✅1️⃣ | Hypnosis Doesn't Work Like That!

81: Dissenting Opinion

Toni Walker was glad of a day off school. She should have been there, at least according to the schedule, but she wasn't sure there was a real point to it. Almost a third of the students in her classes were considering Moistville College, and everyone still present in school must have been having problems when it came to their final exams, so they were all off attending a special open day. Toni didn't need a foundation year, because she wasn't intending to go to college. Family and her natural talents had already lined her up for a job that seemed perfect, and she was only bothering to complete high school because of her natural reluctance to leave a job unfinished.

Toni could have gone to school, but she knew that the classes would be disorganised due to low attendance, and the teachers wouldn't be dealing with any important coursework in order to avoid disadvantaging those who were absent. So Toni had opted to stay home. She doubted that anyone would really notice. Of course, a day off school didn't mean a day of rest. Not for her. She was in the garage, with one of her bikes up on the work bench, cleaning and testing and filing. She liked to do the maintenance herself, and tried her hardest to understand the bikes that were her most important possession.

The downside of her attention to detail was that when her phone rang, she was holding onto a hefty piece of metal and her hands were thick with oil. She quickly secured her work and made a mental note of where she was up to so that she could continue later, and hoped that whoever was calling wouldn't give up too quickly.

Her phone was at one end of the bench, hopefully placed with enough care that it was unlikely to be knocked off or to have anything dropped or spilled on it. But the blackness of her hands told toni that she shouldn't be handling the little piece of technology now. She might have tried wiping one finger on her jeans, if she could find a clean space, but she wasn't sure that would work anyhow. After a few moments thought she pulled up her sleeves and used one elbow to hold the phone in place while the other swiped across the screen with just enough precision to answer a call and put the speaker on.

"Hey hey!" she answered.

"Sidekick!"

"Hey Britney," Toni grinned, imagining the distaste on the perky goth's face if she could see the state of Toni's clothes. Brit only approved of black when it was chic and elegant, or designer distressed. She treated engine oil like it was somehow contagious, and didn't appreciate it when her friends didn't make an effort in their appearance.

"Hey. How you doing?"

"Not bad. I've sorted out the gearbox on the Kawasaki at last. Really needs replacing, but it'll run another couple of months. Took all day. But you called, so I guess something's up?"

"Could be. I don't know, just wanted somebody to talk to who isn't all angsty over college."

"Ah, right. No problems with your application then?"

"Course not. You ever known me to fail a test?"

"What's bugging you, then? Let me guess... Adi's Mom offered you a ride over to Moistville, right? And then she had some weird things to ask you?"

"Yeah... She talked to you too?"

"Yeah. I think she's got the wrong end of the stick, to be honest. What did you think. Well, what did she tell you, first? Make sure we're not getting confused."

"She said Adi's asked her for help. She secretly wants to be turned into a baby, because it's the only thing that helps her cope with the stress of school. Like, she's scared to ask, so she wants us to force her, so she can pretend it's not something she decided on."

"Yeah, that's about what she told me. Does that sound even remotely possible to you?"

"I didn't buy it. I don't think I've seen any sign Adi was worrying about school work until this started. I mean, she clearly wasn't doing well, but it's like she's got this protective force field around her. Every time she gets a bad grade, it's not her fault, and if the teacher disagrees with her results she's sure she knows better. Adi's this certified genius, she knows she's right even when all the facts say otherwise. I don't think she's even capable of worrying."