𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 ~ | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤

III

Chapter three: 

~ Time For Murder ~

I felt like it was my fault.

Probably because it was.

The breaking news that Carlos Sainz had broken his arm and would be unable to drive in the next race flashed across the screen of my phone. It was everywhere. I had a lot of time on the flight to the next race, so I had been flicking through the news, trying to ignore the headlines about me.

I had sent him a message, trying to apologize, but I still hadn't gotten a response. I glanced at my phone once more as I walked down the hall to my room. I took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping inside.

The room was beautiful, just like all the others in this chain of hotels. A king-sized bed took up most of the space, with a plush carpet beneath it. There was a huge window overlooking the city, and a balcony just outside. I dumped my bag on the bed and collapsed onto the floor, leaning against it.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing heavily. I was about to climb onto the bed when the phone rang. I picked it up after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe!" Matteo's voice boomed through the phone.

"You do realize that just because I'm far away doesn't mean you have to yell. But hi," I laughed, flopping back on the bed.

"Sorry." He yelled. I chuckled and just turned the volume down. "Anyways, I just wanted to check in on my girlfriend."

"Your fiance, Mat." I shook my head, my smile growing. "But you know what? I'm actually really glad you called. I feel like I need to talk to someone about this whole... Carlos thing."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Who's Carlos?"

"Oh, come on! The smooth operator? Chili? I've talked about him before!" I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"Ooooohh yeersh." He replied. I paused, and frowned.

"Teo?"

"Mhmm?"

"Are you drunk?" I asked, sitting up straighter. There was a long silence, followed by some giggling and shushing.

"Mashybe."

"Who else is there?" I asked. He snorted.

"Jim...othy." He replied slowly.

"Jimothy?" I raised an eyebrow at my phone.

"It's jusht Jim, you idiot!" A voice yelled in the background. I listened to another fit of giggling and wondered if they were high as well.

"Mat-"

"Sorry, baby, gotta go. Jim just called me out for saying that." There was the sound of a phone being snatched away and some more giggling. He hung up before I could say anything.

I stared at the blank screen for a moment before flopping back onto the soft pillows. I ran a hand down my face. Maybe I should go for a run, clear my head.

But then also... Ew, running...

I got to my feet and grabbed the remote. As soon as the screen flickered to life, I stopped in my tracks.

"-of the day. Carlos Sainz will be replaced by a young, 18 year old Oliver Bearman in this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix after the devastating news of his injury. He'll be eager to get out there and prove himself, but can he handle the pressure of such a big race? What do you think, Ted?" The woman turned to her co-host curiously.