Never Get to Heaven • Charles Leclerc

006. RAINCLOUD

I walked into the kitchen to see Jo smiling down at her phone. I stifled a laugh. Jo had been talking to Lando constantly over the past few days, and it seemed to be going well. I had never seen Jo so smitten before.

"What are you smiling at? Your loverboy again?" I teased. Jo's eyes shot up to meet mine, glaring.

"He's not my loverboy! I barely know him." She scolded, smacking my arm.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I replied playfully, dramatically rolling my eyes.

I moved to the couch in the living room, and Jo quickly followed, skipping over to me. She parked near me, a little too close for comfort, with almost no space between us and grabbed my hands.

"You know..." Jo started. "Because you've been down the past few days, with good reason, I was thinking..." Jo trailed off, staring at me with a smirk on her lips.

"I don't like this. You're planning something," I replied cautiously. Jo had a habit of springing things on me.

"Well, just to take your mind off things, Lando had asked if I wanted to come to his next race in Imola this Sunday... And I thought you might like to join?" Jo closed her eyes like she was bracing for impact. She was used to me scolding her for the schemes she would always inevitably drag me into during university.

"Imola? Like, Italy Imola?" My brow furrowed in response to her suggestion. Only Jo would follow a boy she liked around the world.

Jo nodded.

"And Sunday, like Sunday in three days, Sunday?"

Jo nodded again.

"To watch a Formula One race? That neither of us know anything about?" I finished. I had never even watched a race before, never mind understand the rules. I didn't get how people enjoyed it.

Jo started to laugh. "Yes!" She cried. "Come on, Jo, it might be fun!"

I thought for a second, leaving my best friend in suspense, as I searched my mind for something to say.
"And you say he's not your loverboy?" I questioned, smirking at her. Jo scoffed. "Bea! Stop!" letting go of my hands and pouting.

"It's in three days. How would we get there, and where would we stay?" I asked seriously this time.

"Lando said he would sort it all for us." Jo had puppy dog eyes on. She was pleading with me. She must like this boy if she will go to all this trouble to see him again.

"Oooooh, Lando will sort it!" I snickered.

Jo rolled her eyes and sighed. "Seriously, Bea. Yes? No? I think it would be good for you to get out of Monaco for a little bit and have some fun."

I dropped my smile as I thought of Adam. He had tried to call and text me every day since I saw him last. Jo had slept in my bed every night, comforting me as I cried, talking me through everything, holding me tight. She told me I should block him until I was ready, but I didn't have the heart to. I hadn't left our apartment in a few days as I was terrified I would run into him somewhere. I wasn't ready to face him again. I needed time.

Maybe getting out of Monaco would be good for me. I could run away from my problems for a little while. Find the old Bea again. I cringed at myself; what a cliche.

"Hmm... Okay, fine. But I don't want to be third-wheeling with you and loverboy all weekend." I conceded. Jo squealed and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"I can't wait! I'll let Lando know!" She was beaming from ear to ear as I stood still in her grasp, pretending to be indifferent. I would be lying if I said I couldn't feel the excitement bubbling up through me.

I loved Italy. Papa used to take us on holidays there during the summer. I have fond memories of our little trips to ice cream shops, which we kept secret from Mama by telling her we were just going on a walk. Papa always winked at me and said, 'Our little secret, Beatrice.' As I reminisce, a small smile formed on my lips. I miss him.

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"Pack something hot! Lando said we are going out after the race on Sunday!" I heard Jo call out from the other room. I groaned. A club is the last place I want to be right now.

We had only three hours until our flight, and neither Jo nor I were prepared. We scrambled as we shoved clothes, shoes and accessories - at random - into our suitcases. Jo and I were not known for our timekeeping skills. Somehow, Lando had managed to book our flights to Italy for Friday night. I suggested we could do a road trip as Imola isn't too far from Monaco, but Lando insisted. I suppose being a Formula One driver has its perks. This meant, however, that Jo and I had precisely 24 hours to get our shit together.

'Getting our shit together' essentially involved Jo dragging me out of bed, forcing me to have a shower and stopping me from crying every ten minutes. I hadn't exactly been the most willing participant.

"Come on, Bea! Hurry up!" Jo stormed into my room. I looked up and pouted, surrounded by piles of clothes.

"Help." I yelped pathetically. I was so overwhelmed with everything right now; even simple tasks felt like I was climbing a mountain. I wasn't a stranger to depression, but this was different. I felt like I had no control over my own body like I was in the passenger seat and my mind was on autopilot.

She sighed, helping me pick out the remainder of my outfits, folding and packing them away for me.

"I feel like your mother." She half-joked. She had done so much for me this week I felt terrible. "Thank you, Jo, I love you!" I gave her my biggest smile; she laughed and shook her head at me.

"Okay, come on, the driver will be here in thirty minutes," Jo instructed, marching me down the stairs.

I felt nerves start to creep up through my body. How the hell am I going to get through this weekend? It felt like my entire life was imploding in on itself. I knew Jo was trying her best to hold me together, but it felt like I was edging closer to a meltdown with each passing minute.

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily to eliminate the negative thoughts. I needed to get out from under the raincloud. Grow up, Bea, you're stronger than this.

I watched as Jo fluttered around the apartment, going through a checklist in her mind of everything we needed. She looked anxious, clearly trying to hide her emotions from me. She reminded me so much of Papa at times. It was scary. Sometimes, I think he brought us together in some weird guardian-angel-type way. He knew I would need someone in my corner after he was gone.

"Jo." I finally let out. She stopped in her tracks. "Chill out, we've got this."

I knew she was nervous about seeing Lando again. It was my turn to support her.

"You will have the best time this weekend. We have everything we need. Loverboy is going to love you. Just take a breath, please." I flashed her a smile as I nodded.

"What about y—" She started.

"No, don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. You've already done enough this week. Please. I want you to relax and have fun." I replied calmly. Jo's face instantly softened.

"We are going to have the best time this weekend." Jo corrected me, holding out her pinky.

I interlocked my little finger with hers. "Loverboy and his little racing friends won't know what's hit them", I laughed.

I was going to force myself to have fun. I needed to, even if it meant fighting every instinct telling me to hide under the covers.

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Authors note:

This is suuuuch a filler chapter I'm so sorry, I swear it gets so much more exciting after this. We are meeting the drivers in the next couple of chapters and there's some more drama coming up!