5

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they're right, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

Marilyn Monroe

Z

The seventh came and went without a word from the Boswells. The only piece of news I got from anyone was another email of the race video from one of my Arizona friends. I couldn't help but feel just a little bit proud of him; I had actually picked the Viper to win in the beginning. That little ounce of pride went away pretty quickly when one of the weird chicks that was always hanging off of Morimoto shoved her cell phone under my nose with the video of Sean in the Silvia racing DK. I didn't have time to watch it, but I did see the Silvia crunched at the finish line.

I had managed to sweet talk Han into letting me drive her just once. It was beautifully powerful machine that had no equal in the Underground. Han swore he wasn't a racer, and that might be a little bit true, but he was one hell of a mechanic. I was praying that beautiful engine survived the damage.

It was a week later when Twink called me to come in and meet the new guy, which I absolutely couldn't refuse; mostly because Twink was a pro at guilt tripping me. Knowing I couldn't refuse Twinkie because he'd eventually find another way to drag me there, I ended up in the desolately empty parking lot in from of Han's club half an hour before Twinkie and Sean were due home. The only other car was an orange and black Rx-7 Veilslide that I knew was Han's from my occasional visits to the garage.

Seeing Sean was a bad idea.

He loved my dad and brother as much as I did. He was hurting just as much as I was. From our one phone call since my dad's funeral, I knew he felt abandoned and thrown away. He thought I chose to run away because he didn't think my uncle would ever let me pay his debt to the Yakuza for him.

He was wrong, of course. From what I heard, he showed up down Kamata's street with my picture and a glowing recommendation of my driving skills the day my dad died. Apparently the fact that I could clean up enough to be a pretty stripper in a sex club was also a major selling point of his. I strongly suspected drugs had become an issue for him if he desperate enough to make me pay his debt instead of facing it himself.

Since I knew facing Sean would cause a huge scene and a whole lot of hurt, I had everything planned out perfectly: I would get there early, talk to Alden, Jimmy, and anyone else floating around the garage, then pretend I had somewhere to be and go out the front while Sean came in the back. I took a few steadying breaths, trying to banish the thoughts of Sean finding out I was there.

Was I a coward for avoiding him? Probably. Was I protecting the little bit of my heart was unbroken ? Hell yes. Sean was one heck of a grudge holder and I had one heck of a temper if you got me going.

I got out of my car and speed walked through the building until I got to the garage portion. Alden waved at me from his place on the couch where he was killing Jimmy at some type of shooting game. I joined them for a second before Nozomi, Han's current fling, walked up to give me a hug.

She was very sweet and beautiful. I didn't like her a little because I still had a crush on Han, but I couldn't really hate her exactly.

"Haven't seen you in a while" She commented in Japanese.

"Busy" I managed to stutter out. I could understand a lot of Japanese, but I hated to speak it.

"You seen what the new guy did to the Silvia?" Alden asked over his shoulder while absolutely slaughtering Jimmy. Jimmy just needed to give up.

"One of DK's people had a picture." I sneered a little when I said DK's people.

"He's got some potential." Han wandered up the stairs in a grease stained, gray t-shirt wiping his hands on a rag. Everyone gave him the same exhausted look. Apparently Sean's practice session the other day didn't go to well.

"Hey Ellie, I've got an electrical problem with that old Supra over there." He pointed at something that was obnoxiously neon blue. "Give me a hand." He turned and walked away before I had a chance to answer.

"Put me to work why don't you." I joked as I followed him to the other side of the garage where he was waiting. I tried not to panic as I leaned down under the hood. I had plenty of time to fix this and get the heck out of there.

"After you meet Sean, just stay here. There's been some trouble with Kamata and a rival faction. It would be safer if you could get out of running for a while" Han whispered directly into my ear as he leaned over me when he pretended to reach for some wires. I felt my face turn a lovely shade of crimson as I took in a sharp breath. I think I squeaked out a "what" , but with Han this close to me it was hard to think.

"I can't not go, Han." I said as calmly as possible. Han moved like he was pointing something else out and rested his hand on my hip.

"Why do you do this to yourself anyway? The money's not worth it." He said. I felt my temper flare. Didn't he remember anything I told him?

"I was brought here because of my uncle and my dad. I stay and do whatever he tells me because I'm worse than dead if I don't. And no, I don't care about the money." I yanked his hand off of my hip and slid away from him. I was careful to keep my head down so the people in the loft didn't suspect we were about to be fighting. My blood was boiling at his arrogance.

"Is being someone's dog really worse than being dead?" He deadpanned. I furiously glanced up to meet his eyes.

"I used to think so. I've changed a bit since I lost everything." I said quietly as I straightened up and started to leave. I was stopped in my tracks when the Hulk mobile pulled into its spot . I frantically glanced around to see if Sean's Evo was in the garage. It was, which meant he rode with Twinkie. Crap.

I started looking for a way to avoid being seen kind of like a squirrel would look when trying to dodge a hawk; with lots of panicked twitchiness and eye darting. I heard Sean's laughter float through the garage after Twinkie said something that I couldn't make out. Sean's laughing? He was always miserable unless he was driving.

I finally made eye contact with Han who was watching my every move with complete interest. I started to make a few connections; he looked through my pictures, he knew I had an almost brother from Talladega, and he gave Sean of all people the keys.

"You knew?" I hissed. He shrugged.

Sean and Twinkie's voices kept getting louder. I just kept staring at Han in shock. I didn't really know what to feel. I was terrified of seeing Sean again and angry because trapping me under the hood of that toxic blue Supra so I had to was just plain cheating.

"Hey Han, where are we-" his question was left hanging in a heavy silence when finally he noticed me.

"Yo, Sean, I totally forgot. This is Ellie Gonzalez. She-"

"I know who she is. What are you doing here? If you're here apologize, forget it." His angry twang cut Twinkie off. His green eyes were flashing with anger as he adopted a defensive stance.

"I think we need to talk somewhere else." I said as smoothly as I possibly could with a million butterflies eating my stomach lining. I decided I was angry at Han for ruining my escape attempt, so I shot him a dirty look as I made my way to the stairs.

"There's nothing else to talk about." He shot back. Twinkie's eyes kept darting between us as he tried to process what was going on. There was an uncomfortable silence in the loft as they paused the game and started to eavesdrop.

"I think we should take this somewhere else." I insisted as a glanced back from the stairs to look at him. He looked like he was about to explode. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I should have run for the door when I had the chance.

"You leave me with alone with my mom after I lost the man I considered my father? You weren't the only one hurting, but you had to run to Uncle Jorge like a whiny little bitch." Great. He was screaming.

"Seriously, Sean?" I almost shrieked as I turned around again. This is not the place for this. If I wouldn't be murdered by a thousand super models I would totally run Han over for putting me in this situation right now. I'm sure someone in Yakuza would bail me out. I thought bitterly. "I think you need to hear the whole story."

"I know the whole story. You ran. Just like you always do. It got tough, so you bailed and did something stupid. I guess this pays a little more than sneaking to Vegas with your hellion friends, huh?" He started clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides like he was trying to not start a fist fight. I felt completely numb and just stood there like a rag doll.

"I've grown up a little since then, Sean." I said quiet bitterness.

"Doubt that. Your still the same street rat, illegal that can't quit running. That's why the call you Speedy Gonzalez isn't it? You're always pulling all kinds of shit and then running away and acting like the victim. Ya know, I'm shocked you made it here. We all knew you were going to run, but we figured you wind up some cholo's baby mama in the barrio somewhere like your mama did."

Time slowed down. I felt a hot flare of anger that I hadn't felt in a long time flick up like a flame. My temper had been missing the whole time I was in Japan; it was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on me. It felt good to finally thaw out.

My feet moved without me telling them to. Twinkie started to try to intervene, but I pushed past him and landed a hard, satisfying punch in Sean's gut. When he doubled over I kicked him in the back of the knees so he'd fall.

I spun on my heels, jerked my head up at a proud angle, and prissed out with stunned stares and silence at my back. I deflated a little when I made it into the storage room. After the little flicker of fire had gone out, I was back to being numb. I leaned against the wall and let my head fall onto a shelf.

What the heck has happened to me? I used to be stubborn and actually have a personality. I just let him walk all over me and now I don't feel anything.

I felt another person's presence. I looked up to see Han staring at me from the doorway. I sighed and let myself slide down the wall, He joined me wordlessly. We sat like that for a long time, just not saying anything.

"He felt bad." Han's voice rumbled out of the silence. We looked at each other for a second before going back to staring in space. "He said you looked old and like you were dead inside."

"I've changed a bit since I got here. I used to not take any crap from anyone. Now, I just kind of-" I put my forehead on my knees and sighed. "I used to do things for the fun of it. When things got tough, I'd distract myself by test driving someone else's car or racing someone. Now that I have a gun to my head, there's just no point anymore. I feel like I'm on auto pilot"

"There's always a point." He said firmly. "Things change and sometimes they change you. Now you have a chance to fix it."

I watched his expressions from under my elbow. He looked sadder than I'd ever seen him. I never thought of Han having problems. He was almost never without a girl on each arm, or if he was, he was drinking or laughing with a group of people. He never wanted for money or cars, and a lot of people would kill to be part of his crew. Him looking upset over anything was a complete foreign concept.

But now he looked like a man that carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes looked ancient, like someone who'd seen way too much to early. Unconsciously trying to offer some show of comfort, I scooted a little closer.

"I don't think it's a good idea for Sean to be around me." I blurted. Han quirked an eyebrow at me and turned to look at me as he rested his chin on his fist. His expression clearly told me he thought I'd lost it.

"You've always said 'who you're around tells you who you are'." I said slightly mockingly. " I'm surrounded by murderers. I don't want Sean around that. Remember when he told me all I did was run? They've labeled me as a flight risk; they keep tabs on me. I don't want them approaching Sean or something because he said hi to me on the street. You know how he picks fights- what in God's name are you snickering at?"

I ended my rant with clenched teeth and a death glare. He laughed harder and threw his long arm around my shoulders and pulled me so my forehead was resting uncomfortably on his collar bone. I stiffened in annoyance.

"You are something kid."

"He's still family no matter how much we fight; he's mad because he got his feelings hurt. I was the only person he had and I was going to go live with him and his mom after everything so I could keep him out of trouble. When he thought I ran out on him it hurt." I muttered into Han's shirt. It was getting difficult to stay annoyed when I got a whiff of his cologne mixed with oil and the smell of his skin.

He loosened up on me so he could look me in the eyes. His brief look of sadness was replaced with smile.

"You're not like them, Ellie. Sean will get over all this. I have a feeling with you two back together, you'll be back to your normal fire ball self and Sean will get over some of his issues."

"How do you know I was a fire ball? I've felt like a ghost these past couple months." I asked with a half smirk.

"You jacked some lawyer's Corvette. You broke into an old airfield and turned it into a race track for your Camaro. You apparently throw some pretty wild Christmas parties at an old gas station with a lighted cactus in place of a tree. Anyone who does all that has to have a little sass."

"I gotta clean out those pictures." I stated to Han's amusement. I felt myself lean back comfortably onto Han's chest as I laughed with him. I really wanted to believe he was right about me and Sean. His little pep talk had lifted my mood considerably.

Han unconsciously moved his hand up to the side of my cheek while we were still chuckling. I moved to give him a confused look because he never did anything like that to me. He just smiled and leaned in closer. I felt my face get red hot as his lips met mine. My heart started to flutter wildly in my chest. I had been kissed before, but never like this.

We stayed like that for a long time. We only broke apart when someone opened the door. Nozomi looked at both of us with a shocked look on her face.

Okay, I'm sitting in the floor of a storage room with her boyfriend's arm wrapped around my shoulders and his face an inch from mine. There is no way this looks good.

When no one reacted to her little stare down she lightly stomped her foot and put her hand on her hip. "Han, everyone already left to go to the docks. They thought you already left. You should catch up to them." Her bitchy tone grated on my nerves. I felt a little thrill of victory at her jealousy. I should feel bad about this. Oh, well.

Han started to try to unfold his legs, which was awkward in the small corner he had crammed his tall self into. He slid his hand along my back as he stood up and offered me his hand.

"Want to see Sean in action?" He asked with a smirk. Nozomi adopted the universal oh-no-you-didn't look from her spot by the door, which Han didn't see because he was only looking at me. I smirked smugly and was opening my mouth to say yes when my phone went off right on cue.

"Remember what I said." He murmured and gave me a quick peck on the lips. He walked out towards the front without a glance at Nozomi who was obviously not invited.

"What the hell?" She shrieked in Japanese as I started digging for my phone in my jacket pocket.

"It was just a peck on the lips." I told her nonchalantly with a shrug. I flipped my phone open and walked out before I had to hear her reply.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Gonzalez," I didn't hear a word. I had a wide triumph grin that just couldn't be taken off.

Maybe Tokyo's not so bad.

AN:Hey guys. I know this is really annoying, but could you please review? The only reason I haven't deleted my other account is that I'm sentimental and don't want to lose all of the reviews people have written.

Also please answer my question about my rewrite of Complications. I had both versions written, and I published the one where Han had a bad day instead of Ellie. I want to know which one you think you'd prefer.