Ice and asphalt [Charles Leclerc]

29.

Walking into the club, the bass of the music pulses through my body, making me feel alive and energized. Cat takes my hand and leads us to the bar, where she orders drinks for all of us. The bartender hands us our drinks, and with a wink, Cat leads us to the dance floor. The club is packed, and the atmosphere is electric. As we weave through the crowd, I recognize a lot of people I grew up with. It's both comforting and slightly nerve-wracking to see so many familiar faces in one place. Cat hands me my drink, and we clink our glasses together before taking a sip. The music is infectious, and soon enough, we're dancing, letting the rhythm take over. I feel a sense of freedom wash over me as I move to the beat, surrounded by friends and the familiar faces from my past. I'm dancing with Cat and Arthur, lost in the music, when I notice Pierre and Charles standing a bit further away, talking to an old friend. Just like every year, the dance team of Nice, who are extremely talented but also notorious for their attitude, take the stage for a performance. It's spectacular, I'll give them that, but I have quite the history with them. After their performance, I see three of them walking towards me. I brace myself for what's to come. "Hey Charles, good to see you!" Juliette, the biggest bitch of them all, says in her annoyingly sweet voice to Charles, who is now standing beside me. "Hey Jul," Charles responds politely. I know they've had some sort of past, though I don't know the details and I don't want to know. Juliette turns her gaze to me, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Ah Louise, almost didn't see you there. You're so small after all," she cackles, and her dumb friends join in. I give her the fakest smile in the world in return. "But Louise, how did you get back in here, given what happened last summer?" she says, hinting at the incident when I was off my meds and in my mania. I had punched her in the face and broken her nose. Only my parents know about it, so the confused looks on Charles and Arthur's faces show they have no idea what she's talking about. I squint my eyes, pretending to inspect something on her nose, and see her getting anxious. "Ooh Juliette darling, the doctors didn't set your nose straight. Want me to punch it again for you?" I say with a smirk.

Juliette's face flushes, and she walks away with a scoff, clearly embarrassed. Arthur and Charles look at me with wide eyes, but before they can say anything, I shrug and take another sip of my drink. "Wait, what? Lou, did you actually punch her in the face last year?" Arthur asks with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah, I did. She was annoying me," I say, leaving out the part that I was on actual crack and off my meds. Arthur starts laughing, but someone who isn't laughing is Charles. "Arthur, that isn't funny. It's actually really immature. Why would you just punch somebody?" he says, turning first to Arthur and then to me. "Oh, you suddenly feel the need to defend that bitch?" I say, feeling the alcohol hitting my bloodstream and a wave of jealousy rising. "No, Louise, I'm not defending her. I'm just saying it's immature," he says, his tone firm but calm. "If you want to fuck her again, you can just say so. She'll open her legs for you in seconds," I retort, my voice getting louder as I step closer to him. Without waiting for a response, I turn away and find Cat again. Cat sees the look on my face and raises an eyebrow. "What happened?" she asks "Nothing. Just some old drama resurfacing," I mutter, taking a long sip of my drink. Cat puts an arm around my shoulders. "Don't let them ruin your night. Let's just have fun, okay?" I nod, trying to shake off the anger and jealousy. For a while, it works. The drinks keep flowing, and I'm dancing with Cat and Arthur, losing myself in the music and the moment. For a brief time, I don't think about the situation with Charles and Juliette. But when I head towards the toilets, I spot them at the bar, standing super close to each other. I watch them for a while, their faces inches apart as they talk. My heart sinks and anger bubbles up when I see Juliette push his hair back. Maybe it's unfair, and maybe it's even mean to Mattheo, but my jealousy and the alcohol coursing through my veins take over. I see Mattheo standing nearby and, without thinking, I walk over to him. Before I know it, I'm pulling him close and full-on making out with him. Mattheo is surprised at first but quickly responds, wrapping his arms around me. The kiss is intense, fueled by my need to forget and to make Charles jealous. When I finally pull away, breathless, I glance back at the bar. Charles is staring at us, a mix of shock and something else I can't quite decipher on his face. Mattheo looks at me, slightly confused but smiling. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" I force a smile. "Just felt like it," I say, trying to ignore the turmoil inside me.