Jealousy at TAC

by Richard Pinkerton

Rex Cassidy arrived at the doorstep of Vanessa’s house. He’d been hanging out with Will Ullman and Pete Cook in town and needed to stop by at Vanessa’s place to drop off a catalogue he’d picked up from a tattooist friend.

  ‘Rex, come on in!’ Grace Bishop, Vanessa’s very youthful mother greeted him. She had long dark glistening hair like Vanessa, plus the voluptuous hour-glass figure. She had the rounded chin, the glossy, full lips and the sapphire blue eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was Vanessa’s mother he would have put on the charm, despite the fact she was in her mid thirties and gay. ‘Take a seat, I’ll get you a drink.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Rex sat down on the couch. ‘Is Vanessa around?’

  ‘No, she hasn’t got back yet, but I’ll be expecting her soon.’

  About a minute later she came back in with a glass of wine and another of orange juice. She handed him the orange juice. ‘I’d love to offer you wine, but then I wouldn’t want to be deemed guilty of giving alcohol to a minor.’

  ‘No worries. Juice is great.’

  Grace sat right down on the couch next to him, almost touching him. She turned sideways, crossing her long smooth legs. She wore a short skirt, so it was hard for Rex not to look. Her low cut top was also very revealing. ‘It’s cool that I’ve got you alone for a little. We’ve never really had a chance to talk since we moved here. Vanessa has always been nearby.’ He touched his hand with her own. ‘I am glad you’re here. I haven’t seen Nessie this happy since Taukauri.’

  Taukauri was where Rex and Vanessa had met a few years earlier. They had become inseparable until Vanessa and her mother left.

  ‘Nessie suffered so much when we left Taukauri.’ She sighed. ‘We had to do what we did. We had to try to get her to move on and the only way to do that was for you to cut all ties with her. You understood that, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yeah, I know, Grace. It was the hardest thing I ever did.’

  ‘I know.’ She patted his hand and smiled, her eyes focussed on his. ‘And then she fooled me, found out where you lived and tricked me into moving here.’ She ran her fingers through her long dark hair and twirled a bit at the end with her finger. ‘I’ve gotta give her props, she can be very cunning when she wants to be. Very smart.’ She smiled warmly. ‘But then I don’t blame her for trying to get back to you.’ She touched his hand again. ‘If I had a boyfriend like you, I’d do everything to keep hold of him.’

  Rex gazed down at her hand, which still rested on his. He raised his eyes back to hers. For the first time, Rex began to feel a little uncomfortable.

  ‘I think you’re a really wonderful guy, Rex, the way you care about her and look out for her. I realise now I can never try to separate the two of you again and I won’t.’

  Rex took an extra big mouthful of his drink, deciding that it might be better if he left as soon as he could. Her whole manner, including her body language disturbed him. It would have delighted him if it had been any other woman of her quality, but this was his girlfriend’s mother. He glanced at her glass of wine which was now almost empty. He’d hardly noticed her drink it. Perhaps it wasn’t the first glass she’d consumed that evening.

  She continued, ‘Not only are you caring, you’re also very cute.’ She moved her hand to his leg.

  ‘Ah... Grace.’ Next thing he knew, her lips pressed up against his and her arms wrapped around him. He could smell the wine on her breath. As much as he hated to do it, he had to pull himself free. ‘No, Grace, you can’t!’ He pulled her hands from him and stared at her. ‘I’m your daughter’s boyfriend.’

  ‘She won’t mind,’ Grace said.

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Rex rose to his feet. ‘Look, I better go. Thanks for the drink, Grace.’

  Grace flinched. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry.’ She rose to her feet too. ‘I got carried away. I should never have done that. I think I’ve had too many of these.’ She held up her almost empty glass of wine. ‘Rex, you must be totally freaked out having your girlfriend’s mother come onto you like that. You must be appalled and disgusted.’

  ‘Not disgusted. No way. I mean for a mother, you’re pretty hot. You would be even if you weren’t, but this is just too messed up for me.’

  ‘I know. I guess whatever Vanessa sees in you I can’t help but see it too. You know me and her have a very similar genetic makeup when it comes to who we find attractive.’

  ‘I know. Hey, I’m not gonna make an issue of this. I’m just gonna put this down to the alcohol and forget about it, ok?’

  ‘Rex, you’re just so sweet. No wonder Vanessa thinks you’re so wonderful.’

  Her smile was magnetic. It was very much like Vanessa’s. In fact there was so much of Vanessa in her features, he found it hard not to admire her. If Vanessa looked that good in her mid thirties, he’d be very happy. ‘I better go. You’ll give her this for me?’ He picked up the catalogue from the coffee table and handed it to her.’

  ‘What? A tattoo catalogue?’

  ‘Yeah, she wants to get an ankle tatt.’

  ‘And she needs a catalogue for that?’ Grace said. ‘I would have thought she would have just got a little heart with the name Rex in it.’

  ‘Nah, the last thing I’d want is for her to ruin her beautifully skin by tattooing my name on it. She’s gonna get something more classy, like a little butterfly or something like that.’

  ‘Cute. Hey, I hear you’re about to get your first car.’

  ‘Yep. Going in this weekend to buy one.’

  ‘What are you going to get? I know it has to be something sporty… something that a guy like you should have. Like a Porsche or a Ferrari. I bet you parents can afford one too.’

  Rex chuckled. ‘You know me well.’

  ‘I should. Vanessa can never stop talking about you. Well you take care now, Rex.’

  ‘I will.’

  Rex departed, feeling like he had managed to escape an awkward situation. As he walked along the road in the direction of home, he wondered what he should tell Vanessa. She was definitely not the jealous type and even encouraged him to spend time with his other female friends, but how would she react to find out that her own mother had hit on him? He didn’t like to keep secrets from Vanessa, but on this occasion he might have to, just to save her relationship with her mother.

  A shout came from further along the street. ‘Leave me alone!’ It was the voice of a female, one he didn’t recognise, but he could see two leather clad men on either side of her. She had to only be about fifteen years old, but the two men were unmistakably gang members, belonging to a gang named the Wild Dogs. Rex had had dealings with the gang in the past, including having them gatecrash his sixteenth birthday party where he managed to defeat their leader, Hone in a fight. More recently he had been responsible for bringing down a P supplier who belonged to the gang. He didn’t particularly want to rile up the gang any further, but he refused to stand by while they bullied an innocent pedestrian.

  He quickened his pace and as he drew closer he recognised the girl from school. Her name was Jaspy, but that was all he knew about her. She wasn’t the type he normally took an interest in, because she wasn’t slender or voluptuous, she didn’t have model like features like the rounded chin, full lips, healthy hair and alluring eyes. She was very plain and even a little overweight. Nevertheless, Rex didn’t pick or choose who he helped out and right now she needed help.

  ‘Please go away!’ she pleaded. ‘I need to get home.’ She tried to walk around one of the gangsters, but he blocked her path.

  ‘Hey little girl, you sure you ain’t got five bucks? That’s all we need.’

  ‘Yeah, you get pocket money don’t you?’

  ‘I don’t have any.’

  ‘Well how about we frisk you down and find out?’

  Rex stepped up. ‘How about I shove my fist into your butt-ugly face, eejit!’

  The two gang members spun around as he barged in and shoved one of them back with his hand. They were both in their late teens, possibly early twenties,
but that didn’t concern Rex.

  Jaspy’s pimply face lit up when she saw him. ‘Rex!’

  Both gang members faces turned pale.

  ‘You!’ the first one said.’

  ‘Rex Cassidy!’ the other blurted.

  ‘You beat up Hone.’

  ‘That’s right, douchebag, I did,’ Rex snarled. ‘And anyone who’d pick on a teenaged girl, bullying her for money, deserves to get an even worse beating.’

  The two backed away.

  ‘It’s cool, bro.’

  Rex sent them an evil glare as they turned and trotted away. He continued to watch them as they reached the end of the street. One of them turned and shouted. ‘You just wait, Cassidy! You’re dead! The Wild Dogs are coming for you. You better watch your back!’

  Then they ran.

  Rex pondered on their threat for a few seconds. He had expected he might get some backlash from the Dogs for the trouble he had caused them. Many of them who had gate crashed his party a couple of months earlier had been arrested. The recent P supplier had been locked up. The Dogs had even been investigated for manufacturing P, although as far as Rex was aware, nothing had been uncovered at their base of operation. There was talk that the supplier, although a member of the Wild Dogs, was operating independently from them. Even so, with another member of the gang gone, thanks to Rex, it seemed inevitable that the Wild Dogs would want to teach him a lesson.

  He considered the safety of his friends, particularly Vanessa. If these two Dogs were willing to molest a girl on the street just to get a few dollars, then what might they do to his own friends? He’d thought about such things before, but had not seen any gang members in Te Arawa apart from that one drug deal he busted. Why were they around now?

  ‘Rex!’ Jaspy threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight. ‘You saved my life!’

  Rex laughed. ‘I didn’t save your life. I just scared away a couple of thugs.’

  ‘They might have killed me.’

  ‘I doubt it. Not in the middle of the street. The Wild Dogs are a pack of criminal assclowns, but they’re not murderers.’

  ‘They might have beat me up really bad.’

  Rex doubted that too, but patted her on the back. ‘You’re fine.’

  ‘Thanks to you.’ Jaspy peered up at him a starry eyed smile on her face. ‘You are so brave. They were petrified of you.’

  ‘Well you better go on home.’

  She shuddered and peered down the street to where the two gang members had gone.

  ‘What if they come back? What if there’s more of them?’

  ‘They don’t normally come into Te Arawa. There’s nothing for them here. I don’t think you’ll have any more trouble from them.’

  ‘Can you walk me home? I’m scared.’

  ‘Sure,’ Rex said. ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘Barton Street.’

  ‘Let’s go then.’

  Jaspy turned her head regularly towards him, as they walked down the street, a huge smile on her face. ‘You are such a hero, Rex.’

  ‘Nah, I just saw someone who needed help, so I helped.’

  ‘How can I ever thank you?’

  ‘No need.’

  ‘But I have to! I know, I’ll buy you lunch. At school. No, wait, I’ll take you to the Green Lady diner for lunch one day.’

  As pleasant as Jaspy was, Rex didn’t really feel inclined to spend any social time with her. He had way too many people who demanded his attention, people he’d much rather spend his limited hours with. ‘Jaspy, it’s ok, you don’t owe me anything.’

  ‘But I do. You saved me.’

  ‘No, Jaspy, really. You don’t owe me anything.’

  ‘But Rex, I... I...’

  Rex flinched. He could sense what was coming; he’d had experience in such situations before. Not so much when it came to being a hero, but when it came to some girl who had a crush on him wanting to tell him how she felt. There had been so many of them… girls who were sweet, but who he didn’t fancy. He hated to have to break their hearts and hated to crush their fantasies, nevertheless he was not the type to lead a girl on. Up front and honest, was his motto.

  ‘I love you, Rex.’

  Rex kept walking. ‘No, Jaspy. You don’t. You’re just letting your emotions carry you away.’

  ‘I do! And it’s not just because you saved my life. I’ve loved you for so long now.’

  Rex came to a halt and sighed. Obviously this was going to take more than just a few contrary statements to get her to back off. He turned and smiled at her. ‘Jaspy, I’m flattered that you feel that way, but I think you’re confusing a crush for love, that’s all. You hardly know me at all.’

  ‘But I do. I know everything about you and I see you every day.’

  ‘Maybe, but you haven’t spent time with me personally. I don’t think we’ve even exchanged a word up until now.’

  ‘But I see you... every day.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Jaspy, but your feelings are something I don’t have for you. I don’t even know you. Only by sight.’

  ‘You can get to know me.’

  Rex patted her on the shoulder and smiled. ‘I’m sorry, Jaspy. But I can’t offer you that friendship.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘There’s only so many people I can give quality time to.’

  ‘You hang out with Maggie. And she’s new.’

  ‘Well Maggie kind of has an advantage. For one thing, she’s in a lot of my classes and another is she’s part of my social group… you know… friends with my friends. You understand that, right?’

  ‘Can’t I be in your group?’

  ‘It doesn’t work that way. It’s not like some club where you have membership. It’s a social networking thing.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Well it’s like you have a friend who has another friend and the other friend sort of becomes your friend because of it.’

  ‘So if I became a friend of one of your friends, I can get in the group?’

  Rex chuckled. ‘It’s more complicated than that.’

  ‘Sounds simple to me.’

  Rex sighed and shook his head. ‘Come on, let’s get you home.’

  They continued the rest of the walk in silence. Rex hoped that Jaspy would give up any notion of trying to get alongside of him. Hopefully she’d realise, that trying to be part of an in-crowd of seniors was going to be more hassle than it was worth.

  Jaspy came to a halt outside a white house with a hedged fence line. ‘This is my place here.’

  ‘Cool,’ Rex said. ‘Maybe I’ll see you around.’

  ‘Wait, Rex.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Am I too young for you?’

  Rex paused and flinched. ‘Jaspy, that’s not the...’

  ‘Destiny Donaldson. She’s in my classes. She hung out with you guys for a bit last year. She tells us about stuff you did. You liked her, right?’

  ‘I still like her and still hang out with her from time to time, but she realised she was better off spending the majority of her time with her own friends in her own age group. Perhaps you should do the same?’

  ‘No,’ Jaspy said. She smiled broadly. ‘I’m going to be part of your group. I want to be your friend.’

  Rex paused for a moment, considering being tough on her and telling her to forget about it, however, he couldn’t bring himself to be so harsh with her. ‘Well... good luck with that.’ He forced a smile and walked away.

  CHAPTER 3:

  Pyles Genius