Racing | C.L (English)

6

.·:*¨༺ NEXT DAY ༻¨*:·.

The sound of her phone woke her up. She didn't even know when she had fallen asleep, but the last thing she remembered was Charles.

"Hello?" she said after picking up the phone.

"Where the fuck are you, Alice? You should be here," her dad almost screamed at her on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, something happened, and I'm still at the hotel, but I'm on my way," she lied, running from the bed to the bathroom.

After ending the call, she changed quickly. While packing everything in her bag, she called to have breakfast brought to her room. She was starving since she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. Once she was done, she rushed to her car and drove to the paddock.

The trip was half an hour. When she arrived, she put on her usual sunglasses and walked by all the reporters without stopping. Without saying anything, she got into the Red Bull garage, where everyone was already working, and continued on to her usual spot.

"Alice," her dad's voice called out to her from his seat. She took a deep breath before getting up and walking towards him.

"Yeah?" she asked once she arrived.

"What the hell is going on with you lately?"

"I already told you," she responded.

"Grow up, Alice. You need to mature. Stop acting like a teenager."

"I'll act like an adult when you start acting like a responsible father," she said. Once those words came out of her mouth, she knew she had messed up. But still, she didn't regret a single thing; she meant it all. Without waiting for an answer, she turned away from him. Her hands were shaking as she walked again to her place, but this time she didn't sit. She grabbed her phone before heading to the exit.

"Alice" - it was a different voice, but not one she wanted to hear. Max had found her.

"What?" she asked, annoyed by his presence.

"The race is starting in an hour, come back," Max said.

"Nobody needs me, Max. I don't do anything, and you know it. You don't need me."

"That's not true, I need you."

"Don't talk to me like that."

"Like what?"

"You know how. You don't need me; you just need my dad."

"Alice, please," he said, walking towards her and softly grabbing her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and stepping away from her. "Just come back."

"I'll be there in a minute. I just needed to get away from him."

"Is it that bad to pretend to date me? You're willing to destroy everything you've worked for just because you hate the idea of dating me?" Max looked vulnerable. She had known him for a long time, and vulnerability wasn't a word she would use to describe him.

"It's not about you. I just hate pretending. I hate being someone I'm not. You're my friend, Max, and this has nothing to do with you." She approached him.

"Friends, right. I should go," Max said before walking away without looking back.

What the hell is going on? She stood there, watching as he walked away. She knew the right thing to do was to follow him, but what should she say? "Are you mad at me because I said we were just friends?" Hell no. He didn't need that, especially not when he was about to race. The team needed to win this. Max needed to win. Alice finally decided that the best thing was to walk away from her dad, Max, and the team in general.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The race is her favorite part of the job, and the adrenaline is what keeps her alive, Alice loves being able to see every race from the Red Bull garage, connected to the radio; it's the best thing that has ever happened to her.

As the race begins, Alice's attention is focused on the first four drivers: Checo, Charles, Carlos, and Max. According to the statistics, Checo is likely to win, starting from the pole position. However, Max is also determined to win, and F1 is a sport where every driver is a rival on the track. Alice had told Charles that winning isn't everything, but she is the kind of person who will do everything to win because winning feels so good.

Perez starts well, while Carlos and Max are now fighting for third place. Max wins, leaving only two more to beat. On lap 16, Checo is called for the pits, but then Latifi crashes, and the safety car is called out. Leclerc takes the lead, followed by Max, Checo, and Carlos. The safety car leaves, and Perez overtakes Carlos. Now the positions are the same, but Carlos is third, and Checo is fourth.

For several laps, the positions remain the same until another incident involving Daniel Ricciardo calls out the safety car on lap 37. On lap 41, Max risks everything by stealing the leadership from Charles, and they keep fighting. At this point, Alice doesn't care who wins, but part of her loves seeing Charles happy on the podium.

Finally, after fighting for some laps, Max wins the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. All the team runs to him, congratulating him. Alice stays behind them, looking at Charles, who tries to be happy but wanted to win. Winning defines him.

Max, Charles, and Carlos talk, and then Alice walks towards Max. She grabs his hand, and he looks at her confused, but she ignores it and pulls him closer for a hug. "You deserve this more than anyone. I knew you were going to win," she whispers next to his ear. When they get apart, Alice's eyes search for Charles, who was still next to them but looking at the floor. "I'll see you guys at the podium," she says, winking at him just like he did some days ago.