FicWad

Toni picked up her new invention from her work top and moved towards the safe at the end of the room. She began to turn the dial to the right combination and it opened. She opened it further and sat the invention inside. Before she could fully close it, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and clutched her heart.

“What do you have in here, girl?” Mr. Smith questioned curiously tapping the door of the safe.

“Oh nothing,” Toni went to close it tight, “nothing important.”

“May I see it?” He asked softly.

“Really,” Toni insisted, “It’s nothing at all.”

“Let me see,” he smiled at her. Even through the smile she could hear the dangerous tone in his voice. As she was not looking for trouble, she opened the safe and let him look.

He stared at her invention with wide eyes. His mouth hung open at the sight, “Who is this for?”

“The racers,” she stated while biting her lip trying to hide the fact that it was actually for Bill or Tom.

“It’s amazing; the colour, the detail,” he reached in and felt the top of the invention, “the material! It’s all so futuristic like.”

“Yeah, well,” she started, “It’s not to be used yet.”

“Michael pulled an amazing stunt today. I can just picture him; performing it again only using this with a brand new uniform to match. He would definitely be a champion.”

“Oh, yeah,” Toni bit her lip as she closed the safe shut and locked, “But like I said, it’s not to be used yet. I’m still working on it.”

“Oh, I see,” Mr. Smith looked towards her, “You must work so hard.”

“Yeah.”

He turned and made his way towards the door, “Well, I bid you farewell, girl.”

****************

Bill brooded ‘Sweeney Todd’ style towards Toni’s, kicking the dirt in his path. His frown hung very low and his eyes were dangerous looking.

“Bill!” A voice called. Bill did not turn around, “BILL, I’M TALKING TO YOU!”

With a frustrated sigh, Bill turned his attention to the owner of the voice. It was Mikey.
“Where are you going?” He asked curiously.

“Toni’s,” Bill declared as he lifted up his board to eye level, “its friggin’ broke.”
“Gee, that sucks,” he admitted while nodding, “wait, you’re going to Toni’s?”

“Yeah, why?” Bill questioned the younger Smith, “You want to come with?”

“No, actually,” Mikey admitted, “I think I’ll just go home.”

Mikey went to turn around and then Bill remembered what he saw earlier that day during practice. He quickly grabbed Mikey by the shoulder and spun him around.

“What Mr. Smith whisper to you?” He asked with a suspicious tone.

“What?” Mikey looked at him confused.

“During practice, your Dad whispered something to you,” Bill declared, “What did he say?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious.”

Mikey took a while before answering him, “He said ‘Good luck, Mikey’.” With this he turned to walk away.

Impossible. What ever Mr. Smith said, it was something to do with that little stunt he performed. Why didn’t he show anyone else this? And also, Mr. Smith calls him Michael, not Mikey.

****************

Bill walked through to Toni’s garage, clutching his hoverboard and spiking up his hair with his free hand. He looked around the cluttered room for his mechanical friend but saw no sign of her.

“Toni!” He shouted as he looked around.

Suddenly a pile of junk rumbled at the far side of the room. There Toni appeared stumbling in a pile of spare board pieces.

“You scared the shit out of me, Bill” Toni exclaimed as she placed her hand on her chest where her heart was located, “That’s the second time someone has scared me today!”

“Sorry,” Bill apologized as he took a few steps towards her. He held out his board in her direction, “I really think there’s something wrong with my board. Think you could check it out?”

Toni took the board from him as she tugged on her shorts. She looked it up and down and shrugged as she went to give it back, “It’s right as rain.”

Bill could hear the lack of truthfulness in her voice and sighed, “Look, I need you to check it thoroughly. It started slowing during a free session at practice today. We basically learned how to hover in the sky and I think it affected my board.”

“Bill, I sort of have a lot to do right now so...” she didn’t continue.

“Like what?” Bill questioned curiously.

Toni stared at him for a few seconds before taking his hand and walking him over to the other side of the room. On the wall was a long rectangular safe. Toni twisted to dial to the correct password and opened the safe inside was a hoverboard. But not just any hoverboard. It wasn’t just one colour or just in a straight lined design. It was white with blue and purple sections. The end had two accelerators. Bill gazed at the board in awe. Never had he seen such a creation as this one.

“Wow...just wow,” he acclaimed breathlessly, “what and who is this for?”

“This is for the Grand Final of the hoverboard races,” Toni declared, “and it is for either you or Tom. So have fun fighting over it.”

Bill stared at the board at the mentioning of his name. He stopped to imagine himself using the board and wining the whole Phoami Hoverboard Championships. It would be tremendous for him and his team. The he realised something, “Wait. Wouldn’t this be cheating? Lucifer had an extra accelerator too and he ended up hospitalised and disqualified.”

“Yeah, but he built it in himself without permission or my help. The rule is that you need permission to do that and you need your mechanic to do it for you. He didn’t ask. I’m going to ask the organisers and they’ll obviously say yes. Another rule is that only professionals can upgrade.”

Bill was then sent back into his dream of victory.

“Thing is though,” Toni cut off Bill’s dream, “Mr. Smith saw it too and I get the feeling he wants Mikey to use it.”

Bill rolled his eyes, “He’s not even a professional yet. I don’t see why he’s even competing. I mean no offence to the guy or anything.”

“Mr. Smith made him enter. He said that Mikey has to win so the reign of championship in their family continues,” Toni closed the safe and locked it, “he needs to understand that not ALL the men in his family are destined to be hoverboard champions. Mikey is too gentle for the races. He’s more of a guy to sit have a laugh with instead of a race.”

“Yeah,” Bill replied shaking his head, “so you gonna fix this board or what?”

“Who said it was broken?” Toni smirked.

“Look, Toni,” Bill held her shoulders, “as much as I want that awesome board in that safe, I also want this board fixed. Besides, I’m using this board in the next round.” He nodded to his board that she held.

“Ok-ok, I’ll check it out, but it’s the last time ever!” Toni declared as Bill walked away punching the air in triumph.

“I mean it!” She shouted as her friend left the garage.

“Yes, Mum,” his voice sounded from the entrance mockingly.