me, Vince and Leon behind them. That cool?" Dom asked, everyone nodding in agreement. Dom suddenly got a goofy, lopsided smile on his face. "Let's go kick some ass," he yelled, sending the Team into cheers.
In the Lexus, Letty was acting a little too jumpy for me. She was consistently tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she flipped through radio stations at least a hundred times, and she was way too quiet for it to be Race Night.
"What's your fucking problem Leticia? Ever since yesterday at the mall, you been acting weird around me. What's up?" I asked, her behavior getting the best of me.
She sighed deeply and turned off the radio.
"Look, when I get upset or I need to take a load off, I go to the cemetery. I talk to my family. And Maria. I talk to them, ya know. After that fight Dom and I had at the garage, I went there. I met someone," Letty started, looking at me intently afterward. I nodded, understanding why she went to the cemetery. After all, it was a calming place. But I felt like she was holding something back.
"Who? Who'd you meet? I asked her, shifting in my seat to face her.
"Our dad," she said, taking her eyes off the road to look at me. I frowned and sat back in my seat.
"What? That can't be. Are you sure it was him? I mean, how do you know?" I babbled, not sure how to react.
"It was him Sasha. We talked about everything. He told me why he gave me away; why he left Mama, why he hurt you. Sasha I'm so sorry I wasn't there. If I was, none of it would've happened," Letty said, tears in her eyes.
"Awe babe. Look, you couldn't have done anything to help me. No one could have," I said, secretly aching with pain in remembering what wrecked me from the beginning.
"Yes, I could have Sasha! I could've fucking stopped what happened to you! It didn't have to happen to my baby sister!" she yelled, the tears streaming from her eyes.
"Look Letty. What happened in the past is just that, the past. I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby boy, and a family to die for. I have all I need in life. And as much as I hate him, I love my father. But I'd rather just not have to deal with him anymore," she nodded, wiping her tears away, "so let's go kick some ass!" I yelled as we stepped out of the car.
No POV
As the Team pulled up and exited their cars, every movement and sound ceased. The newbies of the race world wondered how one group of people stopped over a hundred people from speaking at once. The Team lined up around their cars, waiting for someone to speak. Dom rolled his eyes; he was all too use to this. Two under-dressed women began walking to Dom, but the look on Letty's face changed their direction elsewhere.
"Is that Dom Toretto?!" a familiar voice said, making his way to the Team.
"Hector! What's up brother?" Dom smiled, pulling his old friend into a hug.
"Just trying to make some dinero, ya know? What you fools doing out here?" he asked, looking through the Team, particularly at the new additions. "You guys grow by the second huh?"
"You know us. We take in any and every degenerate bastard that walks by," Vince said, smiling and winking at Ricky. Most of the crowd laughed, beginning to loosen up. They were silenced once again by another team arriving.
"Well, well, well. Look who showed up," the Asian team pushed their way to the front.
"What's your name kid?" Dom asked, smirking. He simply wanted to piss the kid off.
"Poncho. Shall we begin?" he asked, slamming a wad of money in Hector's hand.
"Three races," Dom handed Hector his five grand, "my two girls will race your two girls," Dom said, looking at back at Chrys and Jayden, whom both nodded.
"What's the last race? You and me?" Poncho scoffed.
"No. You and Jesse," Dominic smirked, placing a confident hand on Jesse's shoulder. The crowd cheered as Jesse stepped up. Dom barely let anyone race on Race Night, let alone the wiz-kid mechanic.
"Wh-what?" Jesse struggled to let out.
"You're racing tonight kid. And you're gonna win. Let's get started," Dom smiled, putting his arm around Jesse's shoulder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry it took so long. For once, Dominic isn't being self-centered! Yay for Dom! Read & review.
-Kita