ALICE Ch 118

Glynda, the press, reality—all of these things make it harder to speak to Faye. Alice’s chance doesn’t come until they’re all but due to qualify. She opens the door of her little changing/warmup room. Engines and machinery as well as crowd noise are audible, even here. The Miami Grand Prix has been completely out of control. Hype parties, interviews about the Faye situation, and preparation for the race have dominated all of Alice’s time and energy.

Faye pauses in the cramped corridor. Like Alice, she’s all suited up. Alice beckons and a nervous Faye slips into the room with an anxious glance over her shoulder.

There’s barely enough room for the two of them. They wear identical FUTA race suits in pink with a little blue and white, and plenty of endorsements. They aren’t strangers, but it’s rare for them to be alone like this, wearing the suits. Not as people, but as drivers. Standing like this only draws attention to the height differential, which is almost comical.

Faye looks fragile and a little ragged.

“I’m sorry,” she blurts. Faye knows that Glynda and FUTA are downplaying the relationship publicly.

“It’s OK,” Alice replies. She should’ve rehearsed this. “It’s just… word choice.” Terrible. Just terrible. Alice has never been the most articulate person, but now she can’t even voice her feelings.

“Because of my mum,” Faye replies with a grimace. “I’m sorry.”

Actually, Alice had been planning to try to explain that in relationships there should be some discussion about things like labels, whether or not a couple is exclusive, and things like that. And now, Faye has misunderstood Alice’s meaning.

“She told me that she told you to stay away,” Faye says, interrupting Alice’s scrambling thoughts about how to straighten this out.

“What? Oh. Faye, you don’t have to listen to her. I don’t, either. She’s our boss, so she can tell us what to do as drivers, but not as people. Especially you. She’s your mother, not your owner. You can date who you want to date and so can I.”

That seems to perk Faye up considerably. She looks up, glowing.

“Do you really think so?”

This cannot be a normal Irish girl thing. This… this is Glynda. Faye is sheltered. Too sheltered. Alice sees it now and understands.

“It’s not about what I think,” Alice replies, gesturing in frustration. “It’s more like… we’re talking more like fundamental human rights, Faye.” Alice intends to go on, elaborating that Glynda might be within her rights to forbid intimate relationships between her drivers, but Faye cuts that off by throwing her arms around Alice and squeezing.

“I’m so relieved,” she says, sounding almost tearful. “I was so worried that you’d listen to her and, I dunno, go out with Kylie or someone. It’s like my worst fear.”

Alice swallows nervously.