˚　 ⋆⁺₊✦⁺₊ 　 ˚　.˚  .　 ☁.　　. 　 ˚　⁺⋆₊　.˚  .　. ✦⋆⁺₊  　 ˚　. ☁ ˚　.˚　 ✩₊˚.   ☾      ⋆      ⁺₊✧  　　˚　⁺₊ . 　 ˚　.　　⁺₊✦₊　　 ☁  　˚　　 . 　⁺₊✧˚　　 . 　 ˚　⁺₊˚  .

Race day was always the most exciting day of a grand prix.

Swarms of people were dressed in their team's colours, occupying every space in the stands, frantically grabbing for their phones to photograph the circuit or the drivers.

Chaos ensued as cheers could be heard all around, while engineers in every garage ran around, preparing their cars for the race.

Evie needed headphones in order to be able to hear the commentary, and also as to not lose her sense of hearing, the loud rumbling of the engines piercing her ears.

Placing the big blue headphones on her head, she completely blocked out any extra noise, focusing only on the upcoming race.

She wasn't paying attention to what was happening around her, so she startled when someone's hand landed on her arm. Startled is an understatement. She literally jumped from her seat, swirling around to cuss out the disturber.

"Dude, I almost shit myself," Evie said, frowning angrily at a race-ready Alex, who only laughed in response.

"That was great, it was like you'd seen a ghost," he said, reaching out to remove her headphones.

Evie's hand shot up, hitting him on the shoulder, hard enough for him to feel it.

"Good luck or whatever, I don't care anymore," she said, feigning offense with crossed arms.

"Wow, thanks. That makes me feel better."

"Go away," she urged, a smile giving her away, as Alex laughed but retreated, after giving her headphones back.

Evie giggled to herself, but she didn't get a chance to take a seat with her headphones again, because Franco showed up in front of her.

"Hey, good luck charm," he said, his hand easily wrapping around her waist.

"Hey, gorgeous," she replied, her own hand making its way to his bicep.

Franco leaned in, kissing her quickly, sending sparks throughout her entire body. She was smiling giddily once they pulled away, not letting go.

"Do well so we can celebrate."

His lips curled up in a smirk. "I like the sound of that."

ᯓᡣ𐭩

With about half an hour left in the race, Alex and Franco were solid in 11th and 12th place, Franco often passing Alex, leaving the best spot to be determined by who would be quicker in the end.

Evie was entertained, watching Lando in first place, ready for his third win, whilst the Williams drivers were quite behind, but not bad for them.

She was leaning back on her seat, enjoying the race, her eyes trained on the screen as always. She didn't think the team would score points, but their current positions weren't bad.

In the midst of the focused energy in the garage, where everyone was watching Franco and Alex battling for 11th, no one daring to make a sound, a collective gasp was heard.

Evie heard it, because she was part of it.

She stood up abruptly, her palms covering her mouth. On the screen, the two Williams had collided, Alex being sent all the way to a barrier, while Franco spun around in the middle of the track, a red flag instantly being called out.

Blue was the dominant colour in every screen, the two cars being the focus of attention.

Evie's chest felt heavy. She forcefully fluttered her lashes in order to stop the inevitable tears from falling, as she waited for any movement from the two cars.

With a sigh of relief, she watched Franco climb out of his car, safe and sound.

Alex's car on the other hand, stood destroyed, as Alex made no move of coming out. Why wasn't he getting away from the car?

Cold sweat dripped down Evie's body, while her limbs ached with the desire to foolishly run into the track and pull Alex out herself.

Before any sign of Alex's safety could be shown, the screen flashed with the replay of the crash.

Evie wiped her eyes frantically, getting rid of the blur that had engulfed them so she could watch properly. The clip started, showing Franco driving directly behind Alex, his front wing almost meeting Alex's rear. Nothing happened for a couple seconds, the two drivers driving steadily, until Franco attempted an overtake, speeding up to pass Alex's car from the left.

That's when they reached a corner, and Alex turned, causing Franco's car, which had already gone impossibly close to him, to collide with his own, sending him spinning to the barrier, while he took less damage.

Evie felt her body heating up. Franco had been so reckless, causing an accident that could lead to both of them ending up in the hospital. All for an overtake.

The screen switched back to live footage of the race, the two damaged cars being the main sight. Franco's car had a dislodged tyre, a broken front wing and some scratches. He had hit the other barrier, but not as strong. Alex's car, on the other hand, was nearly unfixable. Both its front and rear wing were broken unrecognizably, while two of its tyres laid on two very far parts of the track. The third tyre had swivelled around, hanging on by a thread.

Alex finally got escorted out of the car, alive and standing. Evie let out a relieved, shaky breath, some of the tension leaving her body. However, she was still angry. So angry, that when Franco returned to the garage, she stomped up to him, making him wince from this newfound look, one he'd never seen before.

"Are you crazy?" she raised her voice, not bothering about attracting attention. "How could you be so reckless? That was so stupid!"

"Evie, I-" Franco tried, looking sorrowful, regret evident in his features.

"I don't want to hear it." Her tone was final, and she hoped he wouldn't push it. Anger blurred her mind, deeming her unable to be forgiving at that moment.

Franco understood, not uttering another word. Evie left him standing, storming off to ask about her brother. On the other side of the garage, an engineer she recognized was making her way to her.

"Evie," she addressed her, a sweet smile on her face. "Alex is okay." Another sigh of relief. "He hit his head quite hard, so he's being taken to the hospital to get checked out. Do you want us to arrange a car?"

"Yes, please. Thank you," Evie responded, eternally grateful to the members of that team.

ᯓᡣ𐭩

"You're sure you're okay?" Evie asked for the hundredth time that night.

Alex managed a laugh, the simple sound assuring her that he was in fact okay.

"Yes, dumbass," he said, bumping his shoulder with her own. "I told you, the helmet did its job."

"Okay, good. Forgive me for worrying."

Evie's steps were now lighter on the hospital hallway where the two walked, leaving right after Alex was discharged. Lighter than earlier, when she'd been frantically running around, from garage to car, from car to hospital, then in the hospital.

She was calmer now that she was sure Alex was fine. It'd been an agonizing couple of hours at the hospital, as she sat in the waiting room with Lily, while a doctor ran some tests, just to make sure he didn't have a concussion or something worse. At the end, some painkillers did the job.

Lily had gone outside to order an Uber, giving the siblings some time. She'd seen the fright Evie had gotten, and knew she'd need the reassurance.

"Thanks." Alex glanced at her, softening his lips into a smile, matching Evie's newfound one. "So, who won?" he asked, earning a giggled out of her.

"Lando."

"Oh, good. Too bad I didn't finish. Wait, did Franco finish?"

The mention of his name sent a chill down Evie's spine, reminding her of her previous outburst.

"Nope. His car was trashed."

"Damn. We suck."

Evie let out a laugh that sounded more like a scoff. "Well, it was his fault, so."

Alex turned to face her, frowning. "Hey, it was stupid, but it's okay. I was annoyed, but, we weren't in the points anyway. We've all made dumb mistakes like this."

"I guess," Evie mumbled. "Whatever."

"Don't be mad. I'm not."

She sighed. "Okay."

Alex nodded, and they continued making their way to the exit.

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dear reader!

this isn't how the race actually went irl fyi

also idk if the crash is believable but whatevah!

akiaoya daily credits ☺️💗