The Racing Line | M.V.

15. The Bet

That night Olivia didn't hang out with Max either. He was going out with Ashley yet again.

Olivia wondered how Max didn't see the obvious need for attention Ashley exuded. Or maybe he simply didn't care. Maybe he was willing to give her that because he liked her that much.

As she was out on her run that night, it made Olivia wonder... Maybe Max had it right. He did seem happy in his relationships. Maybe she should stop focusing on the flaws and jump head first, figure everything else out afterwards. Maybe she needed to risk it all.

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The next afternoon, when she got to the garage, she wasn't her usual chirpy self. She was in her head. Stuck in her own thoughts over and over. What if Lewis won? Or worse, what if she dated him and then she actually ended up liking him? Or what if Max's method was correct and she should simply give him a chance?

She walked into the garage and barely noticed anything around her as she walked to her driver room to get ready.

"Hi Liv" said Kimi, but Liv didn't hear him "I said HI LIV" he repeated louder.

"Hey" was all she said, still lost in thought.

Kimi was taken aback by her silence "Are you sick or something?"

"Do I look sick?" she asked genuinely confused finally looking at him.

"No, you're just quiet" he said looking at her with a furrowed brow "It's disturbing".

It got a chuckle out of Liv.

"That felt more normal" he said nodding before walking to his driver room.

"You're a ray of sunshine Kimi, don't let anybody tell you any different" she jokingly called out to him as he walked away from her.

"I think I preferred the silence" he called back.

As much as her mind kept wandering, it was time to shut down the outside world. She got in the car with her helmet on and she lowered her visor.

"It's time Leo" she said over the radio.

"Go get them Liv" he said to her.

The race was a shit show from the very start. Checo started having car trouble during the formation lap and his car stoped by the side of the track. He was able to restart it but he had to start the race all the way from the pitlane.

As the race started, Max, Lewis and Liv were each able to retain their positons but they weren't able to battle for more. Liv had Valtteri close behind her, ready to attack at any moment. There were quite a few accidents throughout the race. Mazepin crashed on to the barrier, Pierre collided with Daniel, Mick spun off onto the gravel.

Liv was overtaken by Valtteri by lap four, but by lap 8 she was able to take the position back. As she drove she was reminded of Max's words on the sim the other day. The racing line. She thought of doing what Max had said and start looking for a different line, her own line, but Valtteri was breathing down her neck. She couldn't waste precious miliseconds trying different alternatives. No, she would do the normal racing line.

That's when she spun. She felt a touch on her rear right tyre and she was thrown to the side, spinning around in circles. She barely had time to let go of the wheel before her car crashed on to the barrier.

"Ugh. Fuck's sake" she said to herself as she looked around and saw Valtteri's Mercedes a few meters away on the gravel.

"Liv are you okay?" Leo asked.

"I'm fine. I'll take a couple ibuprofen if you have them" she said as she massaged her neck with her hand before trying to stand up. She felt the strain and the pain from the crash, but she knew well enough that this was nothing.