The Team // A Formula One AU

Pierre

"Hey Charles! CHARLES!!!" I sprint across the arrivals hall, recognising my old friend instantly. I haven't seen him for years but he hasn't changed. It's his smooth dark hair and the way he stands. It's Charles.

"Hello?" He looks round. He hasn't seen me, but he does now. "Pierre?"

"Yes, yes it's me Charles we're together again!" That might've come out wrong judging by the confused look on his face. But I'm too happy. The first day of my new karting life and I've been reunited with my best friend. We spent every minute on the track together growing up until I moved away when we were ten. I've never had a better friend.

"Are you in the team too?" He asks and I nod. He grins. "You've changed so much."

"You haven't," I reply as we both perch on our suitcases. He's still wearing a Ferrari shirt, even if it is a few sizes bigger now. I wonder how long until the Thailand flight gets here. I look up at the arrivals board and see it's landed. We have about ten minutes to wait.

"So how've you been?" Charles asks me. Since he moved so much has changed.

"Well... Okay I guess. Did okay in school, I was mostly still just karting though. What about you?"

"Well, Monaco is awesome. I still get to watch the race from our balcony every year, and we've got a huge TV with hundreds of channels and a PlayStation in our apartment. My dad's job went huge so we could afford all this stuff and I moved to new school too," I smile but inside I'm hurt. I always imagined him still at our old school, playing on our old football pitch. But one thing has certainly changed about Charles, he's much more talkative now. "And I've got a girlfriend. Her names Charlotte." He grins proudly and I'm happy for him. At least he's made something of himself. I suddenly realise how little I've moved on.

The junior engineer of our team, Peter, stands up as the Thai kid arrives through the gate. Finally. I've been sat in this airport for hours waiting for everyone to arrive, including Peter himself. Apparently Tom forgot to tell him he was meant to be picking people up from the airport today.

Charles gets up to meet the boy. "Hi, my name's Charles. I'm Monegasque."

"I'm Alex. I'm actually British, I just flew from Thailand because I was visiting family." He's very tall. I wonder what series he's been racing in.

"That's so great, you can show me around London!"

"Yeah, sure," Alex grins. I want to open my mouth and tell them about myself too, but I can't seem to find the right place. I thought Alex looked shy but now I'm the one who can't talk. I sigh. We walk out through the revolving doors and into a black taxi, just the three of us arriving into this airport and being chaperoned by Peter who is making no effort to chat. Charles and Alex are still talking about karting and I could join in, I just can't. My friend Charles gone already. I just stare out of the window.

The car stops and I look up. It's all so green. A single storey building in a vast expanse of fields. What must be the rest of the team is waiting for us outside, as excited and energetic as I was before I realised how difficult it would be to make friends. I climb out and smell the cold April air.

"Hi I'm Lando what's your name?" Straight in my face. I open my mouth. My name.

"Pierre."

"Hi Pierre!" He jumps away to ask Charles the same question. I smile. Someone's excited. I need to make friends. Talk to someone.

"Hi," I say to a dark-haired boy. Why is my voice so quiet? I guess growing up in a tiny village doesn't demand loudness.

The boy doesn't hear me, just runs off after Lando, laughing and chattering away in a Spanish accent. Everything's too hectic for me, I wish I'd arrived earlier because now I'm just left out. I stand next to my luggage until I'm led inside.

So much for making friends.