Eyes on the prize- Sebastian Vettel

26. Partying in LA

Joey had been in Los Angeles for a couple of days. Everyone, from family to friends and even to Sebastian, had given her the time she needed to be by herself.

She had enjoyed sightseeing and spending time at the beach, the weather still much warmer than it would have been back home in the UK. Her pale Irish skin had finally soaked in some sun and was getting slightly more golden. When she woke up on the day before her birthday she had one plan: not spending time at her hotel at all.

She spent the morning on a beach nearby, then decided to explore the city a little more. She walked by a fancy looking hairdresser and just decided to walk in. Apparently that's what people did when they were going through a breakup.

It's not even a breakup. She thought. It's just a break.

She left the shop with shorter bright silver hair and a much lighter wallet. It was her birthday she should treat herself, she thought.

She returned to her hotel and decided to look for a nice bar. Getting drunk had always been a tradition on her birthday and, for once, she actually had something she was trying to forget. She changed into a short black dress, a pair of heels and put some make-up on. She booked a cab and was soon dropped off at an exclusive looking establishment.

After a short time in the queue, Joey entered the crowded room and regretted her choice instantly. It was packed and loud, people were already drunk and making out in different corners of the room.

Why have I done this? I hate bars. She thought to herself. She spotted an empty seat by the counter area and grabbed it before it could be filled.

'What can I get you?' The bartender asked.

'Tequila sunrise, please' she replied.

Joey tapped her credit card over the machine and waited for the drink to be made. Maybe coming out by herself hadn't been a great idea, she thought, but she knew nobody in the LA area and she definitely didn't want to spend her birthday by herself in a hotel room.

'Could I get a couple of shots of Jagermeister as well?' She asked the bartender.

'Sure. Rough day?' He joked.

'Rough few days' she replied. 'And I'm turning 28 in...' she checked her watch 'a couple of hours and I am sitting alone in a bar surrounded by oddly excited people... I guess life doesn't get much better than this' she said ironically.

The barman let out a soft laugh. 'These are on the house, happy early birthday' he said, as she got her card out again. 'And, trust me, it could be worse. You could be working in a bar on a VIP event' he remarked.

'You win... Rupert' she read his name tag. 'Is that why it's so busy with excited girls? Who's the VIP?'

'Some F1 driver' Rupert shrugged. 'Some world champion or something. I don't really watch Formula1... do you?'

Joey froze. Knowing her luck she and Sebastian had probably decided to impulsively leave their houses and would have ended up meeting in a club in LA.

'No, no. Seb is not the kinda guy to book a private room in an exclusive club' she thought.

'Kinda' she mumbled, finishing the last drop of her drink. 'Could I get one more?'

Rupert nodded, making her another cocktail. Soon, the young bartender was busy with other customers and Joey found her vision lingering over to the private cordoned area where a group of girls was standing together.

She decided to ignore them. Whoever the F1 champion was, and she hoped it wasn't Seb, she didn't need to sit sulking about it. She rummaged through her bag to find a pack of cigarettes and walked out in the warm night. She lit one and leaned on the terrace rail.