Azalea's headed into her second year as an F1 driver. She's got her main group of friends but as she explores new friendships, new feelings come into play.
Disclaimer: This book focuses more on the romance and character storylines rather than the F1...
The private jet touched down on the tarmac of Miami International Airport, the engines winding down as I unbuckled my seatbelt. The Miami sun greeted me as I stepped off the plane, and took in the full heat.
The distinct hum of the Formula 1 world lingered, and moved through me. The anticipation of racing in Miami added an extra layer of excitement to the air.
I had tried to interact with as many waiting fans as I could. Signing hats, collecting bracelets, taking photos. I loved it all.
After, I found the car Redbull sent and made my way to the hotel where I was staying. The city's vibrant energy washed over me. Palm trees lined the streets, swaying gently in the ocean breeze.
The hotel lobby buzzed with activity as I made my way through and up to my assigned room.
Upstairs, after unpacking my things, I took a moment to absorb the breathtaking view of the Miami skyline. The sun dipped lower, casting a warm glow over the city, and the ocean stretched out in the distance. Even though I'm always in new and different countries, this place gave me a sense of freshness and excitement. Begging me to lift a bit of the weight off my shoulders.
As the evening descended, I felt restless lying in my room and wanted to spend the first night here out in town. So I fixed up my makeup, put on a new outfit, and left my room to go round up the troops.
Rất tiếc! Hình ảnh này không tuân theo hướng dẫn nội dung. Để tiếp tục đăng tải, vui lòng xóa hoặc tải lên một hình ảnh khác.
I arrived at the hotel door of my first victim and started knocking a bunch. The door flung open revealing Danny with his hand leaning on the door frame. His head was angled down towards me and he was staring at me through those big eyes with his sunglasses halfway down his nose.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses at night?" He looked ridiculous but I couldn't suppress my laughs.
"Why aren't you?" He smirked at me.
"Touchee," I angled my head back at him. "Want to come out with me? I wanna grab Lan, too."
"Yup!" He exclaimed before turning and gathering some things then following me out into the hallway.
As we passed by a few more doors to get to the elevator, Daniel stopped in front of one particular and looked at me with an ominous look.
"Who's door is that?" I asked with confusion since Lando's was a floor down.
"Max's," His eyebrows slowly rose as his eyes widened with amusement.
"Oh Danny, I was hoping... to not invite him?" I awkwardly replied. I wanted to respect that they were still friends, but I just wanted a night away from all the drama.
"I know," He was full-on grinning now. "RUN!" He hollered before pounding with all his strength on the door and sprinting towards the elevator.
It caught me by so much surprise it took me a minute to start running too. I was laughing and urging Danny to head for the stairs instead, trying to get out of sight. We were both grinning from ear to ear as we hauled ourselves into the staircase and down.
When we made it to safety a floor below I gave Danny a small nudge to his side and said, "Could have given me some warning, yeah?" I was still stupidly smiling.
"What's the fun in that?" He joked as we knocked on Lando's door.
He opened it with bright eyes and a smile until he took in our appearances and his smile dropped and his eyebrows knitted together. "Why are you out of breath?"
"Ask this one," I nudged Danny again.
"We ding dong ditched Max's room."
"Without me?" Lando whined.
"You two are children," I shook my head, "Come out with us," I turned my attention to Lando.
"Sure, what do you have in mind?"
~~~~~~~~
"Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don't cha?"
"Woo, go Danny!"
I won the karaoke game again. This time we had to list as many drivers' numbers as we could. Daniel got last and had to drink as well as sing the song of my choice.
The pulsating neon lights of the karaoke joint and the air that buzzed with excitement had the promise of a wild night.
Upon finding this place, Danny who was already tipsy had started doing an exaggerated vocal warm-up and had taunted us claiming his "beast of vocals" was going to show us up.
I only rolled my eyes playfully, "You're on, Ric."
Lando chuckled, "Let's just hope the karaoke machine survives your performance, mate."
As the night progressed, we all took turns belting out tunes and smack-talking each other, making it into a competition.
At one point, Daniel grabbed Lando and me for an impromptu group performance. We all joined in, singing our designated parts and following Danny in his ridiculous choreography.
We were all smiling, swaying over the place, and barely getting our singing out because we were laughing so hard.
I couldn't help but appreciate the joy that Daniel and Lando brought into my life. It was a night of karaoke chaos, a memory they would cherish, and a reminder that sometimes, letting loose and embracing the wild side was exactly what I needed.
As we stumbled out of the karaoke joint, hoarse from laughter and singing, we all straightened when we saw the company in front of us.
"Hey Charles, Carlos!" I waved at each respectively. There was a girl them them as well but I didn't recognize her. Lando and Danny also broke into greetings as everyone started hugging and catching up.
I noticed the girl stay off slightly to the side. She was beautiful and was adorned with long brown hair and a gorgeous little red dress.
I made my way slightly towards her and smiled, "Hey, I'm Azalea. You're friends with them?" I gestured towards the two Ferrari drivers.
"Hey," She smiled towards me. Her eyes held everything and nothing at the same time. "Charles is my brother, my name is Lana, Lana Leclerc."
"Sister? Didn't know he had one," I said more to myself as I stared towards him.
"Well when you're living in his shadow," She bemused, gesturing towards him.
They were all so loud conversing with each other. Hollering, teasing. They probably wouldn't even notice if we left.
"Girl, you're much more than him."
She turned to face me with a devious closed-lip smile, "You wanna ditch them?"
"Obviously," I sassed and linked my arm with her as we sauntered away to the nearest club without a care in the world.
We spent the night dancing away under the flashing lights and loud music in the first club we found.
Lana and I had an instant bond as we joked and drank our way through the night.
The boys eventually found and joined us. Danny gave me a hard time for not inviting him on our sneak away, and Charles gave Lana an earful for leaving him in a "dangerous city."
Seems like a protective older brother, even though she's my age. I laughed to myself at the thought and tuned back into the chaos of the club.
