In the quaint town of Monaco, two childhood best friends, Charles and Avianna, have always had a special bond. Their parents would bring both of them to all the kart racing and formula races. Since then, the two have trained, grown, and dreamed toge...
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***** Avianna
June 30, 2015 - Madrid, Spain
IT'S ONE WEEK BEFORE MY 18th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONand the stress and pressure of deciding and preparing all the little and big things are starting to sink in. I aggressively pinned my eyes on the wall clock above me to check the time. Fuck. I won't make it on time.
Even though Charles, Maman, and Papa insisted that I just wait for them at their hotel, I still want to fulfill my promise to them that I'd pick them up at the airport. Well, the thing is... I couldn't afford to have a small fight with Charles before my birthday. The last time I didn't pick him up at the airport, he ignored me for three days, 16 hours, and 23 minutes to be exact because I was celebrating a monthsary I should've never celebrated.
Remembering that cringe puppy love I had made my situation even worse.
"Avi, have you replied to the cake supplier?" Mama, who was on her phone talking to Miss Garcia—the event coordinator for the party—asked.
"Oh yes! No! Thanks for reminding me, Ma. I'll get back to them on my way to the airport." I gave her an awkward, worried smile. I gave her a quick hug before immediately rushing to the basement where Papa had parked our car. As soon as I arrived, he was laughing and talking to someone on his phone, but he suddenly ended the call upon seeing me.
"Who were you talking to, Papa?" I asked out of curiosity. I'm happy that he's happy, but seeing him laugh is something else. I feel like seeing Papa smiling, laughing, or just being happy is rare. I could only see him happy whenever I won championships.
"Nothing. Just some friends, you know, from our racing family." I nodded at him hesitantly. I never knew he actually had friends from our racing circle, knowing that he only shows up whenever it's an important race.
I sighed before making my way to the car. I don't have enough mental space to think about these little things. I still have so much left on my plate.
The Leclerc Family's ETA is 3:08 pm, and it's already 3:00 pm. The airport is about 25 minutes from this hotel, even with speeding and the risk of being caught by the enforcers. If only I could use a Formula racing car, this problem of mine would be solved.
In each passing mile, I was praying for a miracle to reach them on time. I want to be there right at the entrance to greet them with the banner I prepared for Charles for fun. On the banner, it has his childhood pic on it, crying, and a 'Congrats, Champ!' text. It was a picture taken when he cried after losing the season to Max back in 2007. I could vividly remember that moment; it was the day he himself told Max that he'd defeat him someday.
And that moment has never come yet. Max had more hype, which allowed him to advance his career faster than Charles. Charles is now driving in Formula 3 and is currently the champion while Max is already establishing his name in Formula 1. The good thing is that they're actually good friends. They still hang out sometimes, especially since they often meet during race seasons.
