Chapter 9 - It's My Choice, Part 2

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"I was against them doing it. But of course he didn't listen, although now he wishes had." Mia rubbed Nelly's arm. "You see - he's not exactly proud of it, but at the time we needed money and there isn't a place out there for Dom... I mean he could work as an engineer, I suppose, but you can't live on that." Mia shook her head. "I'm not trying to justify what he did... I'm just trying to explain..." She seemed to be running out of words. Nelly didn't know what to think. He was a criminal, in any possible definition. She didn't know why it tore her down like that, but she just sat slumped on her chair, not wanting to move. She understood his reasons, but weren't those the reasons every thief brought to his defence? A shudder was running down her back, she couldn't be involved in a crime, a real crime, no way. She'd ruin everything; her future; her career, which hadn't even started yet. But why was she so disappointed? Nelly's sight started to get blurry and she blinked several times. She nodded slowly. "I see... I understand. I just... you know, I didn't expect it. I guess I've grown up too far away from your reality..." Nelly felt really stupid and naive all of a sudden.

"What's going on here?" Dom was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed. Nelly could tell from Mia's expression that she hadn't heard him entering the house, either. She didn't seem to know what to say. "It's Brian. He's been lying in wait for Nelly at university." - Fury took over Dom's face immediately. - "We don't quite know what he wanted, perhaps it was a warning. I told Nelly everything - everything she hadn't known yet." Mia avoided Dom's glance. She smiled weakly at Nelly. "Now you're completely filled in, I promise. No more surprises." - Nelly nodded and smiled back, but it wasn't really any comfort.

The next morning, two police officers came to search the house for Dom. He wasn't there, though, and he had taken his car to a garage owned by one of his friends, too. The bag with his things was also in there, neatly zipped and ready for departure. Nelly was sure soon she'd be seeing him for the last time - this even spoiled her anticipation of her stay with Betty. Since she was leaving on the very day of the police search, Nelly feared he wouldn't even be here to say good-bye. It was a weird feeling and she felt her stomach clench. But she need not have worried, for just when she was loading up her little VW, Dom came walking round the corner. She suppressed a smile when seeing him without his car: it was just so unusual a sight, but then he'd probably deemed it safer to leave the car at the garage over night. Dom came to a halt next to Nelly's car and jerked his head towards her loaded trunk. "You leaving?" - "Yes, for a week." Nelly took a deep breath. "Will you be gone by then?" - He looked at her for a few seconds, as if analysing her face. Then he grinned. "I ain't leaving." - "You aren't?" Nelly stuttered - it was ridiculous how relieved she felt. "But you've got your bag in your car and it's all packed..." - "Yeah, but I've left some stuff in the house, too, in an old carton box in the basement. I suppose the officers thought they were things I'd left when leaving last time." - "So you already know? That they've searched the house?" - He nodded. "It was bound to happen, one day. The old game of hide-and-seek." - Nelly tried to convince herself he'd mostly been hiding because of racing and not any other crime. - "Well, then I suppose I see you then," Nelly said with a half-smile, stepping closer, but stopping herself again instantly. Hug, no hug? She didn't know. What did she usually do with friends? - She couldn't remember.

What could've been an awkward moment was saved by Dom when he simply stepped forward and pulled her into a light hug. It was one of those friendship-hugs of course where one arm goes up, the other down, but it seemed as if the skin on one side of Nelly's waist had suddenly become over-sensitive: from where Dom's hand touched her, she could feel shivers spreading all over her body. He stepped back. "Have a good time." - Nelly just smiled and nodded, her insides were a huge turmoil. She sighed and got into her car. It wouldn't be fair on Betty to just back out. No, she was definitely going - even though it felt terribly wrong.

Betty placed a cup of coffee in front of her sister. It was the third day of her stay, but she'd only started opening up this afternoon - Nelly had needed time to think it over on her own for a few days before she felt she could put it in understandable sentences. - "So he's a street racer," Betty began, recapitulating what she'd just been told. "And it wasn't a mere house-party but a - sort of - 'after-race-party'." She took a zip of coffee. "And he's a criminal?" - Nelly nodded, not daring to meet her sister's eyes for fear of seeing disapproval. She sighed. "Well, he's a thief. You know that gang of black cars who kidnapped trucks and stole their cargo last year?" - Betty nodded while drinking from her own cup. - "That was them." - "Really?!" she whistled through her teeth. "That was a big scoop. Might easily have killed all of them." She frowned. "Didn't one actually die?" - "No, Vince got hurt but he survived: the undercover-cop got him an ambulance." - "And that cop is 'Brian' and you met him at uni?" - "Sort of, I suppose he was waiting for me. I don't know why - perhaps it was supposed to be a warning because the next day, the house got searched." Nelly threw her hands in the air. "But then at the same time, he said he'd have to arrest Dom when seeing him! I don't know what's wrong with this guy." - "Perhaps he just wanted to help?" Betty suggested. "Back then, when he blew his cover. And he did let Dom go. He might only be trying to help now." - "Yeah. Might be." Nelly sighed. "But, you see - Brian isn't really my main problem at the moment." She hesitated. "You see - I don't think the Torettos or their friends are bad people. Like gangsters you see in movies. They're not like that. Dom's not like it. But high-jacking trucks... that's tough stuff. It's not just... stealing a DVD or something. It's dangerous. And once you start, it'll never stop. They'll always say 'this is the last coup, no more after this one', but they won't stick to it." - Betty put her chin on her hand and leaned her elbow on the table. "If you say so - I wouldn't know, I don't know them." - Nelly shot her a slightly annoyed glance. "I mean, what would you say if I told you I was friends with burglars?" - Betty grinned. "Well, since you are, I'm just saying: as long as you don't get drawn into it, there's no danger to it." She shrugged. "You're grown up now. You know what to do and what not to do. You know stealing will get you and your future into trouble, so don't do it. Not even the police will be able to blame you for what your friends see fit to do." - "But wouldn't it be... unfriendly if I refused to help them?" - Betty sighed, thinking. "I don't think so. Would they expect of you to get involved in their illegal activities?" - "No." Nelly smiled and shook her head. "Dom has succeeded to keep Mia out of it for as long as... well, always." Neither of the two said a word for a while. Then Nelly lifted her chin slowly. "You're right. It's my choice what I do. And as long as I'm not actively breaking the law I'm not ruining my career." Nelly felt a good feeling flood her body and she pushed all the other thoughts away: like what she would be willing to do should there ever be someone more important to her than her future. Someone who'd belong to her future so much it wouldn't be possible without him.


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