Last Straw

Rules I'll Follow

I can't get out of here and back to my hotel quick enough.

A week, a new country, and another race later I'm walking into Daniel's party when Chad calls. This is a call I'd never dare miss and it's becoming rarer than a full moon in my life lately, "Ciao!"

Oh damn, Amelia really is wearing off on me.

"Evening. Quick question," His voice hard to hear between pounding club music and laughter behind him. "Can I have a hall pass?"

Alright, what the fuck?

"Can you come see me in Azerbaijan next week? I really to talk to you. In person."

"Where the hell is that? No way. Can you take a few days to come to the city?" Rich coming from the one without a job, to the one required to be in a new country every week. He's making so difficult at this point I may have to, but my pride is stopping me from asking for the time off because I can't make myself admit why to my dad.

"I can't. What about Monaco?"

"What about the hall pass?" He redirects. I don't give a damn about the hall pass at this point, our relationship is barely hanging onto a thread and I've got the scissors poised ready to go.

"Can I have one too?"

"Deal. I gotta run." He's got what he wanted, and now he's ready to go. Not a moment more to spare for me. Over the years I've issued him a few hall passes, but this is the first time I asked for one myself.

Not that he noticed.

The phone beeps that he's hung up, not waiting for a response.

Fucking hell.

I want to stomp my feet, frustration bubbling inside of me but there's a whole party happening ahead and far too many eyes to lose it here.

Daniel's birthday means we party in style again tonight, meeting with nearly half of the paddock to celebrate him at a beachside bar. A tent keeps the dance floor from being too hot and the second I walk in, I join Amelia and Elsa on the floor.

Dancing the evening away is the perfect distraction, there really isn't anything like laughing the evening away with your girls. It's got fucking healing powers I swear.

When we finally tire out we head for a refill only to bump into a conversation with only our favorite people in the world. George and Carmen are chatting away with Elsa and the birthday boy, all of them waving us over ad if we'd go anywhere else.

"I've got to tell you something," I squeal to the girls, tugging them to the side for a quick second.

"Give me some tea bitch!" Elsa's eyes grow wide, excited for some tea.

"Chad gave me a hall pass." I break the news and Amelia nearly screams, so many eyes in the room turning to us we nearly fall over in a fit of giggles.

"Is the dutchman here yet?" Amelia asks with a smile the size of Texas.

"You think I'd use it on him?" Feigning shock.

If only he'll have me.

Carmen chips in, "One, we know you want to and two, a hall pass? I thought a breakup was coming."

A fair point, "It is, next I see him. Do you really think he'd want to...?"

"I think he's dying too." Elsa promises. A girl can only dream.