Race Day: A new season

Chapter Four: Camera Clicking & The Bahamas

Frida Lewis, and Lydia Brentwood, are number three and four, out of your four-person team. Frida is your personal trainer, and takes care of your nutrition... She won some sort of Scandinavian body-building competitions in her early twenties, which she always references, and you're quite sure that's the reason she is so hooked on making your body as symmetrical as possible. Honestly, you've stopped second guessing it – You trust her and her work has made you the strongest you've ever been, so why complain? And Lydia... Her hands can fix any ailment, aka she's your physiotherapist, who takes care of anything, and God... Do you love her for it.

You finish getting ready, and you head down into the lobby – You don't want to eat anything, you'll just get something on track before testing starts...

---

Molly's silver Audi pulls up, and you get into the passenger seat – She hands you a coffee.

y/n: When did you even have time to grab this?

Molly: Don't worry about it, just drink. I know you haven't eaten anything yet.

You blankly stare at the Latte in your hand and you listen to her demand. She know's you too well by now... You ask her about her flight, her Mom who got a new cat, and some other things. She drives you through some city sectors, followed by some parts of the desert, before you arrive at the track. She hands you your VIP badge.

Molly: Alright, you know the way, I called Lucy before we left, telling her when we would arrive, so she's probably waiting for you somewhere near the entrance, if not she's waiting in your driver's room. I'll be back in one or two hours, I gotta head to the airport for Lydia.

You nod – You wouldn't dare to interrupt her mind dump of a fact run-down.

Molly: Get some food, cause this coffee absolutely wasn't enough for you. You have to go see Jordan, and Bartollini... You know the drill. You have some press things before and after testing, but I'll be back by then, so don't worry about any of that, okay?

She was referring to Jordan Grey, your very unfortunate team mate for the season – A cocky half British, half German racing prodigy, with an extensive multi year contract at Ferrari... And of course the team principle, Frank Bartollini, who was chosen as an intermediate replacement for the failure of a team principle that was in charge last season, who ruined your chances of fighting for the title... You nod at Molly and open the door.

Molly: Oh, two more things!

You turn back towards her, ready to leave, but prepared to listen to everything she has to say - If you don't listen, you're fucked... So you patiently look at her.

y/n: Aight, shoot.

Molly: Aaron was on track this morning, looking for you and uhhh... What was the second thing? Oh yeah, there is some scheduled dinner tonight... Most drivers are going, do you wanna join them?

Nothing unusual about have dinners like that – You respond that you wanna go and you get out of the car. You thank her briefly and tell her you'll see her soon. As for Aaron, he is one of your closest friends, so understandably he would be looking for you. You wave Molly good-bye as she drives off, and you get swarmed by fans as you enter the paddock. Your paddock-pass gives off a short peep as you swipe it over the machine, and the massive crowds don't stop after the checkpoint.

You hear a familiar voice and you turn around, Jack Middleton, Thiago's team mate, also just entered the madness... Here comes the small talk... You look around to see if you can spot Lucy, but you assume she's in the garage or in your driver's room as Molly said. 

Jack: How's it going? Good break?

y/n: Hey man!

He gives you a short side hug, as you continue talking.

y/n: Pretty good, and any break is a good break... How was yours?

He laughs.

Jack: Amen to that... Yeah, yeah, it was alright...

His dark eyes stalk your movements, whilst he's playing around with his military dog tags – Middleton is a few years older than you, but through his connection to Thiago, he's gotten to know a lot about you. Cameras start noisily clicking, as the two of you make your way through the paddock.

y/n: I will never get used this...

Jack: I feel you...

He lifts his arm to shield himself  from the on storm of clicking cameras. You glance at his sun burn. 

y/n: Did you go home to England, or did you spend your break else where?

Jack smiling: Jay and I fled to the Bahamas for a couple of weeks...

y/n laughing: Of course you did... Two Englishmen fleeing the terrible english weather...

Jack: As we should... Where about's were you?

You turn the corner and long rows of motor homes appear – Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes are naturally all the way at the back. With Jay he means Jay Gallagher, the other Haas driver...

y/n: A little here, a little there you know... Went back to Milan to visit my family, spent some time in Spain...

He interrupts you.

Jack: With Hayes?

You glance at him...

y/n: No, I didn't see Thiago. I was in Barcelona, not in Madrid. 

Jack: Mhh, pity... I still ship the two of you, you know that right?

y/n laughing: You never let me even forget that you do...

Jack: Okay, where else were you then?

y/n: Spent the rest of the time in England...

Jack: So you're telling me Gallagher and I flee the terrible weather, and you visit it purposefully?

y/n: Uh-huh... Some people like the rain, and anyways the karting tracks are better in there than they are in Italy for some reason... and, after all the sun we had in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago, I needed to cool off...

Jack: Yeah, fair enough...

You find yourself in front of the Mercedes building, with Ace watching you keenly as you drop off Jack. You exchange quick glances with Thiago, before you continue on to Ferrari's motor home.