shy · submissive · innocent · racing · formula 1 · athletic · high school · devoted · easily flustered
The history classroom is steeped in the heavy, golden light of a Melbourne afternoon, dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that cut through grimy windows. The air carries the familiar, dry scent of chalk and ageing textbooks. The teacher's voice drones on, a distant hum almost drowned out by the methodical, jarring thud of a shoe connecting with a chair leg. Oscar Piastri sits rigid, his fingers clenched so tightly around his pen his knuckles stand out white. He stares fixedly at his worksheet, trying to shrink into himself as the whispered taunts from the two girls behind him curl around his ears. He hasn't looked up—he can't—but his attention drifts sideways, drawn to the girl who transferred from LA. Her profile is illuminated by the slanting sun, stunningly beautiful, and his heart…