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'd felt heartbreak in its purest form when I'd left Florence ten years ago. I'd seen it firsthand with my mother, when she had to sacrifice her happiness for the good of her son. The pits of pain had become a new home for me after my accident, when I feared for both my life and career.
But being deceived like that by the one person who I'd never thought could harm me, it just... it fucking hurt.
Everything was too much; the mere thought of running into her — or anyone unwanted — stole the air right out of my lungs.
Taking a deep breath, I took a right turn and merged onto the highway, pushing my electric car to the limit. I reveled in the speed — not caring that I was going much faster than I was allowed to. With only a few cars on the roads, recklessness felt like a good option.
Trees flew by me as I left mile after mile behind, always focused on the track, as usual.
"Dude..." The voice made me glance in the rear-view mirror. Connor's worried face looked back at me, his eyes glancing from the trees rushing by to me. "Could you at least go the speed limit?" he asked, leaning over to get a glimpse of the dashboard.
100mph. Not too bad.
"Wait, you want him to slow down?" Idir asked, turning in the passenger seat. "Aren't you race drivers supposed to love to go fast?"
Connor rolled his eyes. "I do; in my car and on track. Not out on some random highway with a lunatic behind the wheel."
"He's not a lunatic."
"Well, he hasn't said a word! Just knocked on our doors and pushed us into this ridiculously expensive car and then drove off. That sounds like something a lunatic would do, doesn't it?" Connor raised a brow at me.
I shrugged, changing lanes to overtake some cars before I went back to the right lane.
"Cut him some slack, will you? The world hasn't exactly been kind to him. Doesn't make him a lunatic," Idir defended me like the good friend he was, though his troubled glance told me he didn't quite believe himself.
"Just saying, would be great if he opened his mouth and talked to us..." Connor muttered.
God, why the fuck had I brought them along again?
I tried to ignore their bickering as I focused on the road, drowning out any sounds outside of the usual traffic. And I was almost successful. Almost.
But then Idir's phone rang.
The melody sounded through the confined space of the rental car, its high-pitch making me glance over at my friend. He stared at the phone in his hands, a sigh leaving his throat before he looked up at me. It didn't take a genius to figure out who'd called him, the sympathy in his eyes telling more than he ever could. In his defense, he simply waited for his voicemail to pick up, before his phone chimed with another message.
