listened. Now it was the day of the filming; this was the final part of their assessment and all the kids in Mrs Winter’s physics class would show their videos tomorrow morning: Jonathan, now in film-director mode, was back to his normal bossy self, acting as if the motor boat was all his idea.
Tommy pressed the red button and steered the boat forwards using the remote control they had made out of scraps of metal and plastic. He felt a flutter of excitement in the pit of his stomach. They had spent almost three weeks working on the project, and Mrs Winters had said that if they managed to film the boat moving on land and then floating on water they should both get an A in their reports. He wasn’t going to let his brother’s domineering behaviour spoil it for him.
“Okay, here goes,” Tommy said excitedly.
The engine whirred loudly, and the boat moved towards the river, slowly at first as its little black wheels gathered speed. Tommy was careful with the steering: he didn’t want it to go too fast at first in case it tipped over before it reached the water. Slowly, it rolled forward. Leaving the path, it flattened the grass as it crossed the muddy verge. Then, gracefully, it tilted its nose into the water.
Tommy held his breath.
“Oh my God, it’s going in... it’s actually going in,” Jonathan said. He stared at the boat, impressed with their design. It plopped off the bank and slid into the dark-green water, and Tommy used the controller to make it speed along.
“We did it.” Tommy laughed, as impressed as Jonathan with what they had achieved. They were bound to get top grades; their mum would be so proud. “Did you get all that?”
The loud whirring that the engine had been making abruptly stopped and the boat came to a halt. They looked over to where she now bobbed aimlessly in the middle of the river.
“What’s happened?” Jonathan asked. He placed the bulky camcorder onto the grass, annoyed that he had to end the recording.
“I don’t know. I guess the engine must have just stopped.” Tommy pressed all the buttons, but nothing happened. “Maybe the remote’s batteries have run out.”
“Here, give it to me.” Jonathan snatched the controller out from Tommy’s grasp. “Didn’t you get any spares? I told you those ones I gave you weren’t up to much. I pinched them out of the remote; they were probably on their last legs. I thought you were going to get some more.” Jonathan was fuming: how dumb was Tommy?
Tommy felt his cheeks flush as he watched his brother smack the bottom of the controller with the palm of his hand in a desperate attempt to bring it back to life. He felt so stupid; the batteries had been his responsibility, and looking over to the boat in the water, he knew that he had ruined their project now.
“I’m sorry, Jonathan, I must have forgotten,” Tommy said.
“Well, you’re just going to have to go and get some from somewhere, then.”
“I can’t.”
Jonathan looked at him angrily. “Why not?”
“I haven’t got any money,” Tommy said, checking his pockets, although he knew that it was pointless: they had no money in them.
“Go home and either get some batteries, or get some money so we can buy some new ones.” Jonathan was defiant. Tommy had messed up their project; he could sort it out.
“But I can’t go home; what if Mum sees me? She’ll kill us if she finds out that we’re bunking off.” Tommy knew he shouldn’t have listened to Jonathan this morning when he had persuaded him to skip school. They should have both come down here at the weekend as they had organised, instead of leaving it to the last minute. It had been Jonathan who had suggested that they skip their first lesson to test their boat out, and Tommy had gone along with it. Jonathan had said that they wouldn’t even be skiving off, as technically they were doing their school work. Tommy hadn’t been too sure at first, as he didn’t want to get into any trouble, but
Tommy pressed the red button and steered the boat forwards using the remote control they had made out of scraps of metal and plastic. He felt a flutter of excitement in the pit of his stomach. They had spent almost three weeks working on the project, and Mrs Winters had said that if they managed to film the boat moving on land and then floating on water they should both get an A in their reports. He wasn’t going to let his brother’s domineering behaviour spoil it for him.
“Okay, here goes,” Tommy said excitedly.
The engine whirred loudly, and the boat moved towards the river, slowly at first as its little black wheels gathered speed. Tommy was careful with the steering: he didn’t want it to go too fast at first in case it tipped over before it reached the water. Slowly, it rolled forward. Leaving the path, it flattened the grass as it crossed the muddy verge. Then, gracefully, it tilted its nose into the water.
Tommy held his breath.
“Oh my God, it’s going in... it’s actually going in,” Jonathan said. He stared at the boat, impressed with their design. It plopped off the bank and slid into the dark-green water, and Tommy used the controller to make it speed along.
“We did it.” Tommy laughed, as impressed as Jonathan with what they had achieved. They were bound to get top grades; their mum would be so proud. “Did you get all that?”
The loud whirring that the engine had been making abruptly stopped and the boat came to a halt. They looked over to where she now bobbed aimlessly in the middle of the river.
“What’s happened?” Jonathan asked. He placed the bulky camcorder onto the grass, annoyed that he had to end the recording.
“I don’t know. I guess the engine must have just stopped.” Tommy pressed all the buttons, but nothing happened. “Maybe the remote’s batteries have run out.”
“Here, give it to me.” Jonathan snatched the controller out from Tommy’s grasp. “Didn’t you get any spares? I told you those ones I gave you weren’t up to much. I pinched them out of the remote; they were probably on their last legs. I thought you were going to get some more.” Jonathan was fuming: how dumb was Tommy?
Tommy felt his cheeks flush as he watched his brother smack the bottom of the controller with the palm of his hand in a desperate attempt to bring it back to life. He felt so stupid; the batteries had been his responsibility, and looking over to the boat in the water, he knew that he had ruined their project now.
“I’m sorry, Jonathan, I must have forgotten,” Tommy said.
“Well, you’re just going to have to go and get some from somewhere, then.”
“I can’t.”
Jonathan looked at him angrily. “Why not?”
“I haven’t got any money,” Tommy said, checking his pockets, although he knew that it was pointless: they had no money in them.
“Go home and either get some batteries, or get some money so we can buy some new ones.” Jonathan was defiant. Tommy had messed up their project; he could sort it out.
“But I can’t go home; what if Mum sees me? She’ll kill us if she finds out that we’re bunking off.” Tommy knew he shouldn’t have listened to Jonathan this morning when he had persuaded him to skip school. They should have both come down here at the weekend as they had organised, instead of leaving it to the last minute. It had been Jonathan who had suggested that they skip their first lesson to test their boat out, and Tommy had gone along with it. Jonathan had said that they wouldn’t even be skiving off, as technically they were doing their school work. Tommy hadn’t been too sure at first, as he didn’t want to get into any trouble, but
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