Extract from Untitled Novel

Jazmyn Woodley

‘…And here we go! The final lap of the final race of this Alpha League season, this is what it all comes down to! Our two frontrunners are battling into the first corner, with Mackenzie just taking the slightest lead over his rival. But can he hold on, with the red Phoenix of Storm St. James right on his tail?’

‘Now, in my opinion, David, there’s no better way to finish this season of racing. These two drivers have shared a fierce rivalry this year – tensions have been pretty high for both teams – and they’ve taken this battle to the very end.’

‘Absolutely, Chris, I completely agree with you on that one. Storm St. James and Oliver Mackenzie have represented true racing excellence this season, and now, with just three points separating them in the battle for the World Championship title? That’s what we call a competition.’

‘And as we reach turn two, St. James is still trying to find a gap… And Mackenzie has gone wide! Oh my word, what a potentially costly mistake from the Team Apollo driver, but he’s saved it! Incredible! Somehow, he’s managed to keep a hold on his lead!’

‘Amazing recovery there from Oliver, I think we all thought that mistake was going to cost him the lead.’

‘Oh, certainly. And as we’re watching the events unfold live in front of us, I almost can’t believe we are watching the same drivers that competed as teammates not too long ago.’

‘Yes, it’s hard to believe that these are the two rookies we saw in their first season five years ago.’

‘And what a wild five years it has been for them both! From rookies, to rivals, and in Storm St. James’s case, multiple time World Championship winner! Oliver Mackenzie, of course, still chasing that title, but could this finally be the moment he snatches the Championship from his former teammate?’

‘…And there’s half a lap to go! We’re approaching the final chicane, and there’s less than a second separating them! Great work from Mackenzie there through the chicane, but St. James is right there with him!’

‘Both drivers are fighting hard! Mackenzie is ahead down the straight, making their way to the final turn… and St. James takes the inside! Unbelievable! He’s taken the lead! A massive move from Storm St. James going into the final corner!’

‘I’m lost for words! A monumental move from St. James, but Mackenzie is still fighting… As they charge into the final straight… Is there anything Oliver Mackenzie can do?!’

‘…Full throttle down the final straight, down to the finish line. It all comes down to this moment! But St. James stays ahead, and there’s the chequered flag! For the third year running: Storm St. James is the Alpha League World Champion! And yet again, Oliver Mackenzie finishes in second place, the title eluding him for a third time.’

‘You can’t help but feel for him, Chris, you really can’t. He’s been neck and neck with St. James all season, to have led this final race for so long, and have it snatched from him at the last second…’

‘It’s like deja vu, David. One of the best drivers the Alpha League has ever seen, and still not a world championship title in his hands…’

SPORTS DAILY NEWS

Storm St. James Wins Third Consecutive World Championship Title

By Jamie Olsen

Storm St. James won his third consecutive world championship at last weekend’s Grand Prix, finishing ahead of biggest rival Oliver Mackenzie. St. James, 27, claimed maximum points in the final race of this Alpha League season, ending the year just four points ahead of Team Apollo driver Mackenzie.

The American-born St. James said afterwards: ‘It’s been an incredible season. I showed everybody what I’ve got, and I never doubted for a moment that I’d be up here today.’

When asked about his close finish with British driver Mackenzie, St. James responded: ‘Like I said, I never doubted myself. I mean, look at the results. Sure, he gave it a good go. But, let’s face facts here, I’m the better driver in the better car. It was always gonna fall this way.’

While St. James moves into an elite group of three time championship winners, Oliver Mackenzie continues to fight for his first title.

After the race, he said: ‘It’s been a tough season, I’m not gonna lie. I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved as a team this year, and I’m so grateful to everyone who continues to work so hard behind the scenes.’

On his future as a driver, he said: ‘I’ve just got to keep fighting, keep pushing. It was within my reach this season, and next season we’ll come back even stronger, as a team. I’m not giving up yet.’

The atmosphere was tense as the British driver congratulated his former teammate on the win, with few words exchanged between the two men.

The Alpha League season now takes a two month break, before returning for pre-season testing in February next year.

Two Months Later

‘So, what’s the difference between the Pro and the standard model?’

‘Well, the Pro has a faster processor, better screen quality, and longer battery life.’

‘So which one would you recommend?’

‘It really depends what you’re gonna be using it for,’ Callie replies, holding the display laptop in her hand. ‘If you’re using it for anything that requires a better processor – gaming, content creation, that kinda thing – then I’d recommend getting the Pro. But if you’re just using it for studying and stuff, then the standard would work just fine.’

The customer nods. ‘Oh yeah, I’d definitely use it for gaming.’

‘Well, what kind of games do you like to play?’ Callie asks.

‘Callie!’ A voice interrupts from across the store. ‘Help!’

Callie rolls her eyes. ‘Sorry, just give me one second,’ she tells the customer apologetically, plastering on a forced smile.

A young man comes jogging up to her, his mop of curls bouncing over his eyes with every hurried footstep. He fumbles with the pile of vouchers in his hands. ‘I’m trying to do the discount, but it’s not doing it!’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, it’s only taking like a couple of pounds off, but it should be like twenty quid.’

‘Did you subtotal before applying the discount?’

‘No.’

Callie takes a deep breath. ‘Okay, well, subtotal the order, then apply the discount. Or it’ll just take the percentage off the last item and not the entire order.’

The teenager beams. ‘Thanks Callie! You’re the best!’ He calls, already running back to the counter.

Callie turns her attention back to her customer. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘No worries…’ he says, smiling. ‘By the way, I feel like I recognise you from somewhere?’

‘Oh,’ Callie says, fidgeting with her ponytail, which had suddenly become too tight. ‘That’s weird. I’m not sure, sorry.’

The customer shrugs. ‘Anyway, I’m going to go for the Pro.’

Callie replaces the display laptop quickly, avoiding the customer’s eyes. ‘Perfect! Good choice. I’ll bring it up to the till for you…’

*

Callie grabs her bag from her locker, closing the door abruptly behind her. The growing throbbing in her temple reminds her that she hasn’t drank any water all day – unless the large coffee she bought on her break counts as water. She grabs her black puffer coat from the hook and is already halfway down the corridor by the time she has it on. She checks her phone: no messages. Aura must still be in her meeting.

The cool February air turns her skin icy as she steps out onto the street, she puts her hood up to shield her pinkening cheeks. It’s only a short walk home, thankfully, so she speeds up her pace as she weaves between the crowds of rush hour commuters. Two years of living in the city has gotten her used to the hustle and bustle – she used to hate the 5pm walk home when she first moved. 

She turns the corner onto her street, her apartment building in sight. The setting sun reflects off the glass windows ahead, glaring back into her tired eyes. Through squinted vision, she spots Morgan sitting behind the reception desk. The door is already unlocked when she reaches it – he must have spotted her too.

‘Evening, Miss Coulson.’

‘Hi, Morgan,’ Callie replies, smiling at her favourite concierge. ‘I’m guessing my roommate isn’t home yet?’

‘Haven’t seen her since this morning, I’m afraid.’

‘No worries, she’s probably still working.’ She presses the button for the lift, unzipping her bag to find her door keys. ‘Good day?’

‘Not too bad. You?’

‘Living the dream,’ she replies sarcastically, wiggling the name badge attached to her shirt as the familiar sound indicates the lift’s arrival.

Morgan chuckles. ‘Have a good night, Miss Coulson.’

‘You too!’ Callie calls over her shoulder, stepping through the doorway. She presses the button for the seventh floor, and the doors close on the foyer behind her.

She catches a glimpse of herself in the lift’s mirrored wall, and takes in each minute detail of her complexion. The circles under her eyes glow a deep purple, her skin dull and tired. She makes a mental note to get a good night’s sleep tonight. And maybe steal some of Aura’s expensive skincare.

Rummaging through her handbag, she walks the familiar corridor towards her apartment. The bright white lights make her head pound even harder, as she digs her hands through sweet wrappers and lip balms and who-knows-what else. Keys… Keys… She shakes her handbag, listening for the tell-tale rattling, then continues scrambling through the contents. Why are they always right at the bottom? Finally, she grabs the cool handful of metal, shoves the right one into the lock and clumsily opens the front door. The strap of her handbag dangles heavily in her elbow crook as she stumbles over the threshold.

Exhausted, she dumps her handbag on the kitchen counter, taking her phone from her coat pocket and checking it again. Still no messages. The meeting must be running pretty late. Kicking her trainers off her aching feet, she collapses onto the plush lilac sofa, relaxing into its seemingly endless cloud of cushion. The pastel themed living area was Aura’s choice, of course, but Callie had to admit, it had grown on her. It’s happy and bright and different – her best friend’s personality materialised in interior design form.

It had been quite a while since Callie had moved to the city. Aura had bought the apartment a couple of years ago, not long after she started working for her new team. She asked Callie to move in pretty much straight away. ‘Look at this place!’ she had beamed, thrusting a brand new set of keys into Callie’s palm, ‘I need someone to keep me company!’ Of course, they both knew it wasn’t Aura who needed the company. Callie would have disappeared off the face of the Earth if she could, and Aura wasn’t about to let that happen.

And now here we are, Callie thinks, two (or three?) years later, and she’s sinking into a velvet marshmallow, never to be seen again. She takes off her coat, rubbing her left shoulder with her right hand in an attempt to iron out the knots that have formed throughout her shift.

Callie places her phone down on the coffee table and hauls herself out of her cushion prison. She heads to the kitchen, and pours herself a large glass of water. Better late than never. She finds a strip of paracetamol at the bottom of her handbag, pops two out of the plastic, and swallows them down followed by the entire glass of water. Bye bye headache.

Her phone starts to vibrate against the glass of the table. She hurries over to answer it.

‘Hello?’

‘You’re not gonna believe what just happened at my meeting!’

Callie smiles to herself. ‘Hi, Aura. I’m good, thanks, how are you?’ She responds sarcastically, pacing the living room.

‘Yeah, yeah, enough of the niceties, we’ve been friends too long for that. I’ve got something really exciting to tell you!’ Aura replies in a singsong voice.

Callie chuckles. Aura had a tendency to get excited about a lot of things. And, the majority of the time, the things did tend to be exciting, especially in her line of work. Promotions, travel plans, meeting famous people. But occasionally, especially when she’d been forced by her boss to take some time off, the ‘exciting things’ were really not that exciting. And since the start of the winter break, the quality of what Aura considered Breaking News had definitely decreased dramatically. Breakfast cereal was half price at the supermarket. Her favourite reality TV show got renewed for another series. The hot barista at Starbucks got a haircut.

‘Ooh wow, what is it?’ Callie plays along, like always.

‘I’ll tell you when I get home!’

Callie’s stomach turns. ‘Or you could tell me now?’

‘No, this has to be an in-person conversation.’

Callie stops pacing. ‘Well, now you have to tell me!’

‘Why?!’

‘Because you’ve made me nervous!’

Aura laughs. ‘It’s nothing bad, I swear. Calm, Callie. Deep breaths.’

The front door swings open and in walks Aura, still breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth in a dramatic example of ‘deep breaths’. She removes her lilac blazer from around her shoulders, exposing a crisp white t-shirt tucked into matching lilac flared trousers. She puts her white designer handbag down next to Callie’s and kicks off her pointed heels.

‘Can’t stand those things,’ she mutters to herself. ‘Why, oh, why is it not socially acceptable to wear trainers to a business meeting?’

‘Since when have you cared what is deemed as socially acceptable?’ Callie replies, walking to the kitchen. She takes two wine glasses from the cupboard and finds the open bottle of white in the fridge. The singular glass of water would have to do for the day.

‘I feel like I should be insulted by that,’ Aura replies, pausing for a moment. ‘But you do have a point, my friend.’ She removes the claw clip from her hair, letting her blonde waves fall around her shoulders, her subtle pink highlights peeking through as she shakes out her curls. ‘But, alas, the suit required heels. It’s called fashion, darling.’ She puts on a fake posh voice for the last part, striking an over-exaggerated model pose.

Callie takes a seat at the kitchen island, unphased, as always, by her friend’s quirks. ‘Can’t argue with that one. That could be one of your best looks yet.’

Aura shrugs her off, shaking her head. ‘Oh, stop it. It’s not even in the top five.’

Callie rolls her eyes, filling both wine glasses with the contents of the bottle. ‘Come on then, spill it. What’s this exciting news you’ve got for me?’

‘Oh, right,’ Aura says. Callie hands over her glass and she takes it. ‘Well, I’ve just met with Luca…’

‘Luca?’

‘My new boss.’

‘What happened to Harrison?’

‘Promotion,’ Aura responds simply, taking a sip of wine. ‘Thought I’d told you?’ Callie shakes her head. ‘Anyway, not the point. Luca was talking to the team about plans for the next couple of weeks, with the new season and all, and someone happened to mention that Adam won’t be joining us for the next season.’

‘Adam?’

‘Ollie’s head engineer.’

Callie’s face falls flat at the sound of those words.

‘Please don’t look at me like that…’ Aura says, sensing the shift in her friend’s mood.

Callie shakes her head. ‘No, no, it’s fine. Carry on…’

Aura hesitates, before speaking up. ‘Right, so…’ she continues, now with a slight wariness in her voice. ‘As you can probably tell, it’s all been quite last minute, so the head of the team’s all stressy-stressy saying we need to find a replacement ASAP. And obvs, he’s right, because testing is literally in two weeks' time…’

The room falls silent, both of them waiting for the other to say something.

‘I don’t like where you’re going with this…’

‘He doesn’t want anyone else, Cal.’ Aura says, cutting Callie off. ‘Trust me, I tried.’

Callie rubs her temples, taking it all in. ‘He was there?’

‘Yeah, everyone was. Ollie, Jacob, Luca. The whole team.’

Callie nods slowly, starting to pick viciously at the skin around her nails.

‘Look, Cal,’ Aura says, sitting opposite her friend at the kitchen island. She cups Callie’s hands in hers, and looks her directly in the eye. ‘I suggested, like, eight other people. He said no to all of them.’

Callie sniffs. ‘You must really not want me back, to go to all that effort.’

‘Oh yeah, working with you was a bloody nightmare,’ Aura chuckles. Trust me, if I had it my way, I’d make sure you never saw the inside of a pit wall ever again.’

The joke earns a smile from Callie. She pulls her hands free, taking a sip from her glass. ‘Look, it’s not like I haven’t thought about coming back. I miss it everyday. But, it’s just not my place anymore.’

Aura nods. ‘I get it… But I don’t think that’s true. It’s always gonna be your place, just like it’s always gonna be my place, just like it’s always gonna be Ollie’s place. No matter how long you’ve been gone. It was always the dream, remember?’

The dream. Yeah, there probably was a time when Callie would’ve said that was ‘the dream’. But she’d lived that dream. For two years. And look how that had ended.

Callie taps nervously on her wine glass with her fingertips. ‘I don’t even know if I can do the job anymore. I bet so much has changed since I was there.’

‘Pfft,’ Aura waves her hand dismissively. ‘You’re Callie Coulson. The Callie Coulson. I’m sure you’ll be just fine.’

‘Oh, yeah. Callie Coulson. The Callie Coulson. The engineer who fucked up her team’s championship prospects, then got sacked because of it. God, he’s got some audacity, honestly!’ Callie jumps up from her chair, suddenly angry. ‘He let that happen! He watched them all turn around and blame me for everything! He just sat there as they let me go, and he didn’t say a word. Silent, Aura. And now he’s got the audacity to ask for me and me only?’ She shakes her head. ‘Do you know what this is? This is guilt. No. Tell him no. Tell him, he can accept someone else, or he can have no one. I’m not letting him ruin my life again, just to clear his guilty conscience.’

Aura sits silently, taking in Callie’s sudden outburst, before speaking slowly. ‘Okay. I’ll tell him no. Sorry if I upset you.’

Callie notices the sad look in her best friend’s eyes. ‘No, no,’ she said, sitting back down opposite her. ‘It wasn’t your fault… Thank you for thinking of me.’ She takes a deep breath, composing herself. ‘Please tell Luca: thank you for the opportunity, but I have to pass at this time.’

Aura nods. ‘I’ll tell him first thing.’

Callie holds out her glass, and Aura clinks hers against it. 

‘That was quite the little speech there.’

‘Shut up,’ Callie retorts, holding back a smirk.

The two of them finish their glasses, before opening another bottle. They order Chinese food, sitting on the sofa eating noodles out of the cardboard containers. The earlier discussion brings them onto the topic of Alpha League, and they spend all evening recounting memories of their time working together. Soon enough, they finish the second bottle of wine, both a little tipsy, speaking in louder voices than the couple of hours prior.

‘Remember that horrific race in Japan?’ Aura says, grabbing a spring roll from the carton.

‘Oh my god, yes. The rain. That was terrible.’

‘And Elliot cornered Ollie into that god-awful chat about “technique” and “strategy”’, Aura says, making air quotes with her fingers.

‘Oh yeah! That was so embarrassing… And then he said… Wait, what was it he said about me?’

‘Oh my God, yeah! He said, “I hope your girlfriend knows what she’s doing,” and what was it Ollie said?”

Callie smiles, picking at her noodles with her fork. ‘He said, “I’m sure my girlfriend knows a lot more about racing than you do.”’

Aura starts cracking up with laughter. ‘That was it! Oh my god, Elliot’s face was hilarious.’

‘Serves him right for getting involved in something he knows absolutely nothing about.’

‘Girlfriend! I will not stand for it!’ Aura declares, waving her arms dramatically. ‘Doesn’t he know he’s talking about the Callie Coulson?! World-class mechanical engineering graduate and youngest race engineer in Alpha League history?!’

Callie chuckles. ‘Wow, you better be careful, or I’m gonna get a big head.’

Aura pats Callie’s head clumsily. ‘Too late for that. Anyway,’ she says, hauling herself off the sofa, stumbling over the rug in the process. ‘I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow, so I should get some sleep.’

‘Same, I’ve got work at nine.’

Aura groans. ‘Why do you keep working at that place? You can’t stand it!’

Callie shrugs. ‘Keeps me busy.’

Callie grabs the empty wine glasses and places them in the sink, whilst Aura collects up the food containers and brings them to the kitchen.

‘You want leftover noodles for the morning?’ Aura calls, as Callie heads to her room to get ready for bed.

‘Um, stupid question.’

Callie heads to her bathroom, assessing her face in the illuminated mirror. She cleanses her face gently and brushes her teeth thoroughly, hoping to remove any taste of wine that may be lingering. Back in her room, she attempts to fix her tired skin, applying the fancy looking moisturiser that she stole from Aura’s makeup bag minutes earlier. She braids her auburn hair in a loose plait, and gets into bed.

There’s a crash from the room next to her, Aura’s bedroom, followed by a small ‘ouch’.

‘You okay?’ Callie calls out, grinning to herself.

‘Yeah, my bedroom’s a bit wobbly, that’s all. Night, Callie.’

She laughs at her friend. Aura was right – living together was good company. ‘Night, Aura.’

Callie falls asleep thinking about Alpha League. The drama, the nerves, the excitement. She reminisces about a time when she was living her dream, when she felt like she was where she was meant to be. She dreams about the race track, wearing the headset, hearing her driver’s voice through the radio. About strategy, techniques, and planning. She dreams about a time when she got to travel the world with her best friends, the three of them together, just like they’d always been right from when they were kids.

She wakes up the next morning with a start, a deep pit forming in her stomach, and jumps out of bed immediately.

She rushes to the living room, and the apartment is silent. Aura’s bedroom door is open, and she’s nowhere to be seen. She must have already left for her early meeting.

Callie runs back to her bedroom, and takes her phone off the bedside table, unplugging the charger cable hurriedly.

She types her message to Aura: When do I start?

Her phone vibrates almost immediately.

ASAP. Luca’s already sent you the details.

Callie types her response: I hate you.

Welcome back.