everything has changed ➺ charles leclerc

twenty-one - angeli

— angeli

AS THE THUMPING MUSIC FILLS MY EARS, I stroll along the Marina, searching for the yacht where my friends are currently partying. The cool breeze of Monaco brushes against my face as I run my hand through my hair, pulling my luggage along. It's the height of the Formula 1 summer break, and I'm on my way to the much-awaited vacation around Europe that some of the guys organized.

I continue wandering around the marina, hoping to spot the boat, when I notice two familiar figures.

"Angeli!" Daniel calls out, and I raise my sunglasses, squinting until I spot the Aussie waving his arm wildly.

"Danny!" I yell back happily, jogging over to where he and Heidi are unloading their suitcases from a car.

"Angeli, my love." Heidi greets me with a warm smile, embracing me in a tight hug. "I haven't seen you since Silverstone! How have you been?" She releases me but keeps her hands on my shoulders.

"I'm doing great! I'm actually working on an album," I reply, but Daniel's excited shriek interrupts me.

"You're really doing it?" he exclaims with enthusiasm.

"Of course I am!" I respond, a wide smile spreading across my face as I link arms with Heidi.

"I better be the first one to hear it!" Heidi says, while Daniel leads us toward the boat.

"Maybe if you get me drunk enough on this trip, I'll let you listen to some of the songs," I playfully tease Heidi, who squeals with excitement.

After a few minutes of searching, Daniel spots Max, who is vigorously waving at us from a large yacht. My jaw drops when I see the boat—it's larger than any yacht I've ever been on. Heidi and I rush toward the dock, leaving Daniel in charge of our luggage.

"Holy shit!" I exclaim in amazement as Heidi and I step onto the boat.

"This is huge!" Heidi exclaims, marveling at its size.

"Little help here, please?" Daniel calls out from behind us, struggling to get our luggage onto the boat.

"Right, sorry," I say, moving over to help Daniel. I take my luggage from him and carry it onto the boat, wheeling it towards the sound of the commotion.

The noise leads us to the upper deck, where most of the drivers and their companions are engaged in lively chatter.

"Angeli! You made it!" Lily exclaims excitedly, running up to me and giving me a tight hug. I squeeze her back, a wide smile on my face.

"Of course I did! Free vacation, free drinks, free food, and good company? Easiest decision of my life!" I exclaim cheerfully.

"Hey! No one said this was free; we're all pitching in," Lando pouts from his seat.

"You can consider it charity work! I'm currently unemployed, remember?" I wink at him.

"Not for long!" Carmen interjects, motioning for me to sit next to her.

"Did you find a job?" Alex gasps.

"No, silly. I didn't even graduate from high school," I reply, feeling a pang of sadness upon remembering I never got to walk the stage on my graduation.

"Don't tell me you're going to be a..." Max starts, but I quickly cut him off.

"Max Emilian, don't even finish that sentence!" I admonish him, giving him a disgusted look.

"I'm actually starting my music career, before any of you jump to conclusions like Max did," I announce, pointing a finger at all the guys, while the girls already know about my music venture.