July Jones, Chapter 4
First, I want to thank everyone reading this fic. It was the first thing I ever wrote and I'm glad that a few of you are enjoying it. I meant to post this yesterday but RL has been not so nice and I got caught up in a few things. But it's here now. I should have another chapter up in a few days. :)
Author: BloodyTearsOfLife
Title: July Jones
Rating: PG-13/R
Disclaimer: All characters from The Fast and the Furious belong to Universal Studios, yada, yada, yada. I only own the ones you don’t know. And no profit is made of this, this is just for mine and hopefully your entertainment.
Summary: July Jones has just learned she's been lied to for the last 10 years. Now she is in LA trying to find the real her but it won't be easy and what happens when she moves next door to the team.
[|All Chapters|] [| Previous Chapter|]
Chapter 4: Working It Out
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July parked her car and got out. Behind the counter was a girl; she looked a little older than her with long dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her skin was darker than her own but didn’t look fake. She was looking back and forth between a book and a notebook she was writing in. As July walked in she looked up and smiled.
“Hi,” she said being friendly.
“Hi.”
“Can I help you?” she asked putting down her pen.
“Yeah, I was wondering if you had shampoo and stuff like that?”
“Oh, no we don’t, sorry,” she answered apologetically.
“Do you know where I could find a store that does?”
“You new here?”
“Does it show?” July asked with a chuckle. “I just moved in up the road.” She gestured back with her hand, feeling comfortable with Mia. She gave off a friendly vibe that just made her want to talk.
“Well, my name is Mia,” she said holding out her hand.
“I’m July,” she supplied, shaking her hand, and couldn’t help but notice how different their hands were. Mia’s hands were very feminine compared to her own. Mia’s were soft and her nails were nicely manicured; July’s hands were slightly rough and calloused from working on cars and she couldn’t remember that last time she had done her nails. If Mia noticed, she didn’t give any sign of it.
“Well if you keep going down this road and take your second right and drive down about half a mile you’ll come to a little super market.”
“Down, second right, half a mile, got it,” she repeated. “Thanks.” July nodded her head and began walking back to her car.
“Hey, where exactly do you live?” Mia called out, forcing July to stop and turn around.
“Just up the street and to your left. I live at the end in the two story green one.”
“Hey, I live on that street too. I guess you’re our new neighbor. That house has been empty for a long time. Maybe we can hang out sometime or something? I could show you all the cool places and you can meet everyone.”
“Yeah, maybe,” July answered, thinking maybe she had found a friend.
“Well are you busy Friday afternoon?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
Friday, let’s see, that’s that day after tomorrow, and Arnold and I are going to the bank tomorrow and I could go shopping in the morning on Friday, she thought in her head.
“Well, no, I don’t have anything planned for Friday, why?” she finally responded.
“Oh, well we usually do a barbeque up at the house and watch movies, and I thought maybe you’d like to come. The team is nice once you get to know them.”
July hesitated for a moment. Did she really want to get herself into this? But then she remembered this was her chance to start over and figured why not.
“Sure,” she answered, Mia’s smile growing at her answer.
“Good, I’ll come and get you around four on Friday, that sound okay?”
“Yup, sounds good.”
“I’ll see you then!”
“Yeah, bye. Thanks for your help again.”
July got into got car and drove away following Mia’s directions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mia watched as the Honda Accord drove away. Her car sounded like it was tuned up. Maybe not with racing stuff but it sounded like it had been worked on. The car was painted black but as she drove away the color changed from black to blue to green; it was a custom paint job. Maybe she raced, or just like the way it looked. There was no way to tell till she got to know her better.
July. What a strange name, Mia thought to herself as she picked her pencil back up.
The girl was new to LA and had moved into the house that had been empty for a long time. There was something familiar about her though, like Mia had seen her before but couldn’t remember. With a name like July she would have remembered her, wouldn’t she?
So they had a new neighbor. Mia would have to tell the team.
The team, she mused with a sigh.
Things had changed a lot since the trucks. Brian gave Dom the car and he had left to Mexico. Letty and Leon had disappeared too that afternoon. Vince and Jesse were both in the hospital, and Mia had stayed behind to make sure they were all right. Fortunately, they both made it but not without scars.
Somehow Brian got them all off the hook. He quit being a cop and came back a few months later. The two of them had talked everything out and now they were back together. The thought of Brian brings a smile to Mia’s face.
The person that surprised her the most was Vince. When Brian came back the two had a talk that night and came back out with no bruises or cuts. Vince had to be grateful to Brian for saving his life, but he made it know he still didn’t like the ‘punk’; but he realized that Brian could have left him on the truck but he didn’t and he’d earned his respect.
Jesse was still the same crazy kid he was, if not a little more cautious. He was more alert of his surroundings. He didn’t like going out alone anymore, but that wasn’t a problem since neither Dom nor Vince let him anyways. Jesse was still the ‘mad scientist’ as he always was and would always be.
Leon and Letty somehow meet up with Dom in Mexico. They were all together for a while. No one but them three knew exactly what happened down there, and Mia figured she’d probably never find out, but things had changed, a lot. Dom and Letty had broken up and now Letty is with Leon. They actually made a cute couple. Dom was okay with it too. Mia already knew that things between him and Letty were over a long time ago but they didn’t want to admit it; they were the most stubbornness people she had ever met.
About six months ago they came back after Brian had told them the coast was clear. Mia could remember the day, as they rolled up and got out, Dom standing by himself while Leon and Letty held onto each other, and everyone knew things had changed. It took a while for all the rest of them to get use to it, since Dom and Letty had always been together since they could remember, but things were getting back to normal, finally. They were all racing again and Dom was still the guy to try and beat. So, things were normal again, well as normal as they were going to get.
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It turned out Mia was right about the store and July found everything she needed. The short drive had helped but she still needed to chill for a bit. She had also bought a small portable stereo and set it up next to the tub. She flipped through her CDs after she had turned the water on, letting the tub fill. Having trouble deciding which one to listen to, she simply put in one of her mixed CDs and pressed play. The song “Bleed” by Cold filled the room as she took off her clothes and slipped into the bathtub. She shut her mind down and let the music fill her head.
After the water had started to turn cold, July slipped out of the tub, pulling the plug and letting the water take her tension with it as it swirled down the drain. She returned to her room, setting down the portable player next to her bed. She dressed in a black spaghetti strapped shirt and a pair of cotton shorts.
Looking at the clock she saw it was only around 4. It was still too early to eat and she wasn’t hungry anyways. She sat on her bed, wondering what to do when her eyes landing on her old drawings and she thought of the cars.
The garage.
She still had yet to look in there. Slipping on her sneaker, she headed downstairs and took the hallway towards the back, easily locating the door at the end of the hall on the right.
July opened the door and stepped into a pitch-black room. She fumbled with her hand to find a switch and flicked it on, letting out a gasp at what she saw. A 1968 Chevy Nova, painted a dark blue, and next to it was a 1991 Toyota Soarer, presumably imported in from Japan. A closer look proved that because the steering wheel was on the ‘wrong’ side of the car. She guess Arnold hadn’t been joking when he had said her father had been into cars. The Soarer was painted a midnight blue but you could see the pearls used in the paint, a brighter blue and a purple mix. It looked like the night itself. A classic muscle car and an imported beauty.
July was in heaven.
If only they ran I could take them for a spin now, she thought with a sigh of disappointment.
The garage was bigger than it appeared. There was a large workbench and big drawers that she was sure were filled with every tool she could ever need. There was equipment everywhere; a couple of jacks, an air compressor, and various other things. She had everything she needed to fix them except for parts.
With that thought in mind, she ran to the kitchen and returned to the garage with a pen and paper in hand. Putting them on the workbench, she opened each hood and poked around, checking various parts. Wiping her hands on a rag she found near by, she grabbed the pen and paper and started jotting things down: spark plugs, oil, coolant, hoses, batteries, brake fluid; the list was endless.
After almost filling a whole page, using one side for each car, she was done listing all the parts she needed and some that she wanted. All she needed now was a place to buy them.
Walking back into the living room she noticed it was already after seven and her stomach gave an audible growl. She went into the kitchen and made some pasta for dinner. She lounged in the living room, eating her bowl of pasta and watching some music videos but by nine, her eyes were getting heavy and she fought to keep them open.
Shutting off the television with the remote, she blindly made her way up to her room. She gave a harsh laugh at calling it her room. Last week she didn’t even know about it and now she was already claiming it. She continued on her way nevertheless, fumbling on the stairs as she forced her exhausted body to move.
Once July made it to her room, she cracked open the alcove window, allowing a light breeze to enter. She walked over to the canopy bed and got in. Somewhere in the recess of her mind she knew that it all felt familiar, too familiar, but she was too tired to care. She fell asleep with the thought of the new cars in her mind and all the work she had ahead.
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A few hours after July had left the store, Mia closed up her books and began the routine of shutting down the store. When she arrived home, she washed up and began making dinner, as the team was going to be home soon.
An hour later the noise of car engines signaled the arrival of the team. They all came through the door and sat down at the table, dressed in their dirty clothes, looking at Mia hungrily.
“Oh, you guys are extra dirty today, go wash your hands at least, they’re filthy,” she ordered.
“Come on Mia, we’re hungry!” Vince protested, even as Dom and Brian got up.
“I realize that Vince, but I’m not having a bunch of dirty monkeys sitting at my table and getting it dirty. You’re lucky I’m just asking you to go wash your hands and not making you take a shower, now go, or everyone is going to get to eat before you do.”
Vince grumbled a few choice words that no one could make out but himself and he followed the other boys down stairs to use the bathroom.
“You tell him Mia,” Letty teased, who was washing her hands in the sink in the kitchen.
Mia gave a laugh and began to set everything on the table. Her and Letty sat down and waited for everyone else, who all turned up shortly. After a quick grace, everyone reached in and soon the food was devoured. Everyone ate their fill and chatted with each other. Once it had become quiet again Mia cleared her throat.
“I’ve got something to tell you guys,” she said.
“What is it?” Dom asked, giving Brian a look. Brian just shrugged, looking lost.
“We’ve got a new neighbor and I invited her over for the barbeque on Friday.”
“You invited a complete stranger over to have dinner here?” Dom asked, irritation was heard in his voice.
“Yeah, we don’t need another Spilner. No offense Brian,” Letty said and Brian nodded at her telling her he understood what she meant; he didn’t want anyone coming in and breaking up the family he just put back together either.
“Look, she’s new here. She moved into the empty house next door. She didn’t even know where to find shampoo and you think she’s a cop?” Mia asked, defending July.
“Mia we don’t know anything about her, that’s the point,” Dom said.
“Look, just give her a chance. I’ve got a good feeling about her,” Mia commented, but one look at Dom said he was still against it. “Please Dom, just let her come over and if anyone has a problem with her I won’t have her come over again. Please…” Mia asked him and gave him a pleading look. Soon enough she saw him cave.
“Fine, but if Vince,” Dom said looking at Vince and he nodded, “or anyone thinks something is up with the chick, it’s over,” Dom said knowing that if Vince thought the girl was off then it was true. Dom felt dumb for not realizing that Brian was a cop when Vince did and now respected his judgment more; but in a way he was glad he hadn’t realized Brian was a cop because he had gained a good friend and Dom knew he could trust Brian with Mia.
“Thanks Dom,” Mia squealed, getting up and hugging him.
“Yeah yeah yeah. So what’s her name?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July woke up the next morning totally refreshed. It was a half past eight, and she got up out of bed, taking a quick shower. She left her hair down not feeling like messing with it. Dressing in a pair of jean capris, a black auto shirt from the shop and her beat up sneakers, she headed down stairs and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She walked through the swinging door into the dining room and stood by the window.
The sun was already halfway up the sky and glinted off the cars in the driveway over, catching July’s attention. Sitting in the drive way was a bright red Mazda RX-7, a blue Nissan Maxima, a dark red Nissan 240sx, a yellow Nissan Skyline, a white VW Jetta, and a turquoise Acura Integra. They were nice cars, racing cars, she added as she made out the various part decals. They’d probably know where to get car parts.
As she finished her cereal and was about to turn away, she saw the girl from the store come out of the door. Mia walked over to the Acura, got in and drove away in the direction of the store. July almost gave a laugh at the irony of it all.
She cleaned up what little mess she had made from the night before and washed the dishes. She looked at the clock and saw she still had about two hours till Arnold came. Having nothing else better to do, she decided to go check on her ‘baby’ and see how everything was after the long trip.
Walking out side and stepping into the sunshine, July stretched a minute and turned her face to the sky. It felt nice, starting over, a fresh start. She walked over to her car and popped the hood. She checked the pressure on the tires before moving towards the engine and giving it a look over.
When she was almost finished, she held still for a second. She could feel eyes on her. Her hair shielded her face and she slowly turned her head slightly to the side, looking through her hair at the person. While her hair blocked most of the view, she could make out that it was a guy. He was pretty tall; his hair was brown and his beard was scruffy looking. He was well built and was wearing a pair of jeans and a red wife beater. She could tell he was looking at her skeptically, like he was wondering to himself why she was even under the hood of a car.
July finished checking the engine and then stood up, wiping her hands on a rag she always kept in her car. She turned towards him and found his blue eyes staring at her.
“Can I help you?”
“What do you think you’re doing?” the guy asked.
“Checking my engine. What does it look like I’m doing?” she snapped back.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course I know what I am doing. I wouldn’t be messing with an engine if I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not that stupid, ” she said getting mad that the guy assumed she didn’t know what she was doing since she was a girl.
“Right,” he drawled sarcastically and July felt her hands ball into fists.
“Look, I know what I am doing so just leave me alone.” She closed the hood with a little more force than necessary and walking to the driver’s door. She popped the trunk and put away the rag and the pressure gage. She closed the trunk to find the guy still standing there.
“Look, what the heck do you want?” she asked getting fed up with the guy.
“Are you a cop?” he asked in all seriousness.
“What kind of question is that?”
“Just a question.”
“No, I’m not a cop. Now get off my property before I call the cops,” she replied, glaring at him. She didn’t even give the unknown guy time to respond before she shouldered past him, making him stagger just the slightest and stormed into the house.
What the heck was that all about? That guy was acting really weird, asking if I was a cop. Yeah you just go up to normal people and ask them if they’re a cop, she ranted in her head.
She tried to shake off the anger but couldn’t.
Who does this guy think he is?
July paced in the living room and then settled on the couch, turning on the television and hoping it would distract her. She ended up watching some movie she didn’t even like before she heard the doorbell ring. She shut of the set and got up, opening the door to find Arnold on the other side.
“Hello.”
“Hey,” she replied.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, let me just grab my wallet.” July left Arnold at the door and ran up the stairs. She grabbed her wallet and as a last thought grabbed both sets of keys from the top of her dresser. She ran back down and found Arnold standing in the foyer.
“So ready now?”
“Yeah,” she answered, following him out the door and locking it behind her. They got into his BMW and then were off.
After heading to the bank and finding out she was more than financially secure, Arnold took her out to lunch. Once lunch was over, he took her to a few other placed she need to go and got all their business done before 2.
They spent the rest of the afternoon cruising around town, Arnold showing her places to go, where the mall was, and some of his choice restaurants. By the end of the afternoon, July had a good feel for the city and learned most of the layout, and her anger from earlier was almost non existent.
They picked up Charlotte around six and went out to dinner on the pier. July had a great time and found herself laughing half the time. She told them a little more about herself but not much. She didn’t know what all to tell them since she didn’t even know what was real and what wasn’t. They seem to understand that though and didn’t push her more than she was willing to give. Arnold pulled up to her house around eight that night.
“Well thanks for showing me the town,” she said, getting out. Arnold opened his window to talk to her.
“You’re welcome.”
“July?” She could hear Charlotte call.
“Yeah Charlotte?”
“We were wondering what you were doing on Sunday. Amy is going to be home and we usually all get together on Sunday. You could come over and meet everyone. Max comes over on Sunday, so he will be there too. We would love for you to come.”
July debated over it. In a way she wanted to because she wanted to meet Amy but at the same time she was scared. Scared to learn the true because that meant really having to say goodbye to everything she knew. She was different now though, and that wasn’t going to change. She would be the one to decide who she was and if talking to Amy was going to help then she needed to do it.
“Yeah sure,” she answered.
“Great, we’ll come over and pick you up around two.”
“Ok.”
“Do you think you’ll be okay for the weekend?” Charlotte asked in that concern mother tone and July smiled.
It’s been a while since I heard that tone. But as soon as she thought that she thought of Mary and all she had lost. Instead of voicing anything, she kept her voice cheerful.
“Yeah I’ll be fine. If I need you I have your number, remember?”
“Yes, I know dear, I just worry. Well, we will see you Sunday then.”
“Bye,” July said waving. She watched as their taillights disappeared into the night before turning back towards her house. She needed to do something. She could feel the anger at everything that had happened rising inside.
She went into the house and went to her room, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Grabbing her CDs and her newly acquired stereo, she went down to the basement. She put in her Papa Roach CD, switched the song, and cranked the volume up.
Cut my life into pieces,
This is my last resort,
Suffocation,
No breathing,
Don’t give a f--- if I cut my arm bleeding.
July started running on the treadmill. She just kept running, all that mattered was keeping herself moving. She ran for a long time, trying to tire out herself enough so her brain would stop thinking. She eventually slowed her pace half way through the CD and was down to a fast paced walk as “Last Resort” finished playing for the second time.
’Cuz I’m losing my sight,
Losing my mind,
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine.
Losing my sight,
Losing my mind,
Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine.
Nothing’s alright,
Nothing is fine.
I’m running and I’m crying,
I can’t go on living this way,
Can’t go on,
Living this way,
Nothing’s alright!
She stopped completely and took deep breaths, trying to replenish the missing oxygen in her body when the next song came on.
Broken home,
All alone.
Broken home,
All alone.
I can’t seem to fight these feelings,
I’m caught in the middle of this,
My wounds are not healing,
I’m stuck in between my parents.
Wish I had someone to talk to,
Someone I could confide in,
I just want to know the truth,
I just want to know the truth,
Want to know the truth...
July carried the stereo with her up to her bathroom and let it play as she took a shower. Soon, she stepped out, and shut off the stereo, feeling clean but utterly and totally exhausted, not only physically but emotionally too. Wrapped in a towel, she carried her clothes and stereo into her room, discarding them in a pile on the floor. She slipped on her comfy pajamas and as soon as her head hit her pillow, she was out.
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tbc…
A/N: I don’t own any of the aforementioned songs within this chapter. I’m just using them to suit my purposes. :)
Author: BloodyTearsOfLife
Title: July Jones
Rating: PG-13/R
Disclaimer: All characters from The Fast and the Furious belong to Universal Studios, yada, yada, yada. I only own the ones you don’t know. And no profit is made of this, this is just for mine and hopefully your entertainment.
Summary: July Jones has just learned she's been lied to for the last 10 years. Now she is in LA trying to find the real her but it won't be easy and what happens when she moves next door to the team.
[|All Chapters|] [| Previous Chapter|]
Chapter 4: Working It Out
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July parked her car and got out. Behind the counter was a girl; she looked a little older than her with long dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her skin was darker than her own but didn’t look fake. She was looking back and forth between a book and a notebook she was writing in. As July walked in she looked up and smiled.
“Hi,” she said being friendly.
“Hi.”
“Can I help you?” she asked putting down her pen.
“Yeah, I was wondering if you had shampoo and stuff like that?”
“Oh, no we don’t, sorry,” she answered apologetically.
“Do you know where I could find a store that does?”
“You new here?”
“Does it show?” July asked with a chuckle. “I just moved in up the road.” She gestured back with her hand, feeling comfortable with Mia. She gave off a friendly vibe that just made her want to talk.
“Well, my name is Mia,” she said holding out her hand.
“I’m July,” she supplied, shaking her hand, and couldn’t help but notice how different their hands were. Mia’s hands were very feminine compared to her own. Mia’s were soft and her nails were nicely manicured; July’s hands were slightly rough and calloused from working on cars and she couldn’t remember that last time she had done her nails. If Mia noticed, she didn’t give any sign of it.
“Well if you keep going down this road and take your second right and drive down about half a mile you’ll come to a little super market.”
“Down, second right, half a mile, got it,” she repeated. “Thanks.” July nodded her head and began walking back to her car.
“Hey, where exactly do you live?” Mia called out, forcing July to stop and turn around.
“Just up the street and to your left. I live at the end in the two story green one.”
“Hey, I live on that street too. I guess you’re our new neighbor. That house has been empty for a long time. Maybe we can hang out sometime or something? I could show you all the cool places and you can meet everyone.”
“Yeah, maybe,” July answered, thinking maybe she had found a friend.
“Well are you busy Friday afternoon?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
Friday, let’s see, that’s that day after tomorrow, and Arnold and I are going to the bank tomorrow and I could go shopping in the morning on Friday, she thought in her head.
“Well, no, I don’t have anything planned for Friday, why?” she finally responded.
“Oh, well we usually do a barbeque up at the house and watch movies, and I thought maybe you’d like to come. The team is nice once you get to know them.”
July hesitated for a moment. Did she really want to get herself into this? But then she remembered this was her chance to start over and figured why not.
“Sure,” she answered, Mia’s smile growing at her answer.
“Good, I’ll come and get you around four on Friday, that sound okay?”
“Yup, sounds good.”
“I’ll see you then!”
“Yeah, bye. Thanks for your help again.”
July got into got car and drove away following Mia’s directions.
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Mia watched as the Honda Accord drove away. Her car sounded like it was tuned up. Maybe not with racing stuff but it sounded like it had been worked on. The car was painted black but as she drove away the color changed from black to blue to green; it was a custom paint job. Maybe she raced, or just like the way it looked. There was no way to tell till she got to know her better.
July. What a strange name, Mia thought to herself as she picked her pencil back up.
The girl was new to LA and had moved into the house that had been empty for a long time. There was something familiar about her though, like Mia had seen her before but couldn’t remember. With a name like July she would have remembered her, wouldn’t she?
So they had a new neighbor. Mia would have to tell the team.
The team, she mused with a sigh.
Things had changed a lot since the trucks. Brian gave Dom the car and he had left to Mexico. Letty and Leon had disappeared too that afternoon. Vince and Jesse were both in the hospital, and Mia had stayed behind to make sure they were all right. Fortunately, they both made it but not without scars.
Somehow Brian got them all off the hook. He quit being a cop and came back a few months later. The two of them had talked everything out and now they were back together. The thought of Brian brings a smile to Mia’s face.
The person that surprised her the most was Vince. When Brian came back the two had a talk that night and came back out with no bruises or cuts. Vince had to be grateful to Brian for saving his life, but he made it know he still didn’t like the ‘punk’; but he realized that Brian could have left him on the truck but he didn’t and he’d earned his respect.
Jesse was still the same crazy kid he was, if not a little more cautious. He was more alert of his surroundings. He didn’t like going out alone anymore, but that wasn’t a problem since neither Dom nor Vince let him anyways. Jesse was still the ‘mad scientist’ as he always was and would always be.
Leon and Letty somehow meet up with Dom in Mexico. They were all together for a while. No one but them three knew exactly what happened down there, and Mia figured she’d probably never find out, but things had changed, a lot. Dom and Letty had broken up and now Letty is with Leon. They actually made a cute couple. Dom was okay with it too. Mia already knew that things between him and Letty were over a long time ago but they didn’t want to admit it; they were the most stubbornness people she had ever met.
About six months ago they came back after Brian had told them the coast was clear. Mia could remember the day, as they rolled up and got out, Dom standing by himself while Leon and Letty held onto each other, and everyone knew things had changed. It took a while for all the rest of them to get use to it, since Dom and Letty had always been together since they could remember, but things were getting back to normal, finally. They were all racing again and Dom was still the guy to try and beat. So, things were normal again, well as normal as they were going to get.
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It turned out Mia was right about the store and July found everything she needed. The short drive had helped but she still needed to chill for a bit. She had also bought a small portable stereo and set it up next to the tub. She flipped through her CDs after she had turned the water on, letting the tub fill. Having trouble deciding which one to listen to, she simply put in one of her mixed CDs and pressed play. The song “Bleed” by Cold filled the room as she took off her clothes and slipped into the bathtub. She shut her mind down and let the music fill her head.
After the water had started to turn cold, July slipped out of the tub, pulling the plug and letting the water take her tension with it as it swirled down the drain. She returned to her room, setting down the portable player next to her bed. She dressed in a black spaghetti strapped shirt and a pair of cotton shorts.
Looking at the clock she saw it was only around 4. It was still too early to eat and she wasn’t hungry anyways. She sat on her bed, wondering what to do when her eyes landing on her old drawings and she thought of the cars.
The garage.
She still had yet to look in there. Slipping on her sneaker, she headed downstairs and took the hallway towards the back, easily locating the door at the end of the hall on the right.
July opened the door and stepped into a pitch-black room. She fumbled with her hand to find a switch and flicked it on, letting out a gasp at what she saw. A 1968 Chevy Nova, painted a dark blue, and next to it was a 1991 Toyota Soarer, presumably imported in from Japan. A closer look proved that because the steering wheel was on the ‘wrong’ side of the car. She guess Arnold hadn’t been joking when he had said her father had been into cars. The Soarer was painted a midnight blue but you could see the pearls used in the paint, a brighter blue and a purple mix. It looked like the night itself. A classic muscle car and an imported beauty.
July was in heaven.
If only they ran I could take them for a spin now, she thought with a sigh of disappointment.
The garage was bigger than it appeared. There was a large workbench and big drawers that she was sure were filled with every tool she could ever need. There was equipment everywhere; a couple of jacks, an air compressor, and various other things. She had everything she needed to fix them except for parts.
With that thought in mind, she ran to the kitchen and returned to the garage with a pen and paper in hand. Putting them on the workbench, she opened each hood and poked around, checking various parts. Wiping her hands on a rag she found near by, she grabbed the pen and paper and started jotting things down: spark plugs, oil, coolant, hoses, batteries, brake fluid; the list was endless.
After almost filling a whole page, using one side for each car, she was done listing all the parts she needed and some that she wanted. All she needed now was a place to buy them.
Walking back into the living room she noticed it was already after seven and her stomach gave an audible growl. She went into the kitchen and made some pasta for dinner. She lounged in the living room, eating her bowl of pasta and watching some music videos but by nine, her eyes were getting heavy and she fought to keep them open.
Shutting off the television with the remote, she blindly made her way up to her room. She gave a harsh laugh at calling it her room. Last week she didn’t even know about it and now she was already claiming it. She continued on her way nevertheless, fumbling on the stairs as she forced her exhausted body to move.
Once July made it to her room, she cracked open the alcove window, allowing a light breeze to enter. She walked over to the canopy bed and got in. Somewhere in the recess of her mind she knew that it all felt familiar, too familiar, but she was too tired to care. She fell asleep with the thought of the new cars in her mind and all the work she had ahead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours after July had left the store, Mia closed up her books and began the routine of shutting down the store. When she arrived home, she washed up and began making dinner, as the team was going to be home soon.
An hour later the noise of car engines signaled the arrival of the team. They all came through the door and sat down at the table, dressed in their dirty clothes, looking at Mia hungrily.
“Oh, you guys are extra dirty today, go wash your hands at least, they’re filthy,” she ordered.
“Come on Mia, we’re hungry!” Vince protested, even as Dom and Brian got up.
“I realize that Vince, but I’m not having a bunch of dirty monkeys sitting at my table and getting it dirty. You’re lucky I’m just asking you to go wash your hands and not making you take a shower, now go, or everyone is going to get to eat before you do.”
Vince grumbled a few choice words that no one could make out but himself and he followed the other boys down stairs to use the bathroom.
“You tell him Mia,” Letty teased, who was washing her hands in the sink in the kitchen.
Mia gave a laugh and began to set everything on the table. Her and Letty sat down and waited for everyone else, who all turned up shortly. After a quick grace, everyone reached in and soon the food was devoured. Everyone ate their fill and chatted with each other. Once it had become quiet again Mia cleared her throat.
“I’ve got something to tell you guys,” she said.
“What is it?” Dom asked, giving Brian a look. Brian just shrugged, looking lost.
“We’ve got a new neighbor and I invited her over for the barbeque on Friday.”
“You invited a complete stranger over to have dinner here?” Dom asked, irritation was heard in his voice.
“Yeah, we don’t need another Spilner. No offense Brian,” Letty said and Brian nodded at her telling her he understood what she meant; he didn’t want anyone coming in and breaking up the family he just put back together either.
“Look, she’s new here. She moved into the empty house next door. She didn’t even know where to find shampoo and you think she’s a cop?” Mia asked, defending July.
“Mia we don’t know anything about her, that’s the point,” Dom said.
“Look, just give her a chance. I’ve got a good feeling about her,” Mia commented, but one look at Dom said he was still against it. “Please Dom, just let her come over and if anyone has a problem with her I won’t have her come over again. Please…” Mia asked him and gave him a pleading look. Soon enough she saw him cave.
“Fine, but if Vince,” Dom said looking at Vince and he nodded, “or anyone thinks something is up with the chick, it’s over,” Dom said knowing that if Vince thought the girl was off then it was true. Dom felt dumb for not realizing that Brian was a cop when Vince did and now respected his judgment more; but in a way he was glad he hadn’t realized Brian was a cop because he had gained a good friend and Dom knew he could trust Brian with Mia.
“Thanks Dom,” Mia squealed, getting up and hugging him.
“Yeah yeah yeah. So what’s her name?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July woke up the next morning totally refreshed. It was a half past eight, and she got up out of bed, taking a quick shower. She left her hair down not feeling like messing with it. Dressing in a pair of jean capris, a black auto shirt from the shop and her beat up sneakers, she headed down stairs and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She walked through the swinging door into the dining room and stood by the window.
The sun was already halfway up the sky and glinted off the cars in the driveway over, catching July’s attention. Sitting in the drive way was a bright red Mazda RX-7, a blue Nissan Maxima, a dark red Nissan 240sx, a yellow Nissan Skyline, a white VW Jetta, and a turquoise Acura Integra. They were nice cars, racing cars, she added as she made out the various part decals. They’d probably know where to get car parts.
As she finished her cereal and was about to turn away, she saw the girl from the store come out of the door. Mia walked over to the Acura, got in and drove away in the direction of the store. July almost gave a laugh at the irony of it all.
She cleaned up what little mess she had made from the night before and washed the dishes. She looked at the clock and saw she still had about two hours till Arnold came. Having nothing else better to do, she decided to go check on her ‘baby’ and see how everything was after the long trip.
Walking out side and stepping into the sunshine, July stretched a minute and turned her face to the sky. It felt nice, starting over, a fresh start. She walked over to her car and popped the hood. She checked the pressure on the tires before moving towards the engine and giving it a look over.
When she was almost finished, she held still for a second. She could feel eyes on her. Her hair shielded her face and she slowly turned her head slightly to the side, looking through her hair at the person. While her hair blocked most of the view, she could make out that it was a guy. He was pretty tall; his hair was brown and his beard was scruffy looking. He was well built and was wearing a pair of jeans and a red wife beater. She could tell he was looking at her skeptically, like he was wondering to himself why she was even under the hood of a car.
July finished checking the engine and then stood up, wiping her hands on a rag she always kept in her car. She turned towards him and found his blue eyes staring at her.
“Can I help you?”
“What do you think you’re doing?” the guy asked.
“Checking my engine. What does it look like I’m doing?” she snapped back.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course I know what I am doing. I wouldn’t be messing with an engine if I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not that stupid, ” she said getting mad that the guy assumed she didn’t know what she was doing since she was a girl.
“Right,” he drawled sarcastically and July felt her hands ball into fists.
“Look, I know what I am doing so just leave me alone.” She closed the hood with a little more force than necessary and walking to the driver’s door. She popped the trunk and put away the rag and the pressure gage. She closed the trunk to find the guy still standing there.
“Look, what the heck do you want?” she asked getting fed up with the guy.
“Are you a cop?” he asked in all seriousness.
“What kind of question is that?”
“Just a question.”
“No, I’m not a cop. Now get off my property before I call the cops,” she replied, glaring at him. She didn’t even give the unknown guy time to respond before she shouldered past him, making him stagger just the slightest and stormed into the house.
What the heck was that all about? That guy was acting really weird, asking if I was a cop. Yeah you just go up to normal people and ask them if they’re a cop, she ranted in her head.
She tried to shake off the anger but couldn’t.
Who does this guy think he is?
July paced in the living room and then settled on the couch, turning on the television and hoping it would distract her. She ended up watching some movie she didn’t even like before she heard the doorbell ring. She shut of the set and got up, opening the door to find Arnold on the other side.
“Hello.”
“Hey,” she replied.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, let me just grab my wallet.” July left Arnold at the door and ran up the stairs. She grabbed her wallet and as a last thought grabbed both sets of keys from the top of her dresser. She ran back down and found Arnold standing in the foyer.
“So ready now?”
“Yeah,” she answered, following him out the door and locking it behind her. They got into his BMW and then were off.
After heading to the bank and finding out she was more than financially secure, Arnold took her out to lunch. Once lunch was over, he took her to a few other placed she need to go and got all their business done before 2.
They spent the rest of the afternoon cruising around town, Arnold showing her places to go, where the mall was, and some of his choice restaurants. By the end of the afternoon, July had a good feel for the city and learned most of the layout, and her anger from earlier was almost non existent.
They picked up Charlotte around six and went out to dinner on the pier. July had a great time and found herself laughing half the time. She told them a little more about herself but not much. She didn’t know what all to tell them since she didn’t even know what was real and what wasn’t. They seem to understand that though and didn’t push her more than she was willing to give. Arnold pulled up to her house around eight that night.
“Well thanks for showing me the town,” she said, getting out. Arnold opened his window to talk to her.
“You’re welcome.”
“July?” She could hear Charlotte call.
“Yeah Charlotte?”
“We were wondering what you were doing on Sunday. Amy is going to be home and we usually all get together on Sunday. You could come over and meet everyone. Max comes over on Sunday, so he will be there too. We would love for you to come.”
July debated over it. In a way she wanted to because she wanted to meet Amy but at the same time she was scared. Scared to learn the true because that meant really having to say goodbye to everything she knew. She was different now though, and that wasn’t going to change. She would be the one to decide who she was and if talking to Amy was going to help then she needed to do it.
“Yeah sure,” she answered.
“Great, we’ll come over and pick you up around two.”
“Ok.”
“Do you think you’ll be okay for the weekend?” Charlotte asked in that concern mother tone and July smiled.
It’s been a while since I heard that tone. But as soon as she thought that she thought of Mary and all she had lost. Instead of voicing anything, she kept her voice cheerful.
“Yeah I’ll be fine. If I need you I have your number, remember?”
“Yes, I know dear, I just worry. Well, we will see you Sunday then.”
“Bye,” July said waving. She watched as their taillights disappeared into the night before turning back towards her house. She needed to do something. She could feel the anger at everything that had happened rising inside.
She went into the house and went to her room, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Grabbing her CDs and her newly acquired stereo, she went down to the basement. She put in her Papa Roach CD, switched the song, and cranked the volume up.
Cut my life into pieces,
This is my last resort,
Suffocation,
No breathing,
Don’t give a f--- if I cut my arm bleeding.
July started running on the treadmill. She just kept running, all that mattered was keeping herself moving. She ran for a long time, trying to tire out herself enough so her brain would stop thinking. She eventually slowed her pace half way through the CD and was down to a fast paced walk as “Last Resort” finished playing for the second time.
’Cuz I’m losing my sight,
Losing my mind,
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine.
Losing my sight,
Losing my mind,
Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine.
Nothing’s alright,
Nothing is fine.
I’m running and I’m crying,
I can’t go on living this way,
Can’t go on,
Living this way,
Nothing’s alright!
She stopped completely and took deep breaths, trying to replenish the missing oxygen in her body when the next song came on.
Broken home,
All alone.
Broken home,
All alone.
I can’t seem to fight these feelings,
I’m caught in the middle of this,
My wounds are not healing,
I’m stuck in between my parents.
Wish I had someone to talk to,
Someone I could confide in,
I just want to know the truth,
I just want to know the truth,
Want to know the truth...
July carried the stereo with her up to her bathroom and let it play as she took a shower. Soon, she stepped out, and shut off the stereo, feeling clean but utterly and totally exhausted, not only physically but emotionally too. Wrapped in a towel, she carried her clothes and stereo into her room, discarding them in a pile on the floor. She slipped on her comfy pajamas and as soon as her head hit her pillow, she was out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc…
A/N: I don’t own any of the aforementioned songs within this chapter. I’m just using them to suit my purposes. :)