Your way to the top

chapter eight

We just arrived in Saudi Arabia. It's a tuesday morning. Val has been very excited to see Charlie and uncle Lando again. She's been speaking about nothing else the past two weeks. 
I quickly change into some other clothes and then change Vals too before we leave for the paddock. We get inside our car and then drive there. Val even has her own seat in this one. We listen to Taylor Swift on our way ther fully blasting it. I take a look at my phone after I parked and realize that I'm going to be late for my interview if I'm not going to hurry up now. I take my bag and then get Val from the backseat and we walk in there. Everyone greets me and Val. She waves at all of them to as the sweet little girl she is. I see Charles in the ferrari garage and he sprints over to us.
"Hey Val", he shouts and picks her up. She excitedly laughs and gives him a hug.
We both greet eachother too and hug eachother.
"I'm sorry. I have an interview and I'm already late I-"
"Do you need me to watch her?", he says and laughs.
"You're the best", I say and give him a kiss on the cheek. He seems a little surprised but I'm in a rush and have no time to blush. I give one to Val too and tell her to behave before I leave. I arrive in the redbull garage just in time for the interview. 
It's the same as the last few. She asks me questions about racing and such things and I answer them. She then asks me: "We saw this picture of you, your daughter and Charles sitting in a restaurant in the airport in Bahrain. Is this a bruised lip and a bruised hand?", she asks and smiles.
"Oh my god it was just a matter of time until someone asks", I say and laugh.
"So it is. What happend? Did you have a fight with someone or what?", she asks jokingly.
"Actually yes", I say and laugh.
"No you did not", she says shocked but I nod still laughing.
"What happend?", she asks still not believing me.
"Well we were out. Uhm in a club Lando chose. And there was this girl dancing with Charles and I just asked him something and she was comletely rude to me and everything. We started arguing because I was not okay with the way she was talking to me. At some point she slapped me across the face. That's why my lip was bleeding and bruised yeah"
"And you're hand?"
"Well I punched her back of course", I say and we both laugh.
"You did not", she says and we both laugh.
"Do not mess with Ava Garcia then", she says and we both laugh even more.
By the time the interview is finished it's already midday. I start walking towards the ferrari garage but stop as I hear this familiar laugh in the mclaren garage. 
"There you are", I say as I walk in smiling at my view. Lando is sitting there with Val on his lap. Next to him are Charles and Carlos.
"How was the interview?", Charles asks me.
"Good. I had to tell her about the fight though"
"Oh shit. What did you say?", Carlos asks.
"I told her what happend. That I asked Charles something and she was rude to me. Also that she hit me first and I then punched her back"
They all slightly nod.
"Are you hungry Val", Lando asks my daughter and she nods.
"Let's get you some food then", he says and smiles. He gives me an asking look and I nod. He walks away with Val while I stay here with Carlos and Charles.
"Are you ready for the race?", Carlos asks me.
"I don't know actually. I'm still very pissed at Max for what he did", I say.
"I would be too if I was you", Carlos says and laughs.
"Charles there you are. We need you for five minutes", a women says and he excuses himself. While he leaves Max walks by and they exchange dirty looks.
"What was that?", I ask Carlos.
"You don't know?", Carlos says giving me a questioning look.
"Know what?"
"After what Max did to you, Charles went up to him and they had a really bad argument. They we're discussioning heavily when I walked up to them. At one point Pierre and I thought they would jump on eachother any second. We had to seperate them"
"You what? Why?"
"Because he was mad at Max for what he did to you. Maybe some agressions from last season came up too. You really didn't know?"
"No I had no clue"
"You know he really likes you", Carlos says and grins a little.
"Carlos. We've only known eachother for three weeks now", I say and feel my face heating up a little.
"And? Who cares? I know you like him too. And Val likes him too. That must be a plus point"
"You're right. It really is a plus point.", I say and laugh. "But as badly as I want, I can't. He's the driver of my biggest rival team. That just can't function"
"Don't be so pessimistic Ava. You have to give it a chance if you really like him"
"But I don't want to rush into anything"
"You don't have to. Take your time. He's not going to walk away"
"I hope so", I say and we both laugh a litte.
"What are you two laughing about?", Charles asks as he walks back into the garage.
"Oh nothing", Carlos says and winks at me what causes me to laugh a little.
"I'm hungry too. We should go eat something too", Carlos says and we all agree. We decide to meet up later again before we part. I walk into the redbull garage and go to the buffet. 
"Hey Ava", Max says as he stands next to me.
"Hey Max", I say still looking at the food in front of me.
"I'm sorry", he says and I turn my head. I smile and slightly hug him.
"It's okay. I'm not mad", I say and smile.
"Are we besties again now?", he asks and I laugh.
"Yeah but don't tell Lando that I agreed", and he laughs too.
We sit down together and spend lunch together.
"So you really beat up a girl?", he asks with his mouth full of food.
"How do you know?"
"Lando told me"
"Obviously", I say slightly annoyed by Lando. He just can't keep anything to himself.
"What did she do?"
"She was rude to me and slapped me first so I punched her in the face"
"Why was she rude?", he asks.
"I aksed Charles something and she was dancing with him"
"What did you ask him then that offended her that bad?"
"I asked him if he wanted to dance with me", I say silently.
He looks at me questioningly before his face brightens and his eyes light up. A smile forms on his face and he says: "Oh my god you were jealous"
"No I was not", I quickly say.
"Yes you were. You're a terrible liar miss Garcia"
"Okay, okay. Maybe a little bit", I say and slightly blush.
"That's so sweet", he says and grins from ear to ear. "So you like Charles. Interesting"
"I do a little bit. Please don't tell anyone though"
"I won't tell a soul", he says and I laugh. Max can be really sweet if he wants to. Sometimes he even acts like a little child. It's adorable.
We finish our lunch before we're off to work again. I go and get Val from Lando since he probably has work to do too. I take her hand and we walk around the paddock a little. 
"Ava", I hear someone shout behind me. I turn around to see Lewis behind me with George. They come over and say hello to us.
"Hello Val", Lewis says and gets down on her height.
"Hello Lewis", she says shily.
"She knows my name", he says exictedly.
"Of course she does. Val say hello to George too"
"Hello George", she says.
"Hello Kiddo", he responds. 
We all talk for a few minutes before they head off again. Val gets very tired up to the point that I pick her up and we walk back. It doesn't even take her ten seconds until she's asleep in my arms.
I walk back to the redbull garage and take her to my driver room. I lay her down and then close the door. Camille comes up to me and she tells me that we have to talk about some things. We both go to her office and talk. She is a really nice girl but when it comes to work she can be a little bitchy sometimes. I don't mind though. I mean it's her job and if she doesn't do it properly she gets fired. We talk about some events and interviews. We forget about the time and before we notice, three hours have already passed. 
"Shit. Val is sleeping in the driver room", I say and get up.
"Oh my god", Camille says. I get up and run towards my room. As I open the door I see that she's not in there anymore. 
"Isn't she in your room", Camille asks.
"No she's not", I say and start walking around searching for her. I ask some of the staff if they've seen her but they all say no. I walk around the paddock until I hear this familiar laugh. I look to my left and see Val with Charles. 
"Oh my god. There you are", I say and walk up to them and let out a breath of relief. 
I start crying because of how scared I was.
"Yeah I found her wandering around here. I-, wait are you crying?", he asks as he sees my tears.
"I was so scared for a second", I say and wipe the tears. He takes me in for a hug.
"Why are you crying mommy?", Val asks.
"Because you just walked away. I thought I told you to not walk around here on your own"
"Lo siento", she says and looks at the ground.
"It's okay. Don't do it again okay?".
She nods and I hug her tight.
"Wanna go out for dinner tonight?", I ask Charles.
"Yeah sure. Do you want me to ask the guys too?"
"Of course. They're our friends"
He nods and writes a message into the groupchat. We all have a chat together. Not everyone is in it but the friendgroup is. Lando, Charles, Carlos, Pierre, George, Alex, Max and Yuki. Since we hang a lot together it's pretty practical like that. They all answer with a yes and we decide on a restaurant together. 
The rest of the time flies by pretty fast. Max and I are about to leave when we get a message from Christian, that he wants to meet us. We both look at eachother and shrug our shoulders. I quickly call Lando and he comes and gets Val. 
"How long will it take?", he asks.
"I have no clue", I say and we rush to his office.
Christian is a little angry with us because of the scandal last week.
"You both can not give such interviews. It's unbelieveable.", he says in a loud voice.
"We're sorry", Max says and Christian looks at me.
"And what did you think of hitting that girl in a bar? Everybody's talking about it. It's really bad press for us."
"I'm sorry but she hit me first. Have you seen the bruises I had. I was definitely not in the wrong here", I say and he looks at me and takes a deep breath.
"I'm not mad Ava. Okay? Just try to avoid such things in further future okay? You're new in the buisiness so you have to be extra carefull.", he says and I look him dead in the eye. 
"I know and I won't cause any problems anymore"
"Good. Max you can go. I need five minutes with Ava alone", Christian says and Max leaves. He closes the door behind him and Christian looks at me.
"Ava. You don't have to prove anything to anyone of us. We know how tough you are alright? You are a really good driver. Don't waste your talent with such news. You're a woman I know. And I know it's not easy. But here at redbull we completely respect you alright?", he says and I chuckle.
"Or doesn't everyone?", he askes and I laugh again.
"Please Christian. We both know not everyone respects me in this sport. I get rude comments everyday and some crewmembers still look at me as if I don't belong here. A lot of people here don't respect me"
"I didn't know. Tell me their names Ava", he says and grabs a pencil and a paper.
"No Christian. I won't tell you names. I won't snatch on someone just because they don't believe in me."
"That's very polite of you in this situation. Are you sure?"
"I am totally sure"
"Okay. We're finished then. Just one thing before you leave. You can always tell me if you have problems with the stuff or something. You know that right?"
"Of course I do. I wish you a great evening Christian", I say and smile at him before I leave the office. I see Max waiting outside.
"Is everything okay?", he asks me.
"Yeah sure. Let's leave", I say and start walking towards his car.
"Do you want to tell me what happend?", he asks.
"Nothing. Okay?", I snap at him a little.
"I'm sorry", he says a little surprised by my reaction. We sit in his car and he starts driving. 
"I'm sorry Max. I shouldn't have reacted that way. It just bothers me a lot.", I say and look at him.
"Don't worry. What happend then?", he asks.
"Christian thinks I have this urge to prove to everyone, that I'm worthy of formula one. He thought everyone respects me in our team but that's complete bullshit."
"What? They don't? Who doesn't then?"
"I'm not going to tell you Max. I don't want to snitch on anyone. I will prove them myself that I belong here don't worry"
"Just don't overdo it Ava alright?"
"Don't worry. I won't", I say and look out of the window again. Since we're late for dinner we decided to go to the restaurant directly. We get out of the car and walk inside. They are all sitting at a long table in the back. 
"Hey. How was the talk with Christian?", Pierre asks.
"It was good.", I say shortly before I greet my daughter who's sitting on Landos lap. I give her a kiss on her head and then sit down next to them.
"What did he have to say?", Lando asks.
"Just that we shouldn't make that much negative press and such things", Max says. "He even said something about the punch that she gave that girl in the club"
"Shit. What did he say?", Carlos asks.
"That my need to prove myself to the team and to the sport is unnecessary since everyone respects me.", I say and chuckle.
"Don't they?", Alex asks.
"That's bullshit. Of course they don't. I am a woman driving in a fancy car worth millions of dollars. They don't trust me. I get these fucking annoying comments all day and I'm so tired of it.", I say almost shouting the last few words. They all look at me surprised of my reaction. 
"I'm sorry Alex. I didn't mean to shout", I say and get up and rush to the toilet. I lock the door behind me and sit down on the toiletlid. A few tears escape my eyes. It's hard to be a woman and not accepted by so much people all the time. They don't believe in you. They simply don't.
"Hey, Ava? Please let me in", I hear Charles saying trough the door.
"Please go away. I'm okay. I'll be there in a few minutes", I say trying to wipe my tears away.
"Nope I'm staying. Come out and talk to me about it. Come on", he says and I pause for a second before I open the door, revealing my smeared make up and tears.
"Come here", he says and pulls me in for a hug. "Don't cry. It's okay"
I sob a few seconds before I calm down and look at him a little embarrassed.
"Don't be embarrassed okay? I'm here for you. Do you want to talk about it now or would you rather talk about it later?"
"Later"
"Okay then", he says and smiles at me. He wipes the tears of my face and then cleans my face with his shirt.
"Better?", he asks and I nod. He puts his arm around me and we walk back. Before I walk to my seat he pulls me close once again and I close my eyes. I relax a little with his touch before I open my eyes and sit down again. The boys are all talking about something different. 
"Everything okay?", Lando asks me quiet, so that the others won't hear it.
"Yes", I say and let my head fall onto his shoulder.
Val starts talking to me about something and I take her onto my lap. She talks and talks and talks without any breaks about what lando did with her today and everything. At some point I see Charles glancing over at us with a smile. I smile back at him and then focus on my daughter again.
"What? You sat in uncle Landos car?", I ask her.
"Yes", she says proudly and I cuddle her for a second. 
We all order some food and spend the rest of the night laughing and talking to eachother about random things. When it's time to leave, Charles asks me if we want a ride back.
"Can I spend the night with uncle Lando?", Val asks me.
"Well what did he say?", I ask him.
"It was his idea", she says and he laughs.
"Your idea?", I ask him.
"Yeah. So you have more time for yourself", he says and looks at Charles. Charles chuckles akwardly and looks at the ground.
I laugh and shake my head.
"Of course you can. But you need your things", I say.
"Alright, then we can come to yours first and then we go back to my room", Lando says and looks at Val who's just nodding.
"Sounds like a plan", I say and smile.
She wants to ride with Lando, so she gets inside his car. As I am getting in the front seat she says: "No mommy, you need to drive with Charles"
I give her a questioning look and she says: "Mommy, he's alone"
I laugh again and get inside Charles' car.
We drive back to the hotel and I pack a bag for Val. Lando and her say goodbye to me before they leave. I let myself fall back down on the bed. I had just closed my eyes when I hear a knock on my door.
"Hey, I thought we have something to talk about?", Charles asks with a smile.
"Sure. Come in", I say and open the door further for him to get inside.
He walks in and sits on my bed.
"So tell me about everything", he says and looks at me.
"Where should I start?"
"Anywhere you want. I'll listen", he says and I start telling him about everything. About my first workday where everyone looked at me weirdly. My first workday where they told me I don't belong here and that this would be my first and only season in formula one. That it was my fault that Max crashed into me last race because I couldn't drive. I tell him all of it. At the end he's kind of shocked.
"Wow, I didn't know it was that bad. Why didn't you tell Christian?"
"I don't want them to loose their job or anything like that."
"But they're so mean to you. These comments are so harsh"
"I know but I'm not that kind of person", I say and silence floods the room.
"You're too nice Ava. But I like that about you", he says and chuckles.
"Yeah. I like that you're always nice to everyone no matter how they treat you. You have a good heart you know", he says and looks up now. His smile and his eyes. I get lost in them for a second.
"You think?", I ask and blush a little.
"Of course I do. Val has a good heart too. You're an incredible mom"
"Thank you", I say and smile at him.
He both just sit there for a second and smile at eachother. 
"Do you want to go out with me?", he suddenly asks.
"What?", I respond not really sure if I heard him correctly.
"Do you want to go on a date with me?", he asks shily.
"But-", I say but he stops me. "Please just one date. If you don't like it, we won't do it again.", he says and looks at me hopefull. 
"Charles I don't know. You're one of my rivals"
"So you don't like me the same way I like you", he asks now slightly smirking.
"Of course I do", I say and chuckle.
"So where's the problem?", he says and comes closer.
"I-", I start but stop as he touches my hand with his.
"Just one date. I'll stop bothering you after that"
We have intense eyecontact for a second before I say: "Okay. But just one date"
He bites his lip and says: "I knew you couldn't say no to this oppertunity"
"Oh please. Don't let it get to your head Leclerc"
"Leclerc? Ouch", he says sarcastically.
We have intese eyecontact once again. The tension between us could be cut with a knife.
"I'll see you tomorrow then", he says and gives me one of his soft smiles again.
"See you tomorrow", I say and smile. He slowly gets up and walks to the door. He opens it and looks back once again and chuckles before he walks out and closes it again. My body relaxes again. I didn't even realize how tense it was.
This night I fall asleep thinking about Charles Leclerc. Who would've thought?