Rêveries

Chapter 11.

Charles and Arthur left for Canada. Pascale and I dropped them off at the airport in Nice and she told them to call often. I hugged them both goodbye and we watched as they walked off. Arthur turned around at one point.

"Je te verrai quand nous rentrerons à la maison!" I'll see you when we get home! I smile about the fact that they'll be coming back home and I'll be there. This is my life soon. Dropping them off at the airport, going home to Monaco, spending time with Pascale, soon enough we'll be picking them up at the airport. But I have to get home and graduate first.

The whole week, me and Pascale spent setting up my new bedroom. She had bought me a bedding set that was white with little light blue flowers on it. We also got a new headboard for the bed. It was the same color as the flowers on the bedding. We filled the bed with a bunch of blankets and pillows. We put small, antique-looking bedside tables on each side of the bed and a lamp on them. On the left side of the bed we hung a full body mirror and next to it there was the tiniest walk-in closet where I took the door off and exchanged it with a white drape. Next to the door we bought a makeup table and put a mirror with the most gorgeous, silver frame above the table. The chair looked like it had been stolen from Princess Charlene's room. We found it by chance, walking into a second-hand shop and found a silver chair with a blue seat and backrest that fit perfectly with the table.

Pascale insisted on getting darker curtains for the large window but I wanted the room light. Light and blue. So I got a set of thicker, white curtains to prevent some light from coming in and then hung the lighter, blue curtains in front of them. They were the type to blow in the wind if the window was open and I liked that. We finished off with a large white rug in the middle of the room and then agreed to continue when I had all my personal belongings there.

On Sunday, I flew back to Sweden. My parents picked me up at the airport and as soon as I got home I started packing boxes with everything I wanted to bring. All my clothes, some pictures, all my books and some other necessities. I took part in the graduation celebrations the whole week and I told my friends that I was moving back to Monaco two days after graduation. I was so excited and they could see it on my face, even though they didn't look as happy for me.

Svea told me she had watched the race, simply hoping she'd see me. She saw me once in the box. They showed me and my dad after Charle's crash. She also said she kept googling my name to see if anything showed up, which apparently, it did.

Verstappen vs. Bianchi?
There is no denying that Formula 1 is a sport full of rivalry, but how does it look for their family and friends? This weekend we raced in Monaco, the home race of rookie Charles Leclerc, the godson of late Jules Bianchi, and the paddock had some special guests.

The Bianchi family stepped out of the spotlight completely after Jules Bianchi, passed at the age of 25 from the injuries of a fatal F1 car crash. But now, Charles is racing and the family makes sure to show their support.

Jules Bianchi's sister, Céline Bianchi, 17, was seen at the Sauber garage, supporting her lifelong friend, Charles Leclerc, with her father. She was cruising the paddock just like she did when she was younger. She was undoubtedly happy to be there and was seen catching up with multiple drivers through the weekend. Even one of the newer stars in the sport.

Max Verstappen got his seat in 2015, the season after Bianchi's crash, and he's been seen with his sister, Evelina Verstappen, 17, on the paddock multiple times since joining. She, as well, has been popular amongst her brother's colleagues.

The sport is full of rivalry, but these two sisters show no sign of being affected by any of it. Céline Bianchi and Evelina Verstappen were practically inseparable during the qualifying and race days. Even though they were good at staying hidden from the cameras, fans managed to sneak some glances at the two girls. From the current looks of it, they could be best friends!

There was a picture at the bottom, taken further away as I was walking next to Evie just talking. I didn't even know there were cameras around at that time and I keep forgetting how good people are at sneaking pictures of you. I hope my dad hasn't seen this because he will use it as an example against me for sure.

I did however use the photo, posting it on my Instagram for Evie's birthday, wishing my "alleged best friend" a happy birthday. I wanted to be there with her but I knew her brother would make sure to celebrate her plenty. I called her and asked Charles to buy flowers for her, from me.

Svea told me how she felt as if she was friends with a celebrity and she couldn't even believe that I actually lived and grew up in Monaco. I laughed and shrugged it off. This is somehow all I've ever known and I'm far from a celebrity. I'm the sister of a racer who died and that's all I'm known for.

My mum and dad stood outside of school with their big sign. The tradition in Sweden is to run out of the school, meet up with your friends and family who wait with a sign of you as a baby on it. On my sign, I was standing with both Arthur and Jules on it and I ran out of the school, seeing it in the crowd of people, feeling like Jules was there with me.

I ran up to them, hugged them both and then I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. When turning around, I see Arthur smiling widely. I hug him so tight my graduation cap falls off my head. He told me that he didn't want to miss my graduation so he got his team to agree to have someone else drive for him while he was gone. Charles couldn't, since his races are a bit too important. But Lorenzo and Pascale were the next people to surprise me.

Me and my classmates were on the back of a big truck as it drove us around town. My classmates were actually allowed to drink, so they were getting quite drunk. After that we went home to have some food and cake in the backyard, friends from here came over and we had some family over as well. My other friends went out clubbing later that night but I wasn't allowed. I told Svea she could go without me. I spent the night with Arthur, who convinced Pascale to buy us a bottle of champagne that we drank while sitting in my window. Charles called me to congratulate me on graduating and we spent some time talking to him before hanging up.

Arthur stayed to help me move. He told me that watching me graduate and making sure I'm settling in is more important than racing. He'd rather miss one race than have me do it alone. He gasped when he saw the room we had fixed while he was gone, saying it looked amazing. He helped me get all my books into a bookcase we had to get just because I brought so many books. I put everything where I wanted it, hanging and folding my clothes into the closet, putting my makeup into the drawers of the makeup table and such. When it was finished, Pascale walked in with blue orchids she had gotten for me, putting them on my nightstand.

Arthur had to go back on Wednesday and after that, my new life was starting back in Monaco. I had my first meeting with my new therapist. She was okay, but not as good as the one back in Sweden. She asked me questions, wrote on a paper and hummed at everything I said. I had to tell her everything from the beginning, since she was new.

I did a lot of things with Pascale too. We worked out, we went to the movies, we went sailing on their sailing boat and shared a bottle of wine that she told me not to tell my parents about. She always wanted a daughter and she brought me to stores just to dress me up in dresses. We also went out to eat and spent days at the beach and in the backyard. We went to Nice for a day and another we drove over the Italian border to Monte Piccaro.

I started my media training. The coach Charles had was kind and she was patient. She would give me examples of questions I could get and examples of replies I could give. She told me some tricks on how to always look my best in front of the camera, since tabloids are absolutely ruthless with pictures.

I visited Jules' grave twice during the first week. I brought lilies and sat there talking to him. I told him all about what's going on and how I'll be living here again and I'm feeling happier already. I wish he could reply...

Two weeks after the Canadian race it was time for the French Grand Prix. The circuit they're racing, Paul Riccard, is only a 2 and a half hour drive from Monaco. I begged and managed to make Pascale agree to let me go to the race even though she had set the limit until the summer break. She set the limit because she didn't think traveling would help me settle, but driving for only 2 and a half hours is barely traveling, so she agreed to let me go.