October 2024

Today was the day Cecelia had been dreading for nearly two months. It was the day of the Indycar Prize Giving Ceremony. Cecelia was supposed to receive her trophy for her third-place finish in the Indy Lights Series. As expected, with her stepping down from the championship, her long-time rival, Kyle Kirkwood, had been able to pass her in the standings. It made Cecelia proud to know he hadn't been able to pass James, making her lost lover the first driver in the series to win the championship posthumously.

Everyone would be there. James's parents, Serafina, all of Cecelia's former competitors. It was her first time seeing most of them for months. She had been to James's funeral, and Serafina had visited, but aside from that, Cecelia had been mostly on her own.

Except David.

"Do you need any help with anything?" he asked, standing in the doorframe of Cecelia's room as she slipped a pair of heels onto her feet.

"I think I have everything," said Cecelia, grabbing her phone and keys from her nightstand.

She slipped past him and into the hallway of her apartment.

"Forgetting something?" asked David, holding up Cecelia's purse.

"Thanks, David," said Cecelia, taking the small bag from her friend. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

David had informally moved into Cecelia and James's guest room about a month previously. He had been there to ensure Cecelia was doing well, helping out with doctor's appointments and errands whenever she needed him. It was incredibly kind, maybe even too much so, but Cecelia greatly appreciated his assistance. Due to their shared connection to James, the two had been friends before, but now Cecelia regarded him as a very close confidant.

"Ready to go?" asked David.

Cecelia nodded. "You?"

"I've been waiting for you two for like thirty minutes," he complained. "Where even is she?"

"SJ?" Cecelia called into her room.

"One second!" came a response from the bathroom.

A moment later, Cecelia's best friend, Serafina, left the room, sweeping her long brown hair over her shoulder.

"Does my makeup look okay?" she asked.

"You look beautiful," assured Cecelia.

SJ blushed from embarrassment. "Are you sure? I'm not used to fancy events like these."

"I'm sure, love," said Cecelia. She gestured to Serafina's outfit. "That dress fits you perfectly."

"Thank you, Cece," she said. "You look incredible too."

"Alright, alright, you both look stunning," said David, a sarcastic edge in his voice. "Let's get going, I want to give a good impression."

"Why? You already have a seat for next year," said Cecelia.

"I know, but they haven't announced it yet," said David. "I want the other drivers to think I'm cool before that happens."

"They'll think you're cool," said Cecelia. "I guarantee. Let's go, I'm driving."

"Are you sure?" asked David. "I can drive, you can have a few drinks if you want to."

Cecelia stared at her friend in disbelief. "Dude. I can't drink."

"Right."

The trio left the house and piled into Cecelia's car after a brief squabble between SJ and David over who got to sit in the passenger seat. SJ won that battle and took her rightful place next to her best friend.

As a compromise, SJ let David pick the music, then proceeded to complain about it for the entire drive to the event hall.

"Why are we listening to the Interstellar soundtrack?" she complained.

"It's part of my movie music playlist!" cried David.

Cecelia rolled her eyes and let her two best friends settle the argument. Normally, it would have annoyed her, but SJ wasn't the most social person ever, and Cecelia was glad she was "making friends."

When they arrived, Cecelia parked the car. David offered each girl an arm to escort them into the building. Cecelia made sure to point out how she was taller than David with her heels on, earning her a light smack to the back of the head. The three checked in and found their seats at a table with Kyle Kirkwood, his family, and the Dunns.

Cecelia knew they would be visiting, but their presence still unnerved her. Despite her frequent calls and messages with them, she worried that they would still blame her for the crash. But they weren't angry when they laid eyes on the woman they once believed would become their daughter-in-law. Anne Marie, James's mother welcomed Cecelia with a tight embrace.

"It's so good to see you, Cecelia," said Anne Marie.

"It's nice to see you too," said Cecelia politely.

Everyone took their seats and engaged in small talk as they waited for dinner to be served. Cecelia overheard SJ speaking to Kyle about her university program. There wasn't much that could get SJ to start talking, but architecture was one of them. She was currently in her third year of school at the University of Minnesota. It was a miracle that she'd been able to get away from school for the weekend to visit Cecelia for the prize-giving.

David nudged Cecelia's side, capturing her attention.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"You doing okay?" asked David. "You were zoning out for a second."

"I'm fine," said Cecelia.

"Just let me know if you need anything," said David.

"Thanks."

The table was presented with dinner. Most of the guests were presented with plates of grilled chicken and vegetables, except for Cecelia, a pescetarian, who received salmon instead.

After dinner, it was time for speeches and awards. The awards went in order of the Road to Indy, starting with USF2000 and finishing with Indycar. This put the Indy Lights awards near the end.

Cecelia waited anxiously through all of the speeches and toasts. She'd been to this event before, but there it felt different, with this being her last year at the event. This would be her final goodbye to motorsports.