Battle Scars // Esteban Ocon

8

Summer break was officially over and the season was getting back underway. The ever famous Belgian Grand Prix was just three days away. Today was Thursday, media day, and the paddock was buzzing with photographers and journalists hoping to see and snap the drivers.

Abi arrived in the motorhome and found her performance coach, Lorelai, sitting at a table across from Dan. She went to approach them before she saw Esteban take a seat next to his performance coach.

"Hey Abi." Lorelai waved in the the brown haired girl's direction before she quickly moved on towards her driver's room. "What was that about?"

"No idea. She's acting weird. Do you know what's wrong with her?" Dan wondered turning to look at Esteban.

"Why would I know?" Esteban said shaking his head in reply before returning to eating his lunch.

"Okay. I was just asking. You are friends after all." Dan replied.

"I don't know anything. Alright?" Esteban spoke before standing up and walking about the hospitality building door.

"What just happened?" Lorelai asked causing Dan to shrug his shoulders. Both of their drivers were acting very off and it was only Thursday.

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Abigail laid in her driver's room. It was the only place she knew she wouldn't run into anyone she didn't want to see. She was waiting there until it was time for her press conference where she was paired with Yuki this weekend.

She laid on her massage bed with her hands behind her head as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

The Brit let out a long sigh as her mind began to wander back to the last three weeks of her summer break. She ran her hands down her face in frustration.

After laying there for another few minutes her alarm went off telling her she had to get ready to head to her press conference now.

She sat up on the edge of her bed and grabbed her shoes from the floor before putting them on. She stood up and left the safety of her room to head to her interview.

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Esteban was standing in the paddock with Lance and they waited on Mick to finish his press conference. The three boys had a couple more interviews before they would be excused for the rest of the day so they could have dinner later and catch up.

Mick arrived a few minutes later as Lance and Esteban talked about their predictions for the weekend ahead.

"Hey. What you guys talking about?" Mick wondered as he approached his two friends.

Esteban turned to answer him when he noticed a familiar brown haired girl walking into the press conference building followed by Lorelai, her press officer.

"Hello? Earth to Esteban?" Lance said waving his hand in front of the Frenchman's Dave eventually catching his attention.

"Yeh?" He asked turning his attention away from Abi who had just disappeared inside.

"You were staring at her." Lance told him.

"Was not." Esteban snapped back.

"Woah. Down boy." Mick tapped his shoulder causing Lance to laugh. "Don't be so defensive."

"I'm not." Esteban shook his head in reply.

"Whatever." Lance replied. "Now let's go. The sooner we get the interviews over with the sooner we can go and have dinner."

The three boys walked away from the press conference building and further into the paddock towards the media pen for their interviews.

Esteban took one last glanced back at the building before joining in on the conversation that was happening next to him.

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The day eventually ended and Abi was never so happy to leave the paddock in her life. She grabbed her stuff before heading for the swipe gates.

Her hotel was located a few minutes away from the track where all of the drivers and teams where staying for the next few days.

To avoid running into anyone, Abi decided the best option was to have a room service dinner in her hotel room.

She took a quick shower before getting changed into her pyjamas. She ordered her food before laying down in bed and giving her mother a call.

"Hello?" Her mother's voice came through the phone.

"Hey mum." Abi replied with a smile. It was nice to talk to her family when she was away. It made her feel at home even when she was half way around the world.

"How's Belgium?" The older woman wondered.

"Yeh great so far. Hoping to put some good times on the board tomorrow." Abi spoke she rested her head on the pillow.

"That's great Abs." She would practically hear her mother smiling through the phone. "So how's Esteban feeling after the big win?"

"Why would I know?" Abi asked sitting up on the bed.

"Well because he's your friend and your teammate." Her mother said simply.

"Oh right yeh." The brown haired girl replied laying back down as she ran a hand though her hair.

"Are you alright, love? You seem a bit jumpy." The older Wilson woman commented.

"Yeh I'm fine. Just a bit nervous for the weekend that's all." Abi lied hoping her mother would believe here.

"Alright love." She replied before the sound of a knock came on Abi's hotel room door.

"There's my food mum. I'll talk to you over the weekend. Love you, bye." Abi spoke as she stood up.

"Bye. Love you too Abs." Her mother said before Abi hung up the phone and threw it on the bed before going to collect her food from the server at her door.

She took the tray into her room and placed it on the bed. Her phone screen was still lit up on the bed. She grabbed it and scrolled through her contacts until her finger came to his name.

Her finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before she locked the phone and threw it across her bed with a sigh. She left it there before turning in the tv and digging in her chicken and pasta dish in the comfort of her hotel bed.

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