Just Teammates || Lando Norris

20

It was late morning on Friday and Vinnie was sat in Zak's office in the McLaren hospitality, waiting on him. It was then that he walked in, with Lando trailing behind them.

"What are you doing here?" Vinnie was quick to ask her teammate, standing up from the chair she was sat waiting in.

"Why are you here?" Lando asked back, his brows furrowed. "You know why." Vinnie told him, nodding her head to Zak.

"If it's about you driving this weekend, he's already talked my ear off about it over breakfast earlier this morning." Zak said as he sat down at his desk, giving Lando a grudging look.

"He did?" Vinnie was taken back, she couldn't help but raise her brows in surprise. "Yes." Zak said, seeming rather unimpressed.

"And?" Vinnie asked, crossing her fingers behind her back. "You can drive in qualifying and in the race if you pass a full medical check that I'm arranging for you today." Zak told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was just in the hospital yesterday, I don't need a check up." Vinnie told him, confusion on her face and in her voice. "They didn't do a mental evaluation in the hospital yesterday, did they?" Zak asked, raising his brows at her.

"No, but-" Vinnie began but was quickly cut off.
"It's that or you don't drive." Zak told her.

"Fine." Vinnie sighed. "And FP1 and FP2 today?" She asked, hoping she'd be allowed to jump in the car at least once. "We're putting Pato in the car for today." Zak told her and all Vinnie could was awkwardly nod her head. "Thought so." Vinnie said before leaving Zak's office.

"I talked to Andrea too and he helped convince Zak." Lando said as he jogged down the hall, trying to catch up with Vinnie who was speeding down the hall.
"I told you they'd come around." He added with a toothy grin as he finally reached her side, switching to a speed walk to keep up with her.

"You said I was the only person who'd be able to argue my way into driving." Vinnie said as she carried on to speed down the hallway.

"And you are, but I'm the only one with enough charm to do so and I had my morning free so-" Lando began, but Vinnie was quick to cut him off. "So you thought you'd butt into things that don't concern you?" Vinnie snapped, stopping to turn and face her teammate.

"Hang on, are you mad at me?" Lando furrowed his brows. "Wow, real Sherlock you are." Vinnie remarked with the roll of her eyes as she walked down the stairs.

"What did I do?" Lando asked, rushing after her.
"Do you really expect me to believe that he's making me do a mental evaluation for no reason? You told him something." Vinnie said as she turned around in the middle of the staircase to look at him, pushing one of her fingers into her chest as she spoke the last sentence.

Lando didn't say anything, he tried but nothing but a stutters came out. "Do you know you're the only person who knows?" Vinnie asked, feeling her eyes getting glassy.

"What?" Lando asked, a genuine look of surprise on his face. "Yeah." Vinnie nodded her head at him.

"You mean including Arthur, right?" Lando asked with furrowed brows. "Why?" Vinnie asked, lifting her shoulders in question. "Well, he's your boyfriend..." Lando trailed off. "Oh, well yeah of course he knows." Vinnie was quick to lie.

-

Vinnie watched FP1 from her side of the garage, or Pato's for the practice sessions. It irked Vinnie how quick they'd managed to change everything. Pato's race number was already on the car, it was also above the garage with his picture. It was unsettling to know that even at the drop of a hat, she was easily replaced.