𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝟓 | 𝚨𝐧 𝚨𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭

The week flew by, and it was already Friday's qualifying. I had been okay since last week, but I wanted to push my worries out of my mind and focus solely on driving. Free Practice (FP) went decently; I finished in P8, which was not the position I aimed for. Arthur, however, performed exceptionally well, ending in P3. While I was drinking some water in my driver's room, I heard Arthur calling my name. I left the room and hurried into the garage, realizing that qualifying was almost upon us. I quickly changed into my suit and got into my car, which was already prepared and waiting for me. I had 30 minutes to prove myself and aim for the top 5.

During the first few laps, I concentrated on getting comfortable with the car. After about 15 minutes, I had moved up to P6, with Arthur in P2. Taking it slow today felt like the right approach. In the final lap, I pushed hard and managed to secure P2, while Arthur held pole position. I felt a wave of happiness wash over me, knowing that Sunday could potentially be even better. After parking our cars back in the garage, we both gave a few interviews before Charles walked over.

"Well done, guys."

"My first pole for F2, it's something special," I replied with a smile. Afterward, I headed back to my driver's room to change clothes, then left with Arthur for the hotel.

Saturday's sprint race went well. Starting from P9, as the top 10 positions from qualifying get swapped, I managed to finish in P5, scoring four valuable points for the championship. The sprint race took a lot out of me, so I turned in early that night. After slipping into my pajamas, I crawled into bed, falling asleep quickly. But it didn't last long. I woke up, heart racing, drenched in sweat. I sat straight up in bed, staring at the floor, feeling the weight of the nightmare that had just shaken me awake. It was 2 a.m.

I always had nightmares about Jules' crash, but this one felt too real. Guilt washed over me; I felt as though I had abandoned him in the hospital. I blamed myself for his accident, recalling the argument we had just before the race. I had said hurtful things, words I didn't mean. The memory of his face, twisted in frustration and hurt, haunted me. I walked to the fridge for a glass of water, hoping to calm my racing heart. Once I felt somewhat stable, I returned to bed and managed to drift off again for a few more hours. When I finally woke up again, it was 8 a.m., and exhaustion weighed heavily on my body.

I hurried through a quick shower to wake myself up, then applied some makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes. Dressed in my normal clothes, I stepped out of my room and bumped into Lando.

"Hey Sophie, are you okay? You look so tired."

"Hi Lando, I'm fine, just didn't sleep well last night."

"Heading to the track already?" I nodded.

"I'll bring you; I'm going anyway for interviews."

I texted Arthur to let him know I had left with Lando. The drive to the track felt tense, filled with nerves since I didn't know Lando very well. When we arrived, the F3 race had started just 10 minutes prior.

"I have to go, I'll see you later," Lando said as he headed off.

I walked to the Prema Racing paddock and watched the F3 race from my driver's room, trying to calm my nerves. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Sophie, are you coming? We need to get ready; the race will be starting soon." It was Arthur, walking into my room.

"Wow, Sophie, you look like a ghost."

"I'm fine, just very nervous," I replied, panic creeping in as I changed into my suit. Arthur sensed my unease.

"It'll be fine; you've been doing great in the last races." I glanced at him, my eyes dropping to the ground.