Page 102 of First in Line

“Honestly, third place is incredible. It was your first time in a real Formula 3 race. I’m sure your team manager is thrilled with your placement.”

“I did better than my teammate,” he concedes. “Who was already there last season.”

“See?! It’s amazing!”

The disappointed scowl on his face slowly turns into a smile.

Ever since his departure for Belgium, we haven’t been able to talk every single day, as we’d hoped. But we’re still making the most of it, and whenever we can, we FaceTime like this.

I adjust myself on the couch, slipping my legs underneath me. “Do you think you’ll be able to come in May?” I wonder.

“I’m not sure. I’m putting as much money as I can aside, so I should have enough for a plane ticket. But they told me we might use the time between races to help improve my performance, depending on where I’m at by then.”

“Oh…So, if you’re not good enough, they’ll want to keep you?”

“The opposite. If I’m not good enough, I’m pretty sure they’ll just put me in the reserve and forget about me. But if I’m good,reallygood, they’ll probably want to push me even further, give me the tools to break records and dominate the season.”

“So, whether you’re good or bad, it comes with a downside.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Evie.”

“It’s okay. I hope you’re so good that they decide to keep you. And it’ll be right around my exams anyway, so I won’t have as much time as we’d like.”

“How are your courses going? Are you still nailing it?” he asks, using the topic change to lighten up the mood.

“I am! Do you want to see my new project?”

“Of course, princess.”

I jump off the couch and walk to the table where my almost-finished model sits. I click to turn the camera to the other side and switch to the back camera. “So, the assignment was to create a house for a family of four where you live outside as much as inside. That’s why there’s this large patio over there and the big openings on the second floor. And there’s this huge space in the backyard, with a firepit and, right there, the best part: an infinity pool.”

“It looks amazing. I love the shape of the front facade.”

“Thank you! My studio professor says I’m very good at mixing brutalist lines with organic shapes. I’ll start working on my final project soon. I already have a few ideas.”

“Have you chosen the topic?”

“Yeah. I’ll design a racing center. I feel like I know enough about the racing world, and it’s a very unique subject. Also, they’re crazy about racing here in Indianapolis, and it’s about time we had a track worth hosting Formula One races. I’ll createthe stands, the paddock, the VIP sections… Everything from top to bottom.”

“That sounds exciting. Do you have some sketches already?”

“I do!”

“Would you show me?”

“Yep!”

This time, I rush to the entryway to take my sketchpad from the bag I left there. I flip through some pages until I arrive at the preliminary sketches I’ve been working on. I show them to Jax, explain the ideas, share my thoughts on what would work best…

“I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve picked one.”

“Please do. I can’t wait to see the final project.”

I grimace a little. “I’ll try to send you some 3D renders when I have them. It’ll take a while because my computer is getting old.”

“Is it going to be a problem?”

“Not really. I waste a lot of time, but I’m making it work.”