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  One Big Happy Family

  USUALLY DINNERTIME AT my house isn’t something to look forward to. My dad likes to make all kinds of wacky dishes. My mom travels a lot for work, so she’s often not around. And my sister, Emily . . . let’s just say she’s not the nicest person in the world, all the time.

  But tonight, dinner is different. That’s because my family—and my best friend—are gathered around the kitchen table, eating the best take-out pizza in the whole wide world!

  For those of you who may not have heard of me, my name is Billy Sure. I am one half of SURE THINGS, INC., an invention company that I share with my best friend—and current pizza-eating pal—Manny Reyes.

  About a week ago Manny, my dad, Emily, and I returned from an unplanned adventure at the Really Great Movies studio. Manny, Emily, and I got to play zombies in a new movie, Alien Zombie Attack! It’s funny to think about it, because this all started when Emily stole my latest invention, a hovercraft, and crash-landed at the studio. We had to rescue her.

  While at the movie studio, we sold the hovercraft—renamed the REALLY GREAT HOVERCRAFT—to the film’s director, so he can use it in his movies.

  But Manny, being the super businessman that he is, kept all the hovercraft’s merchandising rights for Sure Things, Inc. That means profit from any products related to the hovercraft gets to stay ours. Pretty smart, huh? Because he sweats the fine print of every business deal is reason #934 why I’m glad that Manny is my best friend and business partner.

  Although this happened a week ago, it still feels like just yesterday. On the actual “just yesterday,” my mom came back from her latest work trip. I say “work trip,” but it’s much cooler than that—my mom is a spy. She’s away on different missions a lot.

  For her current mission Mom is able to work remotely from home. I really miss her when she’s not around, so it’s great having her here, for lots of reasons. One of those reasons is that, unlike my dad, Mom loves to order in food—like this super-awesome TWELVE-CHEESE PIZZA!

  “I didn’t even know there were twelve different kinds of cheeses,” Mom says, biting into her slice.

  Dad munches happily, pausing every so often to smile and say “yum!” These days, Dad seems to have a permanent smile on his face. And for good reason.

  “I can’t believe my art show is just a few days away,” Dad says through a mouthful of cheese. “But I wonder if I need another painting of Philo’s paw for the show. . . .”

  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Dad may be a terrible cook, but he’s a terrific artist. I think. I guess I don’t know much about art. His latest series of paintings is going to be displayed at a gallery. They are mostly paintings of my dog Philo’s tongue, Philo’s paws, and oddly enough, Philo’s butt.

  Dad also has a few paintings of some of the food he’s made, like tomato pancakes and cherry and kiwi lasagna. The paintings may just be tastier than the food itself—though I’ve never taken a bite out of one.

  I’ve finished my first slice of pizza when I hear Manny’s voice.

  “Ready for another one?” he asks from across the table.

  “Thanks, partner, but I can get it myself,” I reply. “You don’t have to get up.”

  “Who said anything about getting up?”

  Manny pulls out his smartphone and taps the screen. From across the room, a slice of pizza comes flying through the air, right at me!

  “Manny!  ” I cry. “Did you invent FLYING PIZZA?!”

  Before Manny can answer, I snatch the slice out of the air. There, hanging in the air, is a small, perfectly accurate model of the Really Great Hovercraft! The pizza had been resting on the model.

  “I didn’t invent flying pizza, but I did come up with a remote controlled model of the hovercraft,” Manny explains. “I control it right from my smartphone.”

  Manny swipes his phone, and the tiny hovercraft turns around and speeds back to the pizza boxes on the counter.

  “Awesome,” I say. “I think this toy is going to be a huge hit!”

  “I’d like some flying pizza too,” says Mom.

  “Sure,” Manny says.

  With Manny tapping and swiping his phone, the tiny hovercraft slides under another slice, turns around, speeds back through the air, and deposits a slice of pizza onto Mom’s plate.

  Bam! That’s when the front door bursts open. You might have noticed that my sister Emily has been absent from dinner so far. (Okay, I kind of forgot too.) That’s because she was walking Philo, who scurries in, pulling hard on his leash.

  “Easy, Philo!” Emily says. “Slow down!”

  Are you surprised that Emily is the one walking Philo, and not me? Well, you should be. Before we returned from our trip to the Really Great Movies studio, I could count on two hands the number of times that Emily had volunteered to walk Philo.

  Uh, now that I think about it . . . make that one hand.

  But as punishment for stealing my hovercraft, Dad grounded Emily FOR LIFE. He was probably exaggerating about the lifelong sentence part, though, because he made a deal with her. If Emily is as nice and helpful as she possibly can be, and does one nice big thing for each member of our family, she will be ungrounded.

  Well, since making that deal, it’s like Emily is a whole new person. She takes out the garbage, cleans the dinner dishes, and volunteers to walk Philo every evening! I’ve been calling her SUPER NICE EMILY. I know she hates the nickname, but she has to be nice and can’t say anything about it.

  I could get used to this!

  “I wish Philo wouldn’t pull on his leash when I take him for a walk,” Emily says.

  Before I have a chance to explain that all she has to do is say “heel” and he’ll walk nicely beside you, Philo spots the flying hovercraft toy zooming through the air.

  Philo starts barking wildly at the hovercraft and takes off after it, dragging Emily through the kitchen and back into the living room. I have to admit, it’s really funny. Emily jumps over a chair, then stumbles to avoid crashing into a table.

  The hovercraft turns back toward the kitchen. Philo suddenly changes direction to keep up with it, causing Emily to knock a lamp from a table.

  She spins back and catches the lamp just before it hits the floor.

  This is really entertaining to watch. I consider letting it go on a little longer, but, well, that would just be mean.

  “Let go of the leash, Emily!” I shout, cracking up.

  She lets go. Philo continues to chase the hovercraft until Manny guides it back into his hands.

  Emily joins us, trying to catch her breath. Her curly hair has flopped into her face. Her shirt has come untucked. She’s a mess, which normally would make her very upset and require extensive repair time in front of a mirror. But Super Nice Emily doesn’t complain.

  “Well, I walked Philo again,” she says, forcing a smile.

  “We know, dear,” says Mom. “Why don’t you have some pizza?”

  “I will,” says Emily. “But first everyone has to come outside and see the great job I did WASHING THE CAR! And since everyone rides in the car, it’s something nice I did for the whole family.”

  “You washed the car?” I ask in disbelief. E
ven for Super Nice Emily, this is above and beyond. “Now, this I have to see!”

  We all get up and hurry outside.

  “Well, what do you think?” asks Emily.

  I look over at the car and see that it is covered in SOAP. Bubbly white streaks drip down the doors and windows.

  “Maybe Dad can paint a picture of this for his art show,” I say. Usually, I go out of my way not to give Emily a hard time. The grief I always get from her in return is just not worth the fun. But with her having to be nice and helpful to everybody, I figure I’ve got a free pass. “Dad can call the painting HALF-WASHED CAR.”

  “I appreciate the effort, Emily,” says Mom, raising her eyebrows slightly at me. “But you have to rinse the soap off.”

  A few minutes later everyone except Emily is back inside, and Manny is really getting into delivering pizza slices using the hovercraft toy.

  “I’ll take another one, Manny,” says Dad. “I’m curious how they can stuff the cheese inside the cheese.”

  Manny taps and swipes his phone, tilting it a bit left, then right. The hovercraft toy scoops up a slice of pizza, circles the living room, then comes back into the kitchen, dropping gently down until it stops, hovering in midair right above Dad’s plate.

  “Thanks, Manny,” says Dad, taking the slice. He stares at the cheese-stuffed cheese. “Hmm . . . so that’s how they do it.”

  Emily comes back inside. “Well, the car is clean,” she says. “All the soap is off.”

  And I can see where it went. Emily’s clothes are now streaked with white bubbly soapsuds! She looks wet from head to toe. I almost feel bad for her. It’s probably not nice to be enjoying this as much as I am, but I am!

  “You should change into some warm clothes,” says Mom. “Then come have a slice of pizza.”

  When Emily finally sits down, Manny delivers her a slice with the mini hovercraft.

  “Thank you, Manny,” she says, digging into her pizza. “And congratulations on your new toy. Another Sure Things, Inc. success!”

  After every slice has been devoured Emily is the first one to jump up from the table. “Here,” she says. “Let me get those for everyone.”

  She goes around the table, picking up all the plates and cups. Then she washes, dries, and carefully puts away each one.

  “There, everything’s clean,” she says as a glob of soapsuds (this time, from the kitchen) drops from her shirt onto her shoes.

  Ding dong!

  The doorbell. Hmm, we’re not expecting anyone. Out of habit, I start toward the door.

  “Oh, no, Billy,” Emily says sweetly. “Let me answer the door.”

  I better enjoy this while I can, because I have a feeling that once Emily gets out of her grounded-for-life sentence, she’s gonna make me pay for all her niceness. Big time!

  Emily opens the front door.

  “Hi, is Billy home?” asks a woman at the door. “I’d love to conduct an interview with him this evening.”

  I immediately feel a knot forming in my stomach. I know that voice. It’s KATHY JENKINS. She’s a reporter for Right Next Door, our local hometown news website. She’s also Samantha’s mother. Samantha is a member of my inventor’s club, but she also helped me come up with the hovercraft design and used to follow me around the halls at school.

  Kathy has written articles before about Sure Things, Inc. She always focuses on me, leaving out Manny’s role in the company. And she can be nasty. She even wrote one time that Philo smells like a skunk.

  What could she possibly want now?

  The Interview

  I WALK OVER to greet Kathy.

  As much as I would love to, I can’t refuse to talk with the press. That wouldn’t do anything good for Sure Things, Inc. And I know Manny wouldn’t want that.

  “How are you, Billy?” Kathy says, extending her hand.

  I shake her hand. Then we both take seats in the living room.

  She glances into the kitchen, where Manny is teaching Dad how to pilot the hovercraft toy. She seems unfazed.

  “So,” Kathy says, pressing play on her portable recorder. “Tell me about DANNY.”

  “Danny?” I ask. “Who’s Danny?”

  She raises her eyebrows as if to say, Why are you trying to make this difficult?

  “Danny. Your partner,” she repeats.

  “Manny,” I correct her. “His name is Manny.”

  I’m glad she’s finally interested in Manny, but can’t she get his name right?

  “Yes, Manny, of course. Tell me about Manny.”

  Finally a chance to set the record straight.

  “Well, basically, without Manny, there is no Sure Things, Inc.,” I begin. “Everything we do, we do as a team. We work really well together and make every important decision as partners. The nicest part is that through it all we’ve been able to stay best friends. And really, I think that’s why we work so well together, and why Sure Things, Inc. has been successful.”

  “So do you do all the inventing, and Danny handles all the business and marketing?” asks Kathy.

  “Manny,” I correct her. Again. “And for the most part that’s true, but take a look at this.”

  I quickly download the app Manny created onto my phone. Then I tap the screen. The hovercraft toy comes flying into the living room. I swipe the screen and the toy circles the room once, then comes in for a soft landing right at my feet.

  “This is the REALLY GREAT HOVERCRAFT TOY,” I explain. “This was all Manny’s idea. He wrote the app and built a replica of our hovercraft—only mini!”

  “But I thought that Sure Things, Inc. sold the rights of the hovercraft to Really Great Movies?” says Kathy.

  This is perfect. She just set me up to show how smart Manny really is.

  “Well, actually, we did,” I explain. “The movie studio is using the hovercraft in their movies and theme parks. But, because Manny is such a good businessperson, we kept all the merchandising rights.”

  I tap my phone again, and the hovercraft toy lifts up and zooms back into the kitchen.

  “I just love this,” Kathy squeals. “Who knew that Danny was the HIDDEN FACE of Sure Things, Inc.?”

  “Manny,” I say, “and it’s really no secret. Manny has been there from the start. He’s always been a huge and equal part of the company. You know, I have tried to tell you this before. And I have tried to bring Manny in on some of our earlier interviews. But you always seem to—”

  “Tell me this, Billy,” Kathy interrupts me. It’s clear she doesn’t want to listen. “Who really came up with the marketing plan for the DISAPPEARING REAPPEARING MAKEUP?”

  “That was Manny.”

  “The GROSS-TO-GOOD POWDER?”

  “That was Manny too.”

  “Fascinating,” says Kathy.

  I should be happy that she’s looking to give Manny credit, but I feel uneasy. I just don’t trust her. Even now.

  “So, it appears that Danny is extremely important to Sure Things, Inc.,” Kathy says.

  Why won’t she use his real name?

  “His name is Manny, and yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since our very first interview.”

  Kathy stands up suddenly. I get up too.

  “This was great, Billy,” she says, shaking my hand. “Thank you for your time, and be sure to read Right Next Door tomorrow! We’ll be happy to tell everyone about Manny.”

  “Danny,” I hiss, and then I take it back. Oh no! Did Kathy use his correct name to trip me up?

  Without saying anything, Kathy hurries to the front door and leaves just as quickly as she arrived.

  I rejoin the others in the kitchen.

  “I can’t believe her!” I say, grabbing my head with both hands.

  “What happened?” asks Mom.

  I fill everyone in on the interview—including my flub at the end. Then I look right at Manny, who’s been busy checking company e-mail on his phone.

  “She finally wants to include your contributions and she can’t
even bother to get your name right!”

  Manny just shakes his head and smiles.

  “She can call me GRANNY for all I care,” Manny says. “In fact, she can call me anything she likes, as long as she mentions Sure Things, Inc. and the Really Great Hovercraft Toy. We get publicity. We move merchandise. It’s all good, Billy!”

  Well, I suppose he’s right, as usual.

  Super Nice Emily doesn’t seem to know of a way to make this situation any better, so she says, “Can I do anything for anyone else right now?” in a happy SINGSONG VOICE that I honestly have never heard her use before.

  Sheesh . . . I’m starting to appreciate the old-fashioned, annoying, the-whole-world-revolves-around-Emily Emily. This new, nice version is starting to get just a little obnoxious.

  A short while later Manny gets up to head for home.

  “Thanks for the pizza,” he says. “It was great.”

  “Well, thank you for the AERIAL DELIVERY!” says Dad.

  “See ya tomorrow, Manny,” I say.

  Manny smiles. “See you tomorrow, partner. And don’t worry about Kathy Jenkins. As long as Sure Things, Inc. is in the news, we’re golden.”

  I go upstairs and finish some homework for tomorrow.

  That night I toss and turn. Even though Manny said not to, I can’t stop thinking about the interview. Kathy tricked me into calling Manny, Danny! I feel like the WORST BEST FRIEND.

  This was supposed to be a happy, easy time for me. Mom is home. There’s no pressure at the moment for me to crank out a new invention. Things are good.

  And yet I have trouble sleeping.

  • • •

  The next day at school is actually pretty good. The interview slips further and further toward the back of my mind. Throughout the day I focus on classes and start to get excited about the upcoming release of the hovercraft toy.

  As I head for the front door at the end of the school day, a voice calls out to me from behind. “Hi, Billy.”

  I spin around and see CLAYTON HARRIS, president of the Fillmore Middle School Inventor’s Club.