* * *
Mav faced Craig McLeod. His first instinct was to walk right back out again, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to look like a coward and it didn’t look as though he was in any real danger.
‘Maverick!’ Craig bowled towards him and came to a halt in front of him, a killer expression on his face. ‘I told you to stay away from the dance. I told you to stay away from Samantha! But did you listen? No, of course you didn’t. Well, now you’re going to pay.’ He whistled and something rustled in the trees.
Mav spun around and came face to face with an unknown man of around eighteen or nineteen years old, tall, greasy, with shadows under his eyes. He had Mav’s retreat blocked off and there was nowhere for him to go.
‘Meet my buddy Fred.’
Mav considered running, but he doubted he’d get far. He tried to push aside all fear as he spoke to Craig. ‘So… you can’t do the job yourself so you get a goon to do your dirty work, huh?’
Craig’s face darkened. ‘I don’t need to hire anyone! But why make work for myself?’ He smirked.
‘Easy enough to say, but you were scared, weren’t ya? You’re a coward, McLeod.’
‘Take care of him, Fred.’
‘Wait!’ Mav held his hand up at Fred, ‘Just one moment.’ Fred stopped his advance, a gleam in his piercing green eyes and he folded his arms. ‘What’s in this for you, Fred? Money? What’s he paying you?’
‘I’m not paying him anything!’
‘You don’t really trust this guy do you, Fred?’
Fred snickered. ‘Why shouldn’t I?’
‘Is he paying you in advance or after the job’s done?’
‘Shut up, Maverick!’ Craig snarled. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Now come on, I just want to make sure he’s getting his money’s worth. Before or after the job’s done, Fred?’
‘After. Why?’
A sense of satisfaction came over Mav, having drawn out the truth. He now knew he had something solid he could work with. ‘And you reckon that he’ll pay you?’
‘He wouldn’t risk not paying me.’ Fred’s arms remained folded.
‘Do you realise what a slime ball you’re dealing with here, Fred? Do you know this guy?’
‘I know that he has money and that’s all I want.’
‘Then you don’t really know the guy?’
‘What is all this, Maverick?’ Craig became flustered. ‘Fred, will you just hurry up and get on with the job?’
‘Just a minute.’ Fred smirked. ‘I’m willing to humour him for a bit. Let him bide his time, it won’t make any difference will it, McClay?’
‘The name’s McLeod!’
‘Right. McLeod. Sorry, mate.’
‘So you don’t know him?’ Mav said. ‘Do you realise what a stuck up, selfish, egotistical scum bucket this guy is? He thinks he can splash his money all over the place and that everyone will jump whenever he speaks.’
‘Go on Year 11er, keep on talking!’ scowled Craig.
‘Do you even know why he’s paying you to beat me up, Fred?’
‘Because you stole his girl.’
‘That’s what he told you? This guy’s had it in for me ever since we first met! Just because I talked to her once, he decided that he didn’t like me. Now that she’s realised what a slime ball he really is she’s dumped him. Now he’s trying to take it all out on me.’
‘He’s lying,’ Craig said.
‘Look at him, Fred, the guy’s a user. He doesn’t have any real friends. People only pretend to like him because he’s loaded. Has he told you how he treated his girlfriend Sam? He used to treat her like dirt.’
‘Give it a rest, Maverick!’ Craig glared. ‘Just get on with the job, Fred.’
Mav continued, hoping that maybe this Fred might have some honour in him, especially considering he was prepared to listen. ‘It was her 16th birthday. He took her out to New Plymouth to McDonalds. The only thing was that he had invited all his mates too and ignored her the whole evening.’
Fred’s eyebrow rose.
Craig snarled, ‘Look, I treated her fine. Even bought her expensive gifts.’
‘What, like the ring you brought her and then gave to another girl after an argument? Yeah, that’s really generous, that is!’
Fred shook his head and glanced at his employer. ‘That’s low, McLeod.’
‘So what? What business is that of anyone’s? I’ve paid you to do a job Fred, why don’t you just do it?’
‘Shut up, McLeod!’ Fred snapped.
Mav continued to expose Craig’s past actions. ‘He bosses her around, he goes off with his mates and leaves her without a date, he puts her down in front of his friends, and he two times her. Some of the dances that they’ve been to, he never even danced with her once. Some of them he even danced with other girls instead. He’s the lowest of the low. Is this the type of guy you want to work for?’
Fred studied Mav with a grim look on his face.
‘Come on, man!’ McLeod whined. ‘Do him, Fred!’
Mav appealed to Fred one final time, ‘I’m telling you the truth, Fred. Craig McLeod is the biggest sleaze ball in Te Arawa College. I didn’t steal his girl. I just helped her get the courage she needed to dump his sorry ass, that’s all.’
‘He’s right, Fred.’
Sam stepped into the bush and glared directly at Craig. Mav didn’t know whether to be relieved that an ally had come to aid him or be even more worried that now Sam was in danger too.
Sam continued, ‘What are you doing here, Craig? You’re not supposed to be here.’
Craig scowled. ‘Sam. Stay out of this.’
‘No! You just don’t get the message do you, Craig? I don’t want you anymore; it’s as simple as that. As for any relationship with anyone else, there is none, so taking your frustrations out on Rick isn’t going to do any good.’ She strode up to her ex-boyfriend. ‘Face it, Craig, it’s over! I don’t know why I didn’t come to my senses earlier. You’re a jerk, a complete and utter jerk! I’ve heard enough. It’s typical of you, Craig to think that you can buy people to do your dirty work for you. You may be rich, but you’re worthless as far as I’m concerned.’
‘Shut up, Samantha, just shut up!’
‘No! You’re not telling me what to do anymore. You’re not going to bully me anymore. YOU shut up!’
Craig jerked his head towards his goon. ‘Fred! I’m paying you money here. Deal with him, will you?’
‘No.’
Craig reeled and stared at him in disbelief. ‘What?’
Even Mav could hardly believe it. Fred was refusing to do Craig’s bidding even though he was being paid?
Fred sneered. ‘Keep your money. I don’t want it.’
‘But we had a deal!’
‘Look, I only beat people up who deserve to be beaten up. This guy doesn’t. If anyone deserves to be beaten up it’s you, McLeod.’ Fred turned and without another word disappeared through the trees.
Craig stood there dumbfounded still staring off in the direction Fred had gone. When he turned back to Mav and Sam, his face appeared pale, but then his scowl returned. ‘Fine! If that’s the way you want it FINE!’
‘Yes I do,’ said Sam.
‘You two can have each other. I don’t care!’ He too, turned and strode away.
For a few moments, silence reigned as Sam and Mav stood there, Mav breathing easy again, feeling relief. ‘How did you know that I came here?’
‘Some guy at the main entrance saw you come out here. I just wanted to tell you that I’ve made a decision. I think that I should stay single.’ She paused for a moment to let her words sink in and then continued, ‘I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really like you, but I’ve been with Craig for so long now, I figure it’s time I just focussed on myself for a while. Do what I want, you know?’
Mav nodded and forced a smile. It was a sensible decision, he knew that, and it certainly made his decision a lot easier. Neverth
eless, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed as well.
‘I hope I haven’t hurt your feelings, Mav.’
‘No. You’re probably right. I guess I have to find Holly and talk to her. I just hope that she still likes me after this.’
‘I’m sure she will. How could she not?’ She leant forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. ‘There. For luck. And because I figure that it’s the only chance I’ll ever get.’
‘Thanks. I should head over to the Lotto shop right away. I hope it lasts me till I do.’
‘Well, in that case, just one more then,’ she kissed him again and then pulled well away. ‘I’d better stop before I get too carried away.’
They laughed and made their exit from the trees. Once out in the clearing again, something caught Mav’s eye at the rear of the school hall, there were students there and it looked like some kind of trouble was brewing.
‘Hey, isn’t that Holly over there?’ Sam asked.
‘Come on, we’d better get over there.’
‘You’re right. Let’s go.’