𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | 𝐋. 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

She walked with her head held high throughout the gates of the Bahrain International Circuit. She was Almira Ayres, and like the name that lingered in her race suit next to her country's flag, confidence came naturally to the girl. It should've come naturally to her. However, the nerves were eating her alive, like a parasite, and the sounds of cameras shuttering made the parasites devour her organs.

Mick Schumacher took her hand once he noticed his best friend's constant feelings of self doubt. She had expressed to him about them, and even throughout all the confidence she feigned, and the fake smiles that looked too real, he could see right through her, reading her like an open book.

The moment that Mick took her hand, the cameras started moving more, and even throughout all the commotion, Almira could clearly see the annoying Netflix logo at the side of a giant film camera, recording her and Mick's every move. She held on tighter to his hand, fully believing that if she would squeeze it just a little more, it would turn purple and numb.

The crowds surrounding them, even those full of fans, absolutely raved at the best friends. Two promising drivers, children of the most successful pilots the sport had ever seen, walking hand in hand toward their future. Toward what they worked so hard to achieve.

When they were little, around 8 and 9 respectively, Micheal Schumacher and Angel Ayres would joke about the four of them walking together to Mick and Almira's first ever circuit gates. She smiled sadly at the thought, because while it had been so long ago, the feeling of not being able to even do that with Micheal recovering and her own father dead, hurt more than it should've.

Not today, Almira thought to herself as she felt her throat close up. Walking up to the gates, Mick detached from her, making her swipe her very own I.D for the first time. She cringed slightly at the picture that showed up on the screen next to the team's name, before passing the security guards that gawked at them.

It was media day in Bahrain, and Almira knew that without doubt, without a single hair out of place, did this day have to go well according to her schedule. She knew that causing a commotion among the community after holding Mick's hand wasn't exactly on schedule, and would ruin her successful independent image that her PR team forced across, but it wasn't inexplicably stated otherwise.

"Who do you have media pen with?" Mick asked, brows slightly furrowed as he looked down at his phone.

"I think I have it with Charles and Sebastian," Almira explained, however she wasn't sure if it was true or not because she knew her PR manager, Julia, tended to do last minute changes to her schedule.

"I have it with Lance and Esteban," Mick smiled happily at the thought of seeing his other friends.

Almira also smiled even if she had never been too close with either person. "Tell them I say hello."

"Of course, tell Seb and Charles I say hello too," Mick said. "And tell Seb that he still owes me ice cream from when we went karting in December."

Almira's face contorted with happiness and a laugh escaped her. Mick Schumacher always had a habit of making everyone feel better about themselves, even when everything felt bad. "Will do, Mickey. Will do."

Mick flashed her with his classic Schumacher smile, despite hating the nickname she gave him when they are little, because he knew he did well making his friend feel better.

They detached themselves for one last time, as the Haas hospitality was far from that of the Alfa Romeo's. Now, walking all alone, Almira Ayres was a rabbit to the pack of wild wolves that were cautiously waiting in the shadows for a sign of vulnerability, of skepticism.