Drive to Survive [Lando Norris]

-19-

That weird and empty feeling stayed with Willow since last nights talk with Lando. Deep down she had this thought telling her how sad she should be right now, and she was, but she wasn't showing it. 

She still showed up to the paddock in her usual mood and greeted the whole team before preparing for FP3. Maybe it was because what had happened last night had yet to actually hit her. 

Willow did remember sitting behind in complete silence afterwards having the feeling of wanting to cry, but no tears ever came out. Why, she didn't know. 

"How are we feeling today?" Lily asked as they were in Willow's driver's room doing a bit of warm up and massaging. 

"Good, I think" Willow replied with an unsure look on her face. 

"Good, you think? What's that suppose to mean?" Lilly asked confused. 

"I don't know" she said starring at the floor as she was giving massage. 

"Try explaining it to me" Lilly felt Willow move a bit signalizing that she was confused, "It's important that you're focused, and as your trainer, it's my job to do so" Lily continued and Willow sighed. 

"Fine. I feel... okay, I think. But a part of me feels horrible and empty, and I know why, but I don't know what to do. I know, it makes like zero sense, but I don't know how to explain it" Willow explained. Or tried to at least. 

"Well why are you not feeling okay? Has something happened?" Lily asked. 

Willow was debating with herself wether to actually tell Lily about Lando and everything that had happened. But in the end her better self took over, and she decided to tell her a bit about it. 

"Okay so, I have become a bit closer to this person, and recently maybe a bit too close. And so I did something stupid, and I talked to the person about it, and now I've pushed them away. And a part of me thinks that I did the right thing, but another part of me doesn't" Willow explained sitting back up so she could look at Lily.

"Wow... that's a lot" Lily finally said. 

"Yeah I know, but I'm focused now and ready to get in the car" Willow said hopping of the bed and grabbing her stuff. 

"Wait, don't you wanna talk a bit more about it? Who is it about?" She asked, but Willow shook her head. 

"Maybe I'll tell you later" Willow said before leaving the room. 

--

After a good FP3 ending with another P5, Willow was strolling around the paddock waiting for qualifying. After her, what you could barely call a talk with Lily, she began to think a bit more about everything. 

Had she made the right choice? 

Her thinking immediately stopped when she was now standing in front of the McLaren motorhome. She looked at the papaya colors and froze when she spotted Lando talking to Daniel right inside. 

She looked at him talking to his teammate with a smile on her face, and for the first time since last night she could finally feel her heart sink. She quickly left to avoid anything awkward, even though she wanted to talk to him. Like really wanted to talk to him. 

--

"Okay Willow, you know the strategy. Let's smash this quali" Mark said. 

"You know it" Willow replied and began her lap. 

At first it was going pretty well, there were a few mistakes, but not really much. She even nailed turn 13 that she had missed earlier in FP3. She set her first lap laying in a solid P6 and was secured for Q2. 

Then round came Q2 and she was back on track. She felt comfortable and was ready to set an even better time. She came speeding around turn 6 and 7 and avoided most of the apex when her car suddenly made a weird noise. 

"Uh Mark what was that noise?" Willow asked. She was still on her first lap and needed to set a good time. 

"I don't know, we're looking" He just replied not being at any help. 

The weird noise came back and this time louder. 

"What the fuck" She whispered to herself but continued to drive. She was so close to the finishing line, but the weird noise was constant now. And as she drove around another corner she felt the whole car shake, and she was unable to get it back on the straight line. 

Instead it headed straight towards the gravel, and Willow felt the small stones in her cockpit hitting her hands and arms slightly stinging. Her car spun around on the gravel and finally stopped as it hit the wall with a loud bumb causing Willow's head to shake like crazy before it finally stopped. 

"Willow, are you okay?" Mark's concerned voice sounded over the radio that was luckily not broken. 

"Yeah I'm alright... shit" she said holding her head, with her helmet still on, in her hands since it was thumping. 

Medical staff was quickly over by her car and the session became red flagged. Willow wanted to get out of the car by herself, but giving the small bruises on her hands from the gravel and the thumping in her head and back, she was unable to do so, and some of the medical staff helped her out instead. 

When she finally got out and was standing on her own two feet she took a look at her car. It looked completely wrecked and it seemed like Willow got lucky there.

She was put in a medical car and driven back to the pitlane where she insisted on walking herself since she felt overall fine. The thumping in her head wasn't that bad anymore. 

With hesitation from the medical staff they did as she asked for and she walked out of the car. But of course she didn't get very far before Lily came rushing over to her. 

"Oh my God are you okay? It looked horrible" she exclaimed checking Willow out for broken bones or anything like that. 

"I'm fine, Lily" She reassured her trainer who then grabbed her hands. 

Willow slightly winced and of course Lily noticed. 

"What the hell, Willow?" she said firmly before taking of Willow's gloves resulting in Willow wincing even more. 

"Ouch fuck!" Willow exclaimed when Lily pulled of her gloves and saw all the bruises on her hands that were also bleeding now. 

"Willow!?" Lily exclaimed looking at her bleeding hands. 

"What? I'm fine" Willow said pulling her hands away from Lily. 

"Would you please stop pretending that you're fine for like 5 minutes? it's okay to ask for help sometimes." Lily said with no answer from Willow. 

She sighed and continued, "just go to the medical room please, I'll know if you don't!" Lily finished and walked away. 

Willow groaned and placed her helmet, balaclava and gloves down in the garage and made her way to the medical room.