A girl chasing her dream. A boy looking for the light.
When Florence Nyx started her internship at a Formula 1 paddock, she expected a lot. Fast cars. Exclusive impressions most people could only dream of. An entire array of skills she'd acquire...
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I always knew Formula 1 was luxurious but messy, fast but highly focused, crowded but lonely. My mother and I spent quite a few days behind the scenes, in the camera rooms where we then watched Dad and Rafi make a name for themselves. But I underestimated just how busy it was when you arrived here with a team, a mission, and a dream.
"There they are!" Salim's familiar face appeared from one of the dozens of tents with Azure Racing's logo on it. "Come on in, guys."
Connor rushed into the tent, and while I stepped to the side to let him through, I accidentally bumped into Phoenix, who shot me an annoyed glance in response. He didn't say anything, though — not that I expected him to. The entire flight to Mexico he spent in silence, not even trying to make conversation. Every question I asked was met with a shrug or a glare, and at one point I stopped trying.
Let this guy be an asshole. I had no idea why he was even here to begin with.
"You going, or not?" His poisoned words made me refocus on him, and I found myself squaring up to the guy in front of me.
"What the hell is your issue?!" I was annoyed by his attitude and the obvious disregard for human decency. Let him know I wasn't afraid to show that, either.
He scoffed in response, the fire in his eyes so potent that it suddenly became hard to breathe. Phoenix didn't like me challenging him, that much I could tell. But that wasn't my issue; I wasn't going to let him make me feel small. No matter how long I had to mirror his stare; I would do it. Just for the sake of keeping my integrity.
I could tell he didn't expect me to hold his glare, and he didn't expect me to not move out of his way as he asserted his physical advantages so blatantly. "Forget it," he finally grumbled and stepped through the opening, right into Salim's arms.
Fuck yeah. Got him.
His previous coldness washed away the second Phoenix ran into Salim, and the two greeted each other with a familiarity that surprised me.
"Phoenix!" My boss threw his arms around the tall grumpy guy who reciprocated the notion instantly. I heard them whisper something before they broke apart, and Salim then turned to me to shake my hand with a smile. "Florence! I see you've met Phoenix already." Pride lingered in Salim's voice, and I could tell these two shared a bond that was closer than I had anticipated, especially given their hostility the other day.
"Um... Yeah."
"Great," Salim chimed in with a smile, "Phoenix is here to... Well, he got a last-minute spot in the program, too." The two shared a quick look that made me furrow my brows, but neither of them elaborated on it. Instead, Salim waved us further into the space. "Come on. I'll show you around."
We ended up touring Azure's paddock and even got a glimpse of some of the bigger teams, like Quito Racing. They were one team competing for the world championship, which is probably why they weren't the most welcoming of people I've seen. Their biggest competitor, Fumarrey, was a bit nicer to us. I was surprised by how open they were, introducing us to everyone we needed to know, all while covering their cars, obviously.
