I’m furious on my way to the team bus.
What a terrible day.
First, the whole fake-dating Victoria fiasco.
Then my team messed up my strategy, costing me the race win. I know these things happen; it’s part of the sport, but it still irritates me to lose the lead to Peter. He’s a cocky idiot who likes to get under my skin whenever he can.
He knows how to push my buttons, and he did just that when he kept going on about how he was the fastest driver out on the track today.
Everyone knows that’s bullshit. I had the most rapid pace, but our strategy ruined everything, and I even missed the podium.
Setbacks are an inevitable part of any athlete’s journey, especially in a high-stakes sport like Formula 1, where a single mistake in strategy can cost you everything. This weekend’s miscalculation was a harsh blow, and watchingPeter celebrate from the top spot only stings more, fuelling a determination to come back stronger.
Rather than letting disappointment take over, this setback will motivate me to push even harder, fine-tune every detail, and return to the next race with relentless focus and renewed motivation. Knowing what’s at stake, and with Peter as the new benchmark, there’s no doubt the team and I will do everything possible to turn frustration into fuel for a powerful comeback.
The time after the race has felt like an eternity, each second dragging longer than the last.
The media zone was in a state of frenzy, with everyone calling out my name, asking for a comment or an interview.
Therefore, I couldn’t make my way over to Star News. All I can think about now is Jessica and how much I’m looking forward to seeing her again after this nightmare of a day.
Just as I reach the bus, none other than Victoria Jensen stops me.
Not a good time.
“Hi Luke! I’m sorry about your race, I was just wondering if we could talk about this whole fake-dating thing?” Victoria is a sweet girl; I’ve met her afew times in different settings, and I honestly consider her more like a little sister than a potential fake girlfriend.
And because I don’t want to be an asshole and take my anger out on her, I invite her into our team bus to talk about this whole mess.
It’s better to get it over with so we can move on from this.
We sit down in the lounge area. I’m in desperate need of a shower and a certain brunette, but that will have to wait until after I talk to Victoria.
“So, I understand that you’re not keen on this idea of fake-dating for the cameras, and believe me, I don’t want to do this either. But we could discuss it, so it doesn’t feel like everyone else is making the decisions for us, you know?”
She makes a good point, and I decide that I should just be honest with her, or at least as honest as I can be.
“Look, Victoria, it has nothing to do with you, but I’m kind of seeing someone right now, and I wouldn’t want to upset her, even if it were only for show and for the cameras,” I tell her, making her instantly relax and let out a breath of relief.
“Oh, okay. I totally understand, Luke.”
She looks relieved by my news, making me wonder if she has someone special herself.
The bus door opens, and my teammate, Hayden Vaser, steps on. Hayden is three years younger than I am, and although I’m considered the lead driver of our team, Hayden is also expected to do well this season.
I see Victoria’s eyes widen when he enters the room.
“Hey Victoria, Hey Luke, shit race, not your fault though. Our team really messed up.” I scratch my neck.
“Tell me about it, dude.” We chat a bit more about the race and the work ahead. Like me, Hayden is a hard worker, and we won’t give up after one bad call in a stressful situation. We’ll come back stronger from this.
He grabs some water before heading down the hall to his room.
“Hold on, are you seeing someone too, maybe my teammate?” I ask Victoria, and she blushes as she sinks further into her seat.
The whole time, she was looking at Hayden as if he had hung the stars and the moon. Him? Seemed oblivious to the attention from Victoria.
Hayden is super-focused on his progress and performance in F1, so I’ve never really seen him with a girl as long as I’ve known him. He obviously has an admirer in Victoria, but he didn’t seem to notice. I’ll have to let my boy in on some info later.
