No Going Back (Nyck de Vries X OC)

Proving them wrong

It is the day after the race and I find myself staring at my first place trophy. I am waiting for confirmation of what the team and I are going to do for the celebration. The fact that I won my first race is surreal. Even having the chance to celebrate with Nyck has made it fun. Even though joy is the overriding emotion there is still a hole that will never be filled no matter how hard I try. At least I chose to dedicate my first win to my brother. A smile creeps up on my face after all an interesting thought has popped into my mind. I think back to my first competitive kart race.

I find myself in an interesting position. My brother Jules has managed to convince his team boss to give me a chance to join his team. The thing is as a seven-year-old I just want to compete for fun. If I go 'professional' it may add a heap of pressure. I mean it wouldn't matter anyway I am likely not to get far if I don't give it a go.

"Hey Jess, have you made up your mind?" Jules asks.

"Let's go," I respond as I make sure that I have everything for the event. Even though it is my brother's last year in karts I am looking forward to trying to beat him or at least get more points by the end of the small championship. At least I am already competitive enough. My parents get to work on taking us to the track. The good thing is the drive doesn't take long. We are soon intercepted by the Leclercs like me, their son Charles is making his debut. He seems happier about it than I do. Maybe that is because I have spotted the worst person on the planet.

"Hey, Bianchi. You finally made it but I don't think you will last long," The voice belongs to my biggest critic Nikita Mazepin. The kid doesn't know when to shut up. I suppose he is like his father. I reckon I don't need the best of the best to beat him.

"Please Maz, I'll beat you fair and square," I reply. Now the challenge is on. Instead of rising to the off-track challenge, I find myself hiding somewhere while I wait for the qualifying to start. Maybe Nikita is right. Maybe I won't get beyond karting. All of these thoughts are bringing me down. I am soon joined by Charles.

"I wouldn't let Nikita get to you," He says as he joins me.

"Thank you, Charles. I'll only feel better once I beat him in the race," I respond. I am looking forward to it even though it may not look like it. It doesn't take us long to be summoned by our parents or in my case my brother.

"Jess you've got this," Jules gives me some last-minute encouragement. We soon hit the track. I get to work on setting the fastest lap I possibly can. After thirty long minutes, I bring the kart back to the pits. I feel good about my times. I guess I'll find out the exact times when everyone heads back. Thankfully it doesn't take long for the rest to come back. I scan the timesheet for my name. I find myself in third place below Charles and Jules. I giggle at the fact that I managed to outqualify Nikita. Well, it looks like I am one step closer to reaching my goals. After fifteen minutes of preparation, the atmosphere is tense. The thing is I have no idea that the reason is because I am a girl. Jules is quick to find me.

"Hey Jess, you don't need to worry about what the others think," Jules reminds me.

"I know," I responded with all of the optimism I could muster. It doesn't take long for the race to get underway. I quickly come under attack from Nikita. Even though he is aggressive I am smarter than him. I know the exact move he will try. I block the inside line. The good thing is he backs off just a little. I turn my focus on getting past Charles. It won't be easy but all I can do is try. I soon notice that Charles has made a mistake so I use it to my advantage. I successfully pulled off the move. Now I just need to catch my brother but something tells me that it will be a near-impossible feat. Again all I can do is try. After twenty minutes of racing, I am no closer to beating my brother for the first place position. The good thing is it will be a Bianchi one-two. After ten minutes of pushing the race has come to an end. Even though I didn't win, I am still happy with my second place. Oh no.

"That third palace should have been mine," Nikita starts his attack.

"Look I out qualified and held you off. Therefore I beat you fair and square," I try to keep my response calm. For some reason, Nikita decides to be like every Seven years old. I can feel the force of him pushing me over. I quickly got up. I can feel the tears creeping up but I need to let him know that I am here to stay. I am about to lash out but my brother manages to pull me away before any more damage is done. He escorts me to my parents who are worried about me.

"Jess, what happened?" My mum asks as she inspects the dirt on my overalls.

"Nikita," I reply. He may have pushed me over but I am never going to give up. I need to prove people like Nikita wrong. I should be able to do it with the help of the people who believe in me.

I snap out of my thoughts as my message tone goes off. I check it to find that it is a message from Nyck. He has finally come up with an idea for the team celebration. I find myself heading to the lobby as the message suggested. I am overcome with joy when I spot a familiar face. It turns out that Charles has still got three weeks left before the start of the Formula 1 season. I now understand why Nyck didn't tell me right away he wanted to surprise me.

"Hello Charles," I awkwardly greeted my friend. I still can't get over the fact that Nyck pulled it off.

"Hey Jess," He returns the greeting. Nyck soon joins us.

"Nyck, I have to ask. How on this earth did you pull it off?" I turn my attention to the Dutchman.

"I didn't. Charles came here as a VIP for Venturi. I was just the one that told him to join us in the celebration" Nyck explains. I am glad that he came to celebrate with me even though I am not a part of the team that he was a guest for. Charles and Nyck don't know what this means to me. Even though my brother is unable to join us I feel his pride for me. The rest of the team soon join us. We all made it to the venue where I vow to enjoy myself. I owe it to Jules to celebrate my win properly without any negative emotions