[Hyde POV]
"So, I recorded the restoration of the 62' Nova, but I can't post it on Youtube since the internet's down."
Sitting in front of my laptop in the basement, I edited the videos I recorded for the Nova restoration.
"20 minutes for Youtube." I mumbled. "ASMR style."
I thought about it and felt quite restless. 62' Nova was quite a common car here, but it was impossible to find a full restoration online. I had checked it multiple times before.
It wasn't as valuable compared to the other classic cars therefore there's only some videos about fixing it and bringing it back to life instead of a full restoration.
I glanced at my Betamax recorder.
The local public access channel gave opportunities for locals to go on tv. Church programs, student performances, amateur productions, talent shows and so on.
Bob had gone on it and showed everyone how to belly dance. The bar for the public access channel was really low.
"I need some extra footage if I want to make it a TV broadcast."
Wednesday, I skipped school and went to the quarter mile track instead and got some footage of the car testing out the new horsepower.
It hits the trap speed at 80 miles per hour, and it took 17 seconds for the quarter mile test.
"Huh, the formula isn't good this time. It didn't show the real horsepower of the car." I muttered with a slight disappointment.
A racer nearby who got interested in what Tyrell, Megan and I were doing offered to help. He drove the car this time.
I tested it again, and it got 15.3 seconds for the quarter mile. The trap speed showed 89 miles per hour.
"I guess I'm not an experienced race driver." I muttered with a laugh.
The formula showed the car has 140 horsepower now. Even the racer commented on my video– I had Tyrell hold the 200 dollars digital recorder I bought and filmed everything.
I kept the face ambiguous, not really having a direct shot to my face so people could know my identity.
I edited the opening of the video with the footage of the car in the quarter mile test, a revving sound, and a text that appeared as the car drove.
[Rev It Up Classics]
After editing it a little bit, I showed the footage to the two mechanics in the shop. The full 30 minute long video of the Nova restoration.
The two of them looked at me in shock afterward. "Hmm? What do you think?" I asked.
"Did you have a professional Hollywood guy make this?" Megan asked in shock.
"No. I filmed it this morning." Tyrell was in disbelief. "This is really good Hyde. And we're not saying this just to kiss your ass."
I smiled and said, "Alright then. I'll see if we can get it shown in the public access channel as soon as possible."
"I'll make sure to tell everyone I know to tune into the program!" Megan said excitedly. She squealed and said, "Oh my god! I'll be on TV!"
Tyrell was also quite excited. Both of them had their faces shown in it when they were helping me with the Nova.
The video was quite informative, showing some ways to treat rust in the floor pan, how I fixed up the engine, and the painting process– which no one ever showed before on TV.
Putting it on public access meant I wouldn't get any money on it, but that's the same thing as me putting it on Youtube.
I didn't have many subscribers, only ten people after posting the Victoria's house decoration process.
"How do I get this to the public access channel?" I was confused. I waited for Donna to get back and go to the station office with her and Eric.
Donna had gone there before since she helped Bob with the broadcast– a traumatic experience for her.
"Hey Donna." The guy who handled the viewing slots recognized her.
"Oh god!" Donna covered her face quickly. He laughed and said, "Are you here to book another slot for your dad?"
"NO! No– I'm here for my friend. He made a video." Donna grabbed the tape from me and gave it to the guy. He has an afro, wears a luxury suit and has a gold necklace.
"My name's Jay."
"Hyde." I shook hands with him.
"Eric Forman." Eric also introduced himself.
"Let's take a look at your tape shall we? Just to be clear, this is a public access channel. So there's no nudity, curse words, or blasphemy allowed."
"It's just a car video." I told him.
"Alright. We can do that. It's rare, but we don't really have any standards here." He joked.
We checked out the video in his office as he has a VCR there. Donna and Eric watched the video for the first time and were really stunned.
The opening shot alone has all of them hooked. The footage, although grainy since it was transferred to VCR, looked like a professional production.
The colors were a little washed, I did that on purpose since color correction wasn't a thing yet unless it was for big movies. I didn't want anyone asking questions if I showed a flawless video.
After the quarter mile opening shot, the video was pulled back from the beginning.
"We see here an abandoned 1962 Nova." I talked as I showed the entire car, explaining in detail about the engine and rust.
"First thing first, we need to get the engine started up so we will know what we're dealing with." I muttered.
"There are 5 elements we need to check when dealing with a non-starter. Battery. Starter. Fuel. Ignition. And lastly, compression. We'll check it one by one and see which part needed fixing for the car to start again–"
The guy stopped the video midway. "Hey! I want to see how he fixed the car!" Eric complained.
"No– I want to see it too. I just need to bring my boss here for a minute." He said and rushed out of his office, dragging in a bald, fat man to check out the video.
The station has five people as it was a really small station. All five people were in the office, checking out the video.
"This is really, really good! A really professional production!" The big boss of the station told me, shaking my hand vigorously. "I think we can air this in Madison, Milwaukee, even Chicago too."
"All public access, right?" I smirked.
"Yup." He replied with a laugh.
It meant, there's no money to be made there. Public access channels were mandated by the government for the community. They were a service that lost money, not made it.
I closed up shop early, at 7, and went to Victoria's house. All of my friends were there for the premiere.
"Why did you put it in public access? No one watches these!" Kelso complained as I sat down next to him.
"Because he wasn't trying to get fame." Eric defended me. "He's just focusing on creating a good film."
Victoria approached me and said, "Hyde. Have you eaten yet? Do you want me to make you something–"
She yelped as I pulled her into my lap. "Shh, it's starting." I placed my finger on her mouth, which made her blush. She sat there obediently, with her hand wrapping my body.
Kelso and Fez were bored since it was about how to fix a car. They didn't pay any attention until we got on the track.
"When the car came out of the paint booth, that's just pure cinema." Eric said, his face fully satisfied.
Donna reacted the same way, "Yeah. I love it, especially after he stripped the car down and sprayed the primer. It instantly turned the car around and it looked new. Now, it looked really good, despite it being an old car."
That was the magic of a car restoration video. There's just something about fixing old stuff and making them look new again that satisfies a part of a person's psyche. Lawn mowing, pressure washing, carpet cleaning, painting, and so on.
Taking stuff people no longer care about and turning them back into their amazing self.
"You modified the car too. How fast is it now?" Donna asked me. She was more interested in the car than Eric or any other guys there.
"We're going to test it out now." I told her and pointed at the tv for her to check it out. She didn't watch it fully in the station before, only halfway since she wanted to watch it with everyone later.
Eric watched it, but he didn't want to give Donna any spoilers.
At the tracks, the camera recorded Megan a few times and asked her some questions.
Jackie asked, "Hyde. Did you hire a girl mechanic?"
"Yeah." I nodded casually.
Kelso laughed and said, "She is hot."
"She really is." Fez added.
Victoria pulled her head back and looked at me with jealousy evident in her face.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." She replied. "So you guys are spending a lot of time together in the shop?"
"Yeah…" I replied with confusion. "Hm… Interesting." She said coldly.
I shrugged and continued watching the show. Kelso laughed as I admitted in the program that I sucked at driving the car.
"You're so lame." Kelso teased me.
Donna rebuked him, "Shut up! That was funny! And you're not lame Hyde. You're incredibly cool right now."
Eric also admitted it, "You're like a local celebrity."
Fez suddenly said, "Why are you saying that? We barely see his face in the show."
They subconsciously called it a show instead of just a local production.
Jackie agreed with Fez and said, "Yeah. That's true." She turned to me and scolded, "Steven! Next time, call me! I want to be on TV too!"
I ignored Jackie and said, "It's not over yet."
After calculating the new horsepower on a piece of paper, I showed it to the audience and finalized the show by showing Megan's 1965 Mustang.
"Next we will be restoring this car. This is a race car 1965 Mustang. As you can see, it's in a terrible shape. It used to be Megan's husband's car."
"But he lost his life in Vietnam and couldn't fulfill his dream to race this car. We're going to fix this car back up before April and finally let his dream come true. So wish us luck, and we will see you next time on…"
"REV IT UP!" Kelso, Fez, Eric and Donna shouted as the title showed up. I looked at them in shock.
They were really enjoying the show.
"Hyde, can't you do this daily?" Eric asked, leaning back on the couch in satisfaction.
"Or every other week?" Donna asked. She clenched her fist and said excitedly, "I can't wait for the Mustang to be put on the track!"
I turned to Victoria and asked, "So, what do you think?"
"You're good…" She said, before clenching her teeth and saying, "So. The pretty mechanic you hired, is a widow… That's… also interesting."
I sighed and said, "I did a blind test on the interview. I didn't even know their identity as I hired them to avoid any bias. She's good at her job, so I hired her. That's it."
"Hmm… So you don't think she's pretty?" She asked. Everyone held their breath as they waited for my answer.
"You're prettier than her." I said with a smile and pinched her cheek.
"That's not my question." She sulked.
"But it's the only answer that matters." I replied. Eric and Kelso suddenly gave me a slow clap.
"Bra– BRAVO! You avoided the trap really skillfully!" Kelso said, complimenting me.
"Micheal!" Jackie scolded him instantly. "Do you think the mechanic girl is hot?" Jackie asked him.
"Really really hot! OW!"
Kelso got pinched as he was being really honest. Donna turned to Eric and asked casually, "So…? Do you think she's…"
"Hot. Yes. hotter than you. No. You're definitely hotter." He said playfully.
Donna laughed and said, "Good, you've learned well."
Eric gave me a salute, and I accepted it casually.
…
The next day at school. My frown kept getting deeper. People who never spoke to me came to speak to me.
"Hey Hyde. My dad watched your show last night." A Jock approached me. "Can you fix my car next?"
A cheerleader came to me, "Hey. Can I be in your next show?"
A teacher came to me, "I have a Corvette. Do Corvette next. No one cares about the Nova.
I slammed the door to my locker room during the break. Jackie was standing next to it and teased me, "Oh, why the long face? Didn't you expect this to happen?"
I frowned and said, "Leave me alone."
"Heads up. The girl who has a crush on you is coming here." Jackie said excitedly, watching me as if she was watching TV.
Her attitude changed completely once everyone was talking about me. Now, I was the 'famous' one of the group. So she was treating me a bit nicer than usual.
Barbara approached me and asked, "Hey Steven. Are you really not going to the snow prom? Is it because your boss asked you to work on the Mustang?"
"Hmm?"
Then, I realized it. No one knew I was the owner of the body shop. I guess I made the right choice before. They thought I was just an ordinary worker and a filmmaker.
"You know, my dad watched the show." Barbara said, creating a conversation.
"Did he say anything?" I asked curiously, slightly relieved now.
"He said it's really good. He's going to work on his cars now. There's a really old one in our garage." Barbara replied, smiling as I was actually talking to her.
I smiled and said, "Good. What model is it?"
"I… don't know. I'll check and get back to you–" She suddenly realized something and said, "Come to my house and check it out yourself."
"What?" I squinted my eyes in confusion.
"Come to my house and check it out." She said again, her cheek turned really red. "We can study together too."
"Um… I have work–"
Jackie suddenly interjected and said, "He will drive you home after this and check
it out."
Barbara smiled excitedly and ran away, "It's a promise."
"Jackie." I called her with disappointment and frustration.
"Believe me Steven. It's better to just deal with it soon. If you kept rejecting her advances, people might think you're built the wrong way. The rumors will kill your new popularity even faster than when people realize you're hanging out with Fez."
"So, all you care about is being popular?" I asked her with a raised brow.
She nodded and said, "Don't you? By the way, I already told Fez not to come near you today. So, enjoy!" She skipped away cheerfully.
"Bitch." I cursed underneath my breath. "Rather than being popular, I'd much rather hang out with my friends."
The others were getting on my nerves. Mrs Ling approached me during math class and said, "I saw you did the horsepower math. Make sure to do well on the test tomorrow since I know you could."
"There's a test tomorrow?" I asked with shock.
Eric whispered to me, "There's always a test before Prom."
"Fuuuuuuuckkkkkkk..." I exhaled softly.
"That's why Barbara asked me to study!" The realization hits me like a truck.
…
I went to Barbara's house after school. It was only the two of us. Her friends and my friends didn't come.
She lived in a two storey house, a little bigger than the Forman's house. It has a build-in garage in the basement, not a detached garage like Red has.
I checked the car and it was a rare, 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang. I whistled slightly as I saw it.
"Is it a good car?" Barbara asked in confusion after seeing my reaction.
"Very good." I replied. "It's pretty rare. Less than 600 units of these were made. Your dad must've been really rich."
Barbara shook her hand, spooked by my words. "No, he's not rich at all! He got this from my uncle. He's the rich one."
I ignored her reaction and focused on the car. I used my appraisal on it, and found faulty spark plugs and a bad fuel pump was the reason it wasn't starting up.
It has a lot of other issues, but those two were the reason why the engine wouldn't start.
I wanted to work on it, but right now, I need to study for the test tomorrow. There will be three tests tomorrow. English, Math and Biology.
On Friday, there will be another three tests. Chemistry, Spanish and History. Barbara didn't take Spanish, so I would be studying for that alone.
Without the internet, my knowledge level… fluctuated. I was good at math, but bad at History.. But Barbara was around the same level as me, so she didn't notice it.
I was good at math, so I taught her a lot of ways to solve equations and fractions.
2x – 5 = 17. Find the value of x.
The questions were simple. I just brought the X to the other side. When it crossed over, the characteristic flipped.
2x= 17 + 5
To get x, I just needed to divide the total by two. x= (22)/2
x= 11.
"Oooo." Barbara was elated as she learned how to do it. It was quite easy. I learned it in 8th grade in the future. But in 1977, the standard was pretty low.
I did the same thing with Chemistry, teaching her how to balance the equation. She giggled as she learned it, and then said suddenly, "You know. You're really smart."
I shrugged. She added, "You suck at History though."
"Because I don't think the history they teach is the real history of what had
happened in the world."
My conspiracy theory side flared up slightly. Barbara laughed and suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the lips. She stuck her tongue inside my mouth, and I let her.
"What did you do that for?" I asked as she pulled her head back.
"You want to make out?" She asked, batting her eyes at me.
I shook my head and said, "No. I think I'm going to go home."
She was greatly taken aback by it. "Wait. Really?"
"Yeah." I replied. "I need to actually study. I promised Mrs Forman to do better in this test. And if my adoptive father saw I failed some subjects, he would ban me from working."
"Oh!" She realized there's a much more complicated reason behind it and was slightly at ease.
I left and went back to my place.
(Read up to chapter 76 on my patreon.
Patreon.com/relifewithkarmicgacha)