Brute

33. Max

"The corners of your eyes lift and they look like they're shut." Max mumbled to himself, giving it a shrug of disgust. He kept thinking about what had crossed his mind when he said it out loud. It had been days since that happened but he still cringed.

He had two hours before they'd start qualifying, the engineers and strategists were going over the feedback he had given. Max hid in his driver room, hoping no one would come knocking to tell him about the promotional content he had to shoot. He felt his phone buzz.

Sulky Kalki: You're not very clever for locking yourself in that tiny room. Come out on your own.

Max: is this a threat?

Sulky Kalki: Make of it what you will 🙃

Max: I have no energy to put on more fake smiles. I CANNOT hold another random product box and fake smile my way into a nice payment.

Sulky Kalki: no this isn't anything to do with marketing or ads. I need advice, it's to do with Kai

Max: what's it about?

Sulky Kalki: it'll be better if I tell you in person, the advice she needs is unexplored territory for me.

Max: where are you?

Sulky Kalki: At the rooftop lounge, it's so nice up here :)

Max: guests? They aren't bothering you?

Sulky Kalki: why would they? I'm nobody

Max: just wanted to remind you that 🙃 stay put I'll be there in five

Max made his way to the rooftop, it was relatively empty. People were starting to show up, but no one approached him seeing the urgency in his strides towards Kalki, they just smiled at him from a distance. She looked up from her laptop, waving at him to come take a seat on the plush chair by her.

"What's up? How can I help out Kai?"

"I know nothing about academies or single seater training..." she sighed, "She's having a hard time getting used to not having her parents around, or familiar coaches. She says the boys at the academy don't talk to her, she feels very alone. Even at training she feels like she's not getting anywhere, there's no progress."

"How long has it been since she started?"

"About a week, at first I told her it'll take time to adjust, her family said that she's usually very okay with change but lately every phone call has been ending in tears or an irritable mood." Kalki explained.

"I'll talk to her later in the evening." He said.

One task at a time, right now Max needed to get into the zone for qualifying. The afternoon was pleasant, Japanese fall was bearable. It wasn't too cold and the track temperature wasn't too hot either. The weather reminded him of warmer days in Hasselt, something he hadn't experienced since living in the forever sunny weather of Monte Carlo.

Qualifying was fruitful, he was able to put a great lap together and secure pole. Charles chased him but couldn't quite get there, and Checo settled for a comfortable P3. As usual, Max found himself discussing the session with Charles as they waited for their interviews.

"Congrats. I'll get you tomorrow." Charles smirked.

"Thanks. You can get me if you can keep up." He said.

For some reason, the title fight with him never got dirty and disrespectful. They weren't the bestest of friends but they didn't hate each other, there was mutual respect between the two of them. Maybe it's because they were the same age and understood each other's mentalities very well.