𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐈 | 𝐂𝐋𝟏𝟔

𝐈𝐗

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September 30th 2018

ZAHRA NICHOLS

With Rory away in New York, Amara settling for campus life at UCLA, and Emmy driving across the country during her gap year, our little group had scattered all over the country. Meanwhile, I found myself still at home. Our lives were getting busy, and we kept seeing each other less and less. So, we agreed that we'd go on FaceTime at the end of each month for a much-needed life update session. 

This time, we were all up so early at the same time, so our call started early. Amara and I hopped on the call at 2:30 AM since we were pulling all-nighters. Because of time zones, Rory hopped on the call at 5:30 AM, since she'd been doing some work since the night before. Emmy was still driving, so she hopped on the call at 4:30 AM.

Settling onto my living room couch, I greeted the pixelated faces of my flung friends with a "Hey losers," as the call started. "Morning, guys," Emmy's voice chimed in from somewhere on the road. "Emmy! Where in America are you right now?" Amara asked from her dorm room desk setup. "Oh, I'm in Austin, apparently," Emmy replied.

Just then, Rory's face popped up on the screen. "Hey, sorry! The WiFi here kinda sucks," she chuckled, her surroundings weren't the same as where we last left her. "Rory, where are you right now?" I asked, leaning in closer to the screen. "I'm in the studio!" she exclaimed with excitement in her eyes. "Starting to record some stuff," she added.

The call erupted into cheers and applause, celebrating Rory. During our cheers, I realized that the TV in front of me was still blaring, the volume a bit disrupting. "Zahra, it's kinda loud there. Is someone with you? I hear a guy talking," Amara asked, jolting me back to reality.

"Oh, sorry about that!" I apologized, quickly adjusting the volume. "Just had a race playing in the background," I explained, hoping to avoid any further questions. But didn't work, as they all wasted no time teasing me. "Ooh, watching for Charles, huh?" Emmy teased.

"Yeah, so what if I am? Let's move on!" I retorted, rolling my eyes in mock. Yet, Rory couldn't resist going further. "What's the deal with you guys anyway? Are you two, like, a thing?" she pressed.

"It's nothing serious, just casual," I shrugged, attempting to downplay the situation. But Amara wasn't convinced. "Yeah, but didn't he ship over Belgian chocolates to you? Don't you guys FaceTime every single night? That's not exactly casual," she pointed out, skeptic.

"Yeah, he did, but it's complicated. Don't think much of it," I sighed. "Well, I'm low-key judging you guys a bit," Amara admitted.

"Amara, you can't judge my love life until you have one of your own!" I shot back. And with that, the call moved on like usual, lasting for another good thirty minutes. 

Right after the call, I put the TV volume back to its original setting. With a research paper due soon, I dove headfirst into my work. Time seemed to slip away unnoticed, the hours melting into minutes as I delved deeper into my research. Before I knew it, the race that had been playing in the background had ended, the roar of engines and the cheers of spectators echoing through the TV speakers. As Charles crossed the chequered flag, I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. Quickly grabbing my phone, I snapped a photo and I sent the photo off to Charles.

CHARLES LECLERC

As the aftermath of the race died down and no one's asked me to do things anymore, I took the opportunity to retreat to my driver's room. I came for a moment of peace and quiet—a chance to decompress and gather my thoughts after the whirlwind of events on the circuit.