Ride Home To Me

Chapter 6

The rest of September, October, and November passed quickly and with Thanksgiving around the corner, I can hardly believe it's already been almost three months since my ma and I moved to LA.

At first I was cautious around the Torettos and their gang, but I quickly realized Letty was right, there ain't no one better at not judging you than them. They were patient with me, let me help around the garage, almost every weekend I stayed the night with Letty and Mia, and Dom, Vince, Jessie, and Leon became like older brothers to me. We teased each other non stop and Dom and Leon kept teaching me about cars. Jessie, even though he was only a sophomore, pretty much dropped school and stayed with Leon around the garage. I gotta hand it to him, though, the kid is a genius with mechanics. Leon and Dom were the most patient teachers, and now I got the hang of some of the basic stuff. Mr. T even said he'd let me work to get paid in the office soon.

Letty knows about my panic attacks, too. I remember the night it happened, about a month ago during one of our sleepovers.

I wake up with a start from the same dream again. I can't stop shaking, and I'm starting to sweat, and I feel like my lungs are collapsing. I need water, but I can barely stand or see and I don't want to wake up the girls.

Suddenly I feel a soft pair of hands on mine. I look down to see Letty's worried eyes staring into mine.

"Hey what's going on Gabi?" she asks. I just shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut, barely managing to gasp out "panic. attack."

"Hey hey hey open your eyes hermana. Look at me. Breathe with me okay? In and out. There you go. It's okay, you got it. In and out."

We sit there for I don't know how long, but eventually Letty's soft words of encouragement and the feeling of her hands rubbing mine calms me down and my breathing goes back to normal. As soon as I can breath again, though, I break down sobbing and fall into her arms.

"I'm sorry Letty I'm so sorry you had to see that," I cry.

"Shh it's okay, Gabi," she whispers reassuringly, rubbing my back.

"Guys? What's going on?" I hear Mia's sleepy voice ask.

I open my mouth to explain but Letty cuts me off. "Gabi just had a really bad dream."

"Aw I'm sorry. You gonna be okay?" she asks, scooting over to join the hug. I nod into their shoulders and wipe the tears from my eyes.

"Yeah, thanks," I say, almost smiling. "I'm gonna be okay."

Mia still doesn't know about the anxiety attack that she slept through, but since then Letty always makes sure I'm sleeping on the floor right next to her when we spend the night at Mia and Dom's house. Since then it's only happened once more around the Torettos, that time at the garage during the day. I don't remember what triggered it, but one moment I was standing next to Vince, watching over his shoulder as he fixed a broken starter motor, and the next I was being ushered into the office by Letty where I collapsed into the chair. She disappeared for a moment and came back with a water bottle, which I gratefully took. We counted to ten and back down again a few times and I calmed down pretty quick.

"Gabi, are you and your ma going back to Miami for Thanksgiving?" Tony says to me, interrupting my thoughts. I tear my attention from the spreadsheets on the screen in front of me. It's the Monday before Thanksgiving, and my first day working at the garage as a real employee.

"Um, I don't think so," I say.

"You don't have family there?"

I shake my head. "Ma had a distant cousin out there but we were never really close, and the rest of my family lives in Mexico. Plus, uh, I don't think it'd be a great idea."

"Well you guys are welcome to come over in that case," he comments, handing me some paperwork to sort.

"Thanks," I take the files, grateful for his lack of curiosity.

That evening I sit on my porch with Letty, watching as the sunset turns the sky into a masterpiece of pinks and blue and orange.

"So uh," Letty pipes up. I turn to her and see she's fighting a grin. "Dom asked me out."

My jaw drops and I slap her arm, laughing. "No way. Letty! No fucking way!"

She covers her face and giggles.

"He's such a fuckboy though! What happened to 'no chick can hold me down' player Dominic Toretto huh?" I ask.

"I know! I was so shocked but I played it totally cool don't worry," she says.

"When did he ask you? What did he say? What did you say?" I practically shriek.

"Calm your tits, Gabi," she smiles. "It was on Friday on the ride to school."

"Are you serious? The one day my ma insists on taking me, I miss this?"

Letty grins. "He just pulled up to the curb and before letting us out he grabbed my hand and asked if I'd go to dinner with him day after Thanksgiving. It was cute. He was all shy and stuff."

"And you said...?"

"I said yes, stupid, what else was I gonna say!"

"What did Mia do?"

Letty laughed. "I think I been a bit more obvious than I thought. Mia just kinda huffed and went 'about goddamn time,' before climbing out of the car."

"Letty I'm so happy for you," I grin. However, I can't ignore the annoying little ache in my chest. I know exactly what it means but I don't want it or need it, especially not now. To distract myself, I grab the basketball lying on the porch next to me.

"Come and get it," I smirk, throwing it easily into the basket.

"Okay, so she can shoot hoops too? Oops." She snatches it out of my hand and we go back and forth until stars start appearing in the sky.