Missing Pieces (Sebastian Vettel)

1. Summer Days

Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands, August 2007

Ella took a sip from the bottle of Budweiser that Nicole had handed to her, looking around the poolside bar to make sure that her parents weren't about.  She was pretty sure they wouldn't give a shit that was drinking alcohol underage anyway but it was best to be careful. 

"Two weeks," her best friend, Nicole Bailey said.  "Two weeks and we'll have our results.   I just know I failed."

"Oh shut up," Ella exclaimed, nudging her best friend with her elbow.  "You are the smartest person I know.   You'll probably get all A stars.  Now me, I might pass but I guarantee you I won't get top grades.  Once again I'll disappoint my parents."

Nicole took a swig from her own bottle of beer. She didn't reply to Ella, knowing that whatever her best friend did she'd always be a disappointment to Helena and Richard Lovell. Never had she met such rigid, cold people.  How two such people could have a daughter as warm and loving as Ella was beyond her comprehension. 

Sure, they'd paid for Ella and her older sister, Grace, to bring their best friends along on holiday with them, but that wasn't out of the kindness of their hearts, it was so their daughters had someone to hangout with so they didn't have to bother with them themselves.

"They still keep on and on about me becoming a lawyer or a doctor.   They just don't get that I don't want to be like them."

Ella didn't know exactly what she did want to be, but she knew she didn't want to be either a doctor or a lawyer. She was a free spirit and she knew being confined to an office or a hospital would drive her crazy.  She felt resentment bubbling up inside her.   Why couldn't she have kind, loving parents like Nicole did?  She took another sip of her beer.  

"Did they not ask you for ID?" she asked Nicole.   She'd  tried to get served at the poolside bar earlier on in their holiday but had been refused.    She never had any problems back in the U.K.   She looked older than her sixteen years.  She guessed that the resort staff were more cautious than the local bar tenders back home.

"I didn't get the chance to try," Nicole admitted.  "You see that blond guy leaning against the palm tree across the pool?"

Ella turned her head. "No, don't make it obvious!"  Nicole exclaimed.  Ella cast her eyes casually all around the pool area and her eyes finally settled on a tall, toned blond man. 

"The guy in the red shorts?"

"Yeah. Well his name is Jonas.  He's from Germany.  He asked what we were drinking."

"He's cute," Ella stated.  "He's looking at you."   Nicole rolled her eyes. 

"He's too old for me. He's got to be in his twenties.  Anyway, after introducing himself he asked what we were drinking. I told him. He got the drinks and then he just walked off."

"If you don't want him I'm more than willing to volunteer to see to his needs..." Nicole laughed.

"What about Ash?"

"Ash who?" Ella replied flippantly.  Ash was Ella's soon to be ex boyfriend.  They'd been together for eighteen months, but the night before she'd flown out to Fuerteventura with her parents, sister, Nicole and her sister's friend Milly, she'd found out he'd been cheating on her. The first thing she would do when she got home would be to dump his sorry ass. 

"I'm done with him. Once a cheat, always a cheat. Emily Porter is welcome to him."

"Are you sure that's what you want? You've been together a long time. He was your first."