Two Stops Before Home

Luca barged into his favorite supermarket, quickly grabbing a bottle of water as his legs trembled nonstop beneath him. Slumping onto the counter, he drank like a camel, draining the chilled, colorless liquid as if it were soda, before requesting another.

"Lukey, you never told me you now exercise at night," said Josh, the counter attendant and someone Luca knew very well. His tone was inquisitive as he studied the exhausted boy. "Actually, you don't look like you exercised; you look like you were chased by a cult gang." He paused, narrowing his eyes as he peered into Luca's face. "Did that happen?"

Luca shook his head, barely able to stand as he took a blurry look around the buzzing little supermarket. It was illuminated by low ceiling lights, and the outside darkness provided a cozy, secluded atmosphere. That was the very reason he loved this supermarket—it had a sense of belonging and comfort that hovered around its bright white walls.

Remembering the second reason why he'd come in, Luca pulled out a list of his shopping needs as directed by the System. He had enough money to purchase this first batch, but he wasn't sure where the funds for the next would come from.

After greeting Josh, Luca handed him the list, practically begging for his help to shop given his sore legs. As a good friend of Luca's mother, Josh accepted without hesitation, picking up a basket before walking down the rows of shelves with Luca's list in hand.

"Hey there," a sweet voice drifted through the air, warm, playful, and familiar, dragging Luca's attention as he shifted his head toward the source, momentarily ignoring the heaviness in his legs.

"Oh, hey, Lana," Luca replied, managing a brief smile and a nod as he took in the beauty of the girl. She stood at the counter, dressed in the supermarket's staff uniform. While he didn't know much about her, he was aware she was older than him, which always made him hesitate when it came to approaching her.

"Josh was right. You do look like someone's been after you," she said, her voice laced with humor. "This is a workday, and you're quite early here. Did you skip work?"

Luca shook his head, ruffling his hair absentmindedly. "No, I didn't. Spent the whole day running away from my pursuer," he murmured, trying to keep it light.

Lana burst into laughter, clapping her hands as her youthful voice echoed off the tiles. "Then you came to the right hiding spot!" she exclaimed, her joy infectious.

As she laughed, Luca's eyes caught the television screen above her head, nestled in the corner of the wall. What drew his attention was the image of an F1 car zooming around a track. He half-expected it to be news about a marshal who had been hit by one of the single-seaters today, but it turned out to be something else entirely.

"Lana? Could you please turn up the volume?" Luca requested, straining his ears to listen.

"Oh, sure," she replied quickly, operating the remote with practiced ease.

"And it's breaking news that the FIA has officially announced what they're calling a 'Radical Overhaul' of the sport we all know and love. Now, folks, brace yourselves—this could mean significant changes both on and off the track. With the introduction of a 'New Format' and an 'Expansion'—two of the major projects they're set to unveil soon—we could be standing on the brink of one of the biggest shifts in the history of Formula 1. Stay tuned, because the way we experience the thrill of racing may never be the same again."

"Woah," Luca muttered instinctively. New Format? What does that mean? Would it make some bad changes?

"Ah, they're always looking for a way to make business seem fresh and exciting," Lana said, lowering the volume again.

"They sure are," Luca muttered, his gaze still glued to the screen, though his mind drifted miles away. He barely registered Josh's towering figure moving into his peripheral vision. When Luca turned, he saw Josh holding the basket filled with food items. "Oh, thanks, man," he said, taking the basket from him.

As Josh began tallying the total, Luca inspected the groceries. Is this good enough?

[For now, host]

[As you improve both physically and mentally, your diet will evolve accordingly]

Luca groaned inwardly when the bill was presented to him. He paid quickly, eager to leave, but then his eyes landed on a large poster plastered behind Lana. "Wait... You guys just opened a gym?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah! Really sleek setup, Lukey," Josh replied with a grin, handing him the plastic bag filled with groceries. "You thinking about signing up?"

"Yes, please."

Josh raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Lukey, what's going on? You planning some kind of glow-up or something? Spill the beans."

"I wish," Luca muttered with a chuckle, his legs still feeling like lead as he dragged himself toward the exit. "Don't forget, Josh," he called back, stepping out into the cool night air of the city.

Walking down the street with weary legs, each step felt sluggish, harder to make than the last. His thoughts wandered to his workplace. Maybe he should stop by—out of respect. The System had given him a new direction, one that might soon free him from the exhausting grind he'd endured there. Yet, a part of him felt he owed it to the place that had once been his daily routine, even if his future might look different now.

"You wanna race?" a friend said to Luca, a 40-year-old man wearing a construction hat, his frown deepening. "I thought you hated the sport whenever it came on while we were on break."

"Ahhh, you scruny fuck," another friend, a 52-year-old sporting a cowboy mustache, growled. "Stop being doluzional and freaking lift a sheet. Dreams remain dreams, lad. In reality...?" He tapped a huge machine that loomed nearby. "This is where you belong."

"Leave the boy to hop on those toy cars; it's been a while since I attended a funeral. Whatchu folks say, huh?" Another coworker chimed in, grinning.

Luca felt a pang of sadness as he listened to the men he worked with every day being so unsupportive. Ignoring their taunts, he focused on his first friend. "I've got no choice. It's... complicated," he replied quickly, his eyes scanning the steel mill's environment. "And I'm really sorry if my absence caused any problems today."

"Oh, it caused plenty," the man snickered, shaking his head. "Boss ain't gonna be too pleased once he gets a look at you. Lucky for you, he ain't around today."

Luca bit his lip, feeling a mix of relief and unease at their boss's absence. "Alright," he said, giving the man a light tap on the shoulder. "Please pass on the info for me."

"Will do," his friend replied with a nod.

As he disappeared into the night once more, Luca headed home, his mind racing faster than his tired legs. He was not only contemplating the path he was about to take but also how he would begin it. One thing was clear: he needed to become a contracted racer first.