Way Down We Go || Charles Leclerc

Pilot

Walking out of the building, Isabella Greco found herself surrounded by cameras and flashes. People were screaming her name and questions that she couldn't hear. She made her way through the crowd - helped by the bodyguards - while her manager was trying to explain to her that there were too many people to not take the car on her way home.
"You know that I would never get into that thing." Isabella answered, and then added "I'll go home the same way I came here: with my bike.".
"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" sighed her manager, Nick. Nick had been working with Isabella since her debut in Hollywood five years before and knew about Isabella's hate for cars, but he still thought that it would have been much safer for her to ride by cars that always go around by bike. He didn't know why she was so anti-cars, though he had never asked her. Theirs was more that a work relationship, it was almost a friendship if we could put it like that. Nick knew everything about Isabella, everything but where her fear for cars came from, because she had never told him and he had always thought that if she wanted to she would have had.
Even though he wanted so badly for Isabella to take the car, he knew that there was no way of changing her mind, so instead he said "Do as you wish, I'll see you at your house." Isabella smiled softly and mimed a thank you with her lip, than run to her bike that was parked not far away from there.

What she loved the most about about going around cycling was that like that she had all the time in the world to admire the romantic views of the city. To get to her home she had to go trough a little street surrounded by trees and she could hear the soft singing of nature - that was finally blossoming again after a cold winter. She loved spring with all hear hearth. It had always meant new starts.

When Isabella got home she found in her living-room Nick and Jason, her boyfriend, waiting for her. When Jason and Isabella first got together, the year before, every magazine was talking about them and their age difference. He was indeed almost a decade older than her, but they did fell in love quite immediately. They met on set shooting a movie and started dating a couple of moths later and have been together ever since. On every gossip magazine - almost every week - they would write about how the two were madly in love and the happiest couple in the world. Sometimes Isabella didn't feel like that, tho. Not in that period, at least, when she felt like her life was falling apart all over again.
She entered the room. The boys were both looking at her and she could sense that something was off.
"What's wrong guys? You look like you have just seen a ghost."
Jason cleared his throat "Izzy, hi." he said kissing her on the lips.
"Why don't we all sit down?" Nick invited the two of them to take a seat on the couch. They did as told, sitting next to each other, Jason holding Isabella's hands.
"So what's wrong?" she asked again.
"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine."
"But?"
"But we'll need to postpone your vacation. You know, a couple of more interviews, public appearances, also you should-" he was cut off by Isabella.
"No way. You promised me. This is going to be your last interview and than you'll have your time off, you said. You've been saying this for moths. And every time there's always one more something. I'm tired. Don't you get that?" she was speaking louder and louder, feeling her tears fighting to leave her eyes. Jason started massaging her head "Come on, honey, calm down." he said.
"Calm down? Are you being serious right now? I'm starting to get sick of this life and you both don't even care. You're going to drive me mad."
"Isabel-" started Nick.
"Leave," Isabella shouted "Leave now!"
Nick left almost immediately, Jason tried to convince her to let him stay for the night but she stated that she needed some alone time, then he left too.

When she was finally alone she run upstairs to her bedroom and took out her phone. She dialed the number without even thinking about what were the chances to bother him. But he answered right away.
"Iz, what happened? Is everything alright?"
"Not really, are you in Madrid?"
"Yes, I'll be here for three weeks. Why?"
"Can I come?"
"There's no need to ask, you're always welcome."
"You're my savior Carlos, you know that right? I have no idea what I'd do without you."
"I know. I'm the best." Isabella could feel him smile through the phone "I'll get your room ready, when are you arriving?"
"I'll take the first flight."
As the phone call ended she started throwing everything she could in her suitcase, then she put on a hoodie, some tracksuit pants, a black cap and a pair of sunglasses, trying to hide her identity. With her computer she booked the first flight to Madrid. It was leaving in four hours, and she took it as a sign of fate. She wrote a note that she left on the counter in the kitchen knowing that one between Jason and Nick would have come the next morning to see how she was. She wrote:

I can't take this anymore, I need to clear my mind and find myself.
I feel like there's nothing left here for me.
Please do not look for me, I'll let you know when I'll be ready to come back.
Jason, I love you, but I need to remember how to love myself again.
Nick, I need to know what is like not to have my life organized by someone who's not me.

Isabella.

She then walked out the door, closing it behind her and didn't look back. She walked to the nearest bus station and took the bus to the airport. It was almost 7 pm and the flight was at 10:30 pm, so she wasn't in a rush, but still, she wanted to be as close as possible at her chance to start again, or maybe be her old self again. When she got to the airport it was already a quarter to eight and she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. She did the check-in as fast as she could so that she could have a bite of something before leaving. It took her half an hour before eating the sandwich that she was now holding like it was the most magical thing in the whole world.

More or less an hour later she was sitting on the plane, saying goodbye to L.A. and the person she had become.

During most of the flight she slept, otherwise she would read the book she had in her bag or trying to write a new song - something that she hadn't been able to do for moths, she had nothing to write about.

The flight attendant gently woke her up when they were about to land at the Madrid airport, and as soon as they landed Isabella texted Carlos that she had arrived.

From messenger
Carlos Idiot Sainz: I know, I'm waiting outside ;)

Isabella took her suitcase and headed outside just to find Carlos in front of his car. She run to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much" she whispered. As a response he held her tighter and kissed her on the cheek. "You have two options, " he started "The bus station is that way," he pointed at his right "Or you can rent a bike right there." he added pointing to a sign that said Bike Rental. "Either case, I'll take the suitcase and wait for you at home." Isabella couldn't help but smile, that man was the only one who knew the story behind that fear - apart from her family - and ever since he found out he had never even once tried to make her get in a car. "I'll take the bus."

Half an hour later she was in front of the house. She took a deep breath as she opened the door with the keys Carlos had given her years before. As she took the first step into the house she already felt better. That place was a memorial of her best memories with her best friend. It had laughter, cries, fights but most importantly love inside of those walls.

Finally she was back home.