Smooth, Fast, & Pretty

The End of Something Old and the Start of Something New

              I weave through the crowd in the packed club, where the hell are my friends? This was all their idea, partying to numb the pain of Pierre breaking up with me over the phone. Three years down the drain in a twenty-seven-second call. I eventually give up on looking for my drunk friends and make my way over to the bar. My head is already throbbing, a direct result of the flashing lights and the sheer amount of alcohol I've already consumed. "Rough night?" the bartender asks. I manage to let out a grunt and order some hard liquor. I wash each shot down with another, I really should get out of here. I make my way out of the club and run into my best friend, Lando. As soon as I see him I start thinking about Pierre, his teammate and my ex as of 4 hours ago. The thought of Pierre is quickly overtaken when I notice him getting close and cozy with a girl I've never seen before. It doesn't matter though, at least not right now. I'll just talk to him in the morning, I need to get back to my room.

            I don't remember how I got home last night but I woke up in my hotel room, neatly tucked into the sheets. Lando probably took me home, I should head over to his room and get some answers as to what I missed. I head across the hall and knock on room 413, I hear a commotion inside and have to wait for a few minutes before the door opens. I expect to see Lando standing before me but instead it's the girl from last night. "Oh! Hi there, I'm Oliv-" then all of a sudden Lando comes up behind her. "I've got this" he says under his breath and she walks away, I can't help but watch her as she disappears around the corner. "Who the hell was that?" I inquire, not even trying to hide how surprised I am. "She's just a girl, Val. It's not a big deal." He responds, a little too quickly. "Just a girl, Lando? You can't just be bringing random girls home, your job doesn't give you that type of freedom. Do you know what the press would do if they caught wind of this?" As I say this I start thinking about Pierre and realize I haven't even told him about the break up. "Look Val, she's more than just a girl. I didn't mean to make it sound like that, we've been talking for a bit. I just didn't know how to tell you." he splurts out. Well this is news to me, I never thought he would keep this type of thing from me. Not to mention, Lando and a brunette? "It's fine. Did you take me back to the hotel last night? I was so shit faced I can't remember a thing, it's all a blur." I only ask him because I need closure knowing I didn't go home drunk with anyone...ahem like someone I know. "No I didn't, I'm pretty sure one of the guys took you home." One of the guys? What does he mean, a fellow driver? He must be able to see the confusion on my face because he starts up again. "I think it was Charles, I'm pretty sure he saw you stumbling as you left and took you back to your room. Don't worry, I'm sure there was no foul play, Charles is a very classy man" he shrugs as he casually reveals that the Charles Leclerc brought me back to the hotel last night. "Oh okay..uhm Lando?" I need to tell him about me and Pierre eventually, why not now? "Yeah? Is everything ok, Val?" he says, looking visibly concerned. "It's over. Pierre and I, he called me last night to let me know it wasn't going to work. Apparently, it took him three years to figure that out." I can't stop my voice from breaking as my eyes fill up with tears.

           We sit on the balcony overlooking the streets of Monte-Carlo, it really is gorgeous here. I'm taking some time off of modeling gigs for a bit so I decided to come to the race this weekend so I could support my boyfriend and best friend. Lando has spent the whole afternoon with me, he hasn't left my side since I let him know what happened. He gets up to get some water and I check my phone for the first time today. I reply to a few of my friends, telling them I got home safely but leaving out the part about Charles. They don't need to know yet, right? A part of me wonders why I don't want to tell them, whatever it is doesn't matter right now. Lando comes back with a glass of water and says "I've got to head out soon, the team is going to meet up to talk before the first free practice". I nod and show him to the door, I'll see him at dinner in a few hours anyways.