Racing | C.L (English)

3

.·:*¨༺ REAL LIFE ༻¨*:·.

Race day.

Race day was Alice's favorite day of the racing weekend. After getting ready, she walked out of the hotel where she found Max standing next to his car. This time, she walked to his car without saying a word and got in. Max looked at her confused before getting into the car and driving to the paddock. It wasn't a long journey, and when they got there, she once again grabbed his hand, and they started walking inside.

An interviewer asked Max, "What do you think today's results will be?" but Alice decided to answer for him.

"P1," she answered before turning to look at Max, who was already looking at her with a confused look. She ignored it and continued walking to the garage.

"What's up with the good mood?" he asked once they were alone.

"I just love racing days," she said before letting go of his hand and walking to her place. Max and Checo went for the presentation of the drivers while the engineers made the final touches to the cars.

Some hours later, both drivers were talking to Alice's dad, and she approached them.

"Max, you start second. Just focus on passing Leclerc..."

"Leclerc is faster in the curves than you. That's why he won time in the practice, but you are faster in the straight parts. Take that into account. If you pass him, your defense is better than his. You could win," Alice interrupted her dad, and Max nodded his head. "And Checo, you are fourth. You'll have to pass Sainz. He is a great driver, both of the Ferrari drivers are, but you two are better than them. Just focus and see where they fail and use that to your advantage." She continued talking, and once she was done, she walked away without saying another word.

She sat down while both drivers put their helmets on and the cars were already on track, ready to start. She put her headphones on and looked at the screen anxiously. The race started. Everything looked good. Both Red Bull drivers were in the fourth and first positions. Even if they couldn't pass the Ferrari drivers, they could make points.

In lap 2, Leclerc had eight-tenths on Verstappen, and Checo had a bad start. In lap 3, there was an accident between Schumacher and Magnussen. It was bad, but it helped Checo win his position back. The laps continued, and Verstappen was still behind Leclerc. They kept telling Max that he should continue the way he had been so far. Maybe he was second, but there was still a chance. At lap 12, everything changed. Max started complaining about the tires, so on lap 15, Sainz and Max both stopped. This was good. There was still a chance.

"Okay, Max, we still have one lap to go before we have issues with the brakes again," someone from the team said. He tried to cool the brakes. Some laps later, "Max, steering update. We are staying out. I don't believe it is a reliability concern," they said again.

On lap 55, Verstappen entered the pits, and the race was over for him. Alice knew she should go and see him, but Perez was now third, so she needed to keep an eye on the race. On lap 56, "I'm losing power," Checo said, and everything was messed up. With just one lap to go, both Red Bull drivers left the race.

As Checo arrived at the pits, Alice stood from her place and looked up for Max. When she found him, he was on the floor next to the tires looking at the ground. She sat down next to him without saying anything, knowing that Max wouldn't talk, but she stayed there in case he needed her.

Minutes passed, and then Max spoke for the first time. "I don't want to talk about it," he said without looking at her. Alice nodded her head, got up from the floor, and walked away. Wanting to see the podium, she grabbed a bag under her table and walked to the bathroom. There, she changed out of her Red Bull uniform into normal clothes. Once fully dressed, she walked out of the garage, making sure no one saw her. Even though it was a bad day for Red Bull, she wanted to see the podium.

She walked through the crowds, but she still couldn't see anything until she did. Finally, she could see Charles standing at the podium with a big smile while the Monégasque anthem played in the background. He looked so happy up there that Alice forgot about the terrible day she was having, and she was happy for him.

When everything was over, she walked to the backside of the podium where she knew she could find Charles. In fact, she did find him there, talking to Carlos. Once she approached, they both stopped talking, Carlos smiled at her before walking away, and Charles turned to face her.

He nodded in understanding, "I see. It's not easy when family gets involved."

"No, it's not," she sighed. "And to make matters worse, people think Max and I are dating when we're not. My dad asks me to be seen with him in public, but we're just friends. In fact, I hate pretending. I just want people to know that I'm not with him."

He looked at her curiously, "Why don't you just tell them the truth?"

"I've tried, but they don't listen to me. It's frustrating," she admitted. "Anyway, I shouldn't be saying this to you. Go and celebrate your victory. You deserve it," she said, smiling at him.

He let go of her hand, "Thank you. But before you go, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Are you okay? I mean, with everything that's going on," he asked, concern etched on his face.

She paused for a moment, surprised by his question. "I'll be okay. I just need some time to myself," she said, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for asking, though."

"Anytime," he said, returning her smile.

But this time, Alice stood still as Charles approached her. However, her phone interrupted their conversation, and an audio message from Max popped up on the screen. "Where the hell are you? Your dad is looking for you," he said. Another message followed, "I found a bag with your clothes. Did you leave?"

Alice took a deep breath before calling him back. After hearing Max's voice on the other end, she spoke firmly. "No, I just needed some fresh air. I'll be there. And don't ever talk to me like that again. You hear me? Just because you're angry doesn't give you the right to treat me like that," she said, letting go of everything she was feeling. Without waiting for a response, she hung up and turned back to Charles. "Sorry about that," she said, giving him a sad smile.

"Bye, Alice," he said, not mentioning what just happened. She gave him one last look before walking away. Once she arrived at the garage, her dad and Max were waiting for her.

"Where were you?" her dad asked.

"Just walking," she lied, continuing to walk towards Max and grabbing her bag out of his hand. "Are we leaving?" she asked him. He nodded, and they headed towards the exit. When they got to the car, he turned to look at her.

"What were you doing on the podium?" he asked. "You can't be seen there."

"I wasn't there," Alice replied.

"I followed you," he admitted.

"You what? What the hell is wrong with you?" Alice exclaimed.

"I thought you were leaving, so I followed you since I drove you here. Then I found out you went to see the podium."

"I thought you and Charles were friends," she said.

"We are, but while racing, we are rivals. If we lose, you lose too. You can't go and watch the podium when both Red Bull drivers didn't finish the race."

"Can you just start driving?" Alice asked, looking out the window for the rest of the ride. She was so angry at Max that she couldn't even look at him.