by Jenni Linn
"Man you gotta come. No pun intended. I gotta keep an eye on V."
"How? You spend most of the night with your tongue down some chick’s throat."
He laughs, "Yeah, well me just being there scares them."
"She's gotta hate you," I joke, he responds with a grunt.
"Probably, but man...the guys here are scum."
I instantly look at him hard. "Speak for yourself dude."
"Not you, you don't count. But remember how we were in school? We fucked anything with a skirt."
"You still do, man." Even though Vance is my best friend, we are completely different when it comes to women. He assumes I’ve slept with every girl I talk to, because that’s what he does and...that’s just so far from the truth. He shrugs and remains quiet for a second. "She's a good girl with goals, and I don't want any guy messing that up for her."
"She's smart Vance, I don't think she'd allow that to happen. I mean, what happens when she goes off to college? You can't be at every party. Plus, I think guys are even worse there."
Even the thought of some guy putting his hands on her irritates me.
"Fuck, man! It looks like I'm going to college then." He laughs, and I just shake my head and sigh, "Yeah, man I'll go with you."
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go to the field just to hang out with Veronica a little or even help Vance keep the little peckers away from her. I feel incredibly guilty after the crap he just spewed to me, but I just can't turn these feelings off.
Day by Day
I dial Taylor as soon as I pull away from the shop. The only place I have privacy is the inside of my car. It’s a short drive home.
"Hiya, doll face," Taylor’s voice fills my car.
"Hey, gorgeous. What are you doing?"
"I just got out of work, about to go to Wes'. Why what's up?"
"Chase stopped in at the garage," I pause. Taylor purrs into the phone. Literally. We once spent a solid hour of her trying to teach me how to purr. My tongue just doesn't roll like that.
"Hmm, and what did that hot piece of man candy want?"
I fill Taylor in on every detail because it keeps replaying in my head. Over and over.
I sigh, "He was flirting right?" I need confirmation that I’m not imagining things, even if she wasn't there to verify it.
"Hmmm, girl...I think he was fucking you with his mind."
I laugh out loud. "What?"
"He was fucking you in his head. I wonder if he really does have a big penis."
"You always wonder about every guy's penis!"
"Hey, I've only experienced one! I'm curious! Though, Wes' is pretty nice."
"SO don't need to know that, Tay!"
"I have a picture, I can show you!"
"TAYLOR! NO! I won't be able to look at him in the eye again!"
She bursts out laughing, "Are you sure? You're my bestie. My almost sister. I don't mind sharing his third leg with you."
"Oh my--how did we get this far off-topic? No, I don't want to see Wes' penis but thank you for being such a good friend."
"Anytime,” She pauses, “So. He's definitely into you."
I sigh loudly.
"Why are you being so dramatic? This is good!"
"Because it would never work! There's no way."
"You don't know that! And, besides, maybe no one would have to know,” A squeal erupts from her throat. “Oh, that would be so exciting! Like a big secret Romeo and Juliet...minus the whole family feud and suicide thing. Though, not far from a family feud with you being the hot, off-limits, little sister.”
"You're too much Tay."
"I know, but you loovveee me. But seriously, I think this might be a good thing."
"Sneaking behind my brothers’ back with their friend? I don't know."
"Chase is a good guy, and I think they might be okay with it."
I snort, "I don't know about that. Chase has a reputation too. Maybe not as bad as my brothers, but still a reputation. I don't think they'd be okay with it,” I pinch the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes, "I might as well become a nun."
"No way, even though you'd rock the shit out of their nun-attire. We have a couple of months, and then it's off to college! You can let your ‘freak flag’ fly without the big bad brothers being around!"
I laugh loudly. This girl is too much, and she's right. I love her like a sister from another mister. We've planned forever to go away to the same college and be roomies.
"Yeah, I can't wait to get away from here. I won't be labeled as the off-limits little Russo sister anymore. Maybe we should look into going to a school across the country."
Taylor gasps mockingly, "And move away from Mama Russo's amazing cooking? I don't think so. State college will be fine. We'll be a two-hour drive away. That’s far enough from your brothers, but close enough to home." I sigh again.
"Cut that sighing shit out! You'll be fine. Go find Chase and get some penis!"
"Riiight," I say, sarcastically.
"Okay girlfriend, I'm at Wes'. Keep me updated with lover boy."
"Will do. See you tomorrow."
"See yaaa!" she sings. The only thing I can do is take this day by day. I like Chase, and by the way he's acting, he seems to return those feelings. I don’t like to assume things, especially when it’s not spoken outright, but I can only hope that he is into me the way I'm into him.
Day. By. Day.
Beautiful
Working for my father is not fun, even when he's not around. My parents have yet to arrive back from their Caribbean vacation. A part of me is pissed, but a part of me could care less. Not having them home is peaceful. I often think about taking Vance's offer to go work at the garage, but I don't know how any work would get done with Veronica nearby. Not to mention, my father would have a shit storm. He feels that since I'm his son and his only son, I should take over his business even though I've told him it's not something I want to do.
As soon as four o'clock comes around, I’m out. Once home, I take a quick shower and throw on a shirt and some jeans. I grab my keys from my dresser and jump into the Z. Vance sent me a text earlier in the day, they were gonna wash up the cars before heading down to the track. A pointless thing to do since by the end of the night they're all dirty again but...you just don't roll in with a dirty car. It's been a long time since I've gotten to do this, and I'm pretty stoked. I wasn't planning on doing more than a couple runs tonight, but you never know what will go down.
Halfway down the Russo's driveway, I hear Def Leppard's, ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’, blasting from the garage. That's Vin's doing. He’s always liked his old school rock. I put the car in neutral and coast towards the entrance of the garage. The sight before me is like dying and going to heaven. Veronica--bent over--washing the rear end of her blue RSX. Her shorts are so short I don't think they'd even be classified as shorts. You can see the curve of her ass cheeks. She stands up, and it seems almost like in slow motion. Her brown hair is up in a messy bun that’s allowing her neck to be exposed. The tank top she has on is wet in areas that shows parts of her turquoise bikini and toned stomach. I feel like that cartoon wolf--my eyes bulging out of my head--and I may be forming a puddle of drool on my pants.
She must have heard my car approaching, because her head whips in my direction. I catch the smile forming on her lips. I cut the engine and get out. Taylor comes from the front of Veronica's car, wearing something similar, holding a sponge. Beyond them, the guys are in the garage. Vance is buffing his BMW, nodding his head to the music. Wes' car is next to Vance's, but the hood is up. No doubt they're making sure his car is up to par.
I make my way over to the girls. "Aren't you ladies a sight for sore eyes?"
"Oh Chase, aren't you such a flirt. But, sadly, I'm very much taken. V here is totally available though." Subtle. V smacks Taylor in the shoulder.
"Our little V can be so shy." She looks between the two of us, "Well I'm gonna go grab a Coke. I'll be back." Taylor drops her sponge in the bu
cket and skips off towards the garage. Veronica watches her skip away and shakes her head. I put my hands in my pockets because I desperately want to touch her.
"Hey," she says simply, a slight grin playing on her face. Damn. She is adorable.
"Hey. Car looks good, but you missed a spot." I nod towards the back of her car. Her eyebrows furrow as she turns to look at her car covered in suds, "Where?"
I point towards the very bottom of her bumper, "Down there..."
She leans down to look and starts scrubbing furiously. The motion causes her ass to wiggle back and forth. I didn't really see a missed spot. I said it for my own dickish motives, and I’m not gonna apologize for it. The view of her rear is stunning. It would be better with my hands on it. I bite my bottom lip to keep a groan from escaping me.
"Yo, man!" Shit.
Vance's voice startles me, snapping me from my fantasizing. I quickly turn to face him. "What up?" He approaches me as I play it cool. Dude, I was NOT just fantasizing about my hands on your sister’s ass. I swear.
"About time you got here!"
"Yeah, Yeah."
"Looks good V, but you missed a spot," Vance tells her, pointing towards the side of her door. She glowers at him as he laughs. She flips him the middle finger. He nods towards the garage, as he starts walking, "Wes and Vin are looking over the Evo." Wes and Vin glance up. Vin holds out his hand, and I smack it in greeting.
Wes walks around Vin to greet me, "Hey man, it's good to see you back!"
"Yeah, it's good to be back."
He laughs, "I bet.
I nod at his engine bay, "Dude this thing is sick!" Because it is. The turbo is enormous, massive down piping, a racing intercooler. It's beautiful.
"Wait until you see her run!" Vance says.
"What's she timing now?" I ask.
"High eleven's." Wes answers.
I whistle.
"Yeah, I dumped a lot of money in her."
"Yeah, too much," Taylor chimes in, walking into the garage. V is slowly trailing behind her. I watch as she walks towards us and puts the bucket on the table next to me. She turns around and leans back against the table, her elbows resting on top causing her chest to push outward. She knows I'm watching her. I can't help but think she's doing this on purpose. She smiles while reaching up to pull the band from her hair and shakes her head, her long brown hair falling around her.
Fuck, she's beautiful.
"What time are we leaving?" She asks the group.
"Six," Vin answers her but keeps his back to her.
"K, I'm going to go get ready." She turns and leaves the garage. Taylor kisses Wes and follows behind V, letting the door close behind her. My attention snaps back to the engine bay, glancing around to make sure I wasn't that obvious. Of course, no one's paying attention because Wes' engine is more important, and they would never expect me to be checking out V.
Vance moves back to stand next to me in the spot that V just stood, "Wes has got some cash runs tonight."
"Nice, more than one?"
"Yeah, three." Wes throws out.
"Three?" My shock must’ve been apparent.
Vance looks my way. "Yeah dude, this is big."
"And you're going to do all three?" I ask Wes.
"Not sure yet. Dude is driving a hatched Civic but being quiet about his set up."
"That's some shady shit."
"I know, he wants to put way too much money down. He's either really cocky or really sure of himself."
"How much?" I inquire.
"A grand," Vance cuts in.
"Damn!"
"I know. The other two are under five hundred. Chump change." I had no idea Wes had gotten so deep into the scene. When Wes moves his car out of the garage, I ask Vance more about it.
"When did he get so much attention?"
"A couple of months ago. He wasn't kidding when he said he put a lot of money into that car. He took it up to the track just to get a good time in, pulled a clean twelve. Then bored out his engine and got it down to eleven point eight seconds. People took notice. He's gotten really good with his reaction time. He's determined to get it down to eleven seconds."
"That's pretty impressive!"
Vin claps a hand on my shoulder and nods toward my car. "Dude, wait till we get your car hooked up!" He rubs his hands together mischievously. A deep low rumble grabs all our attention as another car pulls into the driveway. Just like that, the sun has set and it’s now dark outside. I can only really make out the shape of the headlights, but I know it’s Vaughn’s VW. He swaggers in, "Yo my dude, what's up?" Vaughn got tall, and his hair is longer than it has ever been. Our palms slap together in greeting then he strolls over to the fridge, grabs a soda, pops open the tab, and takes a huge gulp. He lets out a massive burp and laughs at himself. He has the goofiest laugh, which, in turn, makes me laugh. I shake my head, he’s still the same kid.
This guy.
"Where's Victor?" I ask no one in particular. He’s the only missing brother. Vaughn, who's looking at his phone, his fingers moving quickly over the screen, is the one to answer. "Victor's too whipped. He barely comes out with us anymore."
"Damn."
"Yeah, damn shame."
His phone chimes a second later. He looks up, "Nice. Tracy's gonna be there, and bringing some honeys."
"Really Vaughn? ‘Honeys’? You're so lame." Taylor speaks from behind us. I look over my shoulder as she walks further into the garage, wearing something completely different from ten minutes ago.
"What are you worried about? Wes' so whipped, he won't even notice them."
"Oh, I know that," she stops next to me crossing her arms, "I'm just worried about you, Vaughn,” Tracy is a succubus. She sinks her teeth into different guys, then tosses them out; it’s her thrill, “I heard she’s not always...safe.”
I look back at Vaughn, and he just laughs, "That's what condoms are for."
"That's nasty, Vaughn!" Veronica yells from behind us, and my head whips in her direction. Her hair is in a braid that hangs over her shoulder laying right atop her chest, so of course, that's where my eyes land. Her black top is ripped all over the place, showing some of her stomach and hangs off her other shoulder. Her jeans look like they mold to her skin. My eyes are glued to her as she walks to Taylor. I quickly glance at her ass. Oh yes...
Vaughn’s distinguishing laugh grows louder, causing me to tear my eyes away from V. He’s hunched over hands on his knees, trying to get his breathing under control. Vin joins us, looking around at everyone, his eyes on Vaughn, "What's so funny?"
"Vaughn's VD," Veronica says flatly, her hands upon her hips, displaying her attitude.
"Ew, dude, you get your shit checked?"
He stands up straight, , "I don't have any diseases, shut up V."
Vance and Wes join us. Wes comes up behind Taylor, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"You gonna run tonight?" Wes looks at me.
"Yeah, probably just a few. I wanna get a running time before I do any mods."
We all stand around just joking and talking in the Russo's garage. It feels like I haven't missed a thing.
"Hey Tay, you gonna try and run one?" Vaughn asks, trying to keep a straight face. She sticks her tongue out at him, and everyone starts laughing. I look around lost. Vaughn fills me in, "Tay wanted to give it a try.”
"Shut up Vaughn!" Taylor starts to move towards him, but Wes holds her back.
"So, Wes let her try before he put in the new clutch.” Vaughn continues trying to contain his laughter, “She got up to the line but went over and had to back up but when the light hit green she went backward." Everyone laughs, even Veronica, Taylor smacks her in the arm and huffs, "It's not that funny." She looks at me, "I forgot to put it back into first. I was nervous!"
"We know baby," Wes says kissing atop her head, rubbing his hands down her arms.
"It was fucking hilarious!"
I smile because it is pretty funny, I’m sad I missed it.
&n
bsp; "Vaughn, you have no room to talk," Veronica interjects, "your little Jetta can't keep up with anything. You let a stock GSX beat you." Multiple ‘ohh's’ went around the garage.
"Burrrnnn," Vance yells.
"Okay V, you're on!" Vaughn points at Veronica. "I bet my GTI will wreck your RSX."
Everyone looks to Veronica for a response, she walks over to him with her hand out, "Sure thing, ‘VD’!"
“Oh, shit,” Vin mumbles as we all watch them shake hands. My thoughts exactly, but I can't wait to watch Veronica race. The thought alone turns me on.
Six Fifteen
"Your ass is grass, little sister."
I smile sweetly, "Your ass must get jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth.” The laughter around us erupts to a roar, and Vaughn glares at me. Good ol' sibling rivalry. A clap sounds behind us. "Let's roll!" Vin yells.
"I'm gonna tell Ma we're leaving." I run into the house. "Ma!" I yell and walk into the living room where both my parents are. My mom is knitting, and dad is in his recliner passed out with the paper on his chest. She looks up as I enter. "Why you yellin'?"
"Sorry, I didn't think he'd be asleep. We're leaving." I walk over to her and kiss her on the cheek. "Be careful baby girl. I love you," Her voice is soft.
"I will, promise. I love you too." I run back out into the garage and grab my helmet off the shelf. Taylor is jogging away from Wes' car and she climbs into the passenger seat of my car as I get into the driver’s seat. One by one, the guys are starting up their cars. The combining sounds of each car's exhaust are deafening. I love it! Goosebumps spread across my skin. I startup my car; my exhaust adds to the loudness. No doubt Dad is awake now. The guys are turning around in the driveway, and I put my car in reverse as Tay puts on some music. I roll down my windows to let the cool nights weather in.
It takes a good thirty minutes to get down to the track. Pulling off the freeway when we reach the first light, I downshift and roll up behind Chase's car. Just the thought of Chase makes me smile. I'm jolted out of my little reverie when Taylor's loud off-pitch singing scares me. I burst out laughing and glance over at her. She looks awfully comfortable with her legs tucked up and aside of her on the seat. Her shoes, which she removed two minutes into the drive, are on the floor. The red light illuminates her face as she tosses her head back and forth continuing to sing…loudly…horribly...and she could care less.