Chasing Daisy

instantly feel mean. It’s not like she’s done anything wrong. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong, either, for that matter. Am I acting like a crazy person?
    ‘I think we’d better go back to that plan where you kick me,’ I say mournfully to Holly.
    Later, Frederick asks us both to stock up the snacks in the garages. We traipse across the Rascasse bridge, laden down with cool boxes.
    My heart plummets as we walk in to see Will standing next to his car, fully kitted out in racing gear, with Laura at his side. Catalina is talking to Laura, and then Simon joins them, affectionately placing his hand on Laura’s back.
    I try not to look, but the jealousy is killing me.
    Laura’s blonde hair is lightly streaked with expensive-looking highlights. She wears it down, around her shoulders. Mine is tied up into a bun as usual. I feel inadequate.
    ‘Stop staring,’ Holly whispers.
    I quickly turn my attention to the sandwiches we’re setting up, but out of the corner of my eye I notice Will climbing into his car. Laura and Catalina move out of the way as mechanics swarm in to push it out of the garage.
    I turn to Holly. ‘I think I might go back.’
    ‘No, stay,’ she pleads. I watch as the mechanics start up Will’s car and he zooms away from the pits. There’s a white box painted on the floor of Will’s garage to show where his car goes and Laura stands right in the centre of it. I study her for a moment as she watches the single television screen above her head following Will’s journey as he skilfully manoeuvres the car around the circuit. She looks tense.
    No one else stands inside the box with Laura. It’s like she owns it. Like she owns Will.
    ‘I’m going,’ I say, picking up the empty cool boxes.
    ‘No . . .’ Holly blocks me.
    ‘Well, at least let’s go through to Luis’s garage,’ I say.
    She perks up. ‘Okay!’
    Luis is already inside his car, watching Will’s lap on the television screen above his head. We stand behind him, watching too, and after a while the mechanics come in to start up his car. He pulls out of the garage.
    Towards the end of the qualifying, Catalina comes over to us.
    ‘Don’t you have any egg sandwiches?’
    I’m about to apologise, but Holly speaks first.
    ‘No,’ she snaps.
    ‘The other two. The Germans. They had them yesterday,’ Catalina says. That was when Klaus and Gertrude were in charge of the catering in the pits.
    ‘Well, we don’t have them today,’ Holly answers coolly. I watch in alarm. Isn’t she taking this too far?
    ‘Can you make some?’ she asks impatiently.
    ‘Too busy for that, I’m afraid.’ Holly looks back up at the television screen while I stand there, tensely.
    ‘You don’t look very busy to me,’ Catalina says, turning her nose up.
    ‘We’re on a break,’ Holly replies, emphasising the word ‘break’. She stares at her directly and after a moment, Catalina crumbles and stalks off to Will’s garage. We see her walk outside to the pit wall where Simon is sitting with headphones on. She says something to him and he lifts one of the headphones off his ear to hear her. Holly and I watch this exchange intently, me feeling like we’re about to lose our jobs. But Simon shrugs and puts his headphones back on. I glance at Holly to see a satisfied little smirk on her lips. She looks at me smugly, then refocusses her attention on the television screen.
    There’s a funny feeling in my stomach. An uneasiness. I watch as Catalina makes her way back to the catering table and starts to load up her plate with assorted sandwiches. She glances through to Luis’s garage so I quickly avert my gaze. She’s a witch, but I feel an odd sense of pity for her, and it’s not sitting well with me.
    ‘I feel a bit bad,’ I say to Holly.
    ‘Don’t,’ she bites back, glaring through at Catalina as she perches on a chair in front of the six television screens at the back of the garages.
    All of a sudden the mechanics around us cheer. We look back up to see Luis has taken pole position.
    ‘No way!’ I exclaim, delighted. ‘Where’s Will?’
    Will is still doing his last lap around the track. As he reaches the start/finish line, we watch in tense silence.
    Second!
    Everyone claps and I look across at Laura. She’s standing in the box, smiling.
    Will is going to be disappointed with that time. I know how desperately he wants to win here. Laura knows, too. That’s why her smile keeps faltering.
    The drivers return and everyone