I KNOW PLACES | George Russell

8. La La Land

Saudi Arabia
Thursday, March 16

Ariella's pov

I don't like media day. I'm always asked the most irrelevant questions. Questions that don't even relate to my racing. The few times I actually get related questions, I feel like I've been blessed. Those interviewers instantly become my favorites.

"What if I call in sick?" I ask Parker while I'm trying to find something to wear.

"Ariella come on it's only a few hours you'll be fine. You're acting so childish right now you're practically pouting on the floor." She gestures to my state and laughs.

"You're mean." I cross my arms over my chest and turn away from her.

"That really didn't help your case." She manages to speak through her laughs. "Here, put this on before you make us both late." She throws an outfit at me, which I do put on because I know her fashion sense is 100x better than mine.

She drives us both to the paddock.

I'll spare the details because the day was dreadful, as I suspected. Nothing eventful, the same boring questions restated in different words. There was one question worth noting though.

"Fans took pictures of you and George eating out together alone after qualifying in Bahrain. But you two seem to avoid each other now, why is that?"

Shit. I don't have a lie for this prepared. Time to improvise. "Uh, no George and I have never gone out to eat together alone. I mean we have with friends, maybe that is what you're talking about, but other than that George and I haven't done anything alone together." I shake my head and shrug my shoulders, trying to play off the blatant lie as a truth.

The guy doesn't look convinced.

"But it was very obvious the table was just a table for two." He raises an eyebrow in question.

I shake my head and pretend to look confused. "Do you have this picture? Maybe it was edited because I wouldn't go to dinner with George."  Technically, I have never actually had dinner with George. We have had dessert and that is definitely what he's talking about. 

The guy nods, looking more convinced now. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thank you." Gemma then takes me away to the next interviewer.

That interaction was really the only one all day that I can actually remember word for word. Probably because my heart was beating a million times a second due to my frantic state trying to come up with a lie to keep everyone happy.

"You lied to me. I was not fine. That was miserable." I cross my arms over my chest and stare out the window. Parker offered to drive me to and from the track today, obviously I accepted. I don't drive unless I have to because why would I do something in my free time if I do it for work? Doesn't make sense to me.

"It wasn't that bad. I think you're just dramatic."

"I want to go and sleep now." I don't move my eyes from the window, and my arms stay crossed. I can see Parker glance at me through my peripherals. She laughs quietly.

"I don't think your mind has aged since you were 4 years old."

I turn to her in usual dramatic fashion. "Hey! I'm dramatic, not a toddler. Calling me a toddler is just plain rude." I can see that she's holding back a laugh as she pulls the car into the hotel's car park.