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Max sat alone at the gas station thinking over all of his father’s words.
“You think a champion gets second place. You should always be first. If you think you can become a real driver with skills like this, you’ll have to try harder than this” Jos shouted at Max in the car. “I’ll make you learn your lesson soon enough”. Jos kicked Max out and drove off leaving the teen all alone.
Max wanted to yell and scream. He did his best and gave it his all, but that stupid Charles kid wouldn’t make room for a pass. Max just sat on a bench at the gas station. He needed to do better, he had to. If he didn’t Jos’s punishments would only worsen.
One day Max would be a champion and win, he would win and shove it all in Jos’s face and leave to do his own thing in life.
As the sky got dark, Max still waited in hopes that he didn’t have to walk and find his way home. But a car eventually pulled up, and Max sighed in relief. That was until he saw who was in the car.
The door opened to show one Charles Leclerc and his god-father Jules Bianchi at his side. Charles was smiling, still happy from the race. Why wouldn’t he be happy, he won the race.
The pair walked into the gas station and Max felt a pit start to grow in his stomach. Max wanted to hide away to shame of being at the gas station alone, but he didn’t. Max would stand tall and fear no one.
When Charles looked over to where Max was, his face lit up, smiling and waving his arms like a puppy. “Max, Max. How are you?” Charles called out. Charles began to walk over and Max began to scowl. “Max, I had an amazing time racing against you. Defending against you is hard, but no one else is as aggressive as you when it comes to karting. So thank you for racing with me”, Charles said with a genuine smile.
Seeing that smile made something in Max want to yell and crush Charles. Charles was to reason for all his problems. Charles was the reason his dad left him here all alone. Why was Charles so happy and bright when Max was so angry and dull?
“I’ll beat you next time Leclerc. You better watch out, you try to stop me again I’m gonna run you into the wall”. Charles just blinked before nodding his head with a wider smile. “Not unless you can catch up to me Verstappen”.
Max felt nothing but rage. Charles was mocking him wasn’t he. Charles would meet Max’s fist at this point. But before anything could happen Jules Bianchi walked over.
“Charles we need to get going”, the man called out until he saw Max. “Oh I know you, you're the one who was fighting Charles for first”. Jules got closer to Max enough to shake Max’s hand. “You did a great job today. I know that it might be a little disappointing not winning P1 but your driving was incredible. You certainly gave Charles a run for his money. Charles kept telling me how hard it was defending against you, and seeing how you race I can see why now”.
Max didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t bother shaking Jules’s hand. So he said the only words that kept playing in his head. “Well obviously I’ll have to do better since I only got P2”. Jules dropped his hand and nodded his head in understatement. “You're still young, experiences like this are good and help you understand what areas you need to work on. But regardless you are an incredible racer. You have a bright future ahead of you”. Max just scoffed, if he didn’t have a future in racing his father might as well disown him now.
“Well time to go Charles” Jules called before looking around at the rest of the gas station. “Max, where are your parents?” Jules asked with a bit of concern. Max bit his lips and looked away. “That’s none of your concern”, Max growled. Jules looked taken aback but still kept a calm demeanor. “Max I’m just asking because it’s not good for someone so young like yourself to be all alone here”. Max was quiet for a moment before answering. “He left me here. Said I needed to think about what I had done and why I lost the race before he would come pick me up”.
Charles gasped in horror and Jules kept his mouth closed but his eyes began to brew in anger. “Max, do you need help? Can I take you home or the police?”Jules asked in hopes that he could do something, anything for the young boy in front of him. “No, it will just make things worse. I did this, so I need to wait it out”. “Max you didn’t do anything wrong”, Charles cried. “It was just a race, a game. You made the podium, that is always something to be proud of”. Jules agreed with Charles on that.
“Well it doesn’t matter to him now does it”, Max shouted not caring about anything anymore. “Just go away and leave me alone”.
Charles looked like he wanted to say something but a stern look from Jules stopped anything from happening. With a sigh Jules grabbed Charles and looked at Max with a pain in his eyes. “Well if you ever need help Max please don’t hesitate to call”, Jules said passing Max a note with the racer's number.
Jules and Charles left after that. Charles' eyes still filled with worry for his rival and Jules with an aching pain knowing he couldn’t do anything.
Max didn’t know why his heart ached watching them leave. But pity wouldn’t save him. He would survive and make it without people looking down on him.
‘One day’, thought Max