When we met.

~3~

I've been running with Max for a few years now, and I've watched him grow up. The bond I have with him has also gotten better over the years, besides being my cousin, he has also become my best friend. My father and my uncle both love to see that Max and I have become so close. "Nice lap time Max, next time try to take the second corner a little sharper so you can improve your time even more!" I stand next to my uncle and watch the drivers on the track, there are not many familiar ones and I am pretty bored, sometimes there are days when I regret having said years ago that I like karting after all. My father also bought me a kart and Max taught me most of it. I hate driving in the rain, but even in this weather we have to train uncle Jos always says. "Hey, y/n." A familiar voice makes me look up from the track, it's Charles. Charles and I have become a bit friends too in my opinion. My father and my uncle often don't like it much when Charles comes to have a chat with me. "Hey Charles, how are you? "I'm great and what about you?" "I'm fine too." "Y/n would you mind?" The tone in my uncle's voice sounds annoyed. "Sorry, we'll take a walk, come Charles." Together with Charles, I walk away from my uncle.

"Nice weather we have today huh?" Being the down-to-earth Dutchman that I really am, I start talking about the weather. Charles laughs. "What's so funny?" " In the past few years that I have known you you always start our conversations by talking about the weather." I laugh and explain to him that that's a Dutch thing to do when you don't know what to talk about. "I really should go visit your house sometime." "You would like that, my uncle isn't going to allow that and because of that neither is my father, imagine if you could join us." You both start laughing. "Why do they hate me so much?" "Hate is a big word." "But?" "Remember that one time you ran Max off the track?" "How could I forget that time, that video is floating all over the Internet." "Well that's why they don't like you that much." "But you are also a Verstappen, so why do you talk to me?" "Because I like you as a person, I'm not the one you have to race against." "Do you want to race sometime?" "Against you?" "Yeah why not?" "That's not fair then you win anyway." "Come on one time?" "Fine, just give me time to change." "Sure take your time, I'll see you at the track in a minute." Charles sprints away to his kart and I myself walk back to put on my racing suit. "What are you going to do?" My dad then asks me. "I want to race a few laps too, is that okay?" "Fine but will you be careful?" "Don't worry dad." Quickly I change clothes and drive my kart to the start.

"Ready?" Charles asks me when we are both ready. I feel a little nervous and I hope I don't make any mistakes. "Yes, let's go!" We count down 5 seconds and then start racing, the first few laps I keep up with Charles easily and even overtake him once. I hear my father encouraging me and that feels good. We have already passed Max a few times, I am still trying to give Max enough room to practice, but in one of these turns it almost goes wrong, Max skids away and just barely misses my front wheel. "Get your daughter off that track Michael." I hear Jos say to my father. "Why, your son is making a mistake! y/n is doing just fine!" Is my father's response. After a few more laps Charles is far ahead and it is no longer possible for me to over take him and we decide to finish the race this way. "You can do quite a bit yourself, y/n," says Charles when he has also got out of his kart. "Thank you, I enjoyed doing this together, I just think I'm going to have problems with my uncle." "He shouldn't be so difficult, Max made a wrong move and that's why he skidded away there was nothing anyone could have done about it except Max himself." In the distance I see my uncle scolding Max and I decide to quickly say goodbye to Charles to save Max from his distressed possition.