Apex [h.s]

chapter seven

*harry while he's texting frankie*

it's 1:18am. i usually go to bed at 10:30pm. i need to go to bed, but i'm too excited not to write this.

Frankie Doyle

November

So telling my family... that went well... not.

After I left Harry, I walked back to my pit. Of course they were all curious as to what he wanted and in particular, whether I decided to work for him or stay with Benji. They guessed he was trying to convince me over to his side.

When I told them that I wasn't doing either, they were all clearly confused. When I told them I had been offered a spot as a driver, I swear to God it was like that all froze, the didn't even blink. It was like I had walked into a fucking museum exhibit.

"Are you serious?" Brooklyn had asked.

"Completely," I replied.

Brooklyn squealed as she ran to embrace me in a hug, yelling in my ear how proud she was of me, how she knew that this is what I was made for. When she finally let me go, I don't think my family had literally moved a muscle.

"Have you received a contract?" My dad questioned.

"Well, not yet. Styles only just told me. His manager isn't at the track. But he has my details and will contact me soon with the paper  work," I had explained.

"Well, I'd like to know more when you have a contract in your hand," then he turned to face Benji, "I guess you need to start looking for an engineer if this thing pulls through."

"If?" I was offended.

"Look, sweetheart, all I'm saying is nothing is final until there is a signature on a contract. Please don't read anything more into it than that," he sighed.

I turned to my mother, as if to ask for her opinion.

"Well done sweetie," she had said, with a hint of hesitation.

This killed me, not a single one of my family members were happy for me or proud of me. I could tell that their greatest concern was what they were going to do for Benji's team without me.

"No, this is fucking stupid," Benji had burst out.

"Excuse me?" I was dumbfounded.

"You are not a V8 racer. You are a race engineer. You are MY race engineer. You aren't built to go out there, versing all of these men that have been training their whole lives for this!" He replied.

"Oh so that's your issue. You like when I'm the only female in the industry when I'm working under you. It makes you look good, all inclusive and shit? Huh?" I was fucking livid.

"Please, if anything, I get more shit for having a chick on my team!" He retorted.

"Then why the fuck do you want me to stay? If I make your life so hard by being the head of your race team, why have you never found another engineer?" I yelled at him.

He had stayed quiet.

"It's because you know that you wouldn't be half the driver you were without me, isn't it! I'm fucking half of what make you successful and I have been since you were racing fucking go karts! Well fuck you Benji. You know how long I have wanted to become a driver, you know how much this means to me! Do you want to know why I took so long with Harry? It's because he had to convince me to take this job! I wasn't going to fucking do it because it felt like a betrayal to you! But fuck you, I'm being selfish this time and doing something for me. I'll be the bigger man and still cheer for you when you win, but you'll never see me sympathising for you when you lose. I'm finally doing something for me. When you decide to grow up and be happy for me, give me a call."