2. Hello Gallego!

LARA'S POV

Today was the last day of training sessions before qualifying. It was a hot day without being in the car, so inside it would be hotter. 

At this point I was in the break room getting ready to get in the car in half an hour and at this point I was alone until Bianca, Sharon and Rebecca, the strategist girls, came in and sat down and stared at me. 

"What happens now?" I asked, because usually when Rebecca and Sharon came, it was because they wanted to convince me of something I wanted to do "I've talked to the guys, and they say the hard tires aren't the best." 

"I will try them and then I will say if they are the best or not." I said "Lara, the simulations…" Rebecca started, but I denied it, because it could be they are very accurate, but I always preferred to try them myself instead of trusting the programs and data. "I know what the simulations say, but I think it's going to be the best. Also, these are practice sessions, not qualifying." 

"Okay, but if we don't get results, we'll change them." Rebecca said and I nodded "Thank you Rebe." I told her and she gave me a smile "I'm curious, why do you think they're going to work?" she asked "The track will be hot, and the temperatures will continue to rise. On Sunday we will have high degradation, I'm completely sure, and if I do a good lap…" 

"You'll want to use hard tires in Q2…" she said following my train of thought "Everyone will think I'm crazy, but we'll have the best strategy for Sunday. And with it entering Q1 it will be enough." 

"First let's see how they are doing today, and then we'll talk about whether or not we'll use them." Sharon said to which I rolled my eyes, because they always did the same "As you wish." I answered without paying more attention. I know she's doing her job and all, but sometimes it bothered me they wanted to dictate what tires I should use. 

"I'm going to tell them we will try the hard ones; we will talk when the session is over." Said Rebe going out of the break room "See you, Rebe." I knew very well Bianca was still here, but honestly, I didn't care about changing in front of her, it's not something she hadn't seen before, since when we went out, we changed together. 

"Do you think they are going to let you use a hard tire tomorrow?" she asked, sitting down on the sofa and looking my way. "Probably not" I said shrugging my shoulders "But you won't pay any attention to them." she answered as if it were an affirmation I would, which it was. 

"I will, but that doesn't imply I won't defend my idea." I assured her and she laughed because she knew better than anyone what I was like "Let's hope they don't want to screw up your season, because I really want you to win the championship." 

"Me too, but I won't let them screw me again." I said, enough had happened in the first three seasons, I didn't need anyone else to screw me over. "I know, just promise me you'll be careful out there, especially with Gallagher." My sister now said seriously to which I nodded "I'll have it." 

"I'm going to see what the boys are doing, and remember, in twenty minutes you have to be down." She said getting up from the sofa "Don't worry I'll come down with you now, I want to make sure everything is fine with the car" 

"You won't change. You know I won't let them do anything weird to the car." She assured me and I shrugged, because even though I already knew, I liked being with my team, at least the mechanic part "I know, but four eyes assure better than two." 

"Ok, let's go." She said. I tied the sleeves around my waist, and we went down to the garage. For the next fifteen minutes Bianca and I made sure everything was okay and with five minutes left I got in the car to put her seat belt on, have Bianca tighten it and see some data from the last two sessions. 

Once the lights turned green, I waited a bit for all of them, or at least part of them, to go out, I went out to test the tyres. I did a couple of laps slowly and then pushed hard for fourth place. I also must admit I wasn't planning to show everything these tires could give, for that matter. 

"Lara, the tires aren't working." Said Rebbe on the radio "It seems so, let's move on to the soft ones." I said and I could practically see how she nodded even though I wasn't even next to her. "Come into the box next lap." Rebe said "Okay." 

Just then I see how Eric walks past me and greets me, which makes me laugh. After one lap, I go into the box, and they put me the soft ones. The rest of the session passes normally, leaving me in first place. I also notice Amelia finishes fifth, which is a good position to start, I hope everything goes well for her tomorrow. 

Once inside the break room, I drink water and sit on the couch waiting for Bianca to come in, because she always does, and after a couple of minutes she comes in and sits next to me, handing me a towel. 

"It looks like you were going slow on the hard tyres." Bianca said, but not convinced. "That's what it looks like." I said vaguely, "But you had more." she assured this time and I nodded, because I had "And you didn't use it because..." 

"Don't reveal the strategy." I said, wiping my sweat "You know fourth place isn't going to be enough for the strategists, right?" Bianca e asked as if I didn't know it would be difficult to convince them "It will be because I will show them." 

"How?" she asked curiously "The data. They will only have to look at them to realize I wasn't giving it my all." I said and she denied "You're risking the don't hear you." she assured, and I denied, because I wasn't doing it "I'm not playing it, I'm thinking ahead." 

"Sometimes that's not good." She said denying "It may be, but in this case, I know it's." I said and she denied again "If you are sure, I will support you. I can contribute there's not too much degradation with the number of laps you did." 

"Well, that's it. That's enough proof." I said getting up from the sofa "Let's hope so, now let's go, the boss and the strategy guys are waiting for you." I said handing myself another bottle of water "Come on, but you better be there, not like last time." 

"But those meetings are too much of a pain in my ass, Lara." Bianca protested, and I laughed, because I knew she hated those meetings better than anyone. "I know, but if you want to become more than just head crew, this will help." 

"I don't even know how they let me in." she kept protesting "Because you come with me, that's why." I said as if that was the only reason, when we both knew it wasn't the only reason "Okay, come on, but you better be right, huh." 

"Believe me, I'm right." I assured my sister. We were there for another couple of minutes, and as soon as I finished the bottle, I grabbed a new one and both Bianca and I headed for the meeting room in another trailer at the other end of the back of the garages. 

"Hey, Gallego!" As soon as I hear my last name, I don't need to turn around to know it was Cameron, he was the only one who called me by my last name. I took a deep breath and turned to face him. 

Cameron was thirty years old; he wasn't one of the older pilots, at least compared with me, only five years old, but he was one of those who made me madder. This one had eyes like a mixture of green and blue, which reminded me of the beaches at home, dark hair, tall, and I must say I liked his English accent, in short, an attractive man who would attract my attention from unless his biggest hobby is messing with me. 

"What do you want Edwards?" I asked exasperated and had done nothing but get my attention "Wow, not even a hello." he said with a big smile on his face "To the point." I said coldly, right now all I wanted to do was lie down for a while and rest my mind. 

"Okay, I wanted to ask you how you are and congratulate you on the title. You deserved it, but I also want to make it clear to you this year you won't have it as easy as last year, after all, I'm here." He said convinced, which made him raise an eyebrow. "And am I supposed to be scared of that?" 

"No, you don't have to, I just want you to be clear I won't make things easy for you, not like last year." he said, and it kind of annoyed me, because I hadn't easily won my title last year. "Are you suggesting I don't fight for the title?" 

"I'm not saying…" he started, but I raised my hand to stop him "Well, it's not what it seems, because if you're not clear on something meu rei, things weren't easy for me last year. In fact, I am completely sure I will never have them half as easy as any other driver, and now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things than listening to someone else tell me I don't deserve MY title." 

With that, I started walking again with Bianca on my heels, who doesn't take long to catch up. I also know she wants to ask me something, I don't know why, but I always notice it. "What Bianca?" I asked half annoyed, even though I wasn't with her "Meu rei. You have told Cameron meu rei." 

"AND?" I asked exhausted "Is an affectionate way of calling someone. Also, you said he was yours." She said raising and lowering her eyebrows "It's a way of saying, and I didn't say it in an affectionate way, but in a way, he realizes that it drives me crazy." 

"Are you telling me you use Galician when someone drives you crazy?" she asked and I nodded, because outside of Galicia it's something I tend to do "So mom drives you crazy…" she started and I denied, because that wasn't true "What? No, mom…" 

"You just said you speak Galician when people drive you crazy, then mom and our friends over there drive you crazy." she assured with a big smile on her face "They don't." I assured my sister "Well then don't say something isn't true then." 

"I really can't stand you sometimes Bianca, seriously." I said starting to walk again towards I don't know where "I only tell you things as they are, and it turns out they are the truth." 

"Not always, and now stop distracting me because we have more important things to do than focus on the conversation than Edwards." I said tired of the subject "Will you ever stop being a little girl with Cameron?" 

"The moment he does it, I'll do it, plain and simple." I assured her without looking at her at any time "You're stubborn." she said in a whisper, and I nodded, because I knew I am. Otherwise, I wouldn't be where I am today. "I know, but that's what got me to where I am, so I'm grateful to be." I said with a shrug. "I know that too." 

During the strategy meeting for tomorrow, I managed to convince them hard tyre would be the best option to start with, which was the point for me really. When the meeting ended, Bianca and I went to the hotel to rest for a while since there was a sponsors' party that night, which was one of the things I hated the most, but I had to do. 

CAMERON'S POV

I was getting ready for the party with the sponsors and I kept thinking about what I had said to Lara, because at no time did, I want to make her understand she didn't deserve the title, because if there's one thing I know, it's she deserved it more than anyone else, she worked harder than anyone to get it, but she thought I told her that. She must be hating me right now. 

"Eli, what did Lara mean she probably has it more complicated than any of us?" I asked confused for a moment "Darling, you're smart enough to know what she meant." Eli said shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest next to me "I want to hear it from someone else." 

"What Lara was referring to is that no matter how many titles she wins, she will never have the facilities you will have for the simple fact of being a woman." she said, and I sighed to try to contain my anger "Why?" I asked, "Come on Cam, this is a sport that's starting to see women. The new girl will at least have a woman, but what do you think Lara's experience was like being the only woman in F1? Why do you think during her first year in the competition was like?" 

"Because she wasn't used to the car yet?" I asked even though I know that wasn't the reason "Cameron, you saw how that girl runs, and how she did when she took the car when she replaced Eric without having taken the car before. Do you really think being fourteenth in the world championship has something to do with not getting used to the car?" 

"It doesn't make sense..." I whispered and she nodded "Exactly." she confirmed "So what happened?" I asked, turning slightly in her direction. "It's rumoured they did something to make the car not run as it should." 

"Sabotage?" I asked surprised she was talking about that "How do you explain after he left Heygen for Collen he always finished in the top ten?" he asked. "Do you think Gallagher has something to do with it?" 

Elisabeth snorted and uncrossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with it. If you see the race made Lara lose the title two years ago, you will realize what I'm talking about." 

"Do you think that's still happening?" I asked trying to find a way to help her "I doubt it. Don't you realize she's always looking at the car?" she asked and surprised me with the pieces of puzzle Lara Gallego fit together. "Does she know about mechanics?" 

"When circumstances arise like what happened to her during the first two years of her F1 career, you do whatever it takes so nothing happens to you again because of someone else." I nodded, because that made more than sense. "I want to help her." 

"I know you want to do it, but how about you focus on Amelia?" She suggested "Why?" I asked confused "She's usually defensive around you, and I don't blame her because you seem to love to tease her…" 

"But it's because I love seeing the look on her face…" I started "Maybe that's why, but after the one you messed up earlier, believe me, it's going to make her more nervous." he assured "So what does Amelia have to do with all this?" 

"Cam, you are a driver with three titles, the one with the most now on the grid. That girl will be able to use all the people and all the knowledge at her disposal to learn and improve." He said rolling his eyes as if it were the most obvious "I can do that with anyone, I already do it normally." 

"I know you do, but she's the only girl other than Lara on the grid, which is dominated by men, some of them with the Gallagher ideology. When Lara sees you do everything possible to help her, she will realize your way of acting was just a cover." she said, and I frowned "So she talks to me?" 

"Yes, I have to say it wasn't your best strategy from the beginning, but what Lara needs is to realize you're not like that with all women, because I think deep down you annoy for her attention. The first woman to get into F1, and then you make her understand she didn't deserve the title, not just once, but twice." 

"But it wasn't with that intention, and you know it." I said "Sure, I know. Lara? Lara only thinks you're like the others." Eli said and I kept thinking about her words for a moment "Can you do me a favour?" I asked her and she nodded "I want you to get me the races from last and previous season recorded." 

"For what?" he asked confused "Because it's the time I didn't see how Lara was doing, and I want to see it. In addition, it will help me to remember the way of driving of everyone." I said, "It's done, I'll try to have it before Sunday, but I can't guarantee anything." 

"Thank you, Eli, you are a sun." I said giving her a hug "I know, now please don't mess with Lara anymore, please. And when you see her tonight at the gala, apologize to her for what you said." 

"At your command, Captain." I answered raising my hand to my forehead "That's how I like it. Get ready, I'll be at your door at half past seven." She said walking in the opposite direction we were going " Ok." 

With that, Eli left the room, and I went to take a shower since in an hour and a half she would be at my door, but I'm sure it would be me who would be at her door to wait for her.