* * *
Tucker stood glaring at Pete while his two henchmen, Joe and Colin, stood either side of him. Mav approached cautiously with Sam at the rear. He didn’t know what he would be able to do to help, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
‘I didn’t mean to spill that drink on you,’ Pete pleaded.
‘That’s not the only thing!’ Tucker snarled. ‘It was you that vandalised my bike this morning. You let down the tires then you threw mud all over it. It’s a total mess now. I looked a right royal butthead riding that home. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t do it, because I saw you standing right next to it with a bucket in your hand.’
‘I was just checking it out. I was wondering who the toe rag was that did that to your bike. I could hardly believe it myself.’
‘Then why did you run away as soon as you saw me? And that bucket you left behind had mud in it!’
‘I know it did. I picked it up because I was wondering what it was doing there.’
Holly spoke up and her eyes were aflame as she glared at Tucker. ‘Why don’t you just leave him alone?’ When she saw Mav coming, her eyes lit up, but as soon as she looked beyond him, to Sam, her eyes saddened.
‘Just shut up!’ Tucker growled, giving her an evil glare. He turned back to Pete. ‘You’re lying to me, Cook! Why did you run away?’
‘I was scared. I thought you might blame me for it. There’s no way I would vandalise your bike, Tucks. Why would I want to risk riling up one of the toughest guys in school?’
‘The toughest guy in the school!’
‘Of course! Only a moron would do something to upset you. It would be like a death wish. I was trying to figure out who the Neanderthal was that did it. I was going to report him… or her to you.’
If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, Mav might have laughed at the garbage Pete was feeding Tucker. Pete had bragged about what he had done to Tucker’s bike at school earlier that day. Now he was trying to boost Tucker’s ego to get out of trouble. Mav figured that while it might have worked if Tucker was alone, it wasn't going to fly with Joe and Colin around.
Colin rolled his eyes. ‘Come on, Tucker. You aren't buying all that crap, are you? You know he’s only trying to weasel his way out of a thrashing.’
‘I reckon,’ Joe added. ‘You know what he really thinks of you. He vandalised your bike alright.’
Tucker’s expression soured again and he glared at Pete. ‘You lying little ubbhead! Don’t you think you’re going to get away with that!’ He peered back over at Mav and Sam. ‘What the hell do you two want, anyway? Can’t you see I’m dealing with business here?’
Mav replied, ‘Hey, Tucker, I’m just concerned about my friends, that’s all.’ He glanced at Holly, but she refused to make eye contact.
‘You know, Maverick; you deserve a good ubbering too! Don’t think I don’t know what you say behind my back.’ Tucker advanced towards Mav, his fists clenched. Both Joe and Colin moved in towards him, looking happy that a fight was finally about to start.
Mav was about to take a step back when suddenly Holly darted out in front of Tucker and stood between the two of them. ‘Don’t you dare lay a finger on him, you creep!’
‘Get out of my way!’ Tucker snarled and with a sweep of his arm, shoved her aside, causing her to tumble to the ground.
A bomb went of in Mav’s head. He lunged at Tucker, swinging wildly at his head. His fist connected with Tucker’s jaw, which caused the bully to reel. Before Mav could do anything else, Joe and Colin leapt upon him, pulverising him with vicious body blows.
‘Stop!’ screamed Holly sending a foot out at Joe, catching him in the back of the leg, but having absolutely no effect.
‘Leave him alone you guys!’ Sam shouted, staying well clear.
Mav’s legs buckled underneath him and down he went. Pete tried to intervene, but Joe and Colin turned on him instead. They would have laid into him some more, if it wasn’t for the timely intervention of Rex Cassidy.
Rex lunged in and shoved both Joe and Colin off Pete. Both boys hurtled back onto the ground, but leapt quickly to their feet again.
They hesitated.
Tucker snarled, ‘Stay out of this, ubbhead! This is between me and him!’
‘What’s going on?’ Rex glanced from one person to the next.
‘He pushed me!’ Holly pointed an accusing finger at Tucker. ‘Mav and Pete were trying to stick up for me.’
‘Lies!’ Tucker snarled. ‘It’s all lies, right guys?’ He glanced at his two companions who still stood there, looking grimly at Rex.
‘You’re the one who’s lying!’ Holly snapped.
Mav wanted to voice his agreement, but he could hardly breathe, still suffering from the assault he had endured. The best he could do was rise to a sitting position.
‘Ok, let’s calm down for a moment,’ Rex said and turned his head back to Tucker. ‘What’s happening?’
‘That little ubbhead vandalised my bike!’ Tucker pointed at Pete
‘How?’
‘He let down the tires. Then he covered it all in cow shit!’
‘Cow shit?’ Pete said with indignation. ‘It wasn’t cow shit! Besides, I didn’t do it, I told you!’
‘You did that to his bike?’ Rex turned to Pete, an eyebrow raised.
‘Yes!’ Tucker replied for him, red with fury.
‘Not nice, not nice.’ Rex scratched his chin.
‘You’re telling me!’ Tucker sneered. ‘Now stay out of this or I’ll smack you one! This is between Cook and us and I’m going to teach him a lesson, got it?’
What Rex said next chilled Mav to the bone.
‘Sure, sure. Far be it from me to stand in the way of justice, Tucks.’
Mav flinched. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but then again maybe it wasn’t all that surprising, after all Mav had always had serious doubts about him. Perhaps his Mr Nice-Guy image was all a front and he was no better than Tucker himself? Perhaps he was even afraid of Tucker and his two goons? It made Mav even more convinced that it was Rex who dobbed him in to Mr Reaper.
An evil smile came across Tucker’s face. He let out a cackle of laughter, looking like a comic book villain who had received a super weapon to annihilate his foes.
‘But it wasn’t me!’ Pete pleaded. ‘I didn’t put it there, I’m telling you!’
‘Don’t lie to me, Cook!’
Rex spoke again and it made all heads turn back to him. ‘He’s not lying.’
Mav held his breath in anticipation. What was Rex’s game?
Tucker turned gaped at Rex. ‘What?’
‘He’s not lying,’ Rex said casually, with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Pete didn’t vandalise your bike.’
Mav would have scratched his head if it wasn’t still throbbing from the beating he’d just took. Of course it was Pete who’d vandalised the bike. So what was Rex playing at?
Joe piped up with a glare on his face, ‘Then who did?’
‘Yeah, ubbhead, who?’
Rex smirked. ‘I did.’
A hush fell once again. Mav shook his head, gazing up at the bemused expressions on everyone’s faces, Pete’s in particular.
Tucker stared at him in equal disbelief. ‘You? You vandalised my bike?’
‘Yup!’
‘But why?’
‘You really want to know why?’
‘Yes!’
‘Because you’re a douchebag.’
Mav nearly smiled. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge Rex after all.
Tucker’s eyes bugged. ‘You did it? I could report you to the police for that, you know!’ His bold, surly self, returned. ‘You’ll be in big trouble, ubbhead!’
‘It’ll be worth it.’
‘But that’s nothing. Because what my mates… what I’m going to do to you now is far worse than what the police would do to you!’
Joe and Colin stood staunch. Their faces darkened and their
fists clenched open and shut.
Rex continued to remain nonchalant. ‘You’re an eejit, Fats.’
‘What did you call me?’
‘I called you an eejit. I figure it’s about time that we had it out.’
Mav’s eyes widened and a sense of amazement coursed through him. So Rex was going to stand up to Tucker after all?
Rex scowled. ‘I hear that you’ve been making a lot of peoples’ lives a misery here at this school. Well, I’ve decided that it’s time to put things right.’
‘You and whose army?’
‘You and your army if you like.’
‘We’ll see about that. Colin, Joe. Get him!’
Colin and Joe came in on Rex from both sides. Pete and the two girls shuffled over to where Mav sat, so they were right out of harm’s way.
Things moved so fast that it was difficult for Mav to keep up with everything. Both Colin and Joe made a lunge at the same time and were immediately met with offence. Rex blocked one blow from Colin and sent Joe staggering with a side snipe to his face. He ducked down and swept Colin off his feet. Rex scrambled back up, taking a defensive stance.
Colin and Joe moved in again and this time Rex couldn’t fend them off so easily. Colin grabbed his arm while Joe nailed him with a solid blow to the jaw. Both boys got stuck in with blow after blow, like they had with Mav earlier. Mav wanted to jump up and help but only managed to climb to his feet and even then needed Pete’s support to remain standing.
When it looked as though Rex was done for, he threw both attackers off himself with an incredible burst of strength and a loud shout. They both went flailing sideways to the ground. For a moment they were stunned, surprised at the show of brute strength, but Rex motioned them both to get back up. His nose bled and he had taken quite a few blows, but he seemed to want more.
‘Get him, boys!’ Tucker thrust his fist into the air.
They both converged on Rex again.
Rex launched out at Joe with a high-flying karate kick. He connected with his head sending him hurtling back to the ground. Colin dove in and Rex attempted a flip, but Colin managed to reverse it, bringing him to the ground. He attempted a downward thrust to Rex’s head, but Rex in an amazing move of agility sprang back up and twisted Colin’s arm behind his back. He sent a karate chop to the back of the neck, sending Colin staggering.
Joe clambered back up and sent a wild blow to Rex’s head. Rex ducked and clothes lined him off his feet like a pro wrestler, sending him crashing back to the ground. He spun around to meet Colin, blocking several karate chops and attempting some of his own. Both attempted kicks and sweeps - neither connecting. Joe came in from behind Rex and nailed him with a knee to the kidney.
Joe grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back and Colin came in to deliver move blows.
Mav couldn’t stand it anymore. He pushed the pain aside and rushed in on Joe from behind, clobbering him over the back of the head. Pete followed his lead and charged at Colin, but the burly hood met him with a fist to the jaw. Pete went crashing to the ground.
Mav’s assault on Joe was also futile as he found himself doubling up in agony from a blow to the midsection. Looking up, breathing heavily he knew that at least he’d given Rex a few seconds to recover.
Rex now stood on his feet, dripping blood, but ready for more.
‘Stop mucking around!’ Tucker urged his two boys on. ‘Finish him off!’
Both boys moved in again, fuming. What happened next was one of the most brilliant displays of martial arts, boxing and wrestling that Mav had ever seen. Rex moved in faster and harder than before. He sent Colin staggering with a bevy of fast karate chops and delivered two jabs to Joe. A windmill kick sent Colin flying and a savate kick almost took Joe’s head off.
Both boys hit the ground, writhing in agony.
‘You win,’ Colin gasped.
‘You’re too good, Bro,’ Joe winced.
For a moment, all was silent as Rex wiped blood from his nose. He turned to smirk at Tucker whose face turned pale. Mav could only imagine the horror Tucker must be feeling, right now, having seen his two tough bodyguards so severely pulverised.
‘Now.’ Rex’s expression grew dark. ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t do to you what I just did to your pals, Fats.’
‘I… I… I..!’ he stammered. ‘I... I... I..!’
Rex grabbed him by the shirt and continued to peer at him with fire in his eyes while Tucker whimpered like a scolded puppy dog. Finally, he let out a growl and shoved Tucker hard, causing him to stagger back a few steps. ‘You’re not worth it, Pyles! You’re nothing.’
In some ways, it disappointed Mav that Rex wasn’t going to pound the stuffing out of Tucker like he deserved. On the other hand he couldn’t help but breathe easy, relieved that the violence was over.
Rex pointed his finger at Tucker, still with a business like expression on his face. ‘But let me tell you this, asswipe. No more! Got it? No more! If I hear that you’ve been picking on anybody in this school ever again then you’ll have me to deal with, got it?’
‘Y… Y… Y… Yes!’
‘Yes what?’
‘Yes, Sir!’
‘Now get the hell out of my face!’
Tucker lumbered away as quickly as he could, leaving his two goons still lying on the grass.
Holly bent down beside Mav. ‘You okay?’
Mav groaned and finally noticed all the aches and pains in his body, but managed to find the words to reply. ‘Yeah… I’m okay.’
Chelsea appeared on the scene. Mav hadn’t noticed her there hiding and watching. She rushed over to Rex. ‘Rex, you’re hurt.’
‘What on Earth is going on here?’
Mav flinched. It was Mr Harris. Bad timing as usual.
Rex wiped blood from his nose and replied to him in a friendly tone, ‘Sorry about this, Mr H. I’ve just been sorting out a few problems.’
‘Looking at the state of you, I’d say they were quite big problems.’ Mr Harris paused to look down at Joe and Colin. ‘Hmm...’ He nodded then turned and grinned at Rex. ‘Well, keep up the good work, Rex, my boy. You others had better get back inside, alright?’
Mav breathed easy once more as Mr Harris strolled away. Whatever friendship he and Rex had going, Mav was just happy it existed.
Once Mr Harris had gone from sight, Pete spoke up, ‘Rex, it was me, you know. I did those things to Tucker’s bike.’
Rex smiled. ‘I thought as much. Don’t worry about it, Cooks.’
‘Rex, look out!’ Chelsea gasped.
Colin and Joseph rose to their feet and they both advanced towards Rex, but this time all animosity had gone from their faces.
Colin extended his hand. ‘You beat us fair and square, mate.’
Rex eyed his hand for a moment, then slowly extended his own and shook. To Mav’s relief Colin made no aggressive move.
‘You’re good,’ Joe said. ‘You’re one strong dude.’
They shook too.
Rex examined them both closely. ‘You both seem like cool guys. Why do you hang out with such a loser like Pyles?’
‘Well, you know how it is.’ Colin grimaced. ‘Wherever Tucker is, there’s trouble. We love a good fight.’
Rex nodded. ‘I can identify with that.’
Colin and Joe said no more and departed through the back door to the hall.
Chelsea touched Rex’s shoulder. ‘You were great, Rex. It’s about time that someone taught that creep a lesson. But we’ve gotta see about cleaning you up.’
‘Good idea.’ Rex acknowledged the rest of them with a grin and a wave of his hand and the two departed.
Mav stood there with Pete, Sam and Holly. For a moment, there was silence and then Sam spoke. ‘Look. I gotta go. I’ll see you all later, okay?’
‘Sure,’ Mav replied.
She turned to Holly before she departed. ‘You two have fun.’ She smiled and walked away.
Mav shifted his eyes fr
om Pete to Holly. He didn’t quite know what to say to either of them.
Fortunately, for him Pete made the first move. ‘Hey, Mav. I won’t hold you up, I just wanted to apologise for the way I’ve been acting these last few weeks. I’m sorry I blamed you for all that stuff… about Mr Reaper and Wal… and the other stuff too. None of it was your fault. You know, I’ll understand if you tell me to get lost. I realise now that I’ve been a total jerk. It was actually talking to Holly here that made me realise it. You’re a good guy Mav and I hope that we can be friends again.’
Mav could see in his eyes that Pete was genuine. If he and Holly had talked, it must have been a good one. He couldn’t help but smile at Pete. ‘You’re a real idiot sometimes, Pete. You know that?’
Pete grinned. ‘Yeah, I know. I’m a total idiot. I admit it.’
‘Hey, don’t worry about it. Us idiots have to stick together, right?’
Pete chuckled. ‘Yeah, I guess we do. I’ll see you inside. I guess that you and Holly have some talking to do.’