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    Jealousy at TAC
    Jealousy at TAC
    Jealousy at TAC
    Ebook244 pages2 hours

    Jealousy at TAC

    By Richard Pinkerton

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    About this ebook

    Vanessa Dante's friendship with Maggie Matthews has taken a forbidden step. How will that affect Maggie's relationship with her boyfriend? How will Vanessa deal with the fact that this boy seems to want her more than he does Maggie? And how will she deal with her half-sister, Nadia who has turned up out of the blue and has her sights set on her own boyfriend?

    Rex is the recipient of dubious advances when he finds a teacher has taken a fancy to him.

    Meanwhile, Tucker Pyles realises that pretending to be a girl online may get him a chance to woo the goddess, Vanessa.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichard Pinkerton
    Release dateNov 2, 2016
    ISBN9781370747238
    Jealousy at TAC
    Author

    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.

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      Book preview

      Jealousy at TAC - Richard Pinkerton

      Jealousy at TAC

      (Book 11 in the Mob from TAC series)

      Published by Richard Pinkerton at Smashwords

      Copyright 2021 Richard Pinkerton

      Other books by Richard Pinkerton

      Dead End High

      Dead End Town

      Time Warped

      The Rex Cassidy Investigators Series

      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 - TAC Boot Camp

      10 - Dark Days at TAC

      11- Jealousy 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 – Goldy People at TAC

      19 – Sabotage at TAC

      20 – Distrust at TAC

      21 – Competition at TAC

      So Long, TAC

      Acknowledgements

      George Q Kaplan

      Sarah Hughes

      Stacey Sweeney

      Vera Gordon

      To Cyril Fletcher

      My first friend to ever appear regularly in one of my stories

      who passed away in 2002 due to Huntington’s Disease

      "Man Alive!"

      CHAPTER 1:

      Hiding the Truth

      Vanessa Danté flicked her long dark hair over her bare shoulder and shuffled across the bed closer to the body that lay there under the sheets with her. It was Tuesday morning and fortunately, the gates of Te Arawa College were closed, due to it being ANZAC Day. She ran her finger through the ginger hair of her bed partner, then down the cheek and across the top half of the chest to where the sheets covered everything else.

      ‘Are you sure Rex won’t mind?’ Maggie Matthew’s bright honey-brown eyes stared at her.

      Vanessa curled some of her friend’s wavy hair in her finger, admiring the milky white tone of her skin. ‘Of course, he won’t. I’ve told him about the other times.’

      Maggie gasped. ‘No way!’

      ‘Yeah-huh. We tell each other everything.’

      ‘Even when he sees other girls?’

      ‘Especially when he sees other girls. I have to hear every little juicy detail.’

      Maggie remained silent for a few seconds. Music played in the background, flowing from a speaker on the desk next to Maggie’s laptop computer. It was modern stuff with a pop sound to it, an artist she liked.

      ‘He uses protection, right?’ Maggie asked.

      ‘Always.’

      Maggie frowned. ‘How do you know?’

      ‘Because he assures me he does and I trust him. It’s so that when we’re together, we don’t have to. He’s not stupid. Anyone who’s sexually active and has multiple partners would be an idiot if they didn’t.’

      ‘Maggie sighed. ‘Shawn would be horrified if he knew about us. He’d probably refuse to see me again.’

      Vanessa propped herself up onto her elbow and locked eyes with her. ‘Maggs, you are just dating, right? He’s not officially your boyfriend yet. At least that’s what you’ve been telling me.’

      Maggie widened her eyes. ‘Yes, it’s true. We’re not an official couple. Not yet.’

      ‘Does he realise you’re not exclusive? You have made that clear.’

      ‘He’s the one that keeps telling me that. He says we’re lovers, not boyfriend and girlfriend.’

      ‘So then it’s okay then. This isn’t cheating.’

      She flinched. ‘The thing is, he’s homophobic. Even when it comes to girls.’

      ‘That’s so unusual for a guy,’ Vanessa said. ‘Normally it turns them on thinking about it.’

      Maggie snickered. ‘Not Shawn. He’d be appalled if he knew about the things we’ve done.’

      Vanessa sighed. ‘Would he be appalled if I was a guy?’

      Maggie stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. ‘I guess.’

      ‘So what’s the difference? Either way, he’s not going to like it, but until he’s willing to commit to you, that’s his problem.’

      ‘But the thing is, if he knows I like girls, it’s going to freak him out.’

      ‘But you’re bisexual. Not gay. If he can’t handle that then it seems to me he has insecurity issues. If you’re willing to commit to him, that’s all that should matter.’

      Maggie sighed and nodded. ‘I guess. But I can never tell him about you and me.

      ‘You’re going to have to introduce us to him some time soon. Pity he lives over in New Plymouth. Half an hour’s drive away. Although a group of us will be over there this weekend at the Aquatic Centre. Why don’t you ask him to come?’

      ‘I guess. He may be nervous about not knowing any of you guys though.’

      ‘Well, he has to get to know us eventually.’

      ‘Yeah.’

      Vanessa ran her fingers through Maggie’s long ginger hair. ‘It’s neat that I got to be your first.’

      Maggie smiled, her cheeks displaying her deliciously kissable dimples. ‘I wish I could have been your first.’

      ‘Way too late for that.’

      ‘Would you do this with Holly?’

      Vanessa pictured Holly’s face in her mind. The rounded chin, the big brown eyes, soft cheeks and shoulder-length brown hair. She couldn’t help but smile.

      ‘Have you? With her?’

      ‘I wish,’ Vanessa said. ‘She’s gorgeous.’

      ‘Do you think she’s prettier than me?’

      Vanessa examined Maggie’s face. Her eyes seemed worried. ‘I can’t compare you two. You’re both unique. You’re both gorgeous. But she’s not like that. She’s straight.’ She rolled back onto her back and sighed. ‘Maggs... Remember, my main priority is Rex. You realise that, right?’

      ‘Yes, that’s okay,’ Maggie said quickly. ‘I’m really hoping things work out with Shawn.’

      Vanessa turned to her. ‘That’s great, but if you’ re going to be with me, you have to be able to keep your emotions in check, otherwise, it’s gonna mess with your mind. Take it from someone who knows from experience. Remember, we’re great friends first and foremost. We’re lovers second but only on the odd occasion. Only when it’s the right time and place.’

      ‘Okay. I got it.’ Maggie smiled, showing her dimples again. ‘Hey, speaking of hot chicks, when do you do your first modelling shoot?’

      ‘Not sure yet. I have to go to New Plymouth next week to talk to Anne Summers and sign a contract.’

      ‘That is so exciting. You’re really going to do it?’

      ‘Yeah-huh. It’ll be fun.’

      ‘Is it a big company?’

      ‘Yeah, it’s huge. One of the biggest in New Zealand. I got to take a look around on Saturday. Even got to meet some of the models. They were shooting a layout for Consummate magazine. They had a whole group of girls there.’

      Maggie turned over and propped herself up on her elbow. ‘Are there guys too?’

      ‘Of course. I met a couple.’ Vanessa screwed up her face. ‘One of them hit on me.’

      Maggie laughed. ‘And you rejected him.’

      Vanessa nodded. ‘Nicely of course.’

      Maggie glanced over at the clock beside her bed and jerked up. ‘Oh, my god, Mum and Dad will be back soon. We better get cleaned up.’

      There came a distant knocking.

      Maggie flinched. ‘Ohhhhh, no way. You stay in here. I’ll go out and see who it is.’

      ‘Okay.’

      Maggie jerked on a pair of jeans and slung on a T-shirt, leaving her underwear on the floor where it lay. She left the room.

      Vanessa covered herself with the sheets and relaxed for a few seconds. She glanced around the walls, looking at the posters of various rock groups, mainly metal. She didn’t mind metal but favoured mainstream music. Retro was her thing. 80s music in particular.

      The posters were the only things of interest in Maggie’s room. She had a chest of draws and a bedside table with a drawer and lamp. She had a wooden glory box in one corner and an easy chair with a huge woollen teddy bear sitting in it. Cuddly toys were not Vanessa’s thing.

      Maggie burst back through the door. ‘Oh, my god!’ She panted. ‘It’s Shawn! You have to get dressed. He’s downstairs.’

      ‘Oh...’

      ‘Hey, Maggs, wait up!’ A male voice came from further down the hallway.

      ‘I said wait!’ Maggie called back. ‘I’ll be there in a minute!’

      ‘Hey, your parents aren’t back yet. Let’s go to your room for a bit.’

      ‘No!’ Maggie stepped back into the hallway and closed the door. ‘The room’s a mess and I don’t want Mum and Dad catching us doing anything. They’d kill me.’

      Vanessa leapt out of bed and slung on her clothes.

      ‘Ah come on, just for a few minutes,’ came Shawn’s reply. ‘Hey, what gives? Why won’t you let me in? What’s going on in there?’

      ‘Nothing.’

      ‘Is someone else in there?’

      ‘No!’

      ‘There’s a guy in there, isn’t there?’

      ‘No!’

      ‘Then let me see. Come on!’

      Vanessa hauled on her jeans, and fully dressed, plonked herself at Maggie’s computer, shifting the mouse so the screen saver disappeared. She opened a card game and started to play.

      The door opened behind her and she turned to see a slim boy with curly brown hair peek through the gap. ‘Huh? I thought you said no one was in here.’

      Vanessa greeted him cheerfully. ‘Hi.’

      Shawn entered the room with Maggie behind looking slightly pale.

      ‘Who are you?’ He asked, his eyes wide. He had a reasonably athletic build but was of average height. It seemed Maggie had done okay for herself, at least when it came to outward appearances, but that didn’t confirm anything Maggie had told her about him.

      ‘I’m Vanessa.’ She said in a casual tone. ‘Just hanging out. You must be the Shawn I’ve been hearing all about.’

      Shawn scanned the room including the floor where Maggie’s underwear lay. Unfortunately, it stuck out like a sore thumb because the floor was otherwise spotless. ‘I thought you said the room was messy?’

      ‘It is!’ Maggie stepped forward and picked up her panties, throwing them into a basket beside the glory box. ‘My stuff is still lying around and my bed’s a mess.’ She went over and pulled the sheets and blankets over. ‘Are you satisfied there’s no guy here?’

      ‘Yeah... Sorry.’ He stared at Vanessa and his brown eyes sparkled. It was one of those gazes Vanessa had seen many times from guys when they saw her for the first time. She’d gotten used to it but it made her a little uncomfortable this time, considering he was dating Maggie.

      ‘Vanessa was saying before you got here…’ Maggie said, still sounding a little flustered. ‘You should join us this weekend at the Aquatic Centre. A group of us are going.’

      ‘Yeah?’ Shawn continued to gaze at Vanessa.

      ‘Yes. Vanessa’s boyfriend will be there and a whole lot of others from school. It’s going to be great.’

      ‘Ah... yeah...’ His face dropped a little. He scanned the room some more, then turned to Maggie. ‘Why did you tell me no one was in here?’

      Maggie opened her mouth to speak but it was a couple of seconds before any words came out. ‘She was... she’s—’

      ‘Not supposed to be here,’ Vanessa inserted. ‘Maggie’s mother wanted her to do her overdue book report before she had friends over.’

      Maggie’s face lit up. ‘That’s right. Worst luck.’

      ‘Yeah but I wouldn’t tell your mother,’ Shawn said.

      ‘I told her not to tell anyone I was in here,’ Vanessa said. ‘I didn’t want her risking getting into trouble.’

      ‘Yeah,’ Maggie nodded furiously. ‘I was doing what she told me.’

      ‘Ah, okay.’ Shawn glanced at the speaker on the desk beside the computer. ‘Hey, is that Miss Goo Goo’s latest?’

      ‘Yeah huh,’ Vanessa replied.

      ‘I hear she’s doing a concert in Auckland next month.’

      ‘I’ve already got my ticket,’ Vanessa said.

      Shawn turned and smiled at her. ‘Cool! You’re going?’

      ‘That’s why we bought the tickets.’

      ‘We?’

      ‘Rex and I.’

      ‘He’s your boyfriend?’

      ‘Yep.’ She tagged something extra onto the end to make sure he knew where he stood. ‘The only guy for me. My dollbaby.’

      ‘Dollbaby?’ Shawn snickered.

      ‘The perfect model of a male.’

      ‘If you say so.’

      ‘I do.’

      He turned to his girlfriend. ‘Hey, Maggie. We should go to the concert too. I’ll get us tickets.’

      ‘Sorry,’ Vanessa said. ‘But you’re too late. They’re already sold out.’

      ‘Bugger.’

      Vanessa would have had serious doubts about double-dating Shawn and Maggie, uneasy about his intentions. She had to tell herself Shawn was reacting the way most other males did when they met her for the first time but was loyal to Maggie and his desire to go to the concert had nothing to do with Vanessa being there.

      ‘Pity,’ Maggie said. ‘It would have been neat, hanging out with my three most favourite people in the world.’

      ‘Huh?’ Shawn swung around to face her. ‘Three most favourite?’

      ‘Yeah,’ Maggie said, squinting. ‘Vanessa... and Rex are two of my best friends.’

      ‘Oh... I guess that’s okay. You never told me you were friends with a guy though.’

      ‘I have lots of friends that are guys.’

      ‘Yeah, but best friends?’

      Maggie shrugged. ‘Well, you know, we all hang out. There are other guys we hang out with too but they’re...’ Maggie hesitated.

      Shawn peered at her again, one eyebrow raised.

      Vanessa once again came to the rescue to prevent Maggie from having to come up with a reason that would not make Shawn jealous. ‘Rex’s mates. That’s the thing when you hang out with me, Rex is part of that and he has friends.’

      ‘I guess so,’ Shawn said in a monotone voice.

      ‘Let’s go downstairs,’ Maggie said. ‘We can get a drink. I’m parched.’

      Vanessa thought about their little charade and decided it best to continue going along with it, even if Maggie had forgotten about it. ‘But if your parents come, they’ll see me.’

      ‘Oh... right, yeah.’

      ‘And you’re supposed to be doing your book report, right?’

      ‘Err, yeah’

      ‘What’s the book report on?’ Shawn asked.

      ‘Ummmm,’ Maggie said. The last book report they had to do was handed in over a week ago.

      ‘George Orwell’s, Animal Farm,’ Vanessa said.

      A wry smile crossed Shawn’s face.‘We did that one last term. Can I see what you’ve done?’

      Maggie froze and stared at Vanessa.

      Vanessa laughed and deliberately tried to sound scornful but only enough to make it sound light-hearted. ‘What, you’ve come here to see Maggie and you want to look at some school book report? Your teachers must love you and your dedication to learning.’

      ‘Huh, what?’ Shawn jerked upright. ‘Hell no, I do what I have to do and that’s it. Won’t see me pandering to no teacher. Ah, forget the book report anyway. That story was a load of bull.’

      Maggie smiled warmly at Vanessa from over Shawn’s shoulder.

      ‘I should go,’ Vanessa said.

      ‘No, don’t. Stay for a drink,’ Shawn said. ‘We’ll keep an eye out for Maggie’s parents.’

      ‘No, I have to go. I promised I’d go around to Rex’s before dinner.’ She hadn’t but felt uncomfortable with the way Shawn continued to ogle her.

      ‘Oh... Well, I’ll come along to the Aquatic Centre with Maggs. I’ll see you then.’

      ‘Okay.’

      Shawn smiled and delivered her a wink.

      Alarm bells went off again inside Vanessa’s head, even louder than previously. What sort of guy was Shawn? Would he ultimately end up hurting Maggie? She sure hoped she was overreacting.

      CHAPTER 2:

      The Dogs are Back in Town

      Rex Cassidy strolled along the road enjoying the cool evening breeze. He’d been hanging out with his friends Wal and Pete after school, but it was time to head home for dinner.

      He had his headphones on listening to music as he walked.

      "…The boys are back in town, the boys are back in towowowowwwwwwn."

      He grunted and skipped over the song. ‘How did that old piece of crap get on there? It’s gonna have to go.’

      It shuffled onto the next song, a more easy-listening song. Retro too, but more his style.

      ‘I guess that’s what I get for letting Pete put music on my phone.’

      He paused to take in a deep breath, catching a whiff of wet leaves that had fallen from the maple trees on the side of the road. He gazed in the direction of Mt Taranaki. Despite the cool weather, it was clear and he could see the entire mountain, unobscured by clouds, covered in a healthy layer of snow.

      He had to make sure he kept these walks up even after he got his car. He’d been saving up his money for several months. Fortunately, for him, his wealthy parents were very generous so in less than a year, he had saved enough to buy himself something special.

      ‘You need a sporty car,’ Vanessa had said to him. ‘A sporty car for a sporty guy.’

      ‘A head-turner,’ Wal had said. ‘Ya gotta have a car that when it drives past, everybody takes a look.’

      He resumed his walk, turning down another side street.

      A shout came from further along the street.

      ‘Leave me alone!’

      It was the voice of a female. On closer inspection, there were two leather-clad men on either side of her. They wore Wild Dog patches. Rex had dealings with the gang in the past, including having them gatecrash his seventeenth birthday party where he beat their leader, Hone in a fight. More recently he had been responsible for bringing down a crystal meth supplier who belonged to the gang. He didn’t particularly want to rile up the gang further but he refused to stand by while they bullied an innocent pedestrian.

      He quickened his

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