Beginning Anew (TFP Fanfic)

Confessions

After Gecko and Mikel had scoured the entire garage for the second time, double-checking they didn't miss anything else that would be important, they headed back into the house. At the last minute, Mikel thought to go back in and grab a few of the pictures she and Gecko had found with the bike, figuring they could use them as evidence to her mom, as well as use them to convince her they were serious.

Not that she wouldn't believe them anyway.

Maybe she'd expected it.

Or not?

Who knew?

Mikel set the pictures on the table, so they were ready for when her mother returned. Gecko was already at the stairwell, beckoning Mikel over. Despite their new and sort of scary plan, it seemed he still wanted to default to the previous one.

"Alright," Mikel agreed, following her friend down to the basement with the ping pong table. She and Gecko picked up the paddles from their places on the table, and started batting back and forth with the many balls strewn upon the floor. Their laughter echoed throughout the small, quiet house, the only sound besides that of the balls bouncing off the table. And occasionally the walls.

And then there was another sound. The sound they were both hoping for, - and dreading.

The garage door opening.

The two teens slowly shared a look before swiftly dropping their paddles and balls, bolting up the stairs and standing by the table as they waited for Sierra to come in. Mikel secreted the pictures they'd taken in her pocket.

After a few moments of them standing quietly in the dining room, - well, make that quietly and awkwardly, - Sierra opened the door on the right, coming in from the main garage. She hit a clicker behind her, shutting the garage before stepping in the mudroom to hang her purse on one of the hooks.

That's when she noticed the two teens staring at her.

She froze for a minute, then slowly continued putting her things away, blinking. Her eyes never left her daughter and her friend. After she'd concluded, taking her shoes off, she stepped out of the mudroom, shutting that door behind her and breaking the prevailing silence.

"Hey," she said amiably. "I figured you would've been at Gecko's by now, watching some movie of your own." Gecko and Mikel exchanged a look.

"We had other plans," Gecko muttered. Sierra raised an eyebrow.

"Other plans?"

"We made other plans for tonight," Mikel started, just feeling awkward again. "And they didn't consist of any of the normal things."

By this time, Sierra had moved over to the counter top, leaning against it as she studied the two kids. Under her scrutinizing gaze, both of them were trying to shrink.

"Why do I get the feeling that your plans involved something you weren't supposed to be doing?" she said, her earlier smiling demeanor fading somewhat. Both teens cringed.

"Because they did..." Mikel replied slowly.

"We snuck into the Forbidden Garage!" Gecko suddenly exclaimed. Mikel looked over at him, her expression a strange mix of angry, shocked and confused.

"What!?" she mouthed. "Are you crazy!?"

"The Forbidden Garage?" Sierra questioned, though it was more of a statement. "You mean your father's garage?"

Mikel nodded sheepishly, while Gecko stared at the floor, as though glaring at it might convince it to swallow him.

"We were hoping to find out for ourselves," he muttered, almost to quiet to hear. Meeting her mother's eyes, Mikel tried to quickly think over an explanation. One she'd coincidentally over looked before.