Chapter 13 – Team Dynamics
After 'The Italian Job' was over everyone stretched and looked around at each other. Rome and Brian shared a look that, coming from Brian's end seemed to be rather pointed. I couldn't see what sort of expression Rome had on his face from where I was sitting but whatever it was it didn't seem to make Brian happy at all.
"You ever think what it would be like to pull that kind of a job?" Jimmy asked the room in general, referring to the heist in the movie.
I made a mental note to ask Brian how much about my 'extracuricular activities' he's told his friends. Do they know that me and my boyfriend and three of our best friends should be in jail right now for doing something kinda like what they just saw in that movie? Thinking they do makes me both uncomfortable and
"The money's right." Suki laughed.
"We have the driving skill." Tej added.
"We could build the cars." Jimmy looked thoughtful.
"I could find the mark." Rome boasted.
"It's just a movie. In reality the criminals get caught. Or worse." Brian said and then it was his turn to share a deep look with me. "Besides, it would never work out that smooth. Not even if you thought you planned everything. Something would go wrong."
"Yeah, crime doesn't pay." I laughed to try and relieve some of the tension. "Unless your crime of choice is street racing and you're as good at it as I am. Then it pays tons."
Suki looked like she was about to challenge my assertion that I was that damn good at racing and Rome snorted the mouthful of coke he'd just tried to swallow out his nose. Brian grinned.
"Yeah, I wanna get you racing real challengers instead of Diego to see what you can really do." Tej smirked at me as he made this statement. "Brian's been telling tales of 'what his Reina can do' and he has me really wanting to see you race the big time."
"Why? That Diego dude just a poser?" I'd been happy to beat him. Plus people'd told me before we ran together that the guy I was racing was good. I didn't want anyone to take any part of my win away from me. But it would if they told me he wasn't good, just a loudmouth with more car then brains
"No girl, he's the real deal, but he's far from the best." Jimmy added his opinion.
"Puto has more money then brains and says he hates to run against 'skirts'. He's an asqueroso!" Suki huffed to the floor after her outburst.
Everyone stared at her, then glanced at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I said he's a man whore with more money then brains who doesn't like to race girls. He's an asshole." Suki sighed.
I don't want them to know I'm fluently Spanish. I'd taught V some Spanish swear words for fun but I was the only one on our team in LA that really spoke Spanish. It was what I'd grown up speaking at home. My mother hardly spoke English and when she was high as a kite what English she had known had flown right out of her brain.
Why am I keeping that from them you ask? Because I think the little puta will try to say something rude to me or about me in Spanish some day and that's when I'll let on I speak it too. It'll be sweet. And if the day never comes so be it. Don't know why I don't like this girl. Just know I don't.
Of course Brian knows about the fact I'm able to speak Spanish as well as I do English, but I'm betting he won't tell anyone if I don't want him to.
"I want to see you in a real race, you know, you and two or three other people with corners and stuff. None of this quarter mile straight crap you're use to. Anyone can win at that shit." Tej explained.
"If anyone can win at that shit then you won't mind giving me a chance at you someday in the quarter mile huh? After all, I'm sure you could win." It was my turn to smirk. Racing a circuit instead of a quarter mile was harder, but I could still kick ass at it.
"I don't race anymore. I hit a wall doin a buck twenty and I just let you fools run and let even bigger fools wager on who'll win. I got no plans on racing you in any kind of race."
I just nodded to show I understood. It's hard to get your groove back after a wreck. I mean what they say about get right back on the horse is really true, you really should just get right back in the driver's seat and go again. The catch is you've just wrecked your car so it's kinda hard to just take off for a wild ride.
Leon mangled the skyline pretty good once. It took him a while to get back into racing but he did. I knew how sensitive Leon was about it so I decided to just let the topic go and change the subject.
"So when do you all race around here? Is it like every Saturday or just when the word gets out, or what?" I was curious how many chances I'd get to race. I hadn't been getting enough back home and if I could change that here the more the better.
"Mostly it's every Friday and Saturday from 1am to 3am." Tej answered.
Wow, that's organized. Two nights a week with set times. Back home we all meet around 1ish and then see how it goes. Mostly Saturday but sometimes other nights too. We have to keep the cops guessing. I wonder how they get around that here. Tej has time frames set for racing. They almost take their racing more seriously around here I think. Of course they likely don't have a Dom, winning every race he's in and making other people not want to bother.
Well, lots of people still step up to race Dom but a lot more don't bother anymore. Wonder if there's anyone like that around here.
"So, is there any one person around here that's 'the one' to beat?" I asked the group in general. They all looked around at each other then at me, like they weren't sure if they should answer that question. They all looked like that but Suki, who looked indignant about something.
"Yeah, it's Brian. That's what I was trying to tell you." Suki rolled her eyes at me.
"Brian? Brian is the guy that everyone wants to beat and no one can?" I asked them disbelievingly. I could believe Brian was good. In a skyline I could believe Brian was really good. But I had a very hard time believing that Brian was 'that guy'. I mean, Dom kicked his ass over and over again. Dom had to teach him to race.
Brian looked up at me with a sheepish look. It was like he knew what I was thinking.
"I'm a fast learner."
"Chumpy, some times you manage to shock me." I gave him a big smile.
I'll be taking that title away from him, but I should be able to do it without ever really racing Brian. I'll just race everyone else there is to race and beat them. Then I'll be the one to beat. But I'll race Brian if I have to.
After 'The Italian Job' was over everyone stretched and looked around at each other. Rome and Brian shared a look that, coming from Brian's end seemed to be rather pointed. I couldn't see what sort of expression Rome had on his face from where I was sitting but whatever it was it didn't seem to make Brian happy at all.
"You ever think what it would be like to pull that kind of a job?" Jimmy asked the room in general, referring to the heist in the movie.
I made a mental note to ask Brian how much about my 'extracuricular activities' he's told his friends. Do they know that me and my boyfriend and three of our best friends should be in jail right now for doing something kinda like what they just saw in that movie? Thinking they do makes me both uncomfortable and
"The money's right." Suki laughed.
"We have the driving skill." Tej added.
"We could build the cars." Jimmy looked thoughtful.
"I could find the mark." Rome boasted.
"It's just a movie. In reality the criminals get caught. Or worse." Brian said and then it was his turn to share a deep look with me. "Besides, it would never work out that smooth. Not even if you thought you planned everything. Something would go wrong."
"Yeah, crime doesn't pay." I laughed to try and relieve some of the tension. "Unless your crime of choice is street racing and you're as good at it as I am. Then it pays tons."
Suki looked like she was about to challenge my assertion that I was that damn good at racing and Rome snorted the mouthful of coke he'd just tried to swallow out his nose. Brian grinned.
"Yeah, I wanna get you racing real challengers instead of Diego to see what you can really do." Tej smirked at me as he made this statement. "Brian's been telling tales of 'what his Reina can do' and he has me really wanting to see you race the big time."
"Why? That Diego dude just a poser?" I'd been happy to beat him. Plus people'd told me before we ran together that the guy I was racing was good. I didn't want anyone to take any part of my win away from me. But it would if they told me he wasn't good, just a loudmouth with more car then brains
"No girl, he's the real deal, but he's far from the best." Jimmy added his opinion.
"Puto has more money then brains and says he hates to run against 'skirts'. He's an asqueroso!" Suki huffed to the floor after her outburst.
Everyone stared at her, then glanced at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I said he's a man whore with more money then brains who doesn't like to race girls. He's an asshole." Suki sighed.
I don't want them to know I'm fluently Spanish. I'd taught V some Spanish swear words for fun but I was the only one on our team in LA that really spoke Spanish. It was what I'd grown up speaking at home. My mother hardly spoke English and when she was high as a kite what English she had known had flown right out of her brain.
Why am I keeping that from them you ask? Because I think the little puta will try to say something rude to me or about me in Spanish some day and that's when I'll let on I speak it too. It'll be sweet. And if the day never comes so be it. Don't know why I don't like this girl. Just know I don't.
Of course Brian knows about the fact I'm able to speak Spanish as well as I do English, but I'm betting he won't tell anyone if I don't want him to.
"I want to see you in a real race, you know, you and two or three other people with corners and stuff. None of this quarter mile straight crap you're use to. Anyone can win at that shit." Tej explained.
"If anyone can win at that shit then you won't mind giving me a chance at you someday in the quarter mile huh? After all, I'm sure you could win." It was my turn to smirk. Racing a circuit instead of a quarter mile was harder, but I could still kick ass at it.
"I don't race anymore. I hit a wall doin a buck twenty and I just let you fools run and let even bigger fools wager on who'll win. I got no plans on racing you in any kind of race."
I just nodded to show I understood. It's hard to get your groove back after a wreck. I mean what they say about get right back on the horse is really true, you really should just get right back in the driver's seat and go again. The catch is you've just wrecked your car so it's kinda hard to just take off for a wild ride.
Leon mangled the skyline pretty good once. It took him a while to get back into racing but he did. I knew how sensitive Leon was about it so I decided to just let the topic go and change the subject.
"So when do you all race around here? Is it like every Saturday or just when the word gets out, or what?" I was curious how many chances I'd get to race. I hadn't been getting enough back home and if I could change that here the more the better.
"Mostly it's every Friday and Saturday from 1am to 3am." Tej answered.
Wow, that's organized. Two nights a week with set times. Back home we all meet around 1ish and then see how it goes. Mostly Saturday but sometimes other nights too. We have to keep the cops guessing. I wonder how they get around that here. Tej has time frames set for racing. They almost take their racing more seriously around here I think. Of course they likely don't have a Dom, winning every race he's in and making other people not want to bother.
Well, lots of people still step up to race Dom but a lot more don't bother anymore. Wonder if there's anyone like that around here.
"So, is there any one person around here that's 'the one' to beat?" I asked the group in general. They all looked around at each other then at me, like they weren't sure if they should answer that question. They all looked like that but Suki, who looked indignant about something.
"Yeah, it's Brian. That's what I was trying to tell you." Suki rolled her eyes at me.
"Brian? Brian is the guy that everyone wants to beat and no one can?" I asked them disbelievingly. I could believe Brian was good. In a skyline I could believe Brian was really good. But I had a very hard time believing that Brian was 'that guy'. I mean, Dom kicked his ass over and over again. Dom had to teach him to race.
Brian looked up at me with a sheepish look. It was like he knew what I was thinking.
"I'm a fast learner."
"Chumpy, some times you manage to shock me." I gave him a big smile.
I'll be taking that title away from him, but I should be able to do it without ever really racing Brian. I'll just race everyone else there is to race and beat them. Then I'll be the one to beat. But I'll race Brian if I have to.