heatwave | Charles Leclerc | re-writing

Chapter 37

Milan, January 2023 - Victoria Marino

Home, sweet home. I can go round and round and no place will feel the way Milan does.

You know those celebreties who are always saying that when they were starting their career, nobody believed them? I can't say that.

Thankfully, my neighboors and the people from town always supported my silly dream. Milan, the fashion city; it makes sense that the little girls want to be models or designers.

The point is that it is kind of hard to get there. There is so many fish in the sea, but just the sharks get on top. I bet that you, reading this, don't even know the name of twenty models. The ones that everybody knows, made so much history that will be remembered forever, because they deserve it.

I perfectly know that I am nobody to the modeling world. I'm no Bella Hadid or Adriana Lima. I'm just me. Honoured to be who I am, but completely aware that nobody knows my name.

That makes me feel unworthy and down. God knows how much I work and worked to be where I am, and I'm still not recognised. At all. Being stopped by some fans in the streets makes my heart warmer and my soul shine.

I wish I could have more visibility. I wish I could be more famous. It would be amazing.

- Charles Leclerc -

Being famous sucks.

Ok, that's being unfair. Like everything, being famous has it's pros and cons.

It actually means that I'm good at something. For some people, it's singing, others dancing, acting, politics, journalism or even for simply being hot.

In my case, it means that I'm good in my sport, formula one.

I love the feeling of the fans. Of knowing that I have someone that to be happy with my accomplishments, to support my ideas and to keep me motivated to work more and more on the sport. They make me feel that all the time I've spent training inside and outside the car, the time I gave away on this and all the moments I've lost with my family and friends was all worth it.

One of my favourite moments of the Grand Prix is talking with fans, signing their stuff and taking pictures with them. They make me feel supported.

But it sucks to go outside knowing that I'll need to be nice with everyone.

It sucks to be forced to do everything right, because one little step out of the line means that I'm not a great person anymore and it's a motive to kill me, literally.

It sucks that I can't walk around without having someone filming me or taking photos of me.

It sucks that I can't be seen talking with my friends that are girls because people will automatically assume that I'm cheating on my girlfriend.

It sucks that my family gets threatned. Like death ones.

It sucks that I have to follow these strict media rules to be seen like the perfect guy all the time.

It sucks that I can't be a fucking human.

I wish I could have fans but not be famous.

- Victoria Marino -

I sit on the sofa, between Charles's legs, my back touching his chest and my head laying on his shoulder. While I face the TV, my dad, who is on the opposite side of the sofa, holds my mom's feet in his lap.

- You know, dad, I forgot to tell you something. - I say, clearing my throat.

His head snaps in my direction, his fingers put his glasses a inch back on his nose. He glares at me and gives me a little nod, making me speak again.