ALICE Ch 262

The Hungarian Grand Prix means a massive disadvantage for FUTA. Alice is ready to concede that the car is perfectly fine, apart from power on straights, a sacrifice that Glynda has made to ensure reliability. With or without points, she wants her drivers to finish the race. Alice can accept that. But the Hungaroring doesn’t have the turns that Alice needs to make things happen. It’s just as well; she has to be careful in any case. Her F1 license now has loads of points on it because of her bad behavior in the last race. Mio, meanwhile, has a spotless record.

It doesn’t look good.

“Is there some secret I should know about?” Kylie asks as she rubs Alice’s shoulders.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never seen someone more Zen than you since England.”

“I’m, uh, growing as a person.” Alice reaches back and takes Kylie’s hand. “And can you do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

Alice hesitates, then sighs. “Never mind.”

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s just weird not to have Faye around.”

“I know what you mean. And I should apologize.”

“For what?”

“Everything,” Kylie replies, resuming her shoulder rub. Alice put in a good effort today. She’s got to go and talk to Colby in a few minutes about the brakes.

“If you mean our weirdness, I’m the one who very unprofessionally started flirting with you,” Alice says frankly. “That’s on me. I should be apologizing.”

“Maybe. But I liked the attention, and I led you on. I had fun with it,” Kylie replies with a sigh of her own. “And nobody made me pounce on you. That one time. The only moment of weakness in my otherwise perfect life, where I never made a single mistake ever.”

Alice snorts. “Eeveh,” she says mockingly.

“Quiet, you.”

“You were going through a lot.”

“Are we OK?”

“Of course.” Alice breathes easier. It feels good to talk these things out. Apologizing feels even better. She grimaces.

“Suppose this would be a bad time to tell you I slept with Mio,” Kylie says casually.

Alice chokes. “What?” she demands shrilly.

“What? You’re in a committed relationship.”

“Not that… I mean, just, what?”

“I was drunk.” Kylie says it as though those three words can explain anything.

Alice stares at the wall, trying to wrap her head around it. A Formula One driver hooking up with a hot member of the team is hardly odd, but Mio… tiny little Mio? And Kylie? Kylie should be way out of Mio’s league. Or is that just old insecurities talking? Losing races, having Faye far away… insecurities are running wild. Wilde. Alice shakes her head in disbelief.

“My life is so fucked up,” she says.

“Oh. You did it with her, too?”

Alice laughs. “What are we doing here, Kylie? I could’ve been a…”

“A what?” Kylie asks, leaning in close. She smells like something very sporty. Adidas or something. “What would you have been?”

“A…” Alice begins, trying hard not to laugh at herself. “A veterinary technician. I don’t fucking know. You think Glynda’s grateful enough to me to let me drink right before qualies?”