The Race Begins

Alvin dismissed the two big-shot racers from Hell's Kitchen. After looking around, he realized that of the more than forty drivers present, only those two seemed to have sponsors.

The rest were either dressed casually or dressed like knockoff Schumachers. No matter how you looked at it, they were amateurs.

That meant the shrewd gang bosses had their eyes on Dominic and Brian more than anyone else.

After thinking it over, Alvin stood up and walked over to a betting booth. He pulled out two hundred-dollar bills and handed them over, saying furtively, "I'll bet on Dominic and Brian, a hundred on each..."

The young woman taking bets looked uncertainly at the two bills in Alvin's hand. "Principal Alvin, um... you won't make any money betting like that!

"Dominic Toretto's odds are 1:1.8, and Brian O'Conner's are 1:1.95. Betting on them separately like this won't earn you anything!"

Alvin glanced at the odds sheet on the table and sighed at how rotten these gambling outfits were.

But he'd already handed over the money, and he felt too awkward to take it back. He pointed to Fox's odds, which had probably just been handwritten onto the sheet, and said with a smile, "I misspoke. Actually, I want to bet on my fiancée to win. 1:8—that's a great payout..."

The young woman at the booth smiled sweetly at Alvin, printed out a betting slip with Fox's name on it, and handed it to him. "You're so good to your fiancée, Principal Alvin. Here's your slip. I have a feeling Miss Fox will be today's dark horse.

"She's an idol to all of us girls..."

Alvin held the slip up to look at it, then tapped it with his finger. Smiling at the young Latina taking bets, he asked, "What do you admire