A Day at the Races
Acepilot
AN – This fic is set with the kids at show age (or near to it) and is an episode about the school athletics day. I'm seriously trying to break away from my old style of fanfiction, so I hope you guys can give me some feedback to tell me how it's going so far. It would be massively appreciated.
Disclaimer – the characters in this fic are property of Klasky-Csupo.
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Act I
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Phil was the first one there, if only because he was, perhaps, the only one with any enthusiasm for the whole affair at all. Lil and Kimi were not too far behind, carrying signs with somewhat derogatory (but always polite) slogans written on them which suggested how they felt about the whole situation. Chuckie came next, looking unconcerned but not enthused, but it was Dil's appearance that caused the first real stir of the morning.
"Alright, I'm going to warn you now – it's not looking pretty," he told them.
"Does it ever?" Phil asked.
"He's determined," the young Pickles confided in them, "and if you think you've seen him determined before…you ain't seen nothing yet."
"He's taking it that seriously?" Lil asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah. He's –"
Precisely what Dil felt he was would be lost forever, as at that exact moment, Tommy Pickles appeared behind his little brother, a fire in his eyes that none of the gang had seen before in their lives. He was ready, he was set, he was going to go.
"Hey guys," he said, simply, plainly, and somewhat anti-climactically. Phil and Kimi both blew out breaths neither of them realised they'd been holding.
"Hey, Tommy," Chuckie greeted his best friend enthusiastically. "So, are you ready?"
"And willing," Tommy said, the glint in his eyes brightening somehow.
"Arlight…" Phil says, drawing the word out and looking slightly concerned at his friend's maniacal grin. "Let's do this then?"
Pangborn's voice blared out at them from a loudspeaker attached to a nearby pole, gruff and crackly from the bad equipment quality. "Alright, you slackers, let's go. School athletics day is about to begin, and I want you all to do your best, or else!"
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"You know you two are going to get in really big trouble for this," Phil commented, looking over his sister and Kimi.
The girls were reclining in banana lounges with their signs posted into the ground behind them, displaying their contempt for the event for all to see. "Why? There's only a rule that says we have to be here. There's no rule that says we have to compete," Lil told him.
"Actually, there is," Chuckie pointed out.
"Have you been paying attention to our protests at all?" Kimi asked him, sounding somewhere between pained and insulted. "The point is that there shouldn't be a rule that says we have to compete. This whole thing is a shambles!"
"We get no free water! No shade! No food to keep us going over this long day in the blazing sun!" Lil agreed emphatically. "We shouldn't have to put up with this!"
"Damn straight!" Kimi gave her a high-five.
Phil observed them critically for a few more seconds, before shaking his head and shrugging. "Women. Mad creatures."
"What are you competing in so many events for, anyway?" Kimi asked. "Trying to impress a girl or something?"
Phil laughed out loud at that. "Hell no. Let's face it – I'm not exactly setting the school alight with academic records. Maybe I'll do better in sport. It's something to shoot for."
Dil appeared at his side. "Hey, Phil, we've got a problem."
Phil turned to his friend. "'We' as in you and me, or we as in Pacific House."
"Pacific House," Dil told him, tugging on his green shirt, which matched Phil's singlet. "We're short a runner for the relay. Matt hasn't showed up."
"It's only nine-thirty!" Phil exclaimed. "Give him some time."
Dil shrugged. "I know, I know…but I've got a bad feeling about this…"
"Well…start looking for an emergency. But don't stress, Dil, we've got all day." Phil looked over at Chuckie, who was similarly clad in all green. "You wouldn't want to join in, would you Chuckie?"
The red-head laughed nervously. "Uh…seriously? No."
Phil smiled and turned back to Dil. "Seriously, Dil, don't stress about it. Matt'll be here. And if he's not, then we'll find someone else to tap."
Dil nodded but looked far from confident.
Phil, Dil and Chuckie's attention was caught by the sound of a familiar voice yelling, "Augh!" before they heard Kimi and Lil shriek.
The three of them turned to see Tommy, having been on a practice run-up and getting caught by surprise by Kimi and Lil's signs, completely mistime the end of his dash and trip over on Lil's chair. He went careening down into the middle of the two, ending up draped across their laps.
He turned bright red. "Sorry. I guess instead of having the girls falling all over me, I'm falling all over the girls, huh?" he quipped.
"That's okay," Lil assured him, patting him on the head, before exchanging a quick glance with Kimi.
Who grabbed his feet and, in time with Lil perfectly, rolled him off them and dumped him unceremoniously on the ground.
"Ow."
Phil looked at him levelly and spoke in a perfectly even tone. "I don't know what was worse. The run-up, or the pick-up line."
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