The 28 Day Race

Chapter 1

ALETHEA

(TW: contains topics on child abuse and depression)

"Vale Broughton is placed fourth in the standings. Behind would be Daniel Simmons from Fiantche..."

"Poor Vale, he was trying so hard to get that third place. If only he was placed in a better car." Amber sighed as she glanced away from the broadcast for a while to pour the remaining coffee we had brewed earlier into her cup, before joining back on the couch.

The time difference between us and the country they were racing in is terrible. It's currently four in the morning and we have been staying up since one to watch the driver's parade (for any memes) and for the actual race. But this race was such a disappointment to the Lurgan fans, Amber included.

I wasn't the largest fan of Formula One. I only watch them because that is the only way I get to spend quality time with my best friend. She is usually busy for the rest of the time, except when a race weekend is around the corner. We get to chit chat about life during the free practices and party together during the qualifying. But during the actual race day, she would either be really quiet or hurdling profanities at the screen every time there was a unfair penalty made to Lurgan, or a bad strategy being played out by them.

I would preferably stay quiet during those times, not wanting to have the same fate as our poor television screen, who has been innocent and wrongfully treated by its dear owner because of Formula One. Once the race was over and Amber calms down, I would then start a conversation about our day. Only then I would dare to open my mouth to say a word.

But because of our bonding sessions being over watching Formula One, I eventually picked up several things about the sport. I know what DRS is, which is the Drag Reduction System, the penalties drivers can get, how the different circuits look like without Googling it and which driver races for which team.

Despite my pretty extensive knowledge, I have yet to develop a liking for a certain driver. All of them seem to be good in their own ways, like how Vale is good with turns at high speeds, or how Alex is good at defending, especially at apexes. Sometimes, you just can't like one driver because all of them are just so talented. It feels like you're picking your favourite child.

After the race ended, we decided to replay the post-race interviews. Not because we wanted to listen to what they said, but more like Amber wanting to listen to their strong accents (that she is very much attracted to and would literally fall to her knees just listening to them breathe in an accent) over and over again, especially the English drivers on the grid.

I never understood what was so attractive about the accents, because it was as if there was some love spell behind it that made people fall in love with it. All I could see in this semi-dark room was Amber on the ground, freaking out like a kid in a candy store, kicking her legs in the air frantically. She was squealing as she clicked on the remote, rewinding a minute back to listen to one of English drivers speak.

"Hi Daniel! How was the whole race for you?" The reporter asked.

"Pace was good in the first half, but after the slip, I think I was slightly thrown off by it and ended up not keeping up the pace in the second. But let's see what we can do in Singapore, which I hope I can land in the top 5 positions. Thank you."

And Amber has officially fainted on the floor. Too much accent in a short period of time for her to handle.

As I tried to carry Amber up and back onto the couch for her to rest, the interviews continue to play on the television. I decided to watch for a little more, since I do enjoy analysing drivers and their style of driving on track. I like to see how they think and what they were trying to do on certain parts of the track to either overtake someone or to defend their position.