New Year at TAC

Mandy still wasn’t quite sure how to react to Dale, so the intervention of the police gave her a reprieve. It concerned her though as to the claims of alcohol being drunk by them, because as far as she was aware no one had brought any, not even Wal.

  ‘What’s going on here?’ Constable Gloria Melrose was one of the officers and gazed around at them grimly. ‘Who were those guys we saw walking along the beach? Some of you look like you’ve been fighting.’

  ‘It was those guys,’ Mandy said. ‘They harassed us. Our guys were just sticking up for themselves that’s all.’

  The police glanced from one of them to the next with concern.

  Gloria turned to Rex. ‘Is this true, Rex?’

  ‘It’s true, but we managed to break it up. Everything’s ok now.’

  ‘Do you wish to lodge a complaint?’

  Rex glanced around from one friend to the next. He then turned back to face her. ‘It’s ok. We sorted it out.’

  ‘Ok,’ Gloria said, dubiously. ‘If you say so, but I’m afraid there has been a complaint laid against you all for underage drinking.’

  ‘We haven’t been drinking!’ Mandy glared. ‘Who the hell told you that was happening?’

  ‘We received an anonymous tip off. We hope it’s just a prank, but we have to be sure.’ She glanced at Rex and then at Vanessa who stood next to each other. ‘Are you two talking?’

  Vanessa smiled. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Ah, that’s great. I hope you sort stuff out.’

  Mandy gazed over at Rex and Vanessa. She felt glad about that and hoped that everything had been resolved, whatever it was.

  The officer in charge stood over the bags, while another checked out the drinks on the tables. ‘Do any of you have any alcohol at all?’ asked the officer.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  ‘Because if we are to find any trace of alcohol at all in any of these bags, there could be some major trouble. Does anyone want to admit to it now, so as to avoid us having to search these?’

  ‘Officer,’ Rex said. ‘I gave express instructions that no alcohol would be at this party. So, if anyone has, you can be assured it was done without any of us others knowing.’

  ‘Well we have to check. Can I have each of you come over and open your bags please? We’ll start with you, Mr Cassidy.’

  Rex calmly walked over and picked up his bag. He opened all the flaps for them to see. The officer checked it thoroughly before handing it back to him. ‘Looks like you’re a popular guy. Next.’

  One by one, the police searched the bags, but found no alcohol.

  ‘Hold on a minute,’ the other officer spoke suddenly. ‘Who are those two over there?’

  Making their way along the beach was Tucker and Surly. Surly staggered along looking bloodied and beaten and Tucker was trying to help him along. When Surly saw them all there, he wanted to go in a completely different direction, but the police were already heading over to see them.

  In seconds, everyone surrounded Tucker and Surly.

  ‘It was him!’ Surly pointed an accusing finger at Rex. His face was swollen up and he could hardly talk. ‘He did this to me!’

  ‘You did this to him?’ the officer in charge looked at Rex.

  ‘He’s lying,’ Vanessa spoke up. ‘We’ve been here partying the whole time.’

  ‘That’s a lie!’ Surly spat blood.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Wal spoke up. ‘He’s been with us here the entire time. We didn’t even know Luke was around.’

  ‘Tucker tell them! He did this to me!’

  Everyone stared at Tucker. It was unlikely that even if he did tell the truth, the police would believe him as he had a bad track record - even with them. Even so, it didn’t stop Mandy worrying about what trouble it would cause if Tucker supported Luke’s story.

  ‘Did you see this happen?’ the officer asked Tucker.

  Tucker paused for a moment and then shook his head. ‘Nope. I didn’t see what happened. When I got up there, he was already beaten to a pulp.’

  Surly’s eyes widened.

  ‘Did you see Rex at all around the area at the time?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘You lying bastard!’ Surly screamed. ‘I told you to go get him!’

  ‘No, you didn’t.’

  Surly stared at him, his mouth agape. ‘Why are you sticking up for him? After all he’s done to you in the past?’

  ‘I’m not sticking up for him. You’re just an ubbhead, Shirley.’

  ‘They’ve got alcohol!’ Surley snapped. ‘Have you checked their bags?’

  ‘Are you the one that laid the complaint?’ the officer asked.

  ‘Yes! I saw them take bottles out of their bags.’

  ‘That’s not true!’ Mandy fumed, wanting to add more injuries to Surley’s bloodied face.

  ‘Now who’s lying, you dirty creep?’ Holly snapped.

  ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, Shirley,’ Sheep sniggered.

  ‘I smell alcohol on your breath,’ Gloria said to Surly. ‘Have you been drinking?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘You won’t mind us checking your bag then?’

  ‘Go ahead!’

  She opened the bag and her eyes widened straight away. She pulled out three hip flasks of alcohol.

  Surly gasped and stared at them in disbelief, only one eye opening as the other was puffed up. ‘How did they get there?’ He turned and glared at Tucker. ‘Pyles you double-crossing piece of shit! You planted them there!’

  ‘Don’t try to pin it on me!’ Tucker growled. ‘I can’t afford to buy alcohol. I can barely afford to buy myself enough food.’

  Surly let out a cry of anguish.

  ‘Underage drinking?’ Gloria frowned at Surly. ‘And on top of that, lying to a police officer. You’re in big trouble, pal.’

  The officer in charge turned to the rest of them as the other cops escorted Surley away. ‘Well you guys and girls enjoy your party. It’s good to see kids your age, behaving responsibly. Have fun.’ He too departed.

  Once they were out of sight, Mandy breathed a sigh of relief and she, along with everyone else turned to face Tucker.

  ‘What happened to Surly, Tucker?’ Sheep asked. ‘Who beat him up? And don’t try to tell us it was you.’

  Tucker turned his eyes to Rex. Everyone else turned to him too.

  ‘What happened…?’ Sheep asked, but then his voice trailed off. ‘Oh… He tried to do something to Vanessa, right?’

  Rex nodded. ‘The eejit got exactly what he deserved.’

  ‘I don’t get it,’ Mandy said. ‘Why would he call the cops to come and bust up our party? Especially when he knew we didn’t have any alcohol.’

  Tucker smiled. ‘He thought you did.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because he tried to get me to put some in your bags, but at the last moment I decided not to and then put them back in his bag later.’

  Mandy gazed at her friends, dumbfounded and they too exchanged the same bewildered expressions.

  ‘But why?’ Jacqui asked. ‘You hate us. Why didn’t you go through with it?’

  Tucker shrugged. ‘Because Surly was too big an ubbhead. He’s bad news and I didn’t like what he was scheming.’

  Rex stepped up and patted him on the back. ‘For once Tucker, you did the honourable thing.’

  All the others agreed.

  ‘Thanks, Tucker.’ Mandy smiled.

  Tucker beamed as some of the others slapped him on the back.

  ‘Hey Tucker, there’s plenty of food still going,’ Ginge said. ‘Why don’t you get over there and clear some of it up?’

  ‘UUUUUUUUBBAAAAAAAA!’ Tucker cried out in rapturous delight. He charged toward the table without a moment’s hesitation.

  They all laughed.

  They began to follow him back. Mandy stayed behind to talk to Dale, although she still wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him at all and still wasn’t sure what to say.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ he sa
id. ‘I know I’ve been a real dickhead and I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk to me ever again.’

  ‘Why did you bring them here, Dale?’

  ‘I…I just wanted to stir things up a bit. Get back at Rex, I guess.’

  ‘For what? He didn’t do anything to you. And didn’t you think you’d be hurting me too?’

  ‘I realise that now. I am such an idiot… It’s just that when I saw you and Rex together in that bush and I heard the things you were saying, I couldn’t handle it.’

  ‘What things?’

  ‘You know, about you never betraying him. And that no one would ever know that you two were seeing each other.’

  Mandy stared at him in confusion. ‘What the heck are you talking about? I think you’ve got your wires crossed.’

  ‘I heard you. You said these exact words…You know I would never betray you. No one would ever know.’

  Mandy stared at him for a few seconds and then realisation dawned on her. She sighed deeply and rolled her eyes up into space. She shook her head. ‘Like I said, you got your wires crossed. We were talking about personal stuff, things that he didn’t want to tell me… about him and Vanessa. I was trying to get him to open up and I promised him I would never tell anybody and nobody would know that I knew.’

  Dale’s mouth dropped opened and he flinched. ‘Oh no… I completely got the wrong end of the stick.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I am such a moron!’

  ‘Yes.’ She couldn’t help but smile. She could understand why he was so upset now and might have assumed the same thing if she was in his shoes.

  ‘I am so sorry. I can’t believe I would jump to conclusions like that. I should have trusted you.’

  ‘Yes. And if you want us to have a relationship, you have to be willing to do that.’

  ‘You mean you still want to see me?’

  ‘Well, I don’t know. It might take a year or two before I can forgive you. But I guess we could give it a try.’ She fired him a cheeky smile.

  He smiled too. ‘So, we can start writing Casterton vs Evans on the desks at school then?’

  ‘No. We can’t.’ She frowned. ‘It’s gotta be Evans vs Casterton.’

  They both cracked up.

  ‘Come on Dale. Let’s go back to the party.’

  ‘I don’t think your friends will want me there.’

  ‘They’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.’