Shane had dozed off while watching T.V. and woke up abruptly to the annoying sound of her cell phone vibrating on top of the wooden nightstand next to her. She clamored around for the irritating device, startled by the volume of her poorly chosen ring tone and finally, getting a grip, answered the call.
"Hello." Her voice broke slightly when she answered as she rubbed her eyes, still groggy from sleep.
"Shane, where are you?" She perked up at the sound of her younger brother's voice.
"I'm at a hotel, Ayden, is something wrong?" Her worry began to set in as she tried to imagine why he could be calling. She heard him sigh on the other line and then he finally responded.
"No, not really, I mean other than the usual. Mom and dad are fighting again." Shane groaned, not surprised.
"Well, I have plans tonight, but I could come get you. Do you want me to?" Ayden answered quickly this time.
"Nah, I'm ok. How bout' you? Mom said you got suspended, what'd you do?" Shane laughed slightly.
"It figures she told you." She said in a disgusted tone, still angry with her mother. Her brother interrogated her once more.
"Come on dude, just tell me." Shane sighed in defeat.
"I got into a fight with Lindsay Lancaster." Ayden's laughter came echoing through the phone.
"What! You got into a fight? No way. I don't believe you." Shane snorted at his response.
"Fine then. I didn't get into a fight." He gasped in surprise.
"You really did, didn't you?" Shane laughed.
"I just told you I did. You're such a weirdo." Her brother shrugged off the last remark.
"Whatever. When are you coming home?" Shane hadn't even thought about that.
"I don't know. Probably not till' Monday, why?" Ayden's voice dropped.
"Just wondering." Her heart sank at the disappointed sound in his voice. She tried to think of how she could make it up to him.
"Well, listen, how bout' on Saturday I come pick you up and we go get pizza and a movie?" She waited for his answer hopefully.
"Ok, I guess that'd be alright." He said casually, trying not to sound too thrilled. Shane rolled her eyes.
"Shut up, you know you're excited." Ayden responded, trying to act dumb.
"Am not! Ok, just a little, but don't tell anyone. Promise?" She smiled, amused by his immaturity.
"Cross my heart. I'll be there at noon on Saturday to pick you up then. Don't forget." He sighed loudly into the phone.
"I won't, I won't." Better not.
"Alright, bye kid."
"Later dude." Later dude? She had to quit saying dude around that kid; he was obviously starting to catch on. Shane stretched her arms out above her and let out a huge yawn, feeling rested from her short nap. She looked at the clock curiously. It was already seven o' clock? Had she really been asleep for three hours? Shane flipped the television off, turning the stereo system on to her favorite radio station instead and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for the races.
She scrunched her nose up in disgust as she looked at her pitiful reflection in the mirror. I need some serious make-up, she thought. Her eye make-up had completely come off from crying earlier and her skin looked unusually pale as well. She found her cosmetics bag and quickly got to work, making her eyes dark and smoky for tonight and her lips a deep, blood red. Her hair fell to the middle of her back when she took it down and she teased it at the roots, trying to accomplish some body. She took a flat iron to her bangs, admiring the way they complimented the shape of her face and spread them back out across her forehead. Voila. Finally feeling satisfied with her appearance she sprayed some of her favorite Burberry perfume onto her neck and wrists, breathing in its pleasant scent. As she walked back into the bedroom portion of her suite, she grabbed her leather jacket from off of her suitcase and slid it on, loving the feel of the cool, black lining inside. The clock now read seven-thirty. Racing time.
Shane sped along the crowded highway of Los Angeles at ridiculous speeds, weaving her way in and out of the other cars. Several people honked at her reckless driving along the way but she just smiled, pleased to know she was doing what she did best; driving fast. Soon enough she arrived to the final stretch. The long black road would soon lead her between two large buildings in the downtown area of Los Angeles, where the street races took place after dark. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins as she took in the sight of the bright lights and flashy cars up ahead. Music pumping from hundreds of car speakers shook the pavement loudly and reverberated through her chest. She took a deep breath, becoming intoxicated with the scent of burning rubber and gasoline. Shane observed the familiar sight with admiration as she drove through the crowded alley of cars slowly, looking for any sight of Lanna.
Eventually, towards the center, the sight of Lanna's electric, orange racer caught Shane's attention and she nodded at her best friend, backing in carefully to make sure she didn't hit anything. She took in the stares of fellow racers proudly as she reversed into her spot, well aware of the fact that they were staring at her as well as her car. At first the attention frightened her, she'd never met so many people who appreciated cars the way she did and it caught her off guard to have people pay her so much attention. But now she craved the attention, loving every bit that she got. She smiled at Lanna as she climbed out of her car and walked to the front to sit on her own hood, leaning across to bump fists with her leather clad friend.
"Bout time you got here, Cameron." Shane raised an eyebrow at her golden haired friend.
"Yeah, yeah. So what's the low down? You gonna' race tonight?" Her friend leaned back onto her hood even further, stretching her tan, lean arms out and groaned in contemplation.
"Ehh…I haven't decided yet. Are you?" Shane laughed.
"Obviously, what else would I come here to do, pick up guys?" Lanna rolled her eyes at Shane's jab and cocked her head towards her playfully.
"Don't hate sweetheart. Some of us just like to enjoy the 'view' if you know what I mean." Her friend raised her eyebrows suggestively. Shane turned away in mock shame, holding back her smile.
"My best friend is a racer chaser. That's just great." She teased in a serious tone. Lanna leaned over and punched Shane in the arm playfully.
"One of us has to pick up the guys. You'll thank me later." Shane pretended to laugh at her remark, thinking her ridiculous.
"We'll just see about that." She quipped doubtfully. But she had spoken much too soon. As she looked across the body-packed alley way Shane spotted someone she'd never seen before and felt the curiosity as it began to bubble up inside of her. She eyed him generously, taking in the overwhelming sight of his tall frame and broad, muscular shoulders. His black tank top clung to his midsection pleasantly, hinting at the hard ripple of muscles hidden just underneath. He was standing next to a red, Mazda RX-7 with intense custom decals and darkly tinted windows, talking to Hector. Shane grabbed onto one of Lanna's arms forcefully, demanding her attention as she continued to gaze at the guy hungrily.
"Who the hell is that? Please make my night and tell me he is single." Shane nodded in the guy's direction discreetly. Lanna looked over at Shane, surprised by her eagerness and widened her eyes as she realized who her friend was talking about. She shook her head, laughing slightly.
"Easy girl, that boy is all kinds of off limits. I wouldn't even go there if I was you." Shane bit her bottom lip slowly, still staring.
"That's exactly why I wanna' go there." She darted into the mass of people before them fervently and headed towards the two talking men, ready to buy her way into the next race. Lanna watched Shane walk towards the two men patiently, an unsurprised look on her face.
"How'd I know she was gonna' say that?"
Shane strutted through the writhing bodies confidently, her sight dead set on the bronzed man in front of her, the sound of her boots clicking rhythmically on top of the black pavement. Hector spotted her as she approached them both, flashing her a friendly smile and clasped her right hand firmly to pull her into a brief hug.
"How you doin' tonight Hector?" He shrugged his shoulders in response.
"I'm doin' girl, I'm doin'. How bout' you? You gonna' race tonight?" Shane cocked her head to the side, pretending to seem confused and locked eyes with his friend briefly.
"Is he kidding?" She asked him playfully and then continued. "Come on Hector, of course I am. Its two g's as usual right?" Hector laughed at her loudly, immediately noticing the large wad of cash she revealed from her jacket pocket.
"That's right baby girl and meet you're best opponent. This is Dominic Toretto." He turned to the side, motioning to the taller guy standing next to him. Dom stuck out one of his strong, massive hands and she smiled at him, taking a hold of it tightly.
"Don't see many girls out here, I like that. You've got guts." She felt her cheeks get warm as she looked him in the eyes and quickly responded.
"I like to think so. Looks like I'll see you at the starting line then." A smirk crept across her lips as she looked into his eyes one last time and turned her attention back to Hector.
"I'll see you around Hector. You take it easy." He squeezed her shoulder in response.
"You too girl, see you later. Race starts in ten." She smiled widely at them both, nearly swooning as the Toretto guy smiled back, exposing his perfect white teeth. Down girl. As she walked back across the crowded mass of people she spotted Lanna, whispering seductively into a grizzly looking man's ear. She approached the two of them quietly and lifted up her hood to checked for any last minute adjustments. The man, still pressed up against her best friend, leaned over to look inside curiously.
"You racing or something?" He asked in surprise. Shane snorted at his question.
"Yeah or something." She shot back. He frowned at her sarcasm and rubbed his jaw line in an uncomfortable manner. Lanna leaned into his ear, whispering something too soft for her to hear and turned back to Shane, a slightly irritated look on her face. Shane raised one eyebrow at Lanna challengingly, not pleased with her secretiveness.
"Shane, this is Vince. He's part of Dominic Toretto's crew." Her ears perked up at the mention of his name. Touché. She leaned out from her place over the engine, shutting the hood firmly and shifted her body to face the two of them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm your boy's best opponent." Shane flashed a cocky smile and held out her hand. Lanna just rolled her eyes as Vince grunted in amusement.
"Don't sound too sure of yourself there girl." He looked down at her outstretched hand reluctantly and she shot him a displeased look.
"Come on. I don't bite. Promise." He frowned, seeming unconvinced but stuck his hand out to meet hers anyways. Shane looked at him, a small smile of satisfaction now on her face and shook her head. Sheesh, Lanna you sure know how to pick em'. She watched with slight disgust as her friend resumed her flirting routine with the gruff new guy and decided to slip her jacket off, flinging it into the passenger seat of her car casually. Vince noticed as she did so, raising a curious eyebrow as he studied only a small portion of what looked to be a very large piece of artwork covering her entire back. She met his surprised gaze as she turned back around, shooting him a confused look.
"What are you staring at?" He leaned away from Lanna a little, feeling caught.
"Nothin', just didn't expect you to be the tattoo type is all." She laughed a little at his honesty. She had to hand it to him; the boy really spoke his mind, unlike most others.
"Yeah well, there's a lot about me people don't expect." A small smile crept onto his lips as he hinted at the double meaning of her statement. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't even go there. I just meant, what you see isn't always what you get…perv." Lanna smacked Vince on the arm lightly and captured his attention once more. Shane cocked her neck to both sides, popping the bones within and took a deep breath. Hector's Mexican accent came echoing loudly from across the alley-way.
"Let's race!" The crowd around him cheered and hollered with excitement as they scattered around quickly to get into their own cars.
"Well, looks like its racing time kids. Wish me luck." Lanna smiled at her best friend hopefully.
"Go kick some ass." Vince waved his hand at her vaguely, trying to seem disinterested.
"Good luck. You'll need it. Dom's the best." Shane gave him a doubtful look.
"We'll see." He shook his head at her one last time. She shot a mischievous smile at Lanna and turned around to get into her own car.
She stuck her key into the ignition in one fluid motion, feeling suddenly determined as she heard the engine roar to life. Her left foot pressed the clutch down expertly as she pumped the accelerator with her right, revving the engine loudly. She released the clutch quickly and allowed the car to lurch forward as she followed the other racers to the starting line. Four other cars sat parked in a row at the beginning of a vacant street. Shane pulled up beside the rest of them rapidly; ready to get the show on the road. If she won tonight, not only would she not have to go back home for another couple of weeks but she wouldn't have to borrow anymore money from her father either. You got this; she told herself confidently, you need this. Hector walked out in front of the group of eager racers and held his hands up above his head. The crowd screamed with anticipation, sending another jolt of adrenaline through her blue blooded veins, but she kept her body faced towards the road, never batting an eyelash in the direction of the other drivers or the people beside her. Hector's arms came whooshing down from their place in the air swiftly and stopped as they came behind his back, signaling for them to start. Her feet moved over the pedals quickly, sending her shiny, red car over the starting line and into the race. A quick start off was the key; she knew that, but she wasn't about to break her concentration just to look and see if she had been first. She watched the dial on the speedometer as it rose from zero to 80 mph in less than 5 seconds, propelling her further and further toward the finish line. The bright, vibrant glow of the street lights and the lush, vivid green of her California surroundings morphed suddenly, into a brilliant, blur around her as she flew down the vacant street, now less than a hundred feet from the finish line. Feeling the perfection of the moment, Shane's thumb shot over to the red NOS button on her steering wheel quickly, instantly aware of her dwindling time span. The strength of the force slammed her back into the driver's seat of the car harshly and her knuckles turned white as her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Finally, she thought, as she zoomed over that glorious, white finish line, signifying her completion of the race. Her car purred in exhaustion as she gradually slowed to a stop and looked in her rearview mirror at the losing cars that now approached her; one of them was a red Mazda RX-7. Holy shit, she thought in disbelief.
She stared down at her hands in surprise as they shook with fresh excitement and fumbled with her seatbelt momentarily before eventually climbing out of her car. Shane beamed with pride as she stepped out of the dark black interior of her car and onto the hard, black surface of the Los Angeles pavement. The faces of the crowd wore looks of pure surprise as she scanned the mass for Lanna. Her friend shot out of the group happily and ran straight for her, Vince and several other people trailing closely behind. Lanna flung herself at Shane, grasping one of her hands tightly and pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away to face her.
"You freakin' killed it girl. I told Vince he was gonna' eat his words." Her friend's lips pulled over her gorgeous white teeth, exposing her breathtaking smile as she looked at Shane with joy. Shane tucked a piece of hair behind her ear self-consciously, suddenly aware of all the people staring at her and looked out across the other drivers, finding herself locking eyes with Dominic Toretto. He nodded at her, a look of pure acceptance on his face and smirked at her briefly. She smiled back slightly, afraid to seem too happy. Dom's face twisted into a frown as he studied one of the racer's now exiting their car, the sound of a car door slamming shut ringing out across the night loudly. Shane narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to the driver that now stalked towards her, an angry look on his face.
"There's no way she just won this race. The bitch cheated somehow." He screamed at Hector furiously. Hector pushed the guy out of his face as several of his friends came to stand behind him, threatening looks cast like shadows upon their faces. Shane's blood began to boil as she listened to the man rave. Her body reacted faster than her mind as she pulled out of Lanna's grasp and started towards the guy anxiously, ready for a fight but Hector's hands shot out quickly, restraining her by the waist just before she could reach the guy. She leaned forward as far as Hector's arms would allow and shouted at the guy, infuriated by his accusations.
"What's wrong asshole? You too good to get beaten by a girl?" His head snapped around to face her, his eye's wandering up and down her body and frowned at her remark.
"Shut this hoe up, Hector, before I do it myself." Shane snarled at him viciously and watched in disbelief as one of his hands reached up swiftly to flick a piece of her hair behind her shoulder. Hector's friends lurched forward protectively, ready to take the driver down on Shane's behalf but before they could react she had already swung one of her legs out expertly, knocking the fairly large man completely off of his feet. He stared at her from the ground in awe and hopped back up quickly, with every intention to hit her back. Shane readied herself for the blow as she anticipated the guy's first move but found herself cut short as a large man in a black wife beater stepped in front of her defensively. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment as the sound of a deep, authoritative voice came bellowing out from within the tall form, its tone full of warning.
"Watch yourself. You hit her and you're gonna' be dealin' with me." The guy glared past Dom defiantly, his eye's locked onto Shane's but he looked back to Dom quickly, finally putting his hands up in surrender.
"Alright. Fine." Giving one last angry stare in Shane's direction the man turned around, beginning to push and shoved his way through the now quite large crowd that had surrounded them all in no time flat.
"Get the fuck out of my way," he shouted hatefully as he struggled to get through. Shane sighed and ground her teeth together, still fuming from the guy's words. Hector finally released his grip from her torso as they watched the guy disappear within the mass of throbbing people. He spoke to her genuinely, his voice full of concern.
"Don't worry bout' him girl, he'll get over it. Here's your money, you ok?" She shook her head.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm gonna' get out of here. I'll see you later." He nodded, waving at her briefly and then turned back around to talk to his group of friends. She walked backwards a few paces, keeping her eyes glued momentarily to Dom's broad figure. Suddenly he began to spin around in her direction, but she reacted quickly and darted off towards her car anyways, not wanting to discuss what had just happened any further. The sound of large, heavy footsteps thudding on top of the pavement sounded from behind her and she sped up to walk even faster, eager to escape. His familiar, deep voice echoed off of the black pavement and rang through her ears.
"Hey!"
She slowed her walking down hesitantly, but still did not come to a complete stop. Dom called her name out now instead, this time sounding more impatient.
"Shane! Hold up." He appeared in front of her, walking backwards with her as he grinned at her seductively, finally stopping when he found himself leaning up against her driver's side door, successfully blocking her from any way out. She sighed and looked down at the ground, unable to look him in the eye.
"You alright?" She shifted her gaze from the pavement up to his eyes and nodded her head tiredly.
"I'm fine ok. I didn't need your help. I could have taken care of him myself." The words came out sharper than she had meant for them to. A surge of confusion masked his strong features and he narrowed his eyes at her, unable to understand her anger.
"Alright. Fine. I guess I can take a hint." He replied casually and leaned up to walk away. But guilt flooded her as she took in his reaction and she grabbed onto his hand, anxious to keep him from walking away.
"Wait." She cried hopefully. He glanced down at her hand as it locked around his own and then shifted his gaze back up to meet her eyes, a look of amusement on his face. She released her grip from his hand and crossed her arms across her chest, feeling suddenly very embarrassed for her behavior.
"Sorry. I just…wanted to apologize." She paused timidly and then continued. "I'm kind of being a bitch." A nervous laugh escaped her lips and she blushed, ashamed of her immaturity. For God's sake pull yourself together woman. Dom shoved one hand in his pocket and used the other to support himself, as he leaned up against her car. Her eyes lingered on his arm for longer than she meant them to. She admired the bulk of defined muscle that bulged from beneath of his perfectly tanned skin and she blinked, trying to regain focus. His strong voice shook her from her daze.
"That's alright. I know how you can make it up to me." Shane raised an eyebrow at the muscular new guy suspiciously.
"Ok. Do I even wanna' know what you're talking about? Or is this one of those things I'm just supposed to assume is sexual?" Her voice was full of disgust. He laughed loudly at her reply.
"Well. I was just gonna' ask you to come to my party. But now that you mention it…" Shane's mouth burst into an involuntary smile and she looked away, feeling foolish. Dom prompted her once more.
"Is that a yes?" He asked expectantly. She thought about his offer briefly, trying to decide whether she wanted to give in to his offer or not.
"It's tempting. But I think I'm gonna' pass. At least for tonight." His face dropped slightly at her response.
"Alright, no problem. How bout' tomorrow night then?" Shane smirked up at him as he looked down at her with a sideways grin, his head tilted to the side. Ugh, I give up.
"Ok. Yeah. Tomorrow night. I'll be there." He leaned up from his place on her car, looking suddenly very proud.
"I'm counting on it." Damn this guy's good. She gave him one last smile and watched curiously as he turned around to walk back over to his friends. She spotted Lanna among them, her arms wrapped around Vince's neck and she whistled loudly, ready to leave. Her friend's head snapped over in her direction instantly. Lanna nodded at Shane in acknowledgement and turned to draw closer to Vince now, squeezing him one last time before she kissed his neck and scampered away to climb into the car with Shane. Shane's feet hammered down onto the pedals of her car heavily, leaving only a scar of black rubber on top of the pavement beneath her tires. The tail end of her supra swung out behind her, as she took off a little too quickly. Shane worked quickly and turned the wheel into the curve, straightening the tail end out as she continued to speed off into the distance.
"So what do you think about a party tomorrow night?" Shane asked Lanna happily. Lanna snorted at her question.
"What do you think I think? I don't know about you, but I think it's about damn time we partied."
"I'm glad you agreed, because I would have gone without you if you didn't." Shane chuckled with excitement and reached out to turn the volume of her stereo up even higher. A dance song called As the Rush Comes by the group Motorcycle came flowing through the speakers loudly and vibrated through their chests rhythmically, sending the two of them into a trance as the sped rapidly down the highway.
Sorry it took me so dang long to get this second chapter up guys. I've been having an issue continuing my stuff. I'm trying to update all my fanfics and it's so hard to write four stories at the same time. It takes me awhile to get into the groove. Hopefully I will update this again soon. Don't worry, I will introduce the other characters in this story soon, I know you guys are anxious to see more of the team and get to the heart of the storyline. I'm working on it, I promise. Thanks for all the support. Love you guys.
You know you love me,
AlexandraP