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

Chapter Six


   The lesson didn't go too badly. I have known better Biology lessons, but even writing up notes and copying complicated diagrams was better than slicing up an eyeball. We were all working in silence, but every now and again, someone would start to whisper and giggle.
  "Mel." whispered Mewla. "Pass us your protractor, would you?"
  "What do you want that for?" I asked, rooting in my furry pencil case for my protractor. I am very proud of my pencil case - it is not made of that thin, cheap fur - it is really thick, lush fur, and cost me five pounds from Miss Selfridge.
  "To draw an eyeball with." Mewla said. "I'll draw one half, then turn it round and draw the other."
  "Why don't you just use a compass?" Tab took her chunky silver compass out of her pencil tin and held it out to Mewla.
  "Duh!" Cathy giggled.
   Mewla grinned and took the compass.
  "Where's all your geometry stuff, anyway?" I asked, delving into my pencil case for my coloured pencils.
  "Well, my protractor's at home on my desk, and I seem to think that SOMEONE borrowed my compass a few months ago, and never gave it back." Mewla said, looking directly at Cathy. "Not looking at anyone in particular, of course."
  "Yeah, yeah!" Cathy laughed. "I've got it somewhere."
   Suddenly, Purbelle gave the most almighty shriek. Mewlip, Francis and Tom collapsed on their table in hysterics. They had screwed up a large piece of paper into a ball, and drawn an eye on it, and thrown it across onto Purbelle's table. It had made her jump and scared her, as she had nearly been sick at the sight of the real eye.
   We smirked to ourselves, and Tibbicca and Purla laughed loudly.
  "You... you..." Purbelle picked up the ball and flung it at Tom. He caught it deftly and collapsed in hysterics again.
  "That'll do, you lot!" Mr Purrleck looked up from his marking.
   The class quietened down again, and began to work.
   We had Chemistry after break, so a few minutes before break, Mr Purrleck permitted us to pick up our stuff and take it along to our Chemistry lab, which wasn't being used at that time. This would save us carting our stuff around at break and having to bring it all the way back up to where we had just come from.
   The bell clanged as we left the Chemistry lab, and we went downstairs and out of the science block to the main building, where the vending machine stood in the foyer.
  "Mewla and I are going to the tuck shop." Cathy said, as we strolled into the main building and brushed the snow off our coats. "We'll meet you here in ten minutes."
  "Yeah, okay." I said, opening my wallet and counting out the change. Cathy and Mewla disappeared into the hall, where the tuck shop was, and Tab put her money into the machine.
  "What shall I get?" she asked, looking at the vast choice of chocolate, sweets, drinks and crisps. That's one good thing about our school - the vending machine has a great choice and is always full.
  "Get some chocolate sweets." I said. "We can eat them in Chemistry."
  "I'll get some Rolos." Tab said, pressing the buttons.
  "How much money did you put in?" I said.
  "A pound." Tab said. "Shall I get some crisps too?"
  "Yeah - get those thick crinkle ones." I said. "They're lush. You'd better get the ready salted ones, or Mrs Mewlham will smell them."
  "Yeah - like last time!" Tab laughed. "Remember - Mewlarka had those Paprika flavoured crisps, and they absolutely stunk the lab out, and she hid them in the drawer of the lab bench, so when Mrs Mewlham came round to find out what the smell was, she couldn't find any crisps at all!"
  "Oh God - that was so funny!" I said, giggling as I rememebered that hilarious Chemistry lesson.
  "I've got thirty five pence left." Tab said. "Shall I get something else?"
  "What do you want?" I said, looking at the sweets. "Get some Jelly Tots - they're so cool."
  "Oh, I hate them!" Tab laughed. "I'll get a Yorkie - we can break it into pieces and share it."
  "What shall I get?" I said. "I'm in a good mood now, so I feel like spending loads."
  "Get some Yorkies." Tab said. "They're ace to eat in lessons."
   I bought three Yorkies, a bag of crinkle crisps, and some Jelly Tots.
   By the time we had finished at the vending machine, Cathy and Mewla were coming out of the hall. They were both stuffing their faces with a big chocolate-filled doughnut each, and Cathy had a pasty in each pocket of her coat. Mewla had two iced buns in her pocket.
  "Your coat will stink after those pasties." I said, grinning. "The smell lingers in wool coats like anything."
  "They smell nice!" Cathy said, licking some chocolate out of her doughnut. "Anyone want some of this?"
   Tab and I broke a bit each off Cathy's doughnut, and we strolled out into the snow. It was still falling as bad as ever, and the air was still crisp and cold.
  "Where shall we go?" Tab said, as we ambled along, eating the bits of Cathy's doughnut. There was no sound from Mewla - she was too busy eating!
  "Not the stinky science block." Cathy said. "Let's brush the snow off that bench and sit down till the bell goes."
   We pulled our sleeves over our hands and swept the thick snow off the bench. We sat down, and continued to eat.
   When Mewla had finished eating, she got up and picked up some snow. She flung it at Cathy's back, and it landed with a thwack on the back of her neck.
  "Hey!" she pushed the rest of her first pasty into her mouth and got up. "Hold this pasty, will you Tab?" she added.
   She picked up some snow and flung it at Mewla, and before we knew where we were, they were having a full-scale snowball fight! A few teachers raised their eyebrows at the pair, but said nothing.
   When the bell went for the end of break, Mewla and Cathy helped each other up out of the snow and giggled. Their hair was soaked and so were their jumpers, but they still looked radiant and gorgeous, with their wet tousled hair falling round their glowing faces.
  "Here's your pasty." I said, giving Cathy her pasty back. "It's been killing me, sitting there smelling it and not being able to eat it!"
  "You could have had a bite!" Cathy said, biting a huge chunk out of the pasty. "Brrrrrr - come on - let's get inside out of the cold. It's freezing!"
  "Well, you have been rolling in the snow for the last fifteen minutes!" I said, laughing, as we made our way up the stairs in the science block.
   Our Chemistry teacher, Mrs Mewlham, was already in the lab when we got up there, and so were the rest of our class. Mrs Mewlham is middle aged, and is really sharp and strict. She is a plump, bustly she-cat, who really knows her stuff.
   Everyone looked up as we went in. We must have looked a right sight. Cathy went in first. Her bleached hair was soaked and all over the place, and her coat and sweater were covered in fast-melting snow. Her trousers had huge wet patches all over them, and her suede platform boots were soaked too. She was still eating her pasty. Mewla wasn't much better either, with her hairbands falling off her pigtails, and chunks of wet hair falling untidily round her cheeks. Her clothes were soaked too, but both of them looked really happy, with glowing faces and sparkling eyes.
   There were a few giggles and whispers as we went in. Cathy grinned amiably round at everyone; if she looks a fool or something embarrassing happens to her, she just laughs it off, and when she sees the joke and laughs with us, no-one feels like laughing at her any more.
  "Catherine - I hardly think this is appropriate for a Chemistry lesson." Mrs Mewlham said sharply.
   Cathy looked herself up and down, then looked at Mrs Mewlham, her eyebrows raised innocently.
  "I beg your pardon?" she said.
  "I said, I hardly think this..............."
  "Yes Miss - I heard that bit." Cathy said. "What isn't appropriate? Oh, sorry - the pasty!" she pushed the rest of the pasty into her mouth and grinned. "That better, Miss?"
   The class started to giggle.
  "I was referring to your attire." Mrs Mewlham sighed.
  "It's the uniform." Cathy said, looking herself up and down again.
   Purbelle burst into hysterics and lifted her book up to her face to stop herself.  She hit herself in the face with it and set Mewlarka and Mewbellan off giggling.
  "You're soaked, for heaven's sakes!" Mrs Mewlham said, exasperated. "Or had it escaped your notice?"
  "Oh, the snow!" Cathy laughed. "I see what you mean now!"
   The class roared.
   Mrs Mewlham sighed and looked thoroughly fed up with Cathy.
  "Oh, just sit down." she said.
  "Yes Miss." Cathy said, trying desperately not to laugh. She hurried over to our cosy desk, and we all followed. We sat down, and Cathy turned away for a few seconds to calm herself. She loved winding Mrs Mewlham up. Mind you, we all do.
   That lesson, we were writing up in neat an experiment which we had done the previous lesson so everyone was just sitting at their desks in silence, writing and drawing. Like the Biology lesson, someone would start chattering every so often.
   Mewla leaned back and yawned, stretching her arms out.
  "Oh, don't - you've made me yawn now." Tab said, covering her mouth with her slender paw. "If we all start yawning and our eyes water we'll ruin our make-up."
  "Sorry - but this so boring." Mewla said quietly. "I always do my write-ups on the computer - I hate writing them out by hand. It's neater on the computer, too."
  "Watch this then." Cathy whispered. She looked up in the air and sniffed loudly. Tibbick and Mewbellan looked over at us.
   Tab and I exchanged glances.
  "Can anyone smell paprika?" Cathy said, sniffing again. Mrs Mewlham looked up sharply and looked over at Cathy.
   Tab and I started giggling.
  "Is something wrong, Cathy?" Mrs Mewlham said.
  "Can you smell paprika?" Cathy said, not showing the slightest giggle. Cathy is so amazing - she has this knack of being able to play the most hilarious tricks while keeping an absolutely straight face. That kills us more than if she were laughing.
  "No I can't smell paprika." Mrs Mewlham said. "Get on with your work or you'll have to stay behind at lunch and finish it."
   Cathy grinned to herself and bent over her work again.
   About five minutes later, Mewla sneezed loudly.
   Tibbicca, Purla and Tibleau began to laugh. They often join in with our jokes. Even though Tibleau is sensible, she always loves a laugh.
  "Oh, excuse ME!" Mewla said. "Something irritating my nose."
  "Aaaattchooooooo!" Tibbicca sneezed too and we all looked over at her. She winked at us.
   The rest of the class was smirking, and we hoped that they would join in too. They all joined in the last trick we played on Mrs Mewlham, and it was a scream.
  "Aatchoo! Aaatchooo!" Mewbellan sneezed twice and even the boys started to laugh.
  "What's with all this sneezing?" Mrs Mewlham said, looking at everyone. Everyone was keeping their giggles under control as best they could.
  "Sorry Miss - there's some funny smell in here making us sneeze!" Tibbicca said.
  "Rubbish." Mrs Mewlham said. "It's probably wafting in from the physics room through the adjoining cupboard - Mr Hillmew told me that they would be burning something this lesson."
  "No - it smells spicy." Purla said.
  "There - I told you I could smell paprika!" Cathy piped up.
  "Be quiet, Catherine." Mrs Mewlham said. "I've had quite enough of you this lesson."
  "You..... you don't suppose someone is eating paprika crisps again, do you Mel?" Tab said to me, but in a loud voice so that Mrs Mewlham would hear her.
  "Maybe." I said, trying desperately not to laugh. "Anyway - we'd all better do as Mrs Mewlham says and get on with our work. We don't want to stay in at lunch when we can have another snowball fight, do we?"
   Cathy burst into giggles and put her head on her arms. Everyone started to get on with their work again, giggling.
  "Oh, for goodness sakes!" Mrs Mewlham got off her stool. She realised that we were getting on with our work just to annoy her after what Tab and I had said. "Who can smell paprika then?"
  "Me!" the whole class chorused.
   Mrs Mewlham wandered round our tables, sniffing loudly. Cathy nearly exploded trying not to laugh. Her glowing face was getting redder and redder, and Tibbicca, Purla and I were nearly killing ourselves laughing.
____________________________________