Book 1: Leap of Faith -Charles Leclerc

AN + Chapter 1

Authors note-

Hi! I started writing this about a year ago fully as a joke between me and my friend (now editor). We were reading some of the F1 stories on here and I told her "I could write a better fan fiction than some of these" and she said "I bet you actually could." Then I actually started writing this one. Somewhere along the line it was less of a joke and more of a fun, creative outlet for me while going through a tough grad school program. I have already almost finished a second story, but I was reluctant to post on here for a bit. Anyway this is a work of FICTION it is all made up in my mind. There is only 1 real character and I just made up some stuff about him too. I'm delulu but not that delulu. If I mess up any timelines or stuff just please ignore because, once again, this is a made-up story and it does not have to be factually correct. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: November 29th, 2022

"You've GOT to be kidding me."

Caroline muttered to herself under her breath, rifling through her carry-on bag at her feet for the bottle of melatonin she had stashed there earlier. She was about to pop her fourth tablet when it usually took one to knock her out. She was cramped into a middle seat on the overnight flight from Chicago O'Hare to Charles De Gaulle, stuck between two middle aged women who were snoring away. She leaned back into her seat, yanking her eye mask back over her eyes and attempted to fall asleep as her thoughts immediately jumped to the same scenario that she had been re-playing for weeks.

"You're doing what?" "Holy shit Care..." "Is this a bit?"

Caroline took in her best friends' reactions to her news. To be fair, she had completely sprung it on them at their monthly catchup brunch. After college, it was hard to keep as close as they used to be when they all lived together and studied together 24/7.

"Yeah... I've just got the official offer and I'm moving to Monaco next week. They have an apartment for me and everything. I'll finally get to practice my French... I'm excited. And Lil, this would be taking the bit a little too far." Caroline said with the most convincing voice she could muster. She impressed herself with how confident she sounded, when the reality was just the opposite. Her friends looked back at her like she had just grown a third head.

"Care, this is insane. I know you always talked about this but you've never been the type to just... I don't know... do something this rash? What's your plan here? You've always got a plan," Emma replied.
"Is this about Thomas?" Kara added, in a more hushed tone.

"Guys..." Caroline said, looking down at the plate of gluten free waffles that sat in front of her, cut into exact squares but barely eaten. "I need to do this. This is for me. This is me finally doing something that I haven't thought through a million times and to finally change up my life. It has nothing to do with Thomas and honestly it was a wake-up call for my life after getting cheated on by that dick. I need to make a change, but don't think for a second that I won't miss you" she replied, pushing back tears in her eyes and taking her best friends' hands. "It's an 18 month contract. I will be back to Chicago in no time, and you can come visit me! Maybe meet some sexy European sugar daddies that will pay for everything?"

They all laughed together as the tension eased in the room. If Caroline was good at one thing, it was making her friends laugh, and she loved it more than anything.

Caroline was snapped back to reality as the landing gear skidded across the tarmac.

"Guess I must've finally gotten some sleep" she thought to herself, rubbing her eyes haphazardly, completely forgetting the mascara she put on before the flight.

In typical glacial pace, the plane was finally unloaded and she was left to spend a few hours in Paris before her connecting flight to Nice. And then her train to Monaco. Caroline sighed in defeat thinking of the long day of travel that stood in front of her. Just like she had always done, she had planned out everything to the last detail for her travel itinerary, even scheduling time to wander around Paris. She took in the gray skies of Paris and thought back to the trip she took here in high school, so full of promise and life at the age of 17. A girl who hadn't yet suffered through three years of grad school, including gross anatomy dissection labs and advanced knowledge of biomechanics. Caroline prided herself on being someone who truly loved what they did, and being a physical therapist was her life's dream after she completed a course of rehab herself following a nasty ankle sprain. She was the type who loved school; the structure, the deadlines, the satisfaction of a big fat A sprawled on the top of a paper. But most of all, she loved being able to help people function better in their daily lives with less pain. It was a match made in heaven that felt like a dream to her every single day since she graduated, minus the headache of the whole American healthcare system.