A girl chasing her dream. A boy looking for the light.
When Florence Nyx started her internship at a Formula 1 paddock, she expected a lot. Fast cars. Exclusive impressions most people could only dream of. An entire array of skills she'd acquire...
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This weekend was slowly turning out to be my worst nightmare.
At first I got stuck with Florence, then I had to do work I had no business or interest doing, and then Salim wanted me to play matchmaker for the drivers and the newbies?
Yeah, fuck no.
"Hi!" Florence's voice rang out as we reached the drivers' table. She took the lead in getting here, only stopping to grab a few snacks before she spotted the guys. "You must be Felipe and Lucien. I'm Florence. Good to meet you." She stuck out her hand to the two men, who reciprocated the notion with a wide grin.
No denying here they instantly knew who she was, and why she even got a chance in this business.
Felipe shot me a quick glance, his dark eyes holding a question I couldn't respond to. He really hadn't changed much from our karting days; He still carried the same dark hair, and his Spanish accent was still as thick as it was when I met him a few years ago. There was no doubt he got older, though, the five-o'clock shadow on his jaw reminding him of the years that passed.
"I'm Felipe. It's nice to meet you, Florence. This is Lucien." He nodded to the blonde French man next to him, nudging him in the shoulder in encouragement. "He's a bit shy."
"Oh, that's okay." Florence laughed and shook Lucien's hand. "I get that. Hope you're alright."
I suppressed a snort at the fact that the girl who kept sticking her nose into everyone's business just told someone she got what it was like to be shy.
Yeah. Right.
Lucien nodded in response before he quickly removed his hand from Florence's, sticking it straight into his jeans pockets again. "Yes. Thank you."
We joined Felipe and Lucien at the round table, with me sitting next to Felipe while Florence got next to Lucien, leaving a seat between the two of us.
"So, Florence, you're here for..."
"... For the summer internship program." She finished Felipe's sentence. "The mechanical one, that is."
"Oh, that's cool." Lucien smiled. "Is it fun? It must be difficult, no?"
"Oh, I mean, it's awesome. Overwhelming already, but I mean I just started. So far the work has been... interesting." The glance she threw my way did not go by unnoticed, and I suppressed a groan at the memory of her arrogant attitude just hours before. "Phoenix and I took care of you guys' tires," she added with a laugh.
"Wait, Phoenix too?" It was Felipe's turn to shoot me a weird look, eyebrows raised as if he just heard the most absurd thing known to mankind.
I nodded in response, not seeing the need to elaborate any further. I liked Felipe, but this was no one's business but my own.
"Well, what the hell are you doing here? Getting some fresh Formula 1 air before you get back into your car?" Felipe dug deeper.
We raced each other a lot in our kart times, and I never wished any harm on the guy, but at this moment I just wanted him to shut up.
