Deep Breath | Daniel Ricciardo

Part Thirty-Two

🎵 Bad blood – Taylor Swift 🎵

"OMG!! Yes girl you look Fucking hot.." Lauren greeted me at the door with a huge smile on her face.

"You think it looks okay?"

"Babe you look stunning. It's the iconic revenge outfit!! I love it" she said giggling.

We spent the next half hour talking and finishing up our looks. We'd had way too many drinks to even call it pre-drinks so we headed down to get a taxi to the nightclub, meeting up with Jamie in the foyer.

It hadn't been far to the club, we could have probably walked it, but when we arrived it was packed. Jamie had said it was like a tiered opening. The drivers and their Guests in a VIP lounge, other f1 staff on the raised deck and free to the public on the ground floor.

We had quickly realised that the huge queue had been locals trying to gain entry and that we could pretty much walk straight in with our passes. The guy on the door called for someone to come through to take me up to the VIP lounge as I'd got access but Jamie and Lauren didn't.

"No it's okay," I said to him. "I'm going to stay with these guys" he put his thumb up and ushered us in.

"You don't have to stay with us Lib, go and chat to the guys... might be free drinks up there!" Lauren shouted in my ear, the music was already so loud.

I shook my head, "I want to stay with you Lauren"

"Ok" she mouthed back shrugging her shoulders.

We made our way onto the raised deck and Lauren guided me over to some of the people she worked with. I'd spent so much time around Daniel that I'd not really made friends with the mechanics and others guys at Red bull.

We'd stayed there for a while and I offered to go down to the bar to get Lauren and I a drink. I had to walk close to the VIP area, unfortunately Carlos and Charles had spotted me. The called out to me but I just smiled and waved back.

Did they know? Had they been in on it all as well? Laughing behind my back at how foolish I was.

When I finally got to the bar there was a crowd waiting to be served. I wasn't great at this, Mark used to be the one to get drinks, push his way through to be served. Suddenly I felt two hands on my waist, I turned slightly to see Lando's face, centimetres from mine.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"What does it look like," I laughed, "getting a drink?"

"They will serve you up in the lounge, come on." He went to take my hand and guide me up to the lounge. Away from the bar. I pulled away.

"I'm not going up there Lando? It's not my place"

"What are you talking about, who do you think sent me down to get you?" I looked over to see a group of faces all headed our way. I locked eyes with the one I desperately wanted and bit down on my lip. My eyes burnt with the tears threatening to fall.

"I don't want to Lando," I pulled my hand from his grip. "I'm not doing up there to be the joke you can all laugh at. To be the stupid girl you all think I am." All my insecurities were pouring out now, "please just leave me alone." He released my hand with a look of confusion on his face. Michael had come over to see what the problem was.

"Hey hey, guys what's going on," Lando shuck his head at Michael in reply and headed back, presumably to the lounge. I however was being served 4 shots of vodka, a vodka coke and a pornstar martini. Michael was stood close to me now.

"Do you need a hand?", he lent to get the drinks of the bar, but before I faced anymore drama tonight I needed a drink. I took each shot one after the other in a row. They hit me like a ten tonne lorry.

"Shit," I groaned, the burn of the alcohol hitting the back of my throat. I grabbed the drinks from Michael hands. "I don't need anybody's fucking help alright!" The alcohol had made me furious, I was sick of men having power over me. Using me to their advantage.

"Libby," he shouted, I turned back to face him. "What's going on with you?"

"I learnt my worth Michael, I learnt how little I I was worth to you all"

"What are you talking about, we love you. You mean the world to Daniel especially."

"Oh please," I screech, "he was after what all men are after. Just playing games with other peoples lives. And you. You let them joke about me, say those things. I thought you were my friend." Silence followed my words, had he worked it out. Did he know what I was talking about. Tears had been streaming down my face as I shouted at him. I took a huge swig of the vodka and coke, I was very drunk now, "they all heard you," I said screaming louder now. "In the garage on Thursday, they heard you. How could you not tell me it was all a lie. You saw me fall for him and you said nothing"

"Libby I"

"Save it. Fuck you Michael and fuck him"

I chugged the rest of my drink and put the glass on the side. I had consumed so much alcohol in the last 10 minutes and it was only now really kicking in. I turned my back and headed to Lauren.

I wiped my tears away, not looking up to the VIP area.