Year 10 At Tibcot - A Mel, Tab, Mewla & Cathy story

Chapter Three


  " I can't believe this!" I said to Tab was we walked home from school. "I can't believe that I have to do an essay on some temple just because I packed up early!"
  "And do you know anything about the Mindanao Trench? Because I don't." Tab said.
  "Well, I guess you can say goodbye to going out tonight." I said. "I got those nice flared cord trousers ready too. I was really looking forward to tonight."
  "We'll see how we go." Tab said. "If we get on the internet we may find loads of stuff.
  "Hey!" Mewla and Cathy ran up behind us. "Do you reckon we'll still be able to go out tonight?"
  "Well, we were just saying that if we can cracking with this work, yes." I said.
   Mewla and I crossed over the cul-de-sac to go to our house, which was directly opposite Tab's house, and Cathy went on to her own house, four doors down from ours. Tab and I waved as we went into our own houses.
   We all live in a really posh, quiet cul-de-sac, with really large posh houses. Then, as soon as Mewla shut the door, I raced up into my room to start my work. If I could just get most of it done, we might be able to go out!
  "Mel!" Mum yelled to me before I even had chance to lock my bedroom door. "There's a letter here that I want posting. Get down here and go and post it!"
  "But Mum, I've got stacks of homework to do!" I said. "I'm trying to do it quick so I can go out later with Tab, Mewla and Cathy!"
  "Well five minutes won't hurt!" Mum yelled back. "Where are you going tonight, anyway?"
  "Just into town!" I called. "We might meet up with Purbelle Kendall and Mewlarka Tomlinson, depending on what they're doing!"
  "Well come and post this letter!" Mum said impatiently.
   I came running down the stairs and collided with Mewla, who was just coming out of the lounge with a pile of reference books that we keep in the bookcase. She grinned and went off upstairs with her bag and books. I then picked up the letter from on the hall shelf, pulled on my boots, and let myself out of the door with it to go up the cul-de-sac and post it. I saw Cathy on the way up - she was hurrying down to the paper shop to get some sweets for her little sister. She was in a terrible rush.
  "Honestly, I've got all that work to try and get done so we can go out, and all Mum can do is make me go down to the paper shop for my little sister!" she said. "Can't stop!" and she raced on.
   By the time I got home, Mewla wasn't doing too bad. She had got some information from the books and was on the internet. There was hope yet!

***

   By the time our tea was ready, we were pretty much sorted. The internet had proved very useful.
   Just as we came down the stairs, the phone rang. Mewla picked it up, assuming it was Cathy.
  "Hello? Oh, hi. Yeah, she is." she turned to face me. "It's Tab."
  "Hi Tab." I took the phone from Mewla.
  "Listen - have you finished your stuff?" Tab said.
  "Yeah, pretty much." I said. "Have you finished?"
  "Yep." Tab said. "I think we may still be on for tonight. Cathy just rang me and told me that she was nearly done with the City Of Petra."
  "OK then." I said. "I'll call you after tea and we'll decide what time to meet."
  "Well, I'm just about to have my tea now." Tab said.
  "Did Tom help you?" I said.
  "No chance." Tab laughed. "He's upstairs taking a shower, because he and Francis are going into town tonight."
  "Well, it's alright for some!" I said. "He and Francis were laughing like anything in geography! Why didn't they get six million pages on Mount Fuji or something?"
  "Favouritism." Tab said.
  "Favouritism? Tom?" I laughed.
  "No, Francis." Tab said, giggling. "Anyone who hangs around with Francis gets treated like an angel. Francis is a real lad out of class, as we all know, but he's as good as gold otherwise!"
  "I'll let you go now." I said. "See you after tea."
  "Bye." Tab put the phone down with a click. I was just about to go into the kitchen, when the phone rang again. I picked it up.
  "Yeah?" I presumed it was Tab again.
  "Hellooooo!" Cathy was laughing on the other end of the phone.
  "Oh, hi, Cath." I said. "Tab said you're getting on OK with your essay."
  "Yeah, just finished." said Cathy. "Is Mewla around?"
  "I'll get her." I said. "MEWLA!"
   Mewla came out of the dining room, with spaghetti hanging out her mouth and a chunk of butter on her top.
  "Hiya!" she took the phone off me and spoke to Cathy. The spaghetti fell out of mouth all over the phone. I laughed and went to get my tea.

***

   It turned out that we had a great evening out. We all went to the late-night cafe in town, which is a really cool, funky place where we hang out and have hot chocolate. We often go there. It stays open till midnight, and it's usually quite quiet at night. It's a really posh, modern, funky place, with chunky sofas to sit on, cool music, and cute waiters. So the essays weren't really a problem for us.

***

   I woke up at quarter to seven next day, and sat up in bed. The freezing air hit me like a fist, and I was half-inclined to lie down and have another fifteen minutes' rest. But no, I thought. If I lay down again, the next thing I would know would be that it was ten past eight, and Tab would be on the doorstep.
   I got up and went across to the bathroom to have a wash. When I had finished in there, I went back to my room. I pulled the curtains slightly open and looked out of the window. I rubbed my paw across the misty panes and saw that the entire cul-de-sac was covered with a blanket of snow!
   I felt a delicious chil of excitement run down my spine. I pulled the curtains shut, clicked on my lamp, put my hi-fi on quietly, then pulled on my clothes. I decided to put a thicker top on under my fitted shirt, and also to put tights on under my bootcut trousers. I would be much warmer that way. I then sat down at the dressing table to do my hair and make-up.
   When I had finished, I looked totally gorgeous. I gave my hair another spritz with my hairspray, (I had it twisted up at the back with the ends sticking up) gave my eyelashes another couple of thick coats of mascara, then went downstairs.
   By that time, it was half past seven, and Mum and Dad had got up. Dad was opening the mail, that had just come, and Mum was making breakfast. I smelt the delicious aroma of bacon and eggs wafting out of the kitchen, and I licked my lips as I picked up my bag to check that I had everything I needed.
  "Morning Mum!" I went into the kitchen.
  "Oh, hi Mel." Mum looked round and smiled. "Take a look at the snow!"
  "I know!" I smiled. "It's going to be so cool walking to school in this!"
  "God knows what you'll all roll up to school looking like." Mum laughed. "I bet you anything that one of you falls down in those high heels you wear!"
  "Hi everyone!" Mewla came in, dressed, with her hair and make-up done too. She had her hair in thick bunches on each side of her head, and she looked really nice. "Oooh, isn't it cold? I've had to put tights under my trousers today!"
  "Yeah, me too." I said.
  "Breakfast's ready." Mum said. She called Dad. "Geoff! Breakfast's ready!" We rinsed our paws, then sat at the table, while Mum ladled our hot food onto plates. We then tucked in, slurping our hot drinks and gobbling the steaming eggs and bacon.
   When we finished breakfast, we went upstairs to get our folders, brush our teeth, and generally get ourselves ready to go.

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