Damage, Inc - [Daniel Ricciardo]

1.8

"Where do I turn? Everywhere I look, these vultures burn, the life right out of me".

Vultures // Asking Alexandria

After having a one and a half hour crying on the phone session with her friend Mia, Giulia felt slightly better. She knew she didn't have much time to linger around the feeling of her break up with Pierre, the next race weekend was already on the schedule and she had the first free practice with Daniel on the Italian circuit Monza. Giulia's eyes were bloodshot from crying, but at least she had let everything out at once. She didn't even have the energy to unpack her stuff from Spa and see what she had to bring to Monza. And her flight was leaving tomorrow evening. Giulia moved her hands through her hair in a frustrated way. Normally, she could always talk to Daniel. They'd sit on her bed and she'd explain what was going on and he'd have a logical solution. She chuckled and shook her head as she thought back on her first "boyfriend" in high school, who stood her up during a date.

"Daniel?". Giulia almost sobbed on the phone as she dialed Daniel's number. "Giulia? Is everything alright? Aren't you on a date with that jock from one of the older grades?". She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes, I'm supposed to be, but he stood me up". She softly said and Daniel immediately felt sorry for her. His best friend deserved the absolute best and he already told her she shouldn't go out with those jocks who only want to get into her pants. But of course Giulia was stubborn as the 'guy was really hot and he had been so nice to her'. "Where are you? I'll pick you up. Do you still have some money?". Daniel asked while gathering his keys.

"What? Of course. Why would you need my money?". Giulia let out a breathy laugh as she sat on the bench in front of the restaurant she was supposed to dine at with the guy. "Drive through at Maccas, duh. You only need a Big Mac to feel good again. It's really that easy". This made her laugh fully and Daniel smiled as he heard her laugh, glad he could make her happy again. And he hated to see her being sad.

And that's exactly what Daniel had hated about their fight. She had yelled at him with tears streaming down her face and he knew that if that happened, things were really messed up. His heart broke over and over again as he remembered the moment she broke in their fight. He had nothing now. Jemma and Daniel had broken up with a fight and she had come to his apartment in Monaco to fight some more and then take her stuff from there and leave. The negative spirit still hung around in his apartment and he tried to train it off, tried to sweat it out of his body, but it was locked inside his head. He desperately needed a dose of Giulia, however he was sure she was nowhere near the mood to talk to him. Because he was going back to Australia in the winter break and his parents wouldn't come to a race within a few weeks, he had called them to enlighten them about the situation.

His mother was shocked by the situation, but she had responded so enthusiastically when she heard that Giulia was around again. She had said that they've always been in love and meant to be, but they hadn't seen that as they felt like a brother and a sister till their ways parted. Daniel's mother said he had to follow his heart, yet it was pulling him straight to Giulia. Perhaps they could talk during the morning in Monza, at least he hoped so. He was going to fly with Nico Hülkenberg and Romain Grosjean, so he wouldn't see her during the trip over to Italy. He could think a bit about what he wanted to say to her and how he could make it better and not say things that could make it worse.

Circuit Park Monza, Monza, Italy, 1-3 September 2017

Giulia was glad she could shove her sunglasses over her eyes so nobody could see the gigantic bags under them. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, however she felt like things in her head cleared up. She had spend more time alone than she normally would and she had absolutely needed it too. She took a sip of her water bottle as it was about time that she would get into the car. Simon had shown her a schedule for the free practice and what they were going to train and try out with the car this time. Giulia liked Monza a lot, obviously because it was her home race on the calendar, next to that, the circuit was so fast. She looked forward to driving over 300 over that straight, and also because she had apparently gained some fans. She even had to sign an Italian flag this morning and the few fans had been adorable. She as a bit new to it all and she was glad she didn't have hordes of fans yet, like Daniel and Max had. Anna had come up to her and said that she could do a tour through the media paddock too, after her practice.