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

Chapter Sixteen


  "Can I come up to Maths with you?" Mewbellinne asked.
  "Well I don't know about the others, but I have to go and see Mrs Fisher first." Cathy said. "Can you believe it - I left a folder with most of my Geography work in it lying about and someone's picked it up! She's gonna kill me! So I thought it would be best if I had a word with her when the whole class isn't there."
  "OK well I guess we'd better show you where the Maths room is." Tab said to Mewbellinne rather ungraciously.
  "See you in a bit!" Cathy said, and sauntered off towards the Humanities block.
  As we walked along through the snow, Tab came and walked next to me.
  "I say, we're going to have Mewbellinne with us all the time if we don't watch it." she said. "She's latching onto us already, just cos we've been nice for one lunchtime."
  "I know." I said quietly.
  "You see - she'll want to sit by us in Maths." Tab said.
  When we got into Maths, Ms Purrworthy wasn't there. None of the boys were in there either, but the rest of the girls were. Tibbicca pulled a face as soon as she saw Mewbellinne with us. She beckoned me over.
  "What's going on there?" she said. "Had a change of heart? Decided you like her after all?"
  "Good God no!" I said. "She kind-of latched onto us at lunch and now she thinks we like her and that she can hang around with us all the time!"
  "Oh blimey." Tibbicca said, frowning. "I think we need to play another trick. Where's Cathy when we need her?"
  "Gone to see Mrs Fisher." I said, sitting down. Mewla and Tab parked themselves next to me. Tab saved a seat for Cathy. Mewbellinne sat down at the end, even though there wasn't really room.
  Within the next ten minutes or so, all the boys wandered in, snowy and wet from the field.
  "What is it with you lot?" I laughed, as Tom and Francis pushed past our desk to get to theirs. They were dripping melted snow everywhere. "Is it fun to race around in the snow and slush and mud all lunchtime?"
  "Nothing we like better than a good old race around in the mud!" laughed Mewbile. "You should come and join us sometime, Mel!"
  "Um, I think I'll stick to eating on the picnic tables and doing my make-up." I laughed.
  Ms Purrworthy arrived soon after, and pulled a cross face when she saw the state of the carpet. All the boys had made muddy footprints and there were dead leaves and clumps of mud everywhere. She put her things down on her desk, put her paws on her hips, and stood and faced the class.
  "I'm guessing by the size of those footprints that all the boys have made this mess." she said. "Before we start the class, I want all the boys to get up, go and get tissue, a brush and dustpan, a mop - whatever you need to get all this filthy mess off my carpet!"
  Mewla stifled a giggle.
  "And if you think it's funny Mewla, you can go and fetch the mop!"
  "Sorry Miss." Mewla said.
  "Well go on then!" Ms Purrworthy said.
  Mewla got up and left the classroom with the boys.
  "Miss." Tibbicca put up her paw.
  "Yes Tibbicca?"
  "Um, you do realise that they're all just going to take as long as they can out of the lesson now?" Tibbicca smirked.
  "Be quiet Tibbicca."
  Ms Purrworthy knew that Tibbicca was right and she didn't want to get into a debate. Tibbicca always wins debates.
  It was twenty minutes before the boys and Mewla came back. Mewla had found a tatty mop from somewhere, Mewliam had a brush and dustpan, and the other boys had huge handfuls of wet soapy tissue.
  "Right - start cleaning while I write some sums on the board." Ms Purrworthy said, getting her board marker out of her bag and opening her book of maths excercises.
  The boys dropped to the floor and started scrubbing and brushing. Mewla just stood there.
  "Miss." she said meekly, trying not to laugh.
  Ms Purrworthy sighed and turned round. "Yes Mewla?"
  "I seem to have returned to class without a bucket for my mop." Mewla stifled a giggle.
  Purla and Purbecca started to laugh.
  "Mewla, you are impossible!" Ms Purrworthy said. "Right. Alimew, go and get a bucket."
  "It's OK Miss - I'll go!" Mewla said.
  "No you won't!" Miss Purrworthy said. "You've skived enough already. Go on, Alimew."
  Alimew left the room, giggling.
  Tab nudged me.
  "Look what the boys are doing."
  I leaned to the side and looked. I burst out laughing. Because the boys were using soapy tissue, the soap was making thick white lather all over the carpet, and the tissue was shredding, leaving white bits all over the place.
  "Ms Purrworthy is going to go mad when she sees that!" Tab said. "All the carpets in the Maths block are nearly new! They were only fitted in the summer holidays!"
  "Tom!" I hissed.
  Tom turned round and stopped scrubbing.
  "Nice mess you've made of the carpet." I laughed.
  Tom looked round at the carpet. I don't think he, or any of the others, realised how much mess they had made. The look on his face was priceless.
  Tibbicca noticed and burst out laughing.
  Tom started nudging the other boys, showing them the mess. They all pulled horrified faces.
  Alimew came back a couple of minutes later, with a bucket full of water. She gave it to Mewla. Mewla dipped the mop into the bucket, then stopped.
  "Miss." she began.
  "Whatever it is Mewla, just get on with the job you're supposed to be doing." Ms Purrworthy didn't even turn away from the board.
  "But Miss......." Mewla tried again.
  "Mewla, just do it." Ms Purrworthy was still writing.
  "Ok. have it your own way." Mewla mumbled, and took the mop out of the bucket and began mopping at the huge muddy stains. The carpet was rapidly getting sodden.
  Suddenly the door opened and Cathy stalked in, grinning at everyone. She started play-acting at once by making a big show of nearly falling over Mewbile, who was scrubbing the floor near the door. We all laughed.
  "Blimey - what's going on in here? Playing at Cinderella?" she laughed.
  "Cathy, stop being cheeky and sit down." Ms Purrworthy said. "You've already disrupted the lesson by coming in late."
  "Looks like it's already been disrupted to me!" Cathy laughed, sitting down next to Tab. Mewbellinne was looking at her in disgust.
  "Where have you been anyway?" Ms Purrworthy asked.
  "To see Mrs Fisher about some work." said Cathy.
  Ms Purrworthy nodded and turned away.
  "You took a long time with Mrs Fisher." I said. "Was she cross?"
  "Oh, come on Mel!" Cathy laughed. Then she lowered her voice. "You don't really think I went to see Mrs Fisher, do you? All my Geography work is safe at home."
  I smiled. I knew where she had been.
  "You little devil!" Tibbicca had overheard. Cathy turned round and laughed.
  "Cathy, go to the Maths cupboard and get me a new pack of board markers." Ms Purrworthy said. Cathy sighed and got up.
  The maths cupboard is a large store cupboard just down the corridor from our classroom, and all the maths supplies are kept in there.
  Cathy took the keys from Ms Purrworthy and left the room. Ms Purrworthy put down the board marker which had almost run out and stood looking in the maths excercise book while she waited for Cathy to come back with the new pens.
  The classroom door opened suddenly and Mrs Fisher came in.
  Tab nudged me.
  "Oh my God."
  I looked up. I saw Mrs Fisher.
  "Oh, Christ." I leaned over and nudged Tibbicca. She looked up.
  "Blimey - what's she doing in here?" she hissed. "Of all the people who could come in!"
  Mrs Fisher went over to Ms Purrworthy.
  "I just want to tell the class something about their coursework." she said. "Can I just speak to them all for a moment?"
  "Yes, go ahead." Ms Purrworthy said. "They're all here. Oh, apart from Cathy, that is. She only arrived a moment ago and I've just sent her to get some new board markers. I'm not complaining, but if you want to see her could you make time for her at lunch so that she isn't late for my classes?"
  "Oh God, no." Tibbicca hissed at me. "Now Cathy's for it."
  "See her? I don't know what you're talking about." Mrs Fisher said.
  "She's just come up from seeing you, hasn't she?" Ms Purrworthy said.
  "No." Mrs Fisher looked surprised. "Why do you say that?"
  "She told me she'd been to see you about some work."
  "Well I can assure you that she hasn't." Mrs Fisher said. "Why would she say that?"
  "I don't know." said Ms Purrworthy.
  Cathy opened the door suddenly and came striding in.
  Ms Purrworthy looked at her grimly. "But I intend to find out."
  Cathy didn't see Mrs Fisher at first and she grinned over at us and stuck her tongue out at Tom. We all sat pulling worried faces and Tibbicca tried to nod her head discreetly in Mrs Fisher's direction. Cathy looked at us all, realised that something was up, and then looked over to Ms Purrworthy. She saw Mrs Fisher and froze.
  "Cathy, come here." Ms Purrworthy said.
  Cathy walked meekly over to the two teachers and put the pack of markers down quietly on the desk.
  "Why did you tell me an outright lie and say that you had been to see Mrs Fisher?" Ms Purrworthy said.
  Cathy was embarrassed. She looked round at everyone. They were all staring at the little scene.
  "Can we go outside?" Cathy asked quietly.
  "No, we're staying right where we are." Ms Purrworthy said. "Where were you at the start of class?"
  Tab, Tibbicca, Mewla and I were almost writhing in our seats out of embarrassement for Cathy. Cathy never usually gets embarrassed or feels stupid but this was one of the very very rare occasions when it happens. She stood looking at the floor, her tousled blonde hair falling round her cheeks, which were rapidly turning from her usual healthy tanned golden colour to red.
  "Catherine, answer me." Ms Purrworthy said. "Where were you?"
  Cathy still looked at the floor.
  I shot a glance at Mewbellinne. She had a smug, defiant look on her face, the kind of look that says "Ha-ha. You think you're funny now? Little miss popular is finally getting what she deserves."
  I nudged Tab and she looked at Mewbellinne and pulled a face at me.
  "Catherine, I will give you a detention if you don't tell me where you were." Ms Purrworthy was getting cross now.
  Cathy looked up and brushed her hair away from her cheeks.
  "I was with my boyfriend." she said confidently. "That's all."
  "Your boyfriend?" Mrs Fisher said.
  "Yes." Cathy said. "We don't get to see each other much, and to be honest with you, I lost track of the time, and I was so late that I thought I'd better say I'd seen you about some work."
  Ms Purrworthy looked Cathy right in the eye, and Cathy stared back. You would never guess she was lying again.
  "I'm sorry, Ms Purrworthy, and I'm sorry, Mrs Fisher." Cathy looked at them both. She was turning her charm on now. "I won't be late again."
  "You'd better not be." Ms Purrworthy said. "Go and sit down and we'll say no more about it."
  "Thank you." Cathy turned and strode over to us, winking at me. I winked back.
  Mewbellinne looked cross.
  "Now that we're all finally here, I just want to say that I've extended the deadline for your Geography coursework by a week." Mrs Fisher said. "I know that you're all bogged down with lots of other work."
  "Thanks Miss!" was the chorus.
  Mrs Fisher smiled and left the room.
  Ms Purrworthy opened the new pack of markers and turned back to the board, leaving us to chat quietly while she finished writing up the sums.
  "You really are the limit!" Tibbicca laughed at Cathy. "You're going to get into such trouble!"
  "Trouble? What for?" Mewbellinne leaned across, trying to get in on the conversation.
  "For skiving off class." Tibbicca said bluntly.
  "Were you really with your boyfriend?" Mewbellinne asked.
  "Yes." Cathy said, trying hard not to smirk.
  "Who is he? Do we know him?" Mewbellinne said.
  "He's not a pupil here." Cathy said. "I don't get to see him much."
  I stifled a laugh. What Cathy was saying was completely true.
  "Cathy." said Mewbellinne.
  "Yes?" Cathy sounded very irritated.
  "About an hour ago, you told me that none of you were seeing anyone." Mewbellinne was talking in a clever, know-it-all voice. She was trying to catch Cathy out.
  Cathy's expression was blank for a split second while she tried to think of an answer.
  "Well, I lied, OK?" she said, smiled sweetly at Mewbellinne, then turned back to face the front, and opened her folder. Mewbellinne looked sulky and turned away too.
  The rest of the lesson went smoothly, apart from Purbelle and Mewlarka getting a fit of the giggles and all the boys getting a detention for ruining the new carpet. Ms Purrworthy wasn't happy with them at all and took them all out of the classroom to have a word. The carpet was a real mess, and Ms Purrworthy told them that if it didn't dry out and return to the same state as when it was brand new and had been fitted, there would be a substantial bill split between all the boys. All the boys had come back into the classroom with sombre faces, which had set Purla giggling.

___________________________