Mechanic To Master (An F1 Fanfic) {Under Re-writing}

Mattia and His 'News'

Applause rang around us and Charles began to wave.

Not knowing what else to do, I mimicked him and began to wave as well.

I waved and waved and waved until we reached Mattia and the others.

Mattia smiled at me, and I grinned back.

"Now that everyone's here, let the party begin!" Mattia annouced, loudly.

Then, as if a switch was flicked, everyone turned their attention away from me and Charles and went back to mingling.

I let out the huge breath I was holding.

"That was... Easy."

Charles laughed.

"It'll get easier from now on."

I sighed.

"I seriously hope so."

Charles laughed.

Then, he saw someone in the crowd and excused himself.

And Mattia turned towards me.

"Good evening Kim! You look stunning!"

"Good evening Mattia! You look great as well!"

"Thank you, dear. So, how was the drive? Was everything good?"

I nodded.

"Good, good. I came to tell you that along with the speech, you have to share a dance with Charles today. You two will be the first to dance, to open the dance floor."

I sucked in a harsh breath.

"What? Is there no way I can not do this?"

"No, dear. I'm sorry."

"I... Fine."

"I know this is a big deal, but it's tradition. The drivers always open the dance floor. And since you and Charles are teammates this year, it's best if you two do it."

I sighed, quietly. I seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"Okay, Mattia. Does Charles know?"

Mattia frowned.

"Oh, I forgot to tell him. Could you?"

I smiled.

"Sure."

Mattia smiled again.

"Thank you so much, Kim!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

Not sure what to do, I just stood where I was, scanning the crowds for any familiar faces.

For a whole minute, I searched until I just gave up.

Grabbing a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter, I strolled around searching for Charles.

Well, I didn't find him.

Instead, I found the Redbull driver, Max Verstappen.

I say, 'found' but actually I just sort of banged into him.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Max turned.

"Oh no, that's okay. Are you alright?"

I smiled.

"Yes, thank you. I'm still sorry for banging into you, though. I wasn't paying attention."

Max smiled back.

"Let's put that behind us. Why don't we introduce ourselves? I'll start."

He cleared his throat.

"Hi, there! My name is Max Verstappen. I drive for Redbull."

He offered me his hand.

I grinned, accepting his hand.

"Hi, Max! My name is Kim Imani. I'll be driving for Ferrari."

"See? I was right, wasn't I? Now, as far as I'm concerned, we met by introduction. Also, your dress is..."

He 'chef's kissed'.

"You look very beautiful in it!"

I blushed for the umpteenth time that night, I blushed

"You know, I have to agree with him!"

I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Lewis!"

I froze.

Turning around, really really slowly I was met with the face of none other than, Lewis Hamilton.

"Hey, Lewis!" I greeted with a weak smile on my face.

A flash of recognition bolted across Lewis' face and his eyes widened.

"Kimmy? What are you doing here?"

I chuckled guiltily.

"I'm driving for Ferrari this season! Surprise, surprise!"

"What?"

"Yeah..."

I laughed again, nervously.

"So... Your suit looks good..." I noted, very very awkwardly.

Mentally, I cringed. Wanting to die there and then.

"Thank you...?"

Behind Lewis, I spotted a familiar face.

Remembering my previous conversation with Mattia, I said goodbye to Lewis and Max, and headed towards Charles.

"Charlie!"

"Kim! Hey! Enjoying the party?"

"Sure! Hey listen, according to Mattia we-"

"Have to share a dance."

"Wait, what? How do you know? Did he tell you?"

"No, I just put 2 and 2 together. You're a girl, I'm a boy, we're teammates, teammates open the dance floor."

"Oh."

I felt really stupid after that.

"Hey, what's the time?"

I looked at my new Tag Heuer.

"8:30. Why?"

"The speeches. They'll start now."

My eyes widened and my stomach started squirming again.

Then, to make matters worse, Mattia went upto a lectern they had just brought out, and began to talk.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mattia Binotto..."

I tuned out for the rest, to busy trying to calm myself down.

A few minutes passed, before I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder.

"Kim, are you okay?"

Charles.

I shook my head.

"Not really, no."

"Well, you're about to feel much worse." He added, very very quietly.

That's when I heard it.

"...I'd now like to present, the new driver for Ferrari, our very own Kim Imani!"

Tha audience erupted with applause, and my stomach dipped lower than ever.

Oh shit...