Two Years Later

Cale Kincaid sat in the hard seat of the lecture hall, reading over her notes. She hated this psych-class with a passion. The other students milled around, conversing softly, but she ignored them. Her mind was elsewhere, like it normally was, speeding down some unseen highway, top down and wind blowing in her hair. She could see the scenery streaking passed her as she raced against time, heading for the sinking sun as it burned the desert in greedy flames. She could hear the purr of the engine as she shifted through the gears, the delicate machinery working to make the car go faster and faster...

She was so deeply entrenched in her daydream, that the slap of a notebook falling on the arm of the seat next to hers startled her badly. The smiling young woman looking down at her winced as Cale met her gaze. The dark-brown, shoulder-length hair framed a classically beautiful, feminine face, the lips of which were quirked up in an awkward smile. While Cale was no ugly duckling, her average features, shorter, lighter-brown hair and eyes made her seem plain in comparison.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," the stranger said. "I just transferred into this class and, you know, you were the only one sitting alone. ...I'm Mia Toretto. Is it okay if I sit here?"

Cale smiled, though she was wincing inwardly. Bloody hell. Figures Dominic Toretto's sister would single me out. "Cale Kincaid. And, yeah, sure. Go ahead."

Cale sat up properly as Mia took her seat. She gave Mia a sidelong glance. "Just so you know, this class is boring as hell," she offered. "But if you know how to time it, you can actually get other stuff done while still getting the most out of the class."

Mia laughed. "I've heard rumours that Professor Kerrington's class was a sleeper. Suppose they're true, then."

"Very true. We're actually halfway through the first part of the course. I can lend you my notes, if you want?"

"That," Mia said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "would be fantastic."

Cale smiled as Kerrington cleared his throat, calling the class to attention. She gave Mia a sly look and prepared to teach her all she knew about survival in Professor Kerrington's Advanced Psychology lectures.

---

Cale had hoped that her acquaintance with Mia would stay within Kerrington's lecture hall, but after two weeks of studying with the woman at the library after class, Mia somehow had the impression that Cale was actually a friend.

"You should come over sometime," Mia asked, out the blue one day. Cale looked up from her scribbling to peer at Mia. Mia didn't notice, as her attention was still on the text in front of her. "It's noisier at my place, but it'd be more fun to study," she continued.

At Cale's continue silence, Mia finally looked up. She grinned at her friend and chuckled. "Okay, so the invitation isn't completely mine. My brother wants to meet the girl responsible for my increased diligence in my studies."

Cale had to smile at that. She knew Dominic Toretto's reputation. Everyone did. While the fact that the man had such a vested interest in his sister's education wasn't surprising by any means, the sentiment seemed incongruous to his image of a hard-ass street racer. Cale shrugged, and gave a non-committal, "Sure, sometime."

Mia's grin widened. "Tonight, then."

"Er, I don't think..."

Mia stopped Cale's protest with a simple shake of her head. "I'm not taking no for an answer. You're expected at my house tonight and you're going to be there." The girl flipped her hair over one shoulder and resumed her perusal of the text.

Cale stared at Mia for a long moment, before resigning herself to the inevitable. With a quiet sigh, she went back to her scribbling. Tonight was going to be interesting, to say the least.