“Yeah, first day today,” I reply. I won’t completely dismiss him. He might be in my team.
“Ohhhh! Are you the new PR Director with Infraction32?” he asks as he snaps his fingers.
“Yes! Are you in the team?” I ask.
“Nah, but that’s my best mate’s team, Javi. Sorry, you’ll see a lot of me. I like hassling him.” He winks at me. “Hang on, you’re late!” He picks up on the time problem I’m having and checks the time.
“I am! And my phone’s dead, so I can’t ring Rayna or pull up any of the paperwork she sent me to give to security. He said to give him a moment to sort it out, but I think he’s just biding time, hoping I’ll give up and go away.” I look back at the cute guy, who suddenly holds his phone up, getting us both in the frame as it rings.
Rayna picks up the phone call. “Hi, Riley. And Mabel! Where are you two?” Rayna and I have video called a few times during the recruitment process, so she recognises me on the screen.
“Hey, Rayna, Mabel’s having a crap start to the morning. Obviously, she’s late, but her phone is dead, and she can’t get through Jerome. You know how much of a stickler he is,” Riley answers.
“Ah, no problem. Is Jerome close? Flip me around and I’ll clear Mabel with him,” Rayna offers.
Riley turns the phone around to Jerome and calls him over.
Rayna and Jerome chat, and she approves my clearance into the track. She then asks if I want her to come collect me. Riley answers, “You stay put, Rayna. I’ll bring Mabel to you.”
“Thanks, Riley. See you soon, Mabel,” Rayna says, and the screen goes black.
“Thanks for your help,” I offer as we walk deeper into the track, Riley guiding the way.
“No problem. Looks like you needed a helping hand.” He extends his hand to me. “Riley Fortuna. Rider for Ghostly Flux.”
“Mabel Bowman. PR Director for Infraction32.” I grip his hand in return.
3
Mabel
Reaching the pit box for Infraction32, Riley glides through with me in tow, throwing intros out as we walk. “That’s Sophia, that’s Dave, that’s Micah, that’s Javi. Now, don’t listen to anything Javi says about me. All fabrications,” he comments, and then directs me to give him my luggage as he rolls it towards the back of the pit.
“No point taking that up the stairs to Rayna’s office,” he remarks before navigating up the narrow stairs that lead to an office on top of the pit box.
“Knock, knock, Rayna! I come bearing one new PR Director,” he says, waving his hands in front of me as he presents me to Rayna.
“Thank you, Riley!” Rayna gets up and throws her hands around him in a hug. “Plenty of time spent with the family?”
“Yes, thanks. How about you?” Riley asks, returns the hug.
“Fabulous.” She pulls away from Riley. “Sitting on the beach, flipping between books and sponsor calls. Living the dream!” She smiles, squeezing his shoulder.
“No rest for the almighty Rayna,” Riley teases, but something in his voice tells me it’s not a joke. “Glad you got somerelaxation in there. I’ll catch you both around. Have a good first day.” He directs his last statement to me.
“Thank you,” I sing out again, and he answers with a wink and a smile as he squishes past me to get down the stairs, where I heard a distant, “Yooooo, Javvviiii!”
“Mabel! I am so happy you're here. Sorry you had such a rough morning,” Rayna extends her sympathy as she places her hand to rub my back, ushering me into her office and to a chair near her desk. The office is compact and understated. A small desk is pushed against a wall with just enough real estate for a laptop. A spare chair is backed against the wall, so when someone sits on it, they and Rayna can still maintain eye contact while Rayna is on the laptop. For being above a pit box, the smell is floral and pleasant.
“Sorry I'm late. I can’t believe this morning. My charger got chewed up, so my phone is dead. My flight was delayed, so I came straight here from the airport instead of the hotel. But it won’t happen again,” I fumble out.
She looks at me with kind eyes. “Please don’t stress. These things happen. First days are already stressful. Don’t put that extra pressure on yourself.”
Her words settle my nerves a little. “Thank you.”
Rayna reaches for a plastic box on the floor near her feet, placing it on the desk in front of her and pulls out a few cables. “Which one matches your phone?” she asks, presenting the different chargers for me.
I grab the one that will charge my phone. “That’s the one. Thanks, I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”
