Page 10 of Away We Go

Serena taps my shoulder and I start out of my memories.

“It’s time,” she mouths, pointing to the watch on her wrist.

“It is?” I take off my headphones and look around to find the place empty, all the pit crew out with the drivers and the cars at the starting grid.

“Yes, let’s go.”

I grab my empty notepad and my camera and follow her out to the VIP section of the garage, where I set up for the best vantage point to take photos. This is it, my time to show everyone that I deserve to be here. That I belong in this world.

“Here we go,” Serena whispers and I watch the way her face changes. It’s an almost indescribable feeling being here, in the thick of it, watching Nicky, the boy—man—I’ve known my whole life, do what he does best.

With my heart in my mouth, I watch the five red lights go out. Holding my breath, my eyes glued to car number eighteen, I see Nicky take the first corner in front, leading the pack, and know in my gut that he’s going to win this race.

And after ninety gruelling minutes, my instincts are proven right.

“He did it!” Serena jumps up and down next to me, her curls bouncing along with her, and I continue snapping photos. Of the crowd—his home crowd—going wild. Of the mechanics and his team, hugging and crying. Of the other cars coming in behind him. And then finally, of Nicky, now standing on top of his car, his arms raised in victory. I can’t see it, because of his helmet, but I just know he’s smiling one of his rare smiles. The one with all the teeth and all the eye crinkles. The one I know by heart.

“Let’s get our spot under the podium.”

Serena grabs my hand, pulling me along behind her as we zig-zag our way to the front of the pack. The Melbourne crowd is rushing to get in behind us, and the atmosphere is euphoric.

It’s no wonder Nicky loves his job. Imagine getting to do this every week!

“Here he comes.” Serena is like a little narrator next to me, walking me through the podium ceremony, and I nod along, only half listening, my eyes locked on Nicky up on that top step.

“I don’t know how you grew up with someone who looks like that and didn’t fall in love with him,” she sighs, pointing to where he’s standing, looking solemn as the national anthem plays along with a chorus of one hundred thousand Aussie voices.

“I guess you just get used to it,” I lie, my heart jumping in my chest as I stare up at him.

The ceremony is finished and we watch as he puts the steering wheel-shaped trophy down on the ground, a boyish grin lighting his face as he sprays his bottle of champagne everywhere. There is confetti floating around and I pick up my camera, knowing just how I want my shot to turn out.

“Got it,” I whisper, staring at the digital screen. Nicky is beaming, looking up at the sky, champagne droplets and confetti floating in slow motion around him. He looks like a Greek adonis and my heart gives a brief flutter at the sight of him.

“He’s smiling at you.” My new friend elbows me, and I wrench my gaze from my camera to the man I’d just photographed. He catches my eye and winks at me. It’s over so quickly, I wonder if I imagined it.

“Yeah, sure. You just get used to it,” Serena mutters next to me with a laugh. I blink at her, my cheeks on fire from the attention he’d briefly bestowed on me, and I let out a laugh of my own.

What just happened?I wonder as Nicky bounds off the podium stage and into the arms of his team.And more importantly, how do I make it last forever?

RACE TWO

China

Shanghai Circuit

28–30 March

CHAPTER 3

Cherry

“Cabin crew, please prepare the plane for landing.”

A lung-load of air whooshes out of me and I check my seat belt, which has remained fastened low and tight across my hips throughout this ten-hour flight from Melbourne to Shanghai.

To say the flight was bumpy would be an exercise in understatement. From the moment we took off into the Melbourne night sky, this plane has been bouncing its way over international waters, taking my fear of flying on a journey with it.

“Almost there,” I whisper to myself, glancing at the screen in front of me, my eyes fixed on the little animated plane showing our position just above Shanghai Airport.

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