Reckless Driving

Chapter 2: Miami

"Welcome to Miami"

"Bienvenidos a Miami"

The next few weeks passed by along with the Saudi Arabian, Australian, and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix's. In the first 4 races, I'd earned 22 points. My highest position had been P8 at the Italian GP, which happened to land on my 21st birthday. I had been spending more time with a lot of the drivers over the past races and getting closer with a few of them. After mentioning that I had turned 21, Daniel Ricciardo insisted on throwing a party for me once we got to Miami and invited all the drivers and their girlfriends. It was set for Saturday and most of the drivers were planning on being there.

I flew to Miami early Monday morning rather than staying in Italy. Daniel was also flying early with Max and Lando, and the three were planning on partying around Miami for their extra week. Daniel had invited me out to dinner with the three of them once we all landed and got settled in our hotels. I figured that a quiet dinner with some new friends wouldn't hurt so I had agreed. I landed, got in the Aston Martin that was waiting for me, and picked up some food from a drive-thru on my way to the hotel. I knew I couldn't tell my trainer that i was already indulging in American fast food. I put on my sunglasses, rolled down all the windows in my car, and blasted my music. My hair was blowing in the wind as I drove through the palm tree lined roads. I admired the buildings and the people in the city flashing past. I pulled up to my beautiful beachside hotel and got my bags out of the car, shooing away the employee that offered to help me.

I took the elevator up to one of the top floors and found my room. I unpacked some of my stuff since I was staying there for two weeks. Luckily, Javier was shipping me another suitcase as I had been away from home since the beginning of the Italian race weekend. There were plenty of things I could wash, but I didn't have many options for the club scene in Miami.

I decided to scroll on Instagram for awhile until it was time to start getting ready for dinner. I had arrived in Miami fairly early, giving me plenty of time before I had to meet the guys. Once I had no more time to waste, I decided to get in the shower to wash off all the airport germs. Hopping out of the shower, I dried my hair and straightened it. I put on a little bit more makeup than I usually did and got dressed in an all black outfit since it was really all I had. Daniel, Max, and Lando were all staying in the same hotel as me so they told me to meet them in the lobby when I was ready. I double checked my hair and makeup one more time before walking back out into the main room. I picked up my phone and wallet, making sure I had my room key since I was quite prone to forgetting it. Once I was confident that it was there, I made my way to the elevator and sent myself down.