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Mina laying down in her bedroom staring up at her ceiling thinking back.

~Flashback~

"Daddy why did mommy leave?" 5yr old Mina asked.

"Because she didn't love us that's why." 9yr old Kevin answered before his father could.

"That's not true Kevin. Your mother just couldn't live this life anymore. She loved you both very much, She just didn't like this life. So we had to let her leave."

"Are you going to leave?" Mina looked up at her father with big emerald green eyes.

"I'm never leaving Mina. I promise you that."

~End of flashback~

"Never huh?" she wiped her tears. It's only been two months since that ugly night her father lost his life. Things have changed and she wasn't sure if she liked the change. Kevin and Mina now had the responsibility to keep their fathers business running and they were now the ones who had to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head. Though the only good thing about living in the same 3 bedroom house since she was born is that the house payment was almost paid off.

"Hey Mina, you coming out of there anytime today?" Alex knocked on her door.

She ignored him and just went back to her thoughts.

~Flashback~

"You think your dad will let us drive his car?" Brian asked Kevin.

"Dad is not going to let you two get behind the wheel of any of his cars." Mina popped the bubble of her 12yr old brother and his best friend.

"Mina go play with some dolls or something." Kevin annoyed with his sister.

Mina sat down next to Brian on the first step of their porch. "I don't own any dolls Kevin."

"You know Mina you're a strange girl." Little Brian laughed.

"And you’re a strange boy." The eight year old Mina stuck her tongue out at Brian.

"Come on Brian let's go help my dad with the car." Kevin and Brian jumped off the porch and went to the garage. Thinking Mina would leave them alone but, like always she just followed them. The three little kids found Mike in the garage working on his 1969 Dodge Charger. "Hey kids what are you up to?"

"Nothing much. Hey dad if we help you work on the Charger will you let Brian and I drive it?" Kevin always ballsy, asked his dad straight out.

Mike just chuckled "Not the Charger no."

"Oh come on Mr. Richardson, we want to know what it's like to drive cars like you."

Mike wiped his greased hands on a towel as he looked at the two boys looking at him with hopeful eyes. "You two really want to know?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, tomorrow I'll show you boys how to drive."

~End of Flashback~

"And that is where we went wrong in this family." She sighed. Mina sat up and looked out the window that faced the backyard and garage. Alex, Howie and Brian were out there with Kevin fixing some barbecue. She giggled at the four boys she loved, out there messing around. She went over to her dresser, stopped and looked at the collection of photos of her family. She picked up her favorite picture of all of them. Kevin, Alex and Brian sitting on the middle step of the porch, Mina and Howie sitting on the last step. Mina sitting in front of Alex who had lean forward to have his face next to hers, Mike standing at the top smiling big and proud. "God we're a beautiful family."

"Hey kid, whatcha doin' in here?" Kevin snuck into her room.

Mina set the picture back on her dresser "Nothing, just thinking." she went back to sit on her bed.

"Well, how about you come downstairs and hang with us?" Kevin nudged his sister playfully.

"Maybe later."

Kevin frowned "Mina, I know how you feel. But, you have to try and keep going. Dad wouldn't want you in your room crying."

"I know Kevin. Can you just leave me alone? Please?"

"Fine." Kevin got up off his sisters bed and walked out of her room.

Mina got up and turned on her stereo system and blasted her Limp Bizket CD, took a seat on her floor and looked through all her photo albums. Bringing floods of memories back.

~Flashback~

"Mina! Mina! Kevin comes home today!" Kristi came storming through the house.

"Ohmygod Kristi, chill." 11yr old Mina laughed at her brothers girlfriend.

"Kevin has been gone for six months. I'm in major withdrawal, I'm not doing any chilling, anytime soon."

"Well, we better get this place ready. He's gonna be here in a few hours and my dad wants this backyard ready for a welcome home party." Mina pulled out a big bag of streamers and paper products.

"This is gonna be a great night." Kristi smiled.

Mina just laughed to herself, Kristi was your typical kick ass girl but when it came to Kevin she was such a girl. She had to admit she thought Kristi was a cool chick, she was the type of girl she wish she could be. Into building, racing cars, tough and at the same time beautiful.

"Hey Mina, Here's the sign!" Brian walked up to the two girls with a big welcome back sign.

"Aw thanks Bri. This is cool." She looked at the sign that Brian made with his art skills.

"I'm just glad the boy is back so I don't have to deal with you two girls alone anymore." Brian cracked

"Oh come on Brian, you know you loved it." Mina laughed.

The backyard was all set for a homecoming. Friends all over, Food being cooked on the grill, music playing, all they needed now was Kevin. The moment they were waiting for finally arrived when Kevin and her father came walking up the drive-way with another boy following.

"KEVIN!!" Kristi ran into his arms, he dropped his duffel bag and embraced her, kissing her like he's been missing her as much as she's been missing him.

"Doesn't he look great?" Her father asked as he stood next to Mina watching Kristi and Kevin

"Yeah." Mina smiled

Kevin let go of Kristi and smiled as he looked at what he came home too "Wow y'all here for me?"

"No, we're here for the free food." Brian laughed before hugging Kevin.

"Yeah, I knew it had nothing to do with me." Kevin laughed. He looked over at Mina and smiled "Hey sis, ya miss me?"

"No, I enjoyed having silence in the house." she lied before hugging her brother.

"I missed you too Mina." Kevin threw his hands up in the air and yelled "Let's Party!!"

Mina just laughed then her smile drifted into a questioning look "Who are you?"

"Oh, damn I forgot. This is Alex we we're in Juvi together, he's gonna be living with us." Justin explained.

"What?" Mina not so thrilled about some new guy living in her house.

"Alex needs a place to stay so he's staying here. You know all your brothers friends are welcome here." Mike added.

"Why don't you go back to your own home?" Mina not dropping the conversation.

"Well aren't you feisty?" Alex smirked.

Mina just gave him a dirty look. "Mina don't be a bitch. AJ kept me sane in that hell hole. And he needs a place to stay, the least I can do is give him that." Kevin informed.

"What's wrong with your home?" She asked Alex.

"I'm not allowed back in it." Alex gave her attitude back.

"Oh."

~End of Flashback~

"God that seems like so long ago." Mina talked to herself remember Alex becoming apart of the family.

She shut the last photo album and decided she ignored everyone long enough. Mina made her way through the house. As she went through the living room she saw the couch had a pillow and blanket thrown on it "Looks like Howie stayed last night." she said to herself as she continued through the house. She walked out the back door and found her family all there hanging out eating barbecue.

"Is there any left for me?"

"You better hurry up AJ's hungry over here." Howie laughed.

"AJ's always hungry." Mina cracked before sitting down next to her brother and Alex. Kevin smiled at her and she just smiled back. They all dug into the good food and talked about cars like always.

"So are you going to race Dondre and Marcus tonight?" Howie asked in the middle of their lunch.

"What?" Mina all of a sudden wanted to cry.

"Yeah, I have too." Kevin answered Howie before looking over at his sister "Mina nothings going to happen to me."

"I can't believe you’re going to race them! How can you even get back behind the fucking wheel?!" she freaked.

"Calm down Mina! I'm not stopping the one thing that makes my life worth something, Racing is what I love, It's what Dad loved! There's no way I'm going to stop."

"You act like that street racing is all you have. All you love. Well what about all of us!? If you loved any of us you won't race Dondre and Marcus tonight. Forget tonight. You won't race ever." She felt a tear fall down her cheek.

"That's not fair Mina, and you know it. I love you and you know that. I'm not going to change because..." Kevin stopped in mid sentence.

"Because Dad's dead." Mina finished for him and walked back into the house slamming the screen door behind her.

Kevin just looked at the others who couldn't bare to make eye contact with him. "I'm going for a drive."

Alex got up and went inside the house to find Mina. He went to her room and knocked lightly "Mina? Can I come in?"

She didn't answer so he just entered, he saw her lying on her bed hiding her face. He could tell she was crying, her back was moving with each sob. He crawled onto the other side of the bed lying his head on the pillow next to her. He placed a hand on her back and she just turned into him and cried into his chest.