Distrust at TAC

By Richard Pinkerton

It’s Rex Cassidy’s 18th birthday party and at least one student was forbidden to come by her parents. Vanessa Dante attempts to cover for her but soon finds he has to keep lying to cover up the previous lies.

Colin Hewes is trying to distance himself from the bad influence of Tucker Pyles and improve his reputation as being just one of Tucker’s goons. However, no matter what he does, everything seems to backfire. How is he going to convince the beautiful Ambrosia Wilson that he really is a good guy?

Maggie Matthews has a new boyfriend, but this one wants to lead her astray by stealing cigarettes from her father’s shop to sell at school.

Rick Maverick finds that Aussie exchange student Sharona has desires for him, even though she’s supposed to be the girlfriend of his best mate, Pete. Will he remain strong and resist her advances or will he give in and possibly ruin his friendship with Pete as well as upset his sweetheart, Holly Robinson?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Pinkerton
• Release date: Dec 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005473303

Richard Pinkerton

I am in my early 50s and have been writing now since I was 12. I prefer to write light-hearted drama but have written a little fantasy horror and science fiction too. I have an entire series of high school novels (19 of them so far) set in New Zealand (The Mob from TAC series), which I will gradually publish if there is a demand. I prefer to use a mix of quirky and outrageous characters you would never come across in reality and also your every day Joes. My writings are aimed at teenagers mainly, but also young adults. I have also written a series of detective novelettes, most of which can be found on my website. The majority require work, to be able to be published here, mainly due to copyright issues. Please do leave feedback or contact me if you want to know more about my books.

Book preview

Distrust at TAC

(Book 20 in the Mob from TAC series)

Published by Richard Pinkerton at Smashwords

Copyright 2020 Richard Pinkerton

Other books by Richard Pinkerton

Dead End High

Dead End Town

Time Warped

The Mob from TAC series

1 - The Mob from TAC

2 – Mismatched at TAC

3 - Trouble at TAC

4 - Heroes at TAC

5 - Scheming at TAC

6 - Murder at TAC

7 - New Year at TAC

8 - Challenges at TAC

9 - Boot Camp at TAC

10 - Dark Days at TAC

11 - Jealously at TAC

12 - Choices at TAC

13 - Redemption at TAC

14 - Vendettas at TAC

15 - Aberrations at TAC

16 - Final Year at TAC

17 – Conspiracy at TAC

18 – Godly People at TAC

19 – Sabotage at TAC

20 – Distrust at TAC

21 – Competition at TAC

So Long, TAC

Acknowledgements

Bradford Jensen Jr

Dabney Farmer

Stacey Sweeney

Wuraola Ifeniyi

To Colin

Hew finally gets his own story.

CHAPTER 1:

A Missing Date

‘Damn it, Dad! You promised you’d drive me. The party’s already started!’

Colin Hewes stared at his dad who had his feet up on the couch, watching TV, with a can of beer in his hand and a smouldering cigarette drooping from his mouth. There were cans littered on the floor around him and the strong smell of BO wafted Colin’s way.

His dad was drunk. He let out a loud belch as if to confirm it.

Colin let out a long groan. There was no way his father was fit to drive. It seemed he was even too sozzled to reply.

‘Can I borrow the car, Dad?’

This finally got him a response, but not the one he’d hoped for. ‘Ha! You borrow th’ car? That’ll be the day!’ He let out another loud burp.

Colin wanted to deliver him a string of obscenities and other harsh words, but he didn’t dare. Especially not when his dad had been drinking. ‘It’s the party of the year,’ he moaned. ‘Hell, it’s the party of the decade! Rex Cassidy’s 18th! I gotta be there.’

‘Well, ya ain’t taken’ the car. Try biking.’

Colin tensed up. ‘My bike is broken. It’s been broken for months. You haven’t taken it in for fixing yet.’

‘Tough!’

Colin clenched his fists, but unless he intended on pickpocketing the car keys from his dad’s grimy jacket, he was forced to walk. He had nobody else he could phone to pick him up.

‘It’s going to take me an hour to walk to Te Arawa.’

His father mumbled something, but it was clear he wasn’t about to move.

Colin did his best to hold back his frustrations, but he had no choice. He set off at a fast trot. It was a good thing he was in excellent physical shape thanks to regular martial arts training, otherwise, by the time he’d gotten there, he’d have been too tired to dance.

He tapped on his cell phone as he walked, sending a message to his friend, Tucker.

Dad can’t drive me. Walking. Another hour away

No reply came back. No doubt Tucker was too busy eating to bother. Otherwise, his phone was flat as usual.

As Colin marched along the country road, past paddocks of cows and farmhouses, he shuddered to think who Ambrosia Wilson might be dancing with.

The gorgeous sixteen-year-old would no doubt be in hot demand. She’d promised to dance with him, but a girl like her would surely not be sitting waiting. Every available guy at the party would be hitting on her. There was even the chance the birthday boy himself would be making the moves on her and if that happened, Colin figured he’d be flat out of luck. No way could he compete with Rex Cassidy, especially not at his 18th birthday party.

If only he’d got her cell phone number. He would have been able to text her to say he was on his way.

He crossed a bridge that spanned a small stream and strode onwards, past a field of sheep and a grove of pine trees. He got a whiff of silage from somewhere nearby, but he’d come to like the smell of it, having lived in the countryside for a while. It was starting to get dark, but the early autumn air was still warm and there appeared to be no grey clouds in sight.

Thank God for that. He didn’t want to be soaking wet and smelling like a wet dog while dancing with Ambrosia.

Thirty-three minutes later, he arrived at the outskirts of town, making good time, but he was still on track to be two hours late. The Cassidy house was on the outskirts, and as he approached it, his stomach squirmed. It was a huge two-storied house. Probably the most modern one in Te Arawa. There was a decorated stucco and wrought iron fence at the front and an open gateway. The grounds were immaculate with trees and flower gardens.

The faint sound of music emanated from inside the house. No doubt, some of the guests would still be in the pool. All the seniors from school had been invited. If Rex’s 17th birthday party was anything to go by, It would be a lavish affair with a live band, huge buffet spread and plenty of space to mix and mingle. All the hottest girls and most popular guys would be there for sure, as Rex was the type of guy everyone wanted to hang out with.

Even less popular students like Tucker would be there simply because they knew it would be a party you couldn’t miss. A good thing about Rex was that he was very accepting of people and usually didn’t exclude anyone. If he had, maybe Colin himself would have been excluded, being a friend of Tucker’s.

He made his way down the driveway. The double garage was open and a group of teenagers played pool on one table, while a game of table tennis took place on the other. A gateway led to the pool area filled with teenagers. Others danced to a live band that played on a makeshift stage.

Many faces, he didn’t recognise, mainly girls. In fact, the girls outnumbered the boys by about 3-1, which didn’t surprise Colin at all. Rex was well known by people from all around due to his prowess at interschool sporting events, not to mention being a hit wherever he went outside of school hours. He was pretty much a celebrity, as well as a major chick magnet. If it wasn’t for the fact Colin wanted to hook up with Ambrosia, he would have felt like a child in a candy store with so many gorgeous girls there.

‘Col! It’s about time you arrived. What took you so long?’ The hugely obese Tucker Pyles bowled up to him with a sheepish grin on his tubby face and a plate piled high with food. ‘We’ve been having the time of our lives. This is the party of the year, mate, and there is so much great food. I wish I was as rich as the Cassidys… and guess what? Rex’s parents aren’t anywhere to be seen. Gone for the weekend. I’m surprised this thing hasn’t got out of control without parents around.’

‘Did you get my text?’ Colin asked.

‘Nah, sorry, phone’s flat. I forgot to charge it before I came.’

Colin snickered, thinking how typical that was. He wondered why Tucker bothered to carry a cell phone around when it was uncharged the majority of the time. ‘No gangs have turned up this time I hope?’ He remembered last year’s birthday party when a street gang named the Wild Dogs gatecrashed and caused trouble.

Tucker’s beady brown eyes gleamed. ‘Nup. I’ve seen a few people with private stashes of alcohol, but no drama whatsoever. Everyone’s behaving themselves.’

‘Damn…’ Colin grinned. ‘What, no girls skinny dipping or dancing on the tables?’

Tucker scowled and pushed his curly brown hair over the top of his sticking-out ears. ‘Apparently, Jerri Connors took her top off earlier, but then the other girls made her put it back on. But I was inside eating, so I didn’t get to see.’

‘Wow…’ Colin scanned poolside. He saw no topless girls, but still plenty of very shapely ones in swimsuits. How cool it was that hot chicks loved Rex.

He saw no sign of the object of his affection though. ‘What about Ambrosia? You seen her around?’

Tucker popped a slice of carved ham into his mouth, chewed it rapidly and swallowed. ‘Yeah, man. I saw her about an hour ago. She was in the spa with Rex and Vanessa.’

Colin glanced at the outside spa by the pool. It was full of people but neither Rex, Vanessa, nor Ambrosia were in there. ‘You haven’t seen her since?’

‘Nah, but Vanessa’s in the karaoke room at the moment.’

‘There’s a karaoke room?’

‘Yep, a room especially for it.’

‘No Ambrosia?’

‘Nope.’

‘Has she been dancing with anyone?’

‘Yeah, I’ve seen her on the dance floor a few times.’

Colin’s heart beat faster. ‘Who with?’

Tucker stabbed a fork into a baby potato. ‘A few different people. Don’t worry, Col, no one in particular, but plenty of guys have wanted to dance with her.’

Colin nodded. He was glad to hear she wasn’t spending time with anyone in particular. ‘So, you haven’t seen her out here in a while?’

‘Nah. She’s not doing karaoke either.’ Tucker gobbled down more goodies.

‘Where’s the birthday boy?’

Tucker spoke with his mouth still partially full. ‘Don’t know, haven’t seen him for about an hour.’ He swallowed the mouthful. ‘Most likely up in one of the bedrooms entertaining a hot chick or two… or three or four. God knows enough of them have been throwing themselves at him wanting to give him special birthday gifts. He’s been fighting them off left, right and centre, ever since the party started, preventing them from humiliating themselves in front of everyone. Bloody typical. I just wish he’d let them go for it. After all, it is a party and a lot of those chicks are sweltering hot.’

Colin stiffened. ‘Ambrosia hasn’t been one of those, has she? Throwing herself at him?’

Tucker scraped at some kind of beef casserole. ‘Who knows? Maybe.’ He engulfed a forkful.

Anxiety spread through Colin but then he noticed a gleam in his fat friend’s beady eyes. ‘Has she or not?’

‘I haven’t seen anything,’ Tucker said. ‘Honestly. Like I said, she was in the spa with them, but so were a few others and not all chicks and they were laughing and joking. It’s not supposed to be one of those parties anyway. It’s a high-school party and Rex is being a responsible host. Worst luck.’

Colin left Tucker to enjoy his feed and wandered through the main entrance from the pool area into the Cassidy lounge. Many more people were in there and food was laid out on tables. It really was a lavish spread with delectable dishes of all kinds from king prawns and roasted lamb through to various exotic-looking salads. The dessert table looked impressive too, with brandy snaps, trifle, pavlova and much more.

It made Colin’s stomach rumble.

There was a margarine sculpture of a girl on one of the tables. Taking a closer look, it resembled Rex’s darling, Vanessa Dante. ‘Wow…’

‘It’s Vanessa,’ Tucker said, stepping up behind him.

‘I can see that. Even as a margarine sculpture, she’s hot.’

‘I know!’

Colin scanned the room a second time, but there was still no sign of Ambrosia. He nudged one of the guys who stood near one of the buffet tables. ‘Hey, Garner… seen Ambrosia Wilson?’

The guy turned to him. ‘You mean the new year-12 babe? The one with the twin brother?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Not for a while. Last time I saw her she was out by the pool.’

‘What about Rex?’

‘Haven’t seen him around for a while either.’

Colin checked out the karaoke room next. It was set up like a mini nightclub with a bar and a stage. Speakers boomed out music and a girl Colin didn’t recognise was singing. Vanessa was there and he paused to admire the stunning brunette. She was truly spectacular in her red top and shiny vinyl tights, which hugged her shapely figure deliciously. She danced opposite Maggie Matthews, and moved in close, grinding into her. The ginger-headed beauty welcomed the body contact and ran her hands down over Vanessa’s shoulders, her dimples showing on her cheeks as she smiled.

Colin shivered in delight and wished he could stay there and watch some more, but his mind was still on Ambrosia. Where could she be? The really horrible thought was she was up in one of the bedrooms with Rex.

‘Check out the spa room,’ Tucker said, his eyes transfixed on Vanessa and Maggie as they danced raunchily together. ‘Wow…’ His plate was almost empty and it quivered a little in his hand.

Colin headed down a long corridor. Not only was there an outdoor spa by the pool, but there was also a private spa room. The door was open and there were three couples paired up in there making out, but nothing more.

Fortunately for Colin, none of them was Ambrosia.

‘She’s gotta be around somewhere,’ Colin returned to the main lounge and once again performed a visual search. Still no Ambrosia – nor, for that matter, Rex.

Rex’s best friend, Will Ullman, stood, talking to a couple of unknown girls, drinking something brown from a glass.

Colin strolled over to the big burly, long-haired teen. ‘Hey, Wal…’ He used the name everyone called him.

Will Ullman turned and coldly eyed Colin. ‘What?’

‘You know where Rex is?’

Wal smirked. ‘Why do you need to know? You’re not a hot chick looking to give him a special birthday gift.’ He snickered. ‘Unless hanging around with Pyles has made you want to start batting for the other team.’

‘I just arrived. Wanted to say happy birthday.’

‘Sorry, mate, but he’s upstairs entertaining privately if you know what I mean.’

The two girls with Wal widened their eyes.

‘Is he really?’ asked one.

Colin’s insides turned somersaults. ‘Who’s he up there with?’

‘Geez, I don’t know. Could be anyone. Could be a whole bunch of chicks for all I know. There are ones from all over the place I’ve never met before, like these two. Every time I see him, he has a different one all over him. And Vanessa, she keeps encouraging it. Urges them on.’ Wal rolled his eyes. ‘I’m pretty bloody sure she’d get a great deal of pleasure seeing Rex get it on with some hottie right in front of everyone, but Rex isn’t like that. Prefers to keep that sort of thing in private.’

Colin turned to the staircase and considered going up there to see if she was there, but figured if she was, it would be behind closed doors.

Tucker spoke up. ‘Hey Wal, was Ambrosia one of the babes with Rex?’

Wal glanced at him with contempt and then turned his eyes back to Colin. ‘Ohhhhhh, you’re into her, aren’t ya, Hewes? Gotta thing for the sexy twin.’

Colin didn’t reply. He waited, hoping for Wal to say something more.

‘You’re a clueless bastard, aren’t you, Hewes? You’re wasting your time. Ambrosia’s a class act and wouldn’t go for a bully boy like you.’

Colin wanted to defend himself and insist he was no longer Tucker’s goon like he had been the previous two years, but he bit his tongue.

Tucker replied for him, ‘She’s gonna dance with Colin. She said she would.’

‘Is that right?’ Wal smirked. ‘Good luck with that. If she really is with Rex then you can forget about her. I’m guessing tonight you’ll have to dance with a stranger instead because there certainly ain’t any girls from school that will dance with you because they all know you.’

Colin felt a little small, especially with the two unknown girls standing there examining him curiously. It was certainly true that Colin had a tough time when it came to the girls at school. They’d always looked down their noses at him due to his association with Tucker. They saw him as a bully and a thug and Colin didn’t blame them for that because he had been. On returning to Te Arawa College earlier that term, he had made a decision he was going to change his image. He was no longer going to do Tucker’s bidding and was going to distance himself from him to a certain extent and improve his reputation. So far, it had been tough going and people still didn’t believe he had changed.

‘So, you’re saying she’s with Rex?’

‘No idea, Hewes, but it wouldn’t surprise me. He wouldn’t decline her if she jumped on top of him and ordered him to bonk her brains out. Hell, nobody would.’

Colin did his best to hide his anguish. He left Wal and turned back towards the staircase. Just as he did, the object of his desires appeared at the top of the stairs. His first instinct was to flinch, as it seemed maybe his fears were justified.

She had a swimsuit on with a towel wrapped around her waist and advanced down the staircase slowly, looking like she was in a bit of a daze. She had a beautiful athletic figure, long brown flowing hair and clear skin. He couldn’t help but feel like she was an angel descending from Heaven.

Her beautiful brown eyes lit up when she saw him. ‘Colin! You’re here!’ She jerked her head back up the staircase for a second then advanced down at a quicker pace. ‘I thought maybe you weren’t coming after all.’ She smiled as she reached him. ‘When did you get here? What took you so long?’

‘I’ve been here for about ten minutes. Dad was drunk so couldn’t drive me. Had to walk.’

She touched his arm. ‘Oh, that’s too bad. Sorry. It’s good to see you finally got here. I was wondering what had become of you.’

Colin glanced back up the staircase. ‘What were you doing up there?’

‘Oh, nothing. Just went to the toilet up there. Ones down here were being used.’

Colin didn’t want to risk sounding suspicious but doubted that was all she was doing up there. His suspicions deepened when the tall muscular frame of Rex Cassidy appeared at the top of the staircase. What coincidence was this that he was coming down only moments after Ambrosia?

‘Hey, Col!’ Rex said in a friendly tone once he reached the foot of the stairway. ‘Glad you finally made it.’ He was six feet tall with a finely chiselled face and deep blue eyes. Colin would have considered him a pretty boy if it wasn’t for his powerful and athletic physique and knowledge of many forms of unarmed combat, way more impressive than his own.

Colin attempted to push his suspicions to the back of his mind. ‘Glad to be here. I was wondering where you were. Hadn’t seen you around.’ He couldn’t resist probing for information though. ‘They were all telling me you were upstairs entertaining a lady or two in private.’ He grinned. ‘Didn’t surprise me.’

Rex chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. ‘Isn’t that what a good host does?’ He moved off without glancing at Ambrosia. Colin stared after him.

‘Umm…’ Ambrosia said. ‘You okay, Colin?’

‘I… err…’ He wanted to voice his suspicion, but he had to be careful. He didn’t want to appear insecure around the gorgeous brunette and he certainly didn’t want to accuse her of anything. ‘Just wondered who he was entertaining. He came down alone.’

‘Maybe it was Vanessa?’

‘No, she’s in the karaoke room almost getting it on with Maggie Matthews.’ He fixed his eyes upon her to see if any guilt appeared on her face but none did. He forced a smile. ‘I guess you were in the toilet for