The next few days on social media were brutal, so I eventually just turned my account to private, and it stayed that way for a while. It's not like I didn't have a ton of love from my fans who had been watching me since I started Maddiesmoments and my TikTok, but the hate was louder. Thankfully, we were approaching Australia, and I knew I could just go to the paddock and hide inside the Mercedes hospitality. It was my favorite place to be when I had nothing else to do on a race weekend. It was also when I could spend the most time with my parents; my mom had F1 Academy responsibilities, and my dad was always too busy with team principal duties to notice whether I was there or not.
It was Free Practice Friday, and I was tired of moping around and feeling sorry for myself because some douchebag boy cheated on me. He obviously didn't care, so why should I?
I got dressed and headed to the paddock with my parents that morning. The media took pictures, as they always did, but I kept my head high. No matter what articles they wrote with their vulgar headlines, it wouldn't change what happened. I got to the Mercedes hospitality and sat outside to read my book and take in the Melbourne air. It was also entertaining to see all the drivers come in and watch the media chase after them for a good photo.
That's when a reporter stopped by and sat in the seat across from me at the table. I knew who she was before I even looked up because it was Ellie Baker, an Australian reporter known for interviewing WAGs and the families of drivers or team principals. She called my name. "Hey Maddie, have a minute?" I looked up from my book and gave her a faint smile. "Uhh, sure."
This wasn't the first time I had interviewed with her, so I knew what to expect. She brought up a question she asked me a few years ago, one I remember as clearly as if it were yesterday. She had asked, "Would you ever date an F1 driver?"
Twenty year old Maddie gave the same answer that today's Maddie gives, which is no, but the reasons behind it are completely different. Back then I was always trying to escape the paddock as if it were a trap or a burden. Eventually I did get out, and it bit me right in the butt, but it also made me realize that this is exactly where I need to be.
She asked me a few other questions such as my plans for the year and whether I knew Zack was cheating on me. I answered all of them vaguely because I really did not want to talk to her about any of that. She eventually left and I went back to reading until practice started. The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful.
Now is where the story hopefully starts to get good. I am trying not to write too many filler chapters.