Chapter Text
The empty school hallways smelled of chemicals and cheap permanent markers, Lando’s shoes squeaked against the tiles, as he made his way towards his locker, tracing the people on the football field with his eyes. Gloomy clouds towered over the school, blanketing the grounds in a thick, grey atmosphere. The precipitation light, yet noticeable. Lando pulled up his wrist, his sleeves yanked up on his forearms, to check his watch. 8:03. Max will probably be here soon, and Lando will finally be rescued from
his eternal cascade of thoughts.
99….. 100….. 101….. 102….. 103….. 104. Lando swivelled around, to face his locker. He picked at the lock numbers, and opened the door. It was a tip. Books tempting to slide onto the shiny floors, empty gum packets lining the shelves. He simply moved around the mess, placing his bag in, and yanking out his necessary books. And before the pigsty inside could mesh with the peaceful surroundings, lando slammed the door shut. That’s future Lando’s problem.
“Oi mate, have you heard?” A familiar voice echoed across the empty halls, definitely aimed at Lando, judging by the sender. Max Fewtrell.
Lando had, in fact, not heard whatever Max was blabbering about. Concerned, he gestured to Max to elaborate.
“Mate. Oscar Piastri…” Max began, clearly hoping that something would click in Lando’s brain. Maybe a flicker of recognition in his eyes would appear. But no. Lando was oblivious. Obviously, he knew who the boy was. Rookie f1 driver, one of the youngest EVER. An aussie who clearly knew what he was doing. But he hadn’t heard any RECENT news about him. “He’s coming. To our school.” Max completed his sentence, anticipating Lando’s reaction.
“What? For a talk or something?” Lando speculated, of course, this situation would still be exciting, but it would hardly elicit a reaction close to Max’s.
“No mate. He’s attending. As a student. He’s going to be in our YEAR” Max corrected Lando, observing as said boy’s jaw slowly dropped, his eyes widening in response to the news.
“You’re kidding, right?” Lando scoffed, of course max would make a joke like that at 8:06 in the morning.
“No. I’m fully 100 percent serious. It’s just been emailed to the whole of sixth form. If you don’t believe me, just check mate. The whole year’s going mental” Lando understood that buzzing feeling radiating from max now. Yet, he still didn’t quite trust his friend, so he had to make sure. Lando rapidly pulled his phone out of his pocket, rushing to click the correct numbers and unlock his device. He immediately scrolled to gmail. There it was. Glaring straight back at a very bewildered Lando. The email.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected] [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Dear Students and Colleagues,
I write to you at the beginning of term to remind everyone, students and staff alike, of the standards of conduct and courtesy expected within our school community.
As ever, we pride ourselves on discretion, mutual respect, and a quiet diligence that allows all pupils to flourish without unnecessary attention or distraction. It is in this spirit that I ask you to be particularly mindful of your behaviour in the coming weeks.
We will shortly be welcoming a new pupil into the Sixth Form. While their educational circumstances prior to joining us have been somewhat… unconventional, they are here for the same reason as any other student: to learn, to contribute, and to be treated with fairness and normalcy. I must stress that curiosity, speculation, or undue interest, however well-intentioned, will not be tolerated.
Staff are asked to maintain consistency in expectations and to resist any temptation to offer special allowances beyond those formally approved. Students, likewise, are reminded that whispering, gawking, or attempts at eliciting personal information are discourteous and reflect poorly on our values as a school.
I should also make you aware that, owing to prior professional commitments that remain ongoing, the pupil will experience periods of authorised absence throughout the academic year. These absences have been carefully reviewed and approved by the Board, and appropriate academic arrangements will be in place to ensure continuity of study. I expect no commentary, conjecture, or comparison regarding this matter; attendance records are not a subject for communal discussion.
The pupil in question has spent a great deal of time in highly structured, performance-driven environments and will no doubt require a period of adjustment. I trust that our community will demonstrate maturity, restraint, and the quiet kindness for which we are known.
Should there be any concerns, questions, or incidents requiring clarification, please direct them to my office rather than engaging in discussion amongst yourselves.
Thank you, as always, for upholding the standards that distinguish this institution.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. John Hill.
——
“Mate.” Lando murmured, still in disbelief, slowly shaking his head. He lifted his gaze back to his friend, who’s expression reflected the intensity of the situation. “This is unreal”.
“Right? And of course Hill tried to be all mysterious about who it is, as if he wasn’t included in the email. Mate, he’s actually a fossil” Max started to walk, signalling for Lando to walk along side him. Max’s hands flew into the air, as he continued to explain how he had gotten several messages from other boys in their year, just that morning. Clearly, the school was desperate for some attention, even if it was just because they were housing an athlete. Lando could relate.
“When is he going to start?” Lando butted in, not caring about whether Max had even finished his sentence, urgent to have his question answered.
“Uhh i’m not actually sure. Sorry, mate” Max shrugged as he threw his chewey into a nearby bin.
“Hm” lando replied, drifting back into his endless wasteland of unnecessary thoughts. At that moment, they generally consisted of a certain driver.
—————————
The hallways thinned out, as the crowds of students filtered into their first period classrooms. “Alright, this is me. See you at lunch, mate.” max said, slowing his pace as they walked closer to the science block.
“Alright. Catch you later, yeah?”
“What’s your first class?” Max eyed Lando, suspiciously.
“Uhhh. Not sure, actually. Probably English or something boring. Anyways, it’s not important. I’m not going”
“Mate. If you want to graduate, you’ll have to start actually turning up to your classes”
“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” Lando mumbled as he turned around, waving Max off, signalling his carelessness towards the situation. Of course, lando knew Max was right. The boy had been warned enough times by administration. But he just couldn’t find it in himself to care about school anymore. Not when he doesn’t see much of a future for himself, other than working in a monochromatic office, probably located in some ugly building plonked in the centre of London.
—————————
As Lando wondered the halls aimlessly, making sure to skip over sections that were supervised by teachers, he was left to think. And a man who thinks all the time, has nothing to think except thoughts. His mind skimmed over recent events, and he landed on the email. The email. Oscar. Oscar Piastri was going to be attending HIS school.
Why Lando’s underfunded, obscure school? Not a clue.
—————————
Soon enough, the day had come. February 8th. Oscar would start at a new school. Why did he have to go to school? no idea. He’s an f1 driver, for god’s sake. Earning well over $5 million for his rookie year. He’s not even going to be taking part in his A-levels, plus it’s halfway through the school year. The timing of his arrival only being defined by the formula One calendar.
Truthfully, Oscar had been against the idea of going to school this year, ever since his mum had brought up the idea on a facetime late at night. But unfortunately, Nicole Piastri was NOT a woman to be reckoned with. She could very easily get her way, even from all the way in Australia, especially with her only son. And his sisters, god his sisters, were no help. Whining about fairness, because THEY had to do school.
“They aren’t formula One drivers” Oscar complained to no one.
Whatever.
It doesn’t matter.
Oscar would barely turn up to school anyways. Gone for racing or important team stuff.
But as he stared into his reflection in the bathroom, he realised how out of place he looked. Of course, he had gone to school before. Last year, even. But it feels different this time. He hardly recognised himself in his white buttoned-up shirt, tie at a perfect point between careless and purposeful placing. His hair was.. manageable. A huff had previously escaped his mouth as he tried to fiddle with it, ultimately deciding it was a lost cause.
alright.
This is it.
All he has to do is a couple of hours, 5 days a week (generally). In a small public school, filled with students who probably had crime-filled lives. Probably smoked. Probably hated rich people. Like Oscar.
Ughhhhh.
Oscar stepped out of his front door, as if he was crossing a threshold. Luckily, he would, in fact, be getting rides to school. Considering he lived a relatively long distance away from the establishment, having to do an almost 20 minute drive.
He leaned his head against the car door, watching the grey clouds above, blocking all signs of sunlight. “Today is going to be rough” he thought.
oh well… not much he could do about it at that point, other than overthink the whole day, while he slowly made his way to his impending doom boxed up in a little campus.
—————————
2 hours later, Oscar is stood quietly behind the headmaster, as he opened the door to a classroom, Oscar’s, presumably.
“Hello Dr Hill. How may I help you?” a warm voice originated from the front of the classroom.
“Hello Mr Mckenzie. Just have a package to drop off. A considerably LARGE package.” Dr Hill joked, as he stepped aside, gesturing towards Oscar, who stood, meek and small, just outside the classroom.
“God.. This is the worst.”Oscar thought to himself.
Oscar almost sprinted away after he peered into the class and was met with approximately 20 sets of eyes (excluding Mr Mackenzie’s curious eyes, glaring from the front).
“Ahh yes” the man spoke, softly. “Come here, Oscar.”
Oscar waddled to the front of the classroom, definitely looking as awkward and overwhelmed as he felt.
“Hello Oscar. Nice to meet you. I’m Mr Mckenzie. I will be your Maths teacher.” Mr mckenzie’s hand shot out, landing right in front of oscar’s slowly shrinking frame. He reached his hand out, to meet the teacher’s. Being met with a rugged palm, and a strong grip.
“Hi, sir.” Oscar squeaked.
“If you want to have a seat, there should be a free one over on that table. The one near the back corner, under the window.. do you see it?” the man outstretched his index finger, pointing towards an exiled table, located further than any other.
“Yep, thank you, sir.” Oscar nodded, politely, and began to walk towards said table.
“No need for all of this formality. Call me Mr Mckenzie.” the teacher spoke, offering a metaphorical hand out to Oscar, hoping to make him more familiar.
“Alright.” Oscar ducked his head, trying to avoid the eyes that traced his movements all the way to the back. Oscar couldnt blame them, he would be just as curious as they are, if he was them. But from his perspective, it just made him more uncomfortable than he already was, if that was even possible.
“Okay everybody, eyes back to the board please.”
Oscar lowered into an empty seat. Next to a kid with chestnut brown hair, curling at all angles. The head of hair was so unorganised, oscar almost laughed. Then he remembered the mess on his own head. Yep.. not touching that topic.
“Alright, mate?” Oscar mumbled to the boy on his left.
“Pardon?” the boy’s voice cracked, creating an upwards infliction towards the end of the small word.
“Uh. Uhmmmmmmm. Alright.. Mate?” Oscar stuttered, trying to recollect his thoughts, this is not an ideal first-impression. Considering Oscar had practically grown up in hostile environments and pressure-filled situations, he was not dealing with all of the awkwardness and pressure very well.
“what?”
“I don’t know if i can repeat it again, mate. This is already a humiliation ritual in itself”
“Sorry. Yeah i heard you. Just processing” the boy sat still for a second, inspecting oscar’s face, uncomfortably so. “Yeah. Yeah good.. Uhh i’m good.. thanks”
Yep. Oscar’s fucked it up. Already. This is awkward and he just wants to go home.
“Hm. Cool… Is that- Hey that’s Ollie’s car, No?” Oscar asked, pointing towards a sticker on the other’s computer.
“Uhhhhh. Gosh. yep.. sorry that’s super embarrassing. I swear i’m not like a fanboy or anything. Just.. Just into the sport” The boy’s face turned a shade of pink. Softening his appearance.
“Yeah cool. cool. What’s uh.. What’s happening?”
“Hm?”
“What’s Mr Mckenzie talking about?”
“Uh. I’m actually not sure, sorry mate. I’m probably the worst person to ask at this table. I’m terrible with maths.”
“Oh. okay. Sorry.. I’ll uh- I’ll ask someone else”
“mhmmmmm” the boy hummed, redirecting his attention onto his computer, no doubt inspecting the sticker.
“It’s alright, by the way”
“Huh?”
“You can be a fanboy. I don’t really care. I meet a lot anyways. Ollie would be thrilled to learn that I sat next to one of HIS fans on my first day”
“Ah. Yeah yeah. Cool”
“Is it scary?” a new voice entered the conversation, cutting through the silence that overtook the rest of the table. A boy sitting in the opposite seat, leaned in to interact with Oscar.
“Huh?” oscar scrunched up his face, trying to work out what the strange boy was asking.
“To drive? Is it scary?”
“Well.. I haven’t really driven an f1 car too much yet.. But the f2 car was not that scary..?”
A huff.
“But i guess that’s cause I’m used to it. If we stuck you in it, you’d probably be piss yourself”
“Excuse me?”
Fuck. Oscar you idiot. Why would you say something like that. Gosh you are THICK.
“Sorry that actually came out of nowhere. I’m super out of routine, so i’m acting a bit strange. Ignore me please.”
Oscar wants to melt into his seat.
“Nah you’re chill dude. Don’t worry.”
Oscar nodded slowly. He knew that he only got away with that because he drove in Formula One. “thanks mate”
“So what’s everyone like?”
“The drivers?”
“Yeah”
“Ah. Yeah they’re all pretty nice. Except, i’m not really close friends with anyone other than the other rookies and Charles” oscar shrugged.
“Really? wow. You’ve got some hectic friends mate.”
“Hah yeah”
“So the season starts in March, what do you have to do this month?” the boy to his left spoke up, again.
“Well i just kind of have to do stuff for formula 1 content, mclaren content, just a tonne of meetings in general with mclaren, and then preseason testing in Bahrain”
“Wow..”
Oscar chuckled, and returned his eyes to the front of the classroom. Mr Mckenzie was teaching with way too much enthusiasm for a maths teacher.
“So how many days in february are you going to miss?”
“Oh umm like not that much. March is when I’m probably going to be gone for a lot of days…
“What’s your name by the way?” Oscar directed his attention towards the boy to his left. Who was already looking at Oscar. okay…
“Uhm. Lando… uh- Norris” Lando squeaked out.
“Cool… uh I’m Oscar Piastri. Nice to meet you, mate” Oscar held his hand out, anticipating the contact.
“Yeah.. nice to-uhh- nice to meet you too, Oscar” Lando’s cheeks warmed with a shade of pink taking over his tan skin, as he reached his hand out. Their physical interaction lasted about 2 seconds. Both members retracting their hands quickly.
The bell rang.
Oscar slowly packed his things, making sure to not bump into anyone on his way out. Once he stepped into the hallways, there were eyes staring at him from all angles. Oscar ducked his head down, attempting to ignore the audience.
When he got to his locker, relief hit like a tidal wave. He quickly put his extra books away and scurried off to his next period. He’s pretty sure it’s visual arts. Unfortunately, the tour from the morning had not stayed in his mind. He was lost.
“Excuse me… um where is the art block?” Oscar asked, not looking after nudging a passing student. He turned his head. Oh. It’s not just any student, it’s Lando.
“Oh umm. I’m going there.. You can just follow me, mate” Lando awkwardly responded, as he began shuffling through the crowded space.
Oscar just nodded slowly, and then followed him.
Slowly, the hallways thinned out, as they progressed to a slightly more relaxed space.
“Uh. We-We’re here” Lando slowed down, as he gestured towards a corridor, doors lining both walls.
“Thanks. Guess we’re in the same class..?”
“Ummm. Yeah.. yeah probably.. Mr Davies?”
“Yep. Is he good?”
“Good as he can be, I guess?”
“Dunno what that means, mate.”
“Yeah sorry.. He’s good. Bit… unique. But he’s alright” Lando stood awkwardly, his palms tapping against his thighs.
“Cool.. So are we going to go in, or are you just going to keep standing there?”
Lando cleared his throat, and stepped forward towards one of the doors. He turned the knob and pushed it open.
What faced them was a room, covered in art.. A spectacle of colours, in fact. Abstract faces plastered on canvases lined the window sills, dyeing the light flooding into the room a colourful hue.
“Hello boys” The teacher spoke, still facing the class. But as his head turned, his eyes widened. “Mr Piastri. Great to meet you. If you want to take a seat next to Lando.”
“Mhm”
“Alright mate, just follow me” Lando mumbled, as he leaned forward, walking as if he was just catching himself before tipping over each step.
“Hey Max.. Can-uhhhh-can Oscar sit with us?” Lando asked a shocked boy, presumably his friend.
“What? Yeah yeah.. of course mate”
“Thanks” Oscar uttered, as he sat in the spare seat.
“Hey Oscar.. nice to meet you.. You’re so cool..”
“Hey.. thanks. Nice to meet you too.. uhhh.. Max!”
The rest of the period blended into a mess of awkward moments. Oscar knew he was going to be struggling, but Lando and Max seemed to be stepping on eggshells, avoiding being too comfortable around Oscar. Which, honestly, made the situation worse. But, soon enough, it was Lunch. Oscar was walking into the cafeteria, eyes watching him from every corner of the room. He collected his food, and searched the room. Trying to find either
1. a familiar face (which is quite difficult, considering Oscar talked to about 4 boys today)
2. An empty seat, at an empty table (also quite difficult, considering the small room was quite packed).
He was beginning to think he might have to go outside, until he spot Lando. He was surrounded by maybe 5 boys. All listening intently to whatever tale he was telling. Oscar stepped forward, trying not to back out. He approached the boys, who all stopped speaking in his presence. Alright…
“Hey.. I have nowhere to sit.. Do you think I could sit with you guys?” Oscar proposed, anticipating a collective shaking of heads. Except he was pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah of course, mate. I don’t think any of us mind, right boys? No one a Verstappen fan?” Lando looked around at each one of the boys, chuckling towards the end of his sentence. The group shrugged, shifting to talk in smaller sections. Lando looked back up at Oscar, and patted the seat beside him.
—————————
Lunch went relatively well, Oscar thought. Obviously, the boys barely looked, let alone interacted with Oscar, but Lando did. He listened as Oscar explained how dreadful the planes are, especially to Bahrain and Australia.. Which are unfortunately the next two places he needs to go to.
“Wish I could help you, mate. I’ve never been on a plane. Only trains for me” Lando had stated.
“I can try and take you to race, so that you can understand my misery” Oscar had replied. Only realising how forward that sounded in his head after it left his mouth.
Lando only laughed, nodding along to Oscar’s extreme proposal.
Maybe school wouldn’t be as bad as Oscar thought.