razorblade | sebastian vettel ✓

chapter 1 | last night's mistakes

Of course, Abigail would call him, she thought. It was very sweet, really, in a somehow annoying way. She understood her reasons to care though, and should probably behave better to stop her friend from dying at a young age.

"She thinks I'm going to kill myself while she's in Manchester visiting her parents. I mean, she might not be too far off because waking up in Milton Keynes every day is reason enough to feel suicidal, but I'm still alive, am I not?" Barely alive, the voice in her head reminded her. She smiled nonetheless. "I'm okay. It's just—" Cassandra bit her lip and stopped herself from talking further. Memories of blue eyes and cold hands flooded her mind.

It was pathetic.

"What is it?" Gareth asked. He didn't push, but he did sound curious. Unlike Abigail, he didn't tend to get too psychological on her. Which Cassandra appreciated.

"Stupid stuff, don't worry." She simply said. It was easier than explaining the whole thing. "And you don't have to follow her in all her concerns, by the way. Abigail can be a bit of a mother sometimes, and I know you're far from having a fraternal side."

Gareth loudly cackled. "I do care about you, more than you think." His words were of assurance. Cassandra knew it. "Also, I needed to talk to you. Hans wants you to write an article for him."

That perked her attention. Cassandra frowned and sat straight on the bed. Her ex-boss, Hans — there weren't enough insults in the English language for her to truly describe her feelings for him — hated her more than she could ever hate herself. It was a bit funny because the feeling was clearly mutual.

"He fired me." She reminded him.

"He fired you because you hooked up with his assistant. Yeah, I remember." It wasn't even that bad. Nowhere in the contract did it say work relationships were forbidden. "He called me today and asked if I could talk to you. Abigail thinks this could be a good distraction for you." He'd told Abigail, of course.

"Abigail would send me to write the weekly horoscope just to get me out of this insufferable block. Her opinion is biased." It still felt weird for her the idea of Hans wanting to work with her again. That man despised her guts.

"Look, it might be a good shot, and I agree that it can help with the blocking situation too. He'll pay you as an independent writer if you decide to take the job." Gareth explained more in detail.

Cassandra looked around the room. The mess was still there, and it would still be there unless she cleaned it. Could that be a good metaphor for her life? Perhaps she could use a distraction from all that, or try to stay away from her messy ways for a few days.

She sighed. "What is it about?" Her voice sounded nonchalant, trying not to give away any possible interest in the job.

"Sports. Well, a particular one." Because he knew her well enough, Cassandra was aware deep down that he was enjoying the situation. The hilarity in his tone betrayed him anyway.

Her face fell. "Do I look like someone who knows about sports? I don't even run, why does he think I know anything about that topic?" She could maybe name Serena Williams, for obvious reasons, but that was as far as she went. "And what do you mean with a particular one? Be specific, Gareth."

"We booked a Formula 1 team for the article, mind you...with a Formula 1 World Champion." He said as if that meant something to her.

"Do you want me to pretend I know what those words mean?" Gareth chuckled.

"Maybe Hans doesn't want a biased opinion, who knows." It wasn't still convincing enough. "And, you were one of his best writers, even if he hates you, that's something no one can take away from you. Maybe your ability to write captivated him again."