Toddy and Jinks got up, took a couple of steps down, then turned back to look at Daniel - sitting there with his arms folded, staring straight ahead of him.

"No! I don't want to meet Dee. I meant what I said, Barney. I don't want to join any group. And I'm sick of being rejected - it looks like you have to be born in this bloody town to be accepted anywhere."

"Aww. Don't be chicken. Come on, this could be the place for you - it's a new group and they're looking for players."

"Forget it, Toddy. I'm not going to." He got up and walked away from them, and away from Dee who was coming up into the other end of the grandstand.

Barney ran after him and stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Daniel, don't be such a wuss. This is your golden opportunity, Boy."

"Get Off!" he swung around, shaking off Barney's hand, his face red again - angry this time. "Read my fucking lips, Todd. I-Don't-Want-To! Fuck off!" He stormed away and out of the grandstand.

Barney, shocked, stood and called out after him, "Daniel. Daniel! Wait Up! Where are you going?"

He kept walking without looking back. A hand went up in a one-finger salute as he spat, "Get yourself another fucking puppet. I'm outa here!"

Barney took another couple of steps, then sat down and watched him walk away. Jinks came down and sat next to him.

"Aww, can it, Jinks. He'll cool down. His talent is going to waste, he needs to be in a group of muso's - and he did try to join the school band the other day."

"Well, Dee won't. Not if it's true that she's building a group. Let's go and ask her."

Jinks followed after him. "Why can't you just drop it, Toddy? Didn't you read his fucking lips? You do try to take over people's lives you know."

"Come on, Jinks. Don't you go throwing a hissie fit on me too. Sometimes people need a push in the right direction. Hey, Dee. How's it going? When did you have the baby? Kept that quiet, didn't you?"

"Gidday, Toddy, Jinks. It's not my baby, Jerkoff. He's my neighbour's baby - I'm just looking after him."

"Shut up, Jenkins!" she laughed. "It's not Jay's. We've got other neighbours you know."

"I told you, Jerks, he's not my baby. And, if I was going to drop a tittie out, it wouldn't be in front of you two perverts. So, what do you want? Or have you just come over to hassle me?"

"Shut up, Jinks. Dee, seriously, the word around town is that you're putting together a rock group, is that right?"

"Well, yes. It's not that serious though. Jay's a drummer, a really good drummer. I'm just trying to find some people to make music with him."

"Talent? There's not much of that around here. I think the town's just too bloody small. Still, so far, we've got Peter Lewis on the keyboard, he's not bad though he'd rather be playing around with the arrangements, and there's Sandie Evans on the bass guitar and she's really good - even if she does think she's Suzie Quatro. Quiet little Sandie Evans, put her behind a guitar and she turns into a loud 'rock-chick'. That's all we've got though. Why, do you guys play something?"

"Kadie? No, I hadn't thought of her. But, she's into country music - cowboy boots and big white hats. Still, maybe she might try a change of style. We don't want a country group. I'll ask her anyway, thanks."

"We didn't come to talk about Kadie Green. What about a lead guitar, Dee? Are you looking for a lead guitar?"

"A lead guitar? Oh, yes! Man, we so need a lead guitar. Have you got someone? Do you know a guitar player?"

"Dee, sweetie, if Eric Clapton moved into town, would you want him in your little group?"

"Eric Clapton! What're you talking about? Is Eric Clapton here in Westpoint?? No!"

"No, he's not in town. But we know someone who just moved here and he's every bit as good. I think so anyway, if not better. And he's just a kid - fifteen."

"Seriously? Is this a joke? Are you shitting me, Barney Todd? Who is this guitar-god then? Where is he living?"

"Honestly, Dee. I wouldn't bullshit you. There's this new kid - Daniel O'Brien. He's living with the Peters over the road from me and he plays the guitar like you wouldn't believe."

"Wait up! Slow down. We know him, and he's the guitar man, but there's a problem. We've just had a bit of an argument and I don't think he's talking to us - well to me anyway."

"Well go and apologise to him then. Grovel - do anything, but get him to come around and meet the guys. We - they - so need a lead guitar. Does he sing too? Peter and Jay are just so-so on the vocals. Sandie sings, but she only wants to do Suzie Quatro songs. Besides, Time Out have got a girl singer. We need a guy who can sing. Peter really wanted Justin Reynolds to sing for us, but he wasn’t interested. Pity, because he had a fantastic voice. Still, does this O'Brien kid sing?"

"Short answer - no. He says that he can't sing, but he can make his guitar sing for him."

"Ah, well, too bad. But we need a guitar. Go and get him, Toddy. Do whatever it takes."

"I'll try, but the reason he's pissed at me is I wanted him to talk to you about trying out for your group."

"No way, Dee. I'm not getting in the middle of this or he won't be talking to me either."

"What's the problem then? Why didn't he want you talking to me? I don't even know the guy."

"Long story. He says that he's tired of being rejected. The school band didn't want him, neither did Time Out - no vacancies."

"Well tell him we won't reject him. If he's half as good as you think, the guys would love to have him. Hell - if he can stand up and hold a guitar, we'll take him."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. But this may take some time, I think he's seriously pissed off at the moment."

Barney and Jinks went back to the Peters' place, but Daniel wasn't there, Nita hadn't seen him. They checked the garage anyway, but he wasn't there either. He wasn't over at Barney's house. They rang Max and Derek, but they hadn't seen him all day.

Barney went out and looked in his own garage. When he climbed up the wall to look in his private place, Jinks asked, "Why would he be up there? Have you been showing him your dirty books, Toddy?"

"Never you mind. He's not here anyway. Maybe he's gone back down to the Shingle Beach - that's where we found him yesterday. Go and get your bike, Jinks, and we'll go down there and look."

"Go to hell. If you want to go and look for your boyfriend down at the beach, you can get yourself there. I'm not doubling you, not this time - no way. I'm going home, catch you later."

"Well you're acting like he is. Matter of fact, you both are. Maybe it really was a lover's quarrel. Is there something you're not telling me, Toddy?"

"In your dreams! Course he's not - he's just a new friend, that's all. C'mon Jinks - Mate! Go and get your bike - for me."

"No Toddy, I'm not - read my lips. I'm going home, I've had enough of this. You can come and borrow my bike if you want, but you're riding it yourself."

Jinks walked away waving a one-finger salute, but he looked back and grinned, "Later, Toddy."

As he was walking home, alone, Jinks was thinking, ‘I can't really get mad at you Toddy, but I'm not bloody doubling you out to the beach. And what's with you and Daniel. It'd be just my bloody luck if the good-looking new kid swept into town and took the prize that I've been wanting forever.’ A bit further on it occurred to him, ‘If he does join Jay's group, he'll be hanging around there and not spending all his time with Toddy. Oh, yes. I'll have to help that along if I can.’ He made a detour to the school just to make sure that Daniel hadn't gone there for a look around. He hadn't.

Meanwhile, Barney was stewing – ‘Bugger you, Jinks. Bugger, bugger, bugger! I've got to get out to the beach - he must be there and I've got to fix things. Never mind the guitar thing, I don't want to lose my new friend, okay, my new boyfriend. I don't want to lose him. I've got to get out to the beach, but I'm not walking - that'd take half the bloody day. Maybe Max would take me? Or Derek? No, they'd just want to know where Jinks was and laugh at me.

Wait a minute! Mum's not here, but her car is. She'll be at netball, and she'll be there for hours, but the car is here. I need the practice driving anyway if I'm ever going to get my licence. Then Jinks really can go screw himself, I won't need him or his bike anymore.

Yes, the car! Where would the keys be then? Yeah. It's not like I'll be driving up through the town - just down the road to the beach and back – easy. Good practice.’

Sure enough, the keys were carefully hidden in Mavis' 'secret' place in the fridge. He went out, opened the garage doors and, carefully, slowly, backed the car out. "Careful, careful - one little scratch and she'll know. She's got good eyes for an old sheila."

Successfully out in the street, he changed gear and, with just a couple of kangaroo hops, he was off and away down the road out to the Shingle Beach. Arriving there, he stopped and looked around, but there was no sign of the Guitar Man. He started the car again and swung around in a circle to get back on to the road, but he misjudged - went too far out and two of the car's wheels went off the hard-packed sand and stuck in the soft stuff. Damm! He floored the accelerator, but the back wheel just spun around and he could feel the car sinking as it dug itself a deeper hole.

"Bastard! Shit! Damn and Fuckit!" He leapt out and kicked the back tyre, but that didn't help at all.

"Whoah! Now you're in trouble, Boy. If I don't get this bloody old heap out of here and safely home, I'm going to be in deep, deep doo-doos."

He ran around searching for bits of driftwood to put under the wheel for some traction, but there was hardly anything around. So he went to the back of the beach to the scrub and bracken, to break off as much of that as he could. All the while, he was muttering to himself.

"Bugger, bugger, bugger. This is all your bloody fault, Kevin Jenkins. If you had just doubled me out here, this wouldn't have happened. Damm. It's your fault too, Daniel O'Brien - what did you have to go and disappear on us for? And it's Mum's fault too. Why couldn't she get a Four Wheel Drive instead of this bloody old tank? Okay - maybe it's my fault too - a little bit my fault. Anyway, I'm the one who's gonna be in trouble. Can't see Jinks or Daniel being grounded for this, somehow."

Hearing a car coming up the road, he ran back over to his problem. "Don't be a friend of Mum's. Don't be a friend of Mum's."

The car appeared and it wasn't anyone who was going to land him in trouble. It was a group of kids he knew from school - Seniors. Graeme Johnson was driving, Dave Taylor beside him and a couple of girls in the back seat.

The car stopped next to him, the window wound down, and Graeme Johnson's head stuck out. He looked down at the wheels, looked up at Barney, and queried, "Got a problem, Toddy?"

"Well of course we can, of course we can give you a hand." The car roared away as he planted his foot, and one hand waved out the window - giving the one-finger salute.

He sat down on the sand and dropped his head forward on his knees. He wasn't going to cry, he was too big for that. He wasn't going to.

Then he heard a car approaching, and it stopped beside him. He wasn't going to give those jerks another laugh either. Two doors opened and he looked up to see Lucas Sheridan and Carl Douglas grinning down at him.

Carl went to the boot and dragged out a length of rope. "Hey, Toddy. Got yourself stuck then?"

"Don't worry about it," said Carl dropping down and fishing around, looking for somewhere to tie the rope to. "It's no big deal - I've done the same thing myself. We'll soon have you out of here."

He attached the rope, looped the other end around his tow-bar, hopped back in to the driver's seat, and slowly eased Toddy's car forward, out of the hole and back on to the road. Carl got back out and took the rope from Lucas who had untied it. "There you go, Toddy. Problem fixed. Just try to stay on the road now."

"No trouble - glad to be of service. Just 'pay it forward' when you find someone else in trouble."

"I will, seriously. Thanks Carl. Thanks Lucas. You're my heroes. Listen, I'm looking for someone - he's a new kid in town, Daniel O'Brien. I don't suppose you know him? He's tall and thin, really long dark hair, and dressed all in dark blue - jeans and top. Have you seen him around?"

"No, I haven't either. If we do see him, we'll tell him that you're looking for him."

"I don't know if that would help - we had a row. If you see him, tell him that Dee's looking for him."

"Oh, for Peter and Jay's group. Okay, we'll keep an eye out for him. See you round, Toddy."

They drove off with a wave - a proper wave this time, and Barney carefully circled around and drove back home. He parked in the garage and grinned, relieved that he was safely home.

But, as he was getting out, he noticed that the front of the car was full of sand. "Damn. How did all that get in there? It looks like a bloody bucket-full of sand."

Resigned to his fate, he went inside and brought out the vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess. After about ten minutes cleaning and grumbling, it was all done. He switched off the cleaner and stood up. A shadow moved and he saw Daniel standing in the open doorway.

"Down to the wharf? That's about the only place I didn't look. I even pinched Mum's car and drove down to the Shingle Beach - and got it stuck. Carl Douglas and Lucas Sheridan had to come and rescue me. I'm just getting the sand out of it. So, are we okay then?"

"I don't want to lose you too. So... do you wantta?" He raised his eyes to the platform in the rafters.

"Oh, Yes! Make-up sex sounds good to me. Can you shut the front doors? I'll get the back and lock up - don't want anyone walking in here for the next hour or two."

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Westpoint Tales

by Kiwi

Entangled Tales - 19 - Toddy & Daniel