A/N: Thanks to venus as a girl, 2furious4u and Sparkles2004 for their reviews!
Not much to say about this chapter, really... I kind over skim over the car bits, 'cause I don't know much about them other than how to drive them, and even that's touch-and-go sometimes.
I'll be off on my holidays soon, I will have my laptop with me, but my Internet access will be random, so I can't guarantee regular updates. Sorry.
As always, Review and Enjoy!
"This is so fucked up!" Rae groaned.
"Shh!" Mia hissed. "The teacher will hear!"
"I don't give a flying fuck if the teach hears! It's his fault for making me do this shit in the first place!" Rae hissed back, lowering her voice despite her defiant words.
Mia just glared back.
"You have to save the basic file in a different format before you can make changes to the template," I disembodied, vaguely spaced-out voice answered.
"What?" Rae asked, looking around for the speaker.
"I said, you have to save—" the voice began, sounding slightly impatient.
"I heard what you said, man. I just have no clue what you mean," Rae snapped back, irritated. "Where the fuck are you?"
"Here," a skinny, pasty-white arm answered, wiggling it's chewed and chipped black-painted nails. Rae and Mia stood up, peering over the top of the partition that divided the different workstations. A small, twitchy-looking kid with a scraggly blond mullet and big, round, watery blue eyes blinked back.
"Who're you?" You're not in our class," Rae asked suspiciously, transferring her anger to the newcomer.
"They moved me up because apparently…" he blinked, spacing out. "Apparently, I'm good at computers and shit."
"So you can do what it is you said?" Mia asked quietly, smiling.
"Yeah, but you're supposed to do it yourself," he pointed out.
Rae lost her patience. "Dude, get your skinny ass round here and show us what we're meant to be doing!"
The new guy blinked again, then walked around the booth to sit in the chair Mia pulled up for him.
"Don't mind her, she just hates this class," Mia smiled apologetically.
"Really?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I love it."
"That's because you can do all this shit," Rae grumbled, glaring at the screen. He just shrugged and proceeded to show them what to do. He had to show them twice, 'cause he went too fast, but in their defence, they paid attention and took notes.
"There. You're all set," he said, standing up.
"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!" Rae said, smiling for the first time. The guy looked mildly shocked at the change in the once-surly girl, but hesitantly smiled back. "I'm Rae, and this is Mia."
At their expectant looks, he frowned, then realised what it was they were waiting for. "Jesse. Is me," he added, looking sheepish.
"Well, nice to meet you, Jesse. See you around!" Mia called as the bell rang and they girls ran to their next class.
At lunchtime, Mia nudged Rae and nodded towards the back of the cafeteria. Rae spotted Jesse sitting alone and picking warily at the 'meat of the day'. Rae noted that the sign didn't say what kind of meat. Rat, probably. They walked over, standing next to him before he looked up from his food.
"Can we join you?" Rae asked, sitting down before he could answer.
"Uh, sure."
Rae waited while Mia pulled a large tub out of her backpack. "You want some?" Mia asked, seeing Jesse eyeing the pasta salad jealously. "We made way to much last night, so there's plenty."
"Really? Cool!" he grinned, digging his fork in immediately. Rae and Mia smiled, joining him at a slightly slower pace.
They talked to Jesse, and found out that he had been put forward a year in his math and computing classes, but because of his ADD, he was struggling in his normal ones. As soon as he found out that Mia's dad was a mechanic, he wouldn't stop talking about his dad and his Jetta.
The school wouldn't let him take auto shop because they said he was too easily distracted and that it would be dangerous, but his dad let him help with working on the Jetta on their weekend together, so he knew the basics.
Mia and Rae didn't mind the car talk, they were used to it from the others, and there was just something about Jesse, and joyful, innocent enthusiasm that made him fun to be around.
From then on, every Wednesday after their shared class, they would sit and share lunch with Jesse, usually thanking him for helping them, but the rest of the time just because they enjoyed spending time with the younger boy.
One Friday, about a month after her sixteenth, Letty was over at the Toretto's for a barbeque. Tony had decided to have one 'just because', and for once, the guys were doing the cooking, even if Mia and Rae had done most of the prep work. The sun was shining, no clouds in sight, and Letty was ready to chill.
Although she had left Abuela's house wearing very conservative jeans and a tee, she had brought something else to change into. Slipping on the cut-off denim jeans over her black bikini set, she admired herself in the mirror, enjoying how it showed off her smooth, tanned curves while still being modest enough to wear in front of Mr. T.
Mia was wearing a white sundress, her long hair in loose pigtails. Rae was wearing an unzipped sweatshirt over one of her old t-shirts. Letty noticed that it was getting more than a little stretched over her chest, and made a mental note to mention it to her later.
As she walked out, she got a few good-natured catcalls from Leon and Han. She stuck her tongue out, knowing that it was just them playing, they had never shown anything but friendly interest in her, and she felt the same way. Vince and Tony just grinned at the boy's antics and shook their heads, focusing on the food.
Dom was glaring at her. As she met his dark eyes defiantly, he turned quickly back to the barbeque, jabbing at an unlucky piece of chicken.
Good. Serves him right. Letty had been truthful when she had told him it was too late. She was tired of lusting after him. But unfortunately, her body hadn't gotten the message yet. She still woke up, covered in sweat after dreams of him. She still imagined it was him she was with when she kissed her boyfriend. She felt vaguely guilty about using him to get over Dom, but he didn't seem to be minding much.
Dom did though, every time he saw them together around the neighbourhood, he would shoot them a dirty look and stalk off. Letty pretended she didn't notice, but she was secretly thrilled. She did that to him, even if it was just him wanting what he could have, it was still her that he wanted.
She wasn't going to give in though; she had firmly decided that she was overDominic Toretto. Completely. 'Course, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching him squirm.
Leon and Han were playing one-on-one, with Mia and Rae laughing from the sidelines. Rae was sitting on the grass in front of Mia's deckchair, and the younger girl was absently fixing her cousin's hair in haphazard braids. Rae didn't seem to notice, except when Mia hit a tricky spot in her usually tangle-free hair.
"You need a hair cut," Mia defended the third time Rae turned and snarled at her for pulling her hair.
"Do not," she grumbled, crossing her arms but not moving away from the other girl. Mia caught Letty's gaze and rolled her eyes, forcing Letty to choke back a laugh.
Before the two girls could start arguing, Tony shouted out that dinner was ready. Having just sat down, Letty decided to wait 'till last before moving towards the grill where Dom was serving a line of hungry teenagers. As she stood next to him, waiting for him to pick up some of the chicken off the grill, she looked up and noticed him staring straight down at her cleavage.
Rejoicing inside, she kept her face neutral as she said, "Breast, please."
His eyes snapped up and he let out a strangled cough. "What?!"
"I'll have a chicken breast, please," she repeated, not letting her expression lip. He stared at her for a moment, the placed the chicken on her raised plate, giving her a dark, heated look as he did so, making her insides melt like only he could.
"Thanks," she said cheerfully as she walked towards the table, putting an extra sway in her hips, knowing he would notice. What he couldn't see was the victorious smirk on her face.
By the end of the night, when Han and Leon had already left for their respective foster homes, and Letty had reluctantly returned to Abuela's, Vince and Dom were already more than a little drunk. Tony had gone to bed, telling Mia and Rae to wake him if the boys got to rowdy or tried to do anything stupid. Well, stupider than destroying the few brain cells they already had, Rae amended, not yet understanding the allure of alcohol.
She had already figured them out. When Dom got drunk, he usually just got more laid back, talking more and occasionally rambling, which was okay. When Vince got drunk however, he reverted to focusing on three things: food, women and more drink. It was what she privately referred to as her 'Caveman Theory'. But while Vince was a much more entertaining drunk than Dom, there was always the volatile temper than simmered closer to the surface.
Rae had found that despite her earlier misgivings about Vince, he was actually okay. Although he wasn't as book-smart as some of them, he had street smarts and good instincts, especially when it came to cars. He could find a way to fix most things, and was real good at playing the guitar. But when he started drinking, it was like he reverted to some less-evolved version of himself, although Mia insisted there wasn't any difference. Rae wasn't scared of him anymore, and didn't mind spending more than five minutes in a room with him now that he'd stopped trying to provoke her.
She had gotten even closer to the Toretto's, they were starting to feel like family, but Vince remained somewhat of a stranger. She didn't like the way he stepped on eggshells around her. She knew the others did it too, but it was like he was afraid to even discuss the weather around her in case he said something wrong. She hadn't worked up the courage yet to tell him, but it pissed her off more than his old asinine comments.
"I want her, man," Dom slurred a little, leaning back in the lounger.
"Who?" Vince asked frowning. The girls had gone to bed a couple Corona's ago and now it was just the two of them.
"Letty. Violet Marquez," he answered, with a chuckle at her full name. "LEETT-eeeeeee!" he repeated, throwing his arms wide and spilling a little beer on the floor.
"Then go for it, brother," he hiccupped. "She was lookin' fine today."
"I did," Dom grumbled, saying what his ego could never admit sober. "At her birthday. She shot me down, man. Way down."
"Pshh," Vince waved off. "She's hot for you, he's jus' playin' hard to get. Keep tryin'. Or go for someone easier. A girl's a girl, righ?" he consoled.
Dom frowned, shaking his head then moaning as the room started to spin around him. "But she's Letty." Not knowing why that was important, but just knowing that it was, he didn't know how to explain.
But Vince was already snoring gently, and Dom managed to stumble to his room before passing out, drunken thoughts of Letty still dancing through his mind.
Dom and Vince watched as girls sauntered around flirtatiously, guys boasted about their wheels and music thumped through a dozen different speakers. Their eyes gleamed with excitement as they watched brightly colored cars speeding the quarter mile to victory or defeat. It was a hell of a lot more exciting than racing for the railway lines.
"It'd be expensive, really expensive," Dom commented, not taking his eyes off the action.
"Yeah," Vince replied, staring in awe.
"We'd need to work hard."
"Yeah."
"Get Leon, Han, hell, even Letty to help us."
"Yeah."
"It'd take a long time to get any respect."
"Yeah."
"We've gotta do it, man."
"Hell, yeah."
"Damn it!" Vince cursed, kicking the wheel of the car. "This isn't going to work. We need someone who can work out the kinks. Plan it out, do all the computer shit."
"And the cost," Dom murmured in agreement. The other three mechanics stood back silently, waiting for his decision.
Rae and Mia looked at each other knowingly. "We know someone," Mia said quietly.
"Yeah, he's young, but he's a wizard with computers and math. Jesse. He's kinda…" Rae trailed off, shrugging.
"Unique," Mia offered diplomatically.
"Yeah. He has ADD, but he loves cars, helps his dad out with his. I bet he could help you," Rae continued.
Dom frowned, but shrugged. "It's worth a try, it's not like we have anything to loose at this point."
They had been working for weeks on getting Dom's car up to standard, but they couldn't get it quite up to the same level. Tony had helped them when he could, but business was good in the garage and he was working long hours to get everything done.
"We'll bring him 'round tomorrow," Mia declared, knowing that Jesse would jump at the chance to help out.
She wasn't wrong.
The next day, Rae walked up with a very jittery Jesse at her side. "Dom, this is Jesse," she said proudly, nudging the nervous but excited boy forward.
Dom held out his hand, but Jesse brushed past, eyes fixed on the car. "Sweet ride, dude! What've you got under there?"
Dom followed him over, listening to Jesse gush. Rae sat down next to Mia, watching them from a distance. Jesse was gesturing wildly, and a slow smile was spreading across Dom's face.
Letty, Leon and Han were walking slowly to Han's latest foster home. They had just finished working their first full day with the new kid, Jesse, and already a few of the minor faults had been identified and fixed, and he had managed to figure out their main problem, and they had already made a start on fixing it. The only problem they had working with him was that Jesse's automotive knowledge wasn't complete, but he listened eagerly whenever some one took the time to explain, and he remembered everything.
Letty was pleased that they were finally getting somewhere; it had been frustrating work before. It didn't help that Dom had been doing everything he could think of to bother her. Taking off his shirt (because of the heat), bumping into her ('cause she was in the way), and watching her (just to make sure she didn't fuck up), and now her blood was boiling, but she convinced herself that it was just anger at his petty games.
She had broken up with her boyfriend, he didn't understand why she spent so much time working at the garage, since he wasn't into cars. He had given her an ultimatum: him or the cars. He had been confident in his own appeal, and had thrown a tantrum when she had easily chosen the cars. There was no way she was giving them up, even for a guy. She hadn't told Dom yet; she didn't want him to get the wrong idea or anything.
She and the boys chatted about the car, about how cool the races would be, and other random stuff until they got to Han's, and he turned to them, he dark hair flopping over his left eye. "You comin' in? Mary is making pot roast tonight, she said you guys could join us if you want."
Mary was his latest foster-mother, and seemed genuinely nice. It was a shame he'd only be there for a come months before being shifted off elsewhere.
"Nah, bro. I gotta get back or Abuela will flip," Letty replied regretfully.
Han nodded, understanding. "I'll be there in a minute, man," Leon answered, obviously wanting a word with Letty. Han frowned, puzzled, but left the to of them alone.
Leon gave Letty a hard look.
"What?"
"What's going on between you and Dom?" he asked in his gravelly voice.
"Nothin'" Letty protested, avoiding her friend's knowing eyes.
"Aw, come on, girl. He's been playing with you all day! We both know if Dom Toretto wants a chick, he ain't shy about tellin' her. So why's he messin' with you? You musta said something, seein' as you ain't joined at the lips," he observed, grinning.
"Fine," she grumbled. "He hit on me at my party, and I turned him down. I ain't interested anymore."
Leon laughed hard. "Bullshit! You've been after him since we were ten!"
"Yeah, well, things change," she said haughtily.
Leon threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling their heads close. "I think," he began. "That you're just scared to give it a try, 'cause maybe it won't turn out the way you've been dreamin' for the past six years. Now that he's finally noticed you, you back off because you don't want to risk it."
Letty stood silent, his words ringing true, worried that anything she said would be a confirmation.
"But maybe," he continued. "Just maybe, it will work out, and you've just gotta have a little faith." He pulled back, giving her a brotherly peck on the forehead before loping up the front steps. "See ya at school, girl."
Letty stood for a minute, then began slowly walking back home, thinking over what Leon had said. What he said made sense, and Letty was no longer sure she was ready to give up Dom, not wanting to live in regret for the rest of her life. But she couldn't just fall in his lap, she had spent six years lusting after him, the least he could do was suffer for a few more weeks. Days maybe.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the low rumble of a car as it pulled along slowly beside her. Turning, it was like her mind had summoned him to her, 'cause there Dom was, smirking from behind the steering wheel.
"You want a ride?" he asked. "Home, I mean," he added, doing the same thing she had done at the barbeque.
She kept walking, not trusting herself with him yet.
"I'll even let you drive."
She was a goner.
She peeled away from the kerb, tyres screeching, and Dom gripped the 'oh, shit!' handle sharply, his knuckles white.
"I know this sounds stupid coming from me, but there is a speed limit round her."
"So?" she countered.
"It's rush hour," he pointed out as she swerved in between the different cars.
She just grinned.
When she pulled up down the street from her house, the adrenaline was pumping through her body and she was feeling reckless. She couldn't help herself. She leaned towards Dom, kissing him hard, but fast, pulling back before he could react.
"Thanks for the ride. We'll have to do it again sometime," she purred, then pulled herself out of his car. His jaw was open in shock, and she took the opportunity to walk of before he could take control of the situation.
She had actually kissed him! She couldn't believe it! And she knew she was going to have to find a way to do it again, and again, and again.
