Full Throttle

Baby, this is Monaco

Most Formula One drivers lived in Monaco, and actually being there and looking around and driving through the streets and seeing the amount of wealth that flowed through everything, I couldn't blame them. It was beautiful, everything was so beautiful. Nick had dropped a few hints about me buying an apartment here, and I was seriously considering it. Maybe, at another time, but I would love to live here. I couldn't imagine what my dad would say if he saw it all properly, neither could I imagine what all my friends would say. Unlike the other drivers, I hadn't done a race in Monaco. In my first Formula 2 season, I got sick and had to skip the race, not even making the flight over. In my second season, my dad got sick, and I had to skip the race to look after him. I guess it was just bad luck on my part, but I was happy to be here now. The Monaco race weekend was different in that there were no practices on Friday, instead, FP1 and FP2 were held on Thursday. This was because Thursday was a holiday, and so it only made sense to get the cars out on track when it wasn't busy with the normal track; it was, after all, a street race. It was Friday today, and the Amber Lounge event was tonight. I'd done decently in practices yesterday, coming P8 and then P7. The track was so tight, and there weren't a lot of opportunities for overtaking as a result of that. I needed to do well in Qualis to have a good chance of winning points this weekend. A shout from behind me snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned around to find out who had tried to get my attention. It was Charles.
"Hey, Jessie," he said, jogging to walk with me. "How are you finding Monaco?"
"It's so beautiful! Everything is just so stunning. I understand why a lot of drivers live here."
"Are you considering moving here?"
"Nick's hinted at it a few times, and I'll be honest, it is very tempting. But I'd be so far away from my dad, and he barely gets to see me anyway."
"Ah, I understand. Doesn't your dad come to the races?"
"No, he isn't keen on all the flights and hotels, and he isn't too good at languages," I laughed, remembering the time we went on a family holiday to Spain.
"You are not too bad at languages, though."
"I try not to be, but I don't speak much. My languages are limited to Spanish, French, and Italian, and even then, my vocabulary is hardly enough to call me fluent."
"That's still impressive, and a lot better than most drivers," Charles defended.
"You speak Italian, French, and English flawlessly."
"That is because French and Italian are commonly used here in Monaco, and English is just a compulsory language as it's so widely spoken. If you need any help with French and Italian, I'm always here to give you direction, you'll be a fluent speaker soon enough!"
"Thanks," I laughed.
"Are you looking forward to the event tonight?"
"A little bit, I don't much know what's going on, though."
"Just stick with me and George and you'll be fine. I've got to run, places to be, but I'll talk to you later tonight."
"Okay, see you!"

I'd gone to the nearest cosmetics store after talking to Charles and bought myself some stuff to strip the hair dye out of my hair: the green really did not match with the rest of my outfit. It had taken me 20 minutes to apply it all, and I sat on the bathroom counter on my phone as I waited.  The paparazzi was everywhere, and I'd had to run and hide a few times on my walk around Monaco. It was for that very reason that I was getting changed into my dress and doing my makeup and everything at a dressing room that the organisers of Amber Lounge had provided. I'd bought a beanie to hide my undyed hair from the flocks of photographers, and maybe it would help me conceal my appearance. I wanted everything to be a complete surprise to everyone. This was the first time I was dressing up since my first season in Formula 3, when I was 14, and I was hoping that this time would be nothing like that time. My alarm went off to signal the end of the period of waiting, and I hopped off the counter, taking the shower cap off my head and stepping inside the shower. I did my usual routine of rinse, shampoo, conditioner made especially for my curls, then body wash. I turned off the shower and ran the curling mousse through my hair, along with my special hair gel, before scrunching and plopping my hair into an old t-shirt. I pulled on my underwear and some baggy tracksuit bottoms and carefully put on a hoodie, being wary not to hit my hair at all. I packed my makeup into a bag, putting that bag into a bigger bag that I'd put the clothes that I was currently wearing into after getting changed into my dress. I took my hairdryer out of my suitcase and attached the diffuser to make sure that my curls would look the best. I unwrapped my hair, running through some more mousse and hair gel before turning the hairdryer on and sorting my hair out. It took me almost half an hour, but the result was worth it. I piled my hair onto the top of my head and put my beanie on, followed by a pair of sunglasses, then I grabbed my bag, put my trainers on and headed out of the door.