Scheming at TAC

By Richard Pinkerton

Tucker Pyles has lost his job and he has until the end of the week to get a new one otherwise he will be kicked out of home by his witch of a mother.

Newcomer, Biggles, Rex's cousin, has arrived at Te Arawa. But why is it that Rex refuses to have anything to do with him?

Holly Robinson and Rick Maverick have split, but she still desires to have him back. But will she lose out to the girl who Mav had a crush on at the beginning of the year or will Jacqui Donaldson sabotage everything?

The school gala is coming up but it could turn out to be very controversial... a kissing booth AND a challenge that will be completely humiliating for the loser.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Pinkerton
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370783427

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.

Book preview

Scheming at TAC

(Book 5 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 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 - Boot Camp at TAC

10 - Dark Days at TAC

11 - Jealously 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 – Godly People at TAC

19 – Sabotage at TAC

20 – Distrust at TAC

21 – Competition at TAC

So Long, TAC

Acknowledgements

Melva Gifford

Tess Louis

Laura Holt

Marie Malo

To Joseph

I still remember the day you tackled those three guys in the locker bay.

Ash would have been proud.

CHAPTER 1:

The Last Straw for Tucker Pyles

Tucker Pyles toiled away at the Green Dame Café, scrubbing out one of the ovens with a pot scrubber and liquid scourer.

‘Bloody Don Hawkins! He’s an ubbhead. Why do I always get all the dirty jobs? Why can’t he give me some decent tasks for a change? Why can’t I do some of the cooking? Oh no, it’s cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. And how much do I get for it? Peanuts! I get no respect.’

He’d been working there for a few months part-time, mainly in the evenings, helping support his family, enabling them to keep enough food on the table. He hated it something fierce.

He continued to rant, ‘I’m sick of slaving away in this dump.’ He poured liquid over the bottom of the oven and scrubbed vigorously with his steel pad. With his other hand, he scratched his short curly brown head, smearing it with frothy brown muck. ‘Especially on bloody Labour weekend. Bloody Mum. She should be at work not me. I work my butt off at school, study, study, study and she sits at home all day watching soaps. I never get any time to relax.’

He hated that his mother had quit her part-time day job and sent him out to work instead. His Dad worked at the local Dairy factory but it didn’t earn them anywhere near enough to survive on. Their massive food bill alone accounted for most of his salary. Tucker worked to help supplement their income so his lazy mother could mooch around home all day.

‘I wanna go home and watch TV.’ He wiped grime onto his bulging gut and glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was 7:30 pm. The café had closed and only the cleaning needed to be done. Don no longer allowed him to wash dishes because he had broken too many plates and glasses. He had been given far dirtier, demeaning tasks to do. ‘I’m nearly sixteen years old. I should be out with my mates... Or chasing girls...’

He paused and gazed out the window. There was a party that night. A going-away celebration for Daryl Chambers. He hadn’t been invited but then he never got invited to cool events like that.

He scowled as he watched two of his female classmates stroll by, all dolled up. Jacqui Donaldson and Holly Robinson. No doubt they’d be going to the party.

‘That’s who I should be on a date with,’ he grumbled to himself. ‘Holly Robinson. She’s my type, unlike that snobby friend of hers.’ Although he had to admit, it would be awesome to have Jacqui on his arm too. The shapely dark-haired hotty was one of the most lusted-after girls in school. Still, even Jacqui couldn’t compare to the drop-dead gorgeousness of her shorter companion.

Tucker had had a crush on Holly for a long time but she was still playing hard to get. She fancied him really. She simply held back, not wanting Tucker to think she was too interested. After all, wasn’t that the case with all women? They pretended to hate your guts but it was only ever a front. For some reason, they liked the guys they fancied to think they hated them. At least that’s what his dad had taught him.

He gazed out the window a little longer. How he wished he could gatecrash Rex Cassidy’s party and charm the socks off Holly.

‘This time she’s gonna give in to my animal magnetism.’ He chuckled to himself. ‘She’s already dumped that smart-arse Rick Maverick. And Rex Cassidy doesn’t give a shit about her. It’s only a matter of time before she realizes how much she loves me and how much she wants to be with me.’

A gruff voice interrupted his fantasies. ‘Pyles, are you talking to yourself again?’ It was Don Hawkins, his boss. He stood at the main doorway to the kitchen.

Tucker thought he looked a lot like Donald Trump. He was about the same age and like Trump, it looked like he’d picked up a flattened possum from the side of the road and used it as a toupee. He could have at least dyed the possum a darker colour, rather than leaving it grey, but perhaps Hawkins preferred to look like a miserable old fart?

Jerk.

‘I have to dash out for a few minutes, Tucker. Make sure you keep an eye on those pies in the other oven. They’re almost cooked. Take them out when the beeper goes off, okay? And don’t you dare stick your fingers into any of them.’

‘I won’t.’

‘And don’t use so much of that cleaner. You don’t need so much. How many times do I have to tell you?’ He marched out of the kitchen.

‘Ubbhead! One day soon, I’m gonna be the one in charge and you’re gonna be the one doing the dirty jobs.’ He squirted more liquid into the oven. ‘I’ll use as much ubbing cleaner as I like... ubbhead.’ He continued to scrub for a little longer and then paused. He turned to the other oven and gave a long sniff. The wonderful aroma of apple pies wafted in his direction. ‘Uuuuuubbaaaaaaaaa,’ he muttered softly. He hauled himself to his feet, moseyed over to the oven, pulled the oven door down and peered inside.

Two pies were baking. The old-fashioned type, like his grandmother, used to make, surrounded in pastry. They would be served up the following day cold with whipped cream.

For a few moments, Tucker stared longingly. Hunger pains throbbed inside him. He was used to eating a meal right now but he wasn’t due to go home for another half-hour yet. Don had made him stay later because he had caught him skiving off earlier, eating a snack when he should have been working.

‘Ubbing Hawkins. Interrupt me when I’m eating, why don’t you? Nobody stops me from having snacks. Making me stay late just because I was taking a break. I work my ass off around here and I can’t even stop for a snack?’

Tucker’s hunger gnawed inside him like something out of a sci-fi horror movie. If he didn’t eat soon, his stomach would cave in… or worse something would burst out of him angry at not receiving enough sustenance. Staring at the pies only made him feel hungrier. Hawkins wouldn’t notice if he peeled off a little pastry.

He removed his cleaning gloves but paused before reaching in. Considering how hot it would be, he reached for a tea towel. Using it for protection for his fingers, he attempted to peel a small piece of pastry off one of the pies. The heat still emitted through the material so he tugged at it. At that moment an ear-piercing shrill sounded from the oven as the timer went off. He jerked back in shock, pulling the pastry at the same time. The crust peeled right back revealing the fruity filling underneath. Fortunately, it didn’t rip right off but it caused Tucker to flinch and he let go, allowing it to fall back in place again.

‘Urrrrbbaarrrrr! Stupid buzzer.’

Using oven mitts, he transferred them over onto one of the benches to cool. Nevertheless, he wasn’t about to leave right away. His hunger pains still stabbed at him mercilessly. Oh, how he wanted to try some. A taste test. To make sure it was cooked properly.

He returned to the pie he partly damaged and lifted the piecrust carefully. He gazed longingly into the fruity goodness, breathing in a whiff of cinnamon. He reached with his other hand for a nearby drawer, where he retrieved a spoon. He then dipped the spoon into the mixture and pulled out a little on the tip of the spoon. Steam rose from the fruit, looking very inviting indeed. He gently guided the spoon to his mouth, blew on it to cool it and sucked it in. ‘Mmmm,’ he groaned, as he allowed the hot sweetness to roll down his throat.

Just a little more.

He lowered his spoon back in for another sample. As that portion ran down his throat, he already had his spoon back in the mixture, scooping up a larger share. Nobody would notice if a few spoonfuls went missing. If he put the lid back on it, it would look as though it had never been touched. Don certainly wouldn’t be opening it up to see if any of the filling had gone missing.

A few spoonfuls later, Tucker was still digging in. The helpings on his spoon increased in size. A little more wouldn’t matter. The piecrust would sit over the pie and the customers would think the pie was a little light on filling but then most pies you bought at cafés were.

He enjoyed the apple filling immensely. He seemed to have no control over his actions now. It was as if the spoon willed itself into the mixture. If a spoon wanted to shovel goodies into his mouth, he certainly wasn’t going to talk it out of it.

As he ate, he peered out the window. Another schoolmate passed by, most likely to the going-away party, judging by the way he was dressed, in nice jeans, an immaculate white jacket and hair nicely combed. It was Rick Maverick, Holly’s boyfriend.

Ex-boyfriend anyway.

Tucker chuckled to himself. ‘Ubbhead. You blew it big time with Holly. You weren’t good enough in the sack, were you? Cuz she got it on with Rex Cassidy behind your back. Ha ha ha.’ He shovelled another spoonful of pie filling into his mouth and spoke as he munched. ‘Poor old, Maverick. His girlfriend got herself pregnant to one of his mates. How humiliating. That’s why you’ve lost her, bub.’

He watched Rick Maverick disappear around the same corner the girls had. Why was he going to the party held by the guy who got his ex pregnant?

He still envied the guy. At least he’d been Holly Robinson’s boyfriend.

Tucker glanced down at the pie and grimaced. The level of apple filling had dropped drastically, now only about a quarter full. He came to his senses and realized what he had done. If he put the lid back on it would cave in and it would be obvious the filling had been removed.

‘Oh no… Now what?’

Dan’s reaction to this wouldn’t be pretty. He would probably make Tucker stay back and bake another one. Even worse, he’d probably take the cost of the pie out of his pay packet.

Tucker tried to put the lid back over but the middle of it sunk as he’d feared. It looked a depressing sight. He had to do something and do it quickly, as Don Hawkins would be back soon.

He scanned the kitchen desperately for a solution. He moved over to the bench where the pies had been made. A scrap bucket sat there with the apple peels and pastry offcuts. He took the scrap bucket over to the pie, lifted the lid back up and mixed the apple peels into it.

‘At least it’ll still taste like apple.’ He replaced the lid of the pie and patted it down a bit. ‘There.’ It looked exactly like the other pie did. Don would never notice the difference.

Don returned a short time later and seemed satisfied all was in order. Tucker finished cleaning the oven and was released to go home.

He set off on foot and came across Holly and Jacqui standing at the end of the street. What had they been doing all this time? Rick Maverick was there too. He and Holly seemed to be talking to each other amicably.

He stepped up to meet them. ‘I thought you guys had a party tonight.’

‘We do.’ Jacqui scowled at him. ‘We’re going over there once we’ve finished in town. Why do you care, anyway? You’re not invited.’

Tucker didn’t bother to reply and turned his head to Holly and Mav. ‘I thought you two had broken up?’

Holly frowned. ‘None of your business.’

‘You shouldn’t listen to rumours, Tucker,’ Mav said. ‘Or so I’ve heard.’

Tucker wanted to release his frustration but he held it back. ‘There better not be any drugs and alcohol there.’

Holly huffed. ‘Rack off, Tucker, there’s gonna be nothing like that. It’s a going-away party for Daryl Chambers. Who the hell do you think you are anyway? The freaking morality police?’

Tucker tapped his chest. ‘I’m a working man now. Yes. Some of us have responsibilities. Unlike you slackers, I earn my money. I don’t expect my parents to give everything to me on a silver platter. I don’t have time for parties.’

‘And it eats you up, doesn’t it?’ Holly smirked, glee in her big wholesome brown eyes.

‘Oh, oh, don’t say that,’ said Maverick. ‘We’re talking about an entity here in Tucker who normally does the eating. Imagine how horrific the beast would be that eats him.’

Jacqui and Holly both laughed.

‘That’s for sure!’ Jacqui snorted, throwing back her long dark hair.

‘UUUURRRBBARRRRRRR!’ Tucker growled. ‘You better watch it, Maverick or I’ll smack you one.’

‘Whatever!’ Holly retorted. ‘You know Rex will deal to you if you mess with us.’

Tucker fumed. That was true and it made his life a misery. He hated that there were so few people in the school now he could bully, thanks to Rex ubbing Cassidy.

Tucker scowled. ‘You’re lucky you have a hired goon as well as rich parents.’

‘What the hell do you mean by hired goon?’ Holly snarled. ‘You’re the one with the goons. Ash, Hew and Diesel. You have them pick on people for you because you can’t do it yourself.’

‘Yeah,’ Jacqui said. ‘Rex is no bully like you and your butthead mates. He sticks up for the underdog, that’s all.’

Tucker snickered. ‘So, you’re admitting you’re a couple of dogs then?’

‘Drop dead!’ snarled the blue-eyed brunette.

‘Yeah, Tucker,’ Rick Maverick said. ‘Join the rest of the roadkill on the side of the street that you like to throw into pies at the café you work for.’

Tucker steamed as the three of them continued along the street. Oh, how he despised them… well, Mav and Jacqui anyway. If only there was something he could do to make them pay for the ridicule…

He went home, still feeling irked. Why hadn’t he been invited to the party? He could have headed over there after work.

Tucker spent a dull evening at home and a boring Saturday morning hanging out, not doing particularly much. At least he had no real hassles and didn’t have to deal with ridicule from his fellow students, as he would if at school. It wasn’t until he arrived back at work the following afternoon that things turned sour. No sooner had he walked into the back entrance of the café when Don Hawkins confronted him.

‘What the hell did you do with my pies last night?’

‘Huh? What do you mean?’ Horror well up inside Tucker but he put on an innocent expression.

‘You did something to one of my pies. It was full of rubbish. You ate half of it and then filled it back up with crap!’

That wasn’t true. ‘I didn’t fill it up with rubbish. I put apple back in it.’

‘So, you did get into my pie?’ Hawkins glared at him with fury in his eyes. ‘You scoffed half my pie and filled it up with rubbish.’

‘It was apple,’ Tucker whined. ‘I was hungry. And I made some more filling and put it back in.’

Don stormed over to a nearby bench and bought back a tray with a pie on it. It had a few slices cut from it, and the rest of it had been ripped open. The apple peel was mixed up with the little bit of the remaining filling. It looked disgusting.

Tucker put on the most innocent expression he could muster. ‘What’s wrong with it?’

‘Look at all that garbage. It’s full of scraps!’

‘That’s good apple in there. I reckon I made that pie even better than what you made it.’

Don’s eyes bugged. ‘What were you trying to do, poison the customers?’

‘I was making a nicer pie.’

‘Why don’t you eat it then, huh?’ Don fumed, thrusting the tray towards him.

Tucker gazed at the pie unappetizingly. ‘It’s been sitting around all day. I don’t want to eat it now.’

‘Eat it!’ Don snarled, shoving it forward so it hit his stomach. ‘Eat the whole darn thing or I’m going to fire you right now.’

Tucker paused for a moment. He glanced at the pie then back at the angry face of Don Hawkins. It appeared he had little choice in the matter. He didn’t want to eat the pie but then he didn’t want to be fired either. He would have been happy not to work there anymore but his mother would be furious. She’d make his life even more of a misery.

He took the tray and placed it on a nearby table. It wouldn’t be so bad. He had eaten much worse. His mother’s cooking was appalling at the best of times, so a few apple peels weren’t going to kill him.

So, Tucker sat down to eat the pie. Don stood by, along with a couple of other staff members, watching him as he ate. Don had an evil gleam in his eye and a smirk on his lips. The pie itself wasn’t half-bad. The texture wasn’t particularly nice but it tasted okay and at least