DNF - c.l [1]

05:00

A pounding comes from my hotel door and I throw a pillow over my head, the pounding echoing in my head.

I had definitely drank way over my limit last night, but it was fun, finally finding some friends on the grid.

My mind back tracks to Pierre and his touch against my skin that left me feeling warm and heated, more than I should've.

But the images of Charles leading me out the club and his hand placed on my waist, how his touch burned into my skin, his breath on my neck - the thoughts were enough to make me sit up right in bed now, the door still pounding.

"Madeline let me in right now." I hear from the other side of the door and I groan, throwing myself toward the door to unlock it.

"Have you any idea what the tabloids are saying?" Dee storms into the room, sitting on the edge of my bed as I bury my head back into the sheets.

"No, I don't, and I don't want to know," I groan in reply.

"Look at this, 'New driver, Madeline Scott seen leaving a Bahrain club on the arm of Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc,' Madeline seriously?" she reads the headline out to me and I scream into the covers.

"This is not what I wanted to be woken up with this morning," I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

After Charles and I arrived back at the hotel last night he didn't say anymore to me.

"So that's it?" I say as he locks the car and began walking in the other direction from me.

He turned in his tracks and looked back at me with a confused look, "you're just going to act like nothing happened and go back to hating me?" I question him again.

He took a few steps towards me and furrowed his eyebrows, "No Scott, I don't hate you," he had said, still taking steps towards me.

"I don't hate you, your pure existence has been a burned on me since the day you stepped foot in that meeting room, wearing that tight suit dress you were wearing, ruining my season." 

I was taken aback by his words, having expected him to just agree with my previous statement and that be the end of it.

"Every moment you're apart of this team, I am reminded of how much of a burden you are to me and everyone else around us." his words were stone cold, and the air felt like it was thinning under my breath, holding back tears. I couldn't cry in front of him, that would just give him more fuel for his fire.

"No one wants you here, as sure as hell I don't." he said, turning back on himself and continuing to walk away.

I watch as he places his hand on the back of his neck, massaging the base of his neck as he almost reaches the garage lift doors.

"Oh and don't think any of those guys actually like you, they're trying to be nice." was the last thing he had said to me last night before walking into the elevator.

"Don't think too much about it right now, we have a flight to catch." Dee pulled me from my memories of last night, placing a soft hand on my knee in reassurance.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀\ō͡≡o˞̶ ˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Saudi Arabia:

Max Verstappen P1

Sergio Perez P2

Charles Leclerc P3

Australia:

Sergio Perez P1

Max Verstappen P2

Madeline Scott P3

Azerbajian:

Sergio Perez P1

Max Verstappen P2

Charles Leclerc P3 

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀\ō͡≡o˞̶ ˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

"Welcome back to the 2023 formula one Grand Prix, we're back in Miami, Florida for this weeks race, where shortly 20 drivers will take the track to race towards the finish line." David Croft yelled over the radio once again.

The past 3 races had been mayhem, placing P3 in Australia and fighting on and off track with Charles at every race.

We had done a good job avoiding each other off the track but the battle on track was getting worse and worse, with almost completely wiping each other out in Azerbajian on the last corner, fighting for P3.

I sat in my car, waiting for the signal again to drive out of the garage for the formation lap.

Having placed P4 for practice yesterday, Charles was P2, so I was a few cars behind him. 

"You have got to stop fighting each other on track, the tabloids are starting to pick up on it," Vasseur had said earlier this morning for our debrief before the race.

"Don't tell me, tell him," I pointed to Charles who was stood looking out the window as Formula 2 wizzed past.

"Don't start with me today Scott, I'm not in the mood," he has said, not even turning to look at me.

"Oh and when are you in the mood to pick a fight with me Leclerc," I pressed him further, hoping Vasseur would see his out burst and realise that it really isn't me being the difficult one here.

"Enough, both of you," Vasseur silenced us before he could reply and I let out a sigh of frustration, leaning further back into my chair.

"Tactic today to is defend Charles, okay? Madeline your job is to defend off any driver that try to get up on Charles, so you will hold you position behind him for the entire race." Vasseur said, pointing to the presentation on the whiteboard but I wasn't paying attention.

"Radio check?" Albert said in my ear as I forget about the debrief this morning, I wasn't about to let this man get ahead of me and under my skin more than he already was.

"Scott, radio check?" Albert says again, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Loud and clear Albert." I said, letting out a final breath before leaving the garage and making my way onto the track. 

I swerve my car side to side on the track, trying to warm my tyres enough to get them ready for the race without taking too much tread off as I was only on soft tyres. the states was hot as it was and the track itself was almost melting the rubbing off my rims.

"Remember the team meeting this morning Scott, defend Charles." Albert says over the radio. I don't reply. he knows I heard him, but he also knows that is the last thing I'm going to do.

We line up at the starting grid, Charles directly in front of me, and I know he was looking back at me in his side mirror, mocking me.

Gripping the steering wheel, I do my final pre race checks and thank any God above for the blessing I have for being in this car, before the lights go out.