TRAILBLAZER | M.VERSTAPPEN

07

I was fucked...beyond fucked.

I've have so much to prove, however this has set me back a while. I'm meant to be the first female driver in decades, I am meant to become a world champion driver. I want to inspire girls across the world and prove that we can do anything we put our minds to, I'm not here to know as the whore of a paddock. However, headlines seem to be labeling me just that...all because of some stupid kiss. I mean how could I do this so myself? I wanted to throw myself off a very tall something.

I walked down the corridor of the hotel heading towards the conference room my PR manager had booked out. Within an hour of the news breaking of my little pash with Max, I was working towards fixing my problem.

"332...331...330!" I read out loud to myself as I walk along each room.

I knocked on the door and soon enough my PR manager Steph opened the door.

"Morning, how are you feeling?" she asks.

"Oh absolutely stellar" I reply sarcastically.

She lets me into her room and I start walking to the table that I could slightly see in the distance.

That's when I heard his voice.

He was cracking a joke.

How could he be joking at a time like this?

Suppose he wasn't the one being accused of sleeping around with the grid to further my career. I paused in my steps, I was too embarrassed to face him. Hours earlier we were locking lips like there was no tomorrow, and now I'm too embarrassed to look at him. However he knows I'm here, he knows Steph went to the door.

"Come on get a move on, you've got to see him at some point" Steph quietly says.

Steph was a very no-bullshit person, I like that. She'll help me get out of this mess.

I continue into the room and see him and his PR manager at the head of the table that was concealed by the wall I was just behind.

He looks at me... and I look at him

He gives me a soft apologetic look, something I wasn't exactly expecting. I assumed he would be smug about this, I mean I was probably just another lass to conquer. However, he wasn't like that at all he looked...sorry.

I give him a tight-lipped smile and sit on the opposite end of the table, closely followed by Steph who sits next to me. Just because he was sorry didn't make this any less awkward.

"We'll if it isn't my midnight lover," I said quoting one of the headlines that emerged from last night's activity.

I needed to say something to break the tension, it resulted in a light chuckle from everyone. Even while laughing he never took his eyes off of me. Not weirdly or uncomfortably either, a soft nice gaze.

"Okay straight to the point, you guys kissed big whoop. We just need to work out how to get you guys out of the headlines."

We all nod our heads.

"Now Steph and I have two options for you, your both gonna probably hate both of them."

I don't like it already, but I'm willing to do anything to be taken seriously.

"We either have you guys in a PR relationship, as it will remove the "slut" name that you've been given Maeve. The second option is we just stop contact between you two completely. For a while at least. That way the headlines will just fade out and any possible interactions you have won't feed to their rumors"

They were right, I hate both options, but I hate the first one more. Max and I although only knowing each other for a little bit got on well and I thought he would become a good mates. I look back over to Max, his gaze has changed and he is now avoiding eye contact with me.

"I can't do option one, I need to make a name for myself by myself. I don't want to be known as Maeve Drucker  Max Verstappen's girlfriend first and occasional driver second."

It hurts to say, but it's the only way. I looked back over to Max, but he was still avoiding eye contact.

"Okay, how about you Max, what do you think is the best way to go about this?"Steph asks.

"Whatever Maeve thinks is best" He simply replies.

His demeanor has most definitely changed, did he want the other option? No, he was probably just disappointed like me that we weren't able to continue this friendship that was forming.

"Okay, that was easy... Now I suppose you'll just have to ride out the rest of these rumours and let them fizzle out. We agree that the best way to go about this is to restrict contact between you two to a minimum, the less contact the less they can feed these rumors"

We both nod our heads.

I was willing to do anything to do well in this sport, but doing anything already seemed so hard. Max quickly got up and walked out of the room.

"Done agreement made" He mutters as he exits the conference room.

I was a bit taken aback, it was obvious he was unhappy that was clear to me now. That might be the last time I am ever that close to him again. I've just got to push emotions away, it is all worth it.

-🏎️-

I had made it to my first technical race day, it was a Thursday morning in Bahrain and I was walking towards the paddock. AlphaTauri gear on as I attempted to appear confident standing straight and walking strong, little did anyone know I was manually controlling my steps to make sure I didn't fall ass over.

Paparazzi lined the entrance of the paddock waiting for their first view of the drivers for the first day on track.  Although a media day I could see that the paddock was already buzzing with people, and I could feel the energy from there. I was getting excited, this was my first day in the paddock as an F1 driver, not as a driver academy member and real driver.

While getting excited and trying to look confident I managed to drop my pass. However not knowing I've done this I continue to walk towards the gates. The paparazzi, who I had become very aquatinted with these past few weeks were snapping away taking pictures of me as I entered.

I stand at the gate and search for the pass,

"Oh for fuck sake," I say under my breath as I look for it.

Yep, you're getting taken so seriously right now Maeve.

"Ma'am you dropped it back there," one of the paparazzi tells me.

I slightly turn and give a thanking nod,

"I'll grab it" He yelled out.

There he is with his voice again, I turn around fully and see him.

Ever since our PR agreement I haven't seen anything of Max, and just like our managers said the rumours died out. I had spent some time with the other drivers getting to know them the last couple of weeks but I was never seen in the same room as Max. Was it possible to miss someone whom you've only known for a little while?

He picks up my pass and jogs over handing it to me. I don't know what to say. What about our agreement? Cameras begin snapping.

"Thank you," I say very quietly before turning on my heel and entering the paddock leaving Max behind at the gate.

It was rude, yes. But that interaction alone could have created more rumors. He agreed with me and he should stick to it like I am. You would think a rookie like myself has nothing to lose, that agreements like these shouldn't have to be made, but the truth is I have a lot more to lose than every other driver.

I continued walking towards my team building, I was here to drive and was going to work hard to do well, however, it felt like the pressure of relationships and the media were taking more of a toll on me than I expected.

-🏎️-

Media:
Left in her dust, Max and Maeve who've recently seen locking lips appear to be ignoring each other.