Disclaimer in prologue

Chapter 1

I pulled up to the house knowing they'd be there since it was Sunday. Barbecue day. I smiled seeing Jesse cutting across the grass and honked my horn as i stopped and got out as he jumped and turned around, "Hi Jesse."

Jesse smiled, and walked over giving me a hug,"Long time no see."

I hugged him back,"Nice to see you too Jess." I said pulling back.

Mia came out the front door to see what was keeping Jesse and squealed when she saw me and went down the stairs, running over and hugging me tightly.

"Oh Mia, sweetie, i can't breathe." I said, letting out a breath as she loosened her grip but not releasing her hold.

"Oh, you look great. Wait until Letty sees you. Letty!" Mia called as she walked around back, Me and Jesse following behind her.

"What?" Came a shout.

"Someone's here." Mia said as she rounded the corner.

"So?" Came a few replies.

"Nice to know you all missed me." I said smiling.

Letty turned and smiled,"Welcome home chica." She said as she hugged me, though not one for hugs, she only gives them to her family, Dom, Vince, Leon and Brian behind her. She moved and Dom hugged me.

"Welcome home." He said, and pulled back.

Vince hugged me after Dom,"You look good girl."

"I've been working out." I said jokingly as he pulled back and laughed as he went to sit down.

"How ya doin' Blondie?" I asked as i hugged him.

"Not too bad." Brian said hugging me back, "Pretty good actually."

"Better be." Mia said, walking up to him, putting an arm around his waist.

Brian put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

I smiled and hugged Leon, sighing slightly, considering he was my ex-boyfriend. "How about you? How you doin' Le?"

"Pretty good." Leon said hugging me back, though a little longer than he should have.

"Better now that I'm home." I said as i pulled back, smiling at him.

Mia moved away from Brian and walked over to me and lopped her arm through mine,"We saved your spot, no one else has sat here." She said, putting me between Brian and Jesse's seats.

"Thanks i think Mia."I said plopping down, since she pushed me. I laughed a bit and turned seeing someone come out of the house.

The girl who'd walked out, walked up to Leon and kissed him.
Jesse leaned over,"That's Hayley, racer chaser in training. Though she doesn't like street racing."

I nodded,"Good for him, finally got his skank." I said under my breath, though Letty, Vince and Jesse laughing as they heard me.

The others came and sat down. Hayley looked at me,"I'm Hayley, Leon's girlfriend."

"I'm Anna. And really? Hmm, couldn't tell if you were his girlfriend or weirdo when you kissed him, glad i know now." I said sarcastically, giving a smile as the others laughed a bit.

"Nice to meet you." Hayley said with an attitude.

"Yeah, you too." I said, rolling my eyes a bit.

Jesse reach in first and said a prayer, of course to the car gods, everyone laughing but Hayley.

"I don't what's so great about cars. I mean they're good to get around in but why race them?" Hayley said, taking a bit of food as the table went silent. Yeah, that's a great thing to say at table with a bunch of street racers and mechanics.

"Because it's freedom. How ever long that race is, there's freedom. You don't have to worry about anything. Not money, family, friends, what's going on, job, nothing. Just the road ahead of you. the power of the car at your fingertips knowing you have complete control, and that you don't always have complete control, knowing that it can lose it but the speed, it's a rush. It's an amazing feeling." I said, only saying what every racer felt, well ,the ones at this table at least.

"Still don't see the point."

I sighed as Letty rolled her eyes.

"So, Anna, where'd you go?" Dom asked, changing the subject.

"Um every where actually. Racing where i could, working the other times."

"Working where?" Brian asked.

"Um in Alabama I was a waitress for a month. In Montana I worked as an assistant to a paleontologist. Uh, South Dakota i was once again a waitress. I raced when i could. Did what i do best, kick butt on the blacktop." I said smiling a bit as i took a drink of the Snapple Mia brought out for me.

"So why'd you leave?" Vince asked, wanting to know.

"Katie and Melissa were in a car crash. Didn't make it. Now i know you guys could have helped but i just needed to get away, not from you guys but Cali in general for a while."

"So your co-workers die and then you take off and leave your friends? I wouldn't have done that?" Hayley said smiling.

I glared at her, getting her subtle hint at calling me a whore,"I lost my cousin and best friend. You wanna call me a name again, do it to my face. Don't be subtle about it, i don't like subtle."

Letty glared at Hayley and took a bit of food to keep her mouth shut.

When we were done eating, Letty and I helped Mia clean up, laughing the whole time.

"So when you were in New York, how many guys hit on you?" Mia asked, "Girl don't deny it, you're pretty."

I laughed,"Um, twenty, six were married, six just wanted sex, five had kids, one was just plain weird and one later realized he was gay and falling for my friend Shawn."

Letty laughed,"Now that's funny."

"Oh and there was this guy in New Mexico. I was working as a bartender and he came up to the bar and said, get this, listen. He said and i quote, 'I must be in heavens bar cause I'm being served by an angel.' "

"Oh my gosh, he actually said that lame line?" Me asked washing, as Letty rinsed and i dried and put them away.

"He did." I said laughing.

Letty leaned over the counter laughing,"That has got to be the lamest pick up line I've ever heard."

"No worse than Leon's oh so smooth 'Lot of tires huh?' We were at Harry's shop." I said laughing at one of Leon's not so shiny moments.

Hayley had walked into the kitchen when I'd said that then stopped and turned around, walking back to the couch and sitting back next to Leon.

"I thought you were getting a drink." Leon whispered.

"I'm not thirsty anymore. Why didn't you tell me you dated Anna?" She whispered back.

Leon sighed,"I did tell you. I told you i dated someone and was serious but that we broke up."

"You never told me it was Anna. Everyone was always talking about her."

"I should have to tell you the names of everyone i dated." Leon whispered, looking at her.

"No, but it would have been nice to know she was your ex, things would have went a lot smoother." She said lightly, looking at him.

"Why? So you wouldn't have called her a slut?" Leon whispered back then stood up, going to the kitchen and grabbing a drink, aware of the eyes of everyone that followed him as he walked out the back door and slammed it shut.

I looked at the door.

"Go." Mia said.

"Sure?" I asked, as Letty took the towel from me.

"Yes, go." Letty said, shoving me towards the door.

Hayley watched as i went out after him. She glared at me then turned back to the TV. 'I don't know why she's back but she ain't stayin'. ' She thought to herself.

I stepped outside, seeing Leon at the table, drinking his beer.

"I don't want to talk Hayley."

"Kay one, I'm not Hayley, never say that again, i will have to hurt you. And Two, i don't care if you want to talk or not, i never did." I said, walking over and sitting next to him.

Leon sighed,"She wanted to know why i didn't tell her we had dated. I told her i was in a serious relationship before her and that we broke up. I don't have to tell her the names of everyone I've dated."

"That'd be a short list." I joked, giving a smile, "Leon, she's your girlfriend. She has i right to know. I knew."

"That was different, we were different. Hayley and i don't talk the way we did." Leon said, taking a drink.

"Maybe because you walk out on her."

"I've tried talking to her. About Jesse and Vince. You. I had a lot on my mind, i still do."

"I'm here for good Leon. If you want to talk, we can. I'm here for good, I'm not going anywhere." I said looking at him.

"If I'd have went looking for Jesse he never would have been shot. If we'd not done that heist Vince wouldn't have that scar. Everyone was hurt that day, you since you were with Letty, Dom, Jesse, Vince, Mia. I walked away with a scratch. Everyone would have been fine, you wouldn't have left."

"Woah Leon. I left, not because of the heist or you guys, i told you all that earlier. And i didn't stay because at the time, i couldn't. I wanted to but i also needed to get away for a while."

Leon finished off his corona quickly. "I missed you."

"Aw honey i missed you too. But like i said, I'm here now. I'm home and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Leon smirked and nodded.

I smiled back at him and pulled him into a hug,"Boy did i miss you." I said softly.

Leon sighed,"I missed you too. Like we just said." He said, hugging me back.

We pulled away after a minute.

"Come on. Let's go inside and relax, it's been a long day." I said as we stood up and went back inside, the kitchen now clean. We walked into the living room and saw down, me on the floor next to Vince and Leon on the couch with Hayley.

hope you like this one too... please r and r, will post once i get at least 4 reviews