Author's Note: I don't own anything having to do with The Fast and the Furious only Sarah and Matt belong to me.
Big shout out to slinky190 who I am writing this story for. She is seriously amazing at coming up with ideas for this story!
Again, I remind you, I know nothing about cars so if something isn't right I apologize!
Chapter 3
I'm not sure how long I slept for but when I woke up I was alone on the couch with Dom watching over me from the doorway, his arms crossed and jaw set firmly.
"Morning," I muttered sitting myself up and wincing slightly as I felt a pain shoot through my stomach.
"You alright?" he stepped forward putting his hand on my shoulder to help me sit up straight. "We can take you to get checked out if you want."
"No, I'm fine. It's going to feel worse before it gets better, right?" I half smiled as he nodded and helped me into a standing position. "So, I'm pretty sure I wasn't sleeping alone last night..." I gave him a pointed look knowing he had something to do with it.
He rolled his eyes just like he did every time Mia or I asked something we should have already known the answer to. "I sent Brian out with Letty and Vince to check over your car in the garage. You were a little cozy on the couch, weren't you?"
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, "he was being nice, Dom, and if you want me to be completely honest if it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't have fallen back to sleep at all."
"I'm still going to have a talk with him," he stated leading me into the kitchen where Mia was undoubtedly making breakfast though I didn't miss the sympathetic look that flashed through his eyes.
I slid into one of the chairs in the kitchen as Mia set a cup of tea in front of me but when I looked up to thank her she gasped and threw her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, Sez," she started with a sad expression on her face.
"Don't," I cut her off putting my hand up to stop her. "I'm fine."
That was the thing I hated the most about bruises, no matter how you got them, they always looked worse before they got better. I also didn't want their sympathy. I didn't want to play victim and have everyone taking care of me. I considered everyone on the team my family but sitting in the kitchen with just Dom and Mia I had a hard time keeping my defenses up.
"Yeah?" Dom challenged sitting across from me and nodding a thank you to Mia as she poured him a cup as well. "Leon tells me you had a pretty rough night."
I sat there swirling the teabag around the cup by the string making small ripples in the water not confirming or denying his statement despite the fact that my silence said it all.
"Hey," Dom reached across the table and grabbed my hand to get my attention. "You ever have a hard time sleeping again I want you to come get me," he told me but when I didn't answer he gave my hand a light squeeze, "Sarah, I mean it."
"Sure thing," I replied hoping he wouldn't see through my lie.
"So, I figured we could have a movie marathon today," Mia spoke up in her normal bubbly tone trying to get the topic of conversation onto something happier. "We could start out with When Harry Met Sally or maybe Marley and Me and then there's always the classics like Sleepless in Seattle or The Notebook."
Mia continued to ramble off a few more movie titles but I suddenly felt very claustrophobic, like the walls were closing in on me, Dom was across from me still holding my hand in his own as he watched Mia with an smirk on his face for how animated she can be sometimes.
I was just about to say something the tension inside of me growing at an alarming rate when Vince, Letty and Brian came through the back door all with their own varying levels of greasiness.
"Checked the whole thing from top to bottom, every spark plug, belt and filter," Vince confirmed using the bottom of his shirt to wipe the oil from his hands. "Even had Jesse double check the computer wiring and everything is working good. Though…" Vince trailed off and turned his attention to me. "We need to have a little chat about how often you're supposed to change that oil of yours."
"Change it?" Letty scoffed leaning against the wall next to Dom. "There was barely anything left to change. You're lucky the whole engine didn't seize up. I can see it now, 'Let, come pick me up, my car died and oh yeah, don't tell Dom'."
Leon came down the stairs dressed and ready for the day, his hair still wet from the shower he had just taken and apparently heard what Letty had said. "Damn, baby girl, what's kept you so busy that you couldn't bring the car by the garage for twenty minutes?"
I knew he was just teasing with me trying to make me smile, they all were in their own way but the already small kitchen seemed to be getting smaller by the second. I ripped my hand away from Dom's with such force I ended up knocking my tea over. The sound of the ceramic cup hitting the tiled floor snapped everyone's head in my direction all with looks of shock across their faces. All except Brian who seemed to be able to look not into my eyes but almost right through them to see what I was really going through.
I was usually able to take any joke that the team threw at me and there had certainly been worse ones than forgetting to get my oil changed but I was also usually not the one wrapped up in the threats or the one who got hurt when something went wrong. I didn't know how to deal with all of this but sitting here at the house watching movies all day and listening to the team try and get my mind off the constant loop it had been stuck on was the last thing I wanted to do.
"Matt," I almost literally spat his name, "has kept me so busy." Mia had grabbed a towel off the counter to start cleaning up the mess I made refusing to let me help when I offered.
"Why don't we go do something today," Brian suggested with a shrug in his generally laid back manner.
"Where?" Dom questioned looking as if he didn't think it was a good idea.
"Well, I have some supplies I have to get to make a display for my biology class next Thursday," Mia spoke up, "we could go to the mall and maybe get something to eat afterwards?"
"I don't know," Dom shook his head and I saw Leon cross his arms like he felt the same way.
"I'll go with them," Brian offered.
While they were still deciding what was the best to do that day I excused myself to go upstairs for a much needed shower and some time alone.
General Point of View
Leon waited until he heard the shower running to point a menacing finger at Brian. "You need to watch yourself. She's in no state of mind to have someone trying to take advantage of her and I'm warning you now, you hurt her in anyway at all, you'll have me to deal with."
Dom nodded along with what Leon was saying. Brian was a part of the team now but that didn't mean Dom wouldn't immediately cut ties with him if it meant protecting the girl he saw as a little sister.
"Whoa," Brian put his hands up innocently, "I'm just being nice, I didn't do anything."
"Keep it that way and I won't have to break your neck," Dom added.
Brian nodded as Mia mumbled to Letty, "And they wonder why we never bring guys home."
Sarah's Point of View
The shower was less than pleasurable or relaxing. Every time the water hit my stomach, arm or face it stung. I got out and wrapped a towel around myself before making my way into Mia's room to get dressed. Shuffling through the bag she had packed for me I eventually found something to wear that covered not only my stomach but the bruises on my arms as well.
I really did want to get out of the house today but my face made me rethink my decision. I looked like a raccoon though the swelling had gone done a little. I tried to cover it with makeup the best I could before deciding that my sunglasses were going to be the best way to hide it.
By the time I came back downstairs I was surprised to see that everyone wasn't still in the kitchen and my confused look must have given me away.
"Vince, Letty and Leon left for the garage," Dom explained. "Mia is out back calling one of her classmates to make sure she gets everything she needs today and…Brian is waiting in his car outside. You can stay home, I can even stay with you if you want. There's not a lot of work at the garage right now so the guys can handle it."
"No, I think I can handle the mall," I rolled my eyes and tried to act like my normal self as I headed for the basement stairs. "I just need to grab my cell phone from Le's room and I'll be ready to go."
Compared to most guys Leon kept his room pretty organized so it didn't take me long to find my phone and I sent up a silent thank you that he had charged it overnight for me. I opened it to see a few missed calls from an unknown number and two text messages from Matt. I sat there for a minute unsure of what to do when I finally decided that reading the messages couldn't be harmful.
The first message read, Call me, we need to talk.
Without replying I went to the next message that read, Damn it Sarah this is getting old answer your door.
I snapped my phone shut and sat down on Leon's bed trying to remember how to breathe. Matt had shown up at my house looking for me but why? What else could they do to me? I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that when Dom knocked on the door to get my attention I jumped at the noise.
"Jesus, Dom," I put my hand over my chest. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry thought you got lost down here," he took a step closer to me almost studying my face to see how I was really feeling. "You sure you don't want to stay here?"
The only thing I was one hundred percent sure about at this particular moment and that was I wanted this to be over with.
"Yeah," I stood up and shoved my phone in my back pocket.
He pulled me into his chest and rested his chin on my head holding me close for a few seconds before whispering in my ear, "Be careful."
The ride to the mall was thankfully uneventful though every car that we passed on the road I made sure to check out the driver. There was even one point where a car with tinted windows was behind us and I was just about to tell Brian to drive faster when the car turned down a street.
"Ok, so this is everything I need," Mia smiled showing Brian and I the list she had made while she was waiting for me to get ready.
"You need eyeliner for your display?" I questioned reading over the list.
"No," she laughed, "that's for the races tonight."
"Oh," was all I could manage to say as she went into the craft store to start shopping with Brian following after her.
I had forgotten all about the races with everything that had happened in the last couple of days. I knew anyone of them would stay at the fort with me if I asked but this was the one night a week that they lived for and I wasn't about to take that away from them. Could I just go with them? Certainly, Tran wouldn't show up at the races, right? I mean him and Dom had some agreement or whatever. But what if he did? What if he showed up and someone got hurt because of me?
I hadn't even realized I was still standing in the same spot until Brian walked out of the store and motioned to a bench we could sit down on.
"You want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" Brian nudged my knee with his own.
I was about to answer when I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I pulled it out figuring it was Leon checking up on me but froze when I saw Matt's name again.
I need to see you. Please. We need to talk. Meet me at Ronnie's in twenty minutes.
I snapped the phone shut and tried to look like I wasn't freaking out on the inside. Ronnie's wasn't only the restaurant we had our first date at but it was also the restaurant that was in the mall. He was coming here, if he wasn't here already. Would he be alone? Would he try to hurt Brian or Mia?
Mia came out of the craft store with a couple of bags and a pen in her hand crossing off her list what she had just purchased. "Ok, all we need is eyeliner and maybe a new shirt or two and then we can grab lunch."
"You know, I think I have a brand new eyeliner at home you can have," I said wanting nothing more than to leave the mall and get as far away as possible.
"We're already here besides," she pulled out a credit card from her back pocket. "Dom is paying. So let's see how much damage we can cause."
"Ok," I nodded with a half smile and followed her to the next store avoiding the questioning looks I was getting from Brian. I hated how he seemed to be able to see through my lies.
After twenty minutes I was a complete mess on the inside and I kept having the feeling that someone was watching me. Was he following me?
"Swiping this card is exhausting," Mia teased as she wrapped the receipt around it before putting it back in her pocket. "How about some lunch?"
"I heard Ronnie's is supposed to be pretty good," Brian spoke up and to be honest I was surprised how laid back he was. If any of the other guys had come with us they would have been begging to go home a long time ago.
"Oh they are!" Mia agreed. "They make the most delicious grill food you will ever eat."
"Don't let Dom hear you say that," Brian joked before turning to say something to me but when he saw how I looked he walked closer and put a hand on my lower back. "Sarah? You alright? You're awfully pale."
"I don't feel so good," I half admitted ready to use any excuse I could to get out of the mall.
"Alright, let's get you home," Brian guided me out to the car his hand never leaving my lower back like he was scared I might fall over.
It wasn't until we were out it the parking lot that I saw Matt's car parked a few down from Brian's but the way the sun was hitting the windshield I couldn't see if anyone was in the car or not. The world started spinning around me before it all went black.
General Point of View
"Sarah!" Mia screamed in horror as she watched the girl fall over and Brian caught her just before she hit the ground.
"She's alright," Brian cradled her in his arms. "She just passed out."
They got her into the car with Mia sitting in the backseat with Sarah as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Come on, Sez, wake up…please."
"She'll be alright, Mi," Brain reassured her as he sped back to the fort hiding his own worry for the girl in his backseat.
"Mmm," Sarah started to groan as she came around.
Sarah's Point of View
I peeled my eyes open and before I even had a second to figure out where I was Mia had me in her arms.
"I'm so happy you're ok," she cried in my ear. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"You gave us quite the scare," Brian commented glancing back to us in the rearview mirror.
"Sorry," I apologized. "Should have eaten breakfast."
We got home and noticed Dom sitting on the front steps with a beer in his hand. "How was shopping?"
"It was fine until," Brian started when Dom took in Mia's blotchy cheeks and puffy eyes a sure sign she had been crying.
"What happened?" He demanded getting up from his spot to meet us on the walkway.
"Well…in the parking lot…" Mia looked over to me and I prayed she wouldn't say anything. "There was a dead dog."
Dom shook his head and let out a long sigh. "You should be going to school to be a veterinarian."
When he had his back to us I looked over to Mia and mouthed a silent thank you. After she fed me a very hearty lunch I made my way down to Leon's bed to try and catch a few hours of sleep before the races that night.