Page 37 of Red Queen
I pack the important stuff into my handbag, the cosmetic bag full of pads and tampons, filling it up. I was always like this. I'd rather pack two more of each thing I already have rather than risk not having one. You never know when you’re going to shit yourself. Period necessities are no exception. I take one last mental check before stepping out the door and make my way to the track.
When I step out of the car, I’m hit with Spain’s awfully hot air. Not that I’m complaining, I’d choose to have my dress melt off me over freezing my ass off any chance. I’m a Pisces, and my symbol is a fish. I can’t swim in ice. I was made for summer.
As I approach the entrance, I reach into my bag, searching for the paddock pass, but it’s nowhere to be found. For fuck’s sake. I stop to pack out my bag, because I am 101% sure that I’ve put my passes into the bag. Oh! Maybe I’ve left it in the car. If not, then I’m fucked.
As I turn to go back to my car, a lady walks my way, holding two passes in her hand.
“Excuse me, señorita, I think you’ve dropped these.” She holds them out, her eyes moving back and forth between the picture on the card and me.
“Yes! Oh my god. Thank you so much. I knew I had them a minute ago.” I take the two cards and hang them around my neck, making sure not to lose them again.
“I saw them fall out of your pockets. Thought you’d need them.” She smiles at me, and I smile back at her. She’s such a nice person.
“Thank you again, really. I appreciate it.” I look over her more closely, noticing the cap on her head with the name ‘Acosta’ next to the wolf embroidery, Mateo’s symbol. What a coincidence. “Oh, you’re a fan of Mateo?”
“Well… Maybe I shouldn’t tell you about it, but he’s my son.” My eyes widen, trying not to show the shock on my face. How the hell did I manage to run into Mateo’s mother? Am I cursed? “I came to cheer on him for his home race.”
“I’m sure he’ll do well.” And I mean it. I might be mad at him right now, but there’s no reason to deny he’s one of the best drivers on the grid.
“I hope so too.” She sighs and starts fidgeting with a small wolf plush in her hands. That’s so adorable. “It was lovely to meet you, young lady. I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah. See you around.” I wave as she walks past the gates, waiting until she’s a couple hundred steps before me. I don’t want to risk bumping into Mateo, and I bet she’s making her way right to the Moscardi garage.
I check in at the gates. Hundreds of guests are walking around the paddock, enjoying the sun, hunting down drivers, and taking pictures. I’ve never understood this whole “let’s invite influencers as VIPs and have them promote our team”.
I think Formula 1 is popular enough. I don’t get why people who don’t even care about the sport have to be here instead of inviting true fans, who perhaps can’t afford to buy a ticket. Some weekends nowadays count as a privilege; the prices of the tickets have increased so much. But unfortunately, it’s not my job to tell them who they can invite.
When I arrive at Atlas, everyone’s buzzing around, signaling that the race starts soon. There were a couple of surprises this week so far. Huck and Asher finished around 10th place on the free practices, but they managed to snatch pole and second position in qualifying. Mateo finished only fourth, in a sandwichbetween the Velocity drivers, and Nathan qualified in 8th position with Liam following behind. It’s going to be an exciting race.
23
MATEO
Engines roar, lights signal, adrenaline kicks in. I’m usually not nervous before races, or at least not this much, but Spain is an exception. My mother is here, and I’m trying to make her and the Spanish people proud.
Not that they would hang me if I didn't finish on the podium, but it’s an incredible feeling when you win in your home country. Like you’re on top of the world, and nothing can stop you. I wonder if Tony feels the same when we’re here, the other Spaniard on the grid. Or if Mamá is as nervous as me.
“Just a reminder, Aiden is in sixth place. Look out for Hayes, and try not to crash into anyone who’s in front of you.” My engineer chimes in, providing me with the necessary details.
Mierda. This is going to be a long race. Atlas somehow qualified in 1st and 2nd place, so now I’m worried I might not have such an easy job overtaking them. Hayes is right next to me, and he’s one of the best defenders on the grid, even though it’s only his third year in Formula 1. None of them will make my job easier.
The lights go out, and we fly away. Tires screech, and when I look back in my mirror, I see a big dust cloud. Another race starting with a safety car? Not the best time, guys.
“What happened?” I ask on the radio, hoping Wiley has seen something.
“Nothing. Keep driving. Kyle spun and went off track. He’s back now. He just had to wait until everyone passed him.” I try to suppress my laugh, reminding myself that everyone can hear this. Who would’ve thought he messed up again? I despise him for a reason.
“Gracias,” I say, and he mutters back a quiet ‘de nada’ as I go on with racing.
I managed to overtake both Hayes and Huck at around halfway through the race, not because they weren’t defending; they just didn’t see me coming. After we had the pit stops, Hayes went after Huck again with the new tires, and they were so busy fighting each other that, with the help of a miracle, I managed to undercut in a corner.
Now I’m sweating my ass off trying to keep them out of DRS. If he can get as close to me as one second, he’ll be able to use his DRS, and it’s over for me. With DRS, he can get much closer to me as he can open his rear wing, which increases the car’s speed. Alright, let’s do this.
“Give me the times,” I demand, and not because I’m being rude, but because I need to know how much I have to push.
“Huck, 1.2 without DRS, Hayes, 1.7 without DRS, but they’re both pushing.” I take in his answers, happy that Huck’s not too close to using his DRS; otherwise, I’d be fucked.
What I’m not happy about is that Hayes is still very close to him, and Velocity’s car is stronger than Atlas’s, so once he overtakes Huck, it’s over for me. We’ve got 16 laps left, but it’s a matter of time before he goes up to third place and starts chasing me.
