Starting Again (A Charles Leclerc Fic)

029 : secret is out pt. 2

Max's reaction to what he had learned was something the Leclercs had already prepared Katrina for. He rushed to her house, his bags still in hand, his face flushed red with anger. But the first thing he did was wrap her in the tightest, most comforting hug anyone could give.

"Are you okay now?" he whispered calmly, his voice a complete contrast to the storm of emotions he had just shown moments before.

"I'm okay now," Katrina said, her voice soft. "All of you have no idea how much you've helped me."

"If this happens again, I swear to God, I'll make sure they all rot in hell," Max growled, his protective side clearly coming out.

"Max, it's not worth it."

He sighed, his anger still simmering under the surface. "I'm so sorry for ever tagging you in our post. Have they found your account yet? Are you going back to keeping it private?"

Katrina shook her head, a small smile on her face. "I don't want to hide anymore, Max. If they find me, then I'll deal with it. I'll always feel scared, but this time, I have all of you with me. I did nothing wrong, Max. Why should I be the one hiding?"

Max raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk forming. "No more backing down from our stream?"

"Nah, I'm still okay with streaming," she said with a chuckle. "If I get uncomfortable with the attention, I'll just close my camera."

Max laughed. "You can leave anytime you want. We won't ask questions."

"Thank you, Max. You're really a good brother," Katrina said, touched by his words. Max and Charles were both a year younger than her, but they were certainly mature for their age. Despite how Netflix portrayed Max—as a heartless, competitive, and selfish champion—Katrina knew the truth. He was one of the nicest guys anyone could meet, with a heart as big as his drive.

"When are you going to tell the others?" Max asked after they'd all settled down, clearly eager to know when the rest of their friends would be brought into the fold. Charles had been kind enough to let them crash their Valentine's date.

"I'll tell them now," Katrina said, taking a deep breath. "I was ready to let everyone know a few weeks ago, but I felt like I shouldn't tell everyone at once. I feel like I owe it to the three of you to let you know first since you're the closest to me. I thought that if your reactions were okay with the news, then the others would likely have a positive response too."

Charles nodded, adding his thoughts. "I told her that it's a good idea, you know, just rip the band-aid off all at once. If anyone's too shallow and stops being her friend because of that, at least she can move on. But I'm sure none of the guys would even care. I'm not undermining or belittling the gravity of what happened, my love, but we've experienced similar hate. We knew better than to believe everything written on the internet."

Katrina felt a surge of relief at their support. She wasn't alone in this anymore.

Letting the others know about it felt a lot easier now that Max, Sofia, and Charles knew. Despite all their reassurances that everything would be fine, there was still a lingering part of Katrina that feared how the others would react. The moment she hit send in their group chat, a wave of anxiety washed over her. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever came next, knowing that no matter how supportive they were, she couldn't fully predict their reactions.

I have something I want to say...
read by all

One by one, the replies came in, each filled with positivity. Daniel, the oldest in their circle, became extremely protective, while the others expressed their full support, assuring Katrina that nothing would change between them. She felt incredibly blessed to have such a close-knit group of people in her life. However, one message stood out above the rest: Lewis' message, telling her how proud he was of her and offering help if she ever needed it. It warmed her heart to know that he was there for her, no matter what.

It was still Valentine's Day, and Charles had invited Max and Sofia to stay over. Both had initially planned to spend the day on their own since they were both single. Max, who had recently gone through a breakup with his girlfriend of nearly three years, was still adjusting to the situation. She had rekindled her relationship with her ex, hoping to fix their family for the sake of their child. Despite the circumstances, Max had remained civil, occasionally having her kid over. Even though Max wasn't in a relationship, he wasn't alone—he had the support of his friends and family, just like Katrina had now.

✍🏼 Hope you're liking it so far, let me know what you think. If you have any ideas just let me know and I'll try to add in the story. Thank you so much for liking/voting the story, it really does makes me smile.