Letters of Leon

August 13th…. again

I can't believe Vince is here. I can't believe he found me. Yeah I told him I was in New Orleans but I didn't tell him where. I should've known he'd find me though… plus my car is parked in the driveway. There aren't that many 1971 Plymouth Hemi-Cuda's in the world even fewer in New Orleans.

That's what gave me away. The car. I knew I should've pulled it into the garage when I got home but I was just too lazy to do it yesterday. Figures, the one time I decide to get lazy.

Vince is asleep.

I don't know what he was thinking coming here. He didn't even tell anyone. Just got on a plane and showed up on my doorstep. They still don't know where he is.

If I were one of them I'd kick his ass. Hell I'd like to kick his ass right now. He totally ruined today for me.

Oh, who am I kidding. He made my day. I've never been so happy to see someone in my life. Once I got over the initial shock of him being here I swear I hugged him for a good ten minutes, only letting go when he started coughing.

I may be a girl but I've got a hell of a grip. Anyway, he made me get dressed and took me out to eat and I got that Hurricane I wanted so badly. Didn't phase me one bit though. Who'd a thunk… I can hold my liquor.

Man he's nothing but a big teddy bear. He jumped all over me for opening the door without asking who it was or looking out the peep hole. I don't have a peep hole how can I look out? I'm not even going to go into the lecture he gave me on all the weirdos that live here. I grew up here. I know about the freaks.

When we got back from eating we sat in the living room and talked about everything that was going on in the Toretto house. Mia apparently is getting more maternal than any of them can handle. Vince blames her for his being here. He ran away. Dom and Letty are actually getting along pretty well, which is a miracle. Not that they don't love each other but there's a thin line between love and hate and sometimes with those two its hard to tell which side of the line they're on.

He didn't want to talk about Leon. I could tell, I'm not even sure I did but I finally got the nerve to ask.

After a long silence Vince looked up at me, his eyes having lost the sparkle that was there just moments before. "He's in hell Frank. First Jess dies. Now you've left. His world's falling apart on him."

It stung to hear those words come out of Vince's mouth. They weren't harsh, he didn't mean for them to hurt, he was just telling it like it is. Leon's his friend too. He's the one that's sitting there watching the hell that Leon's going through and I've run off like Leon's grief is an inconvenience to my happiness.

Well it is. Damn me and my selfishness but it is. I don't intend to be this way but I've spent nearly my entire life in hell. Watching my mother get abused my step-father then take his shots at me, I never thought I'd be happy.

And then I met Leon and everything changed. Everything in my life that hurt me and jaded me disappeared and I took a chance. I knew there was a possibility I'd get hurt. That's what happens to me, I always get hurt. But it didn't happen.

Not until Jesse.

But the only reason I got hurt was because I let myself get hurt. I took Leon's grief and turned it into my hurt. I took his pain as a weapon against me. That's not what it is. I know that, but I can't face the truth right now until I know Leon can.

I know I'm a horrible person for this, but I can't watch Leon hurt. It hurts me. I can't sit there and watch him be a victim to himself.

Vince watched me for a few minutes then stood and kissed my forehead. Not bothering to ask if he could stay, he knew he could, he grabbed his bag and walked up the stairs. I sat in the living room a long time after he'd gone to bed.

I'm not going to work tomorrow… it's Saturday, luckily they have no need for me. I'm going to spend the day with Vince. I'm not exactly sure what that will entail but I have a feeling it's going to be a long day.

Maybe by the end of the day my pride will falter and I'll pick up the phone…

… cursing my stubbornness…

Frankie

-next-