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

Chapter Twenty


  Mrs Fisher was in the Geography room when we all trooped in.
  "Afternoon!" she said. "My, you all look worn out!"
  "It was Mewbellinne's fault, Miss." Cathy said, with a wicked twinkle in her eye.
  Mewbellinne, with a look of horror on her face, opened her mouth to protest, but Cathy cut her off.
  "She was wearing gym knickers that were about ten sizes too big for her, so they kept falling down and she kept missing the hockey ball, so we all had to run around twice as much to make up for her."
  We all laughed.
  "Ah, Mewbellinne." Mrs Fisher said. "Weren't you supposed to be in my lesson on Wednesday afternoon? What happened?"
  "I, um, I, I........." Mewbellinne began.
  "She went home." Tibbicca said.
  "Were you ill?" Mrs Fisher asked.
  "No." Purla answered before Mewbellinne could open her mouth.
  "Thankyou, Tibbicca and Purla." Mrs Fisher said. "Mewbellinne, why did you go home?"
  "I'd rather not discuss it." Mewbellinne said haughtily.
  "I see." Mrs Fisher said. "We'll have a little talk at the end of class. Right everyone. I'll need to put Mewbellinne in a group for the next week. Who has got the most amount of work done?"
  "Um, I guess it's us." Tibbicca said, putting up her paw reluctantly.
  Purla looked at me and pulled a face.
  "That means she'll put Mewbellinne with us - we're the best workers and we'll have to show a good example." she whispered.
  "And who has got the least done?" Mrs Fisher asked.
  "That's us." I said.
  "Right then. Mewbellinne, go with Mel's group." Mrs Fisher said. "They've done the least, so they'll be able to use an extra person."
  The looks on our faces must have been priceless, because the whole class burst into hysterics.
  "Something funny?" Mrs Fisher said.
  "No." Purla mumbled, wiping her eyes.
  "Right then - get into your groups and carry on." Mrs Fisher said. "Your presentation is next week, so I suggest you all start working on what you're all going to say and who's going to say what."
  "Are we supposed to have someone who doesn't say anything and who just points to the maps and pictures with one of those sticks that professors use?" Cathy asked innocently.
  "You can if you like." Mrs Fisher said. "But I would prefer it if you all spoke at some point."
  "No worries, Miss. I've already got in mind the ideal person to stand and point with the stick." Cathy said, trying not to burst into giggles. She got up. "Come on then my group! Oh, and Mewbellinne. Let's go out into the social area!"
  Mewbellinne followed us out into the social area and we all sprawled out on the floor with all our stuff.
  "So what exactly are you all doing?" Mewbellinne asked, as we opend our folders and took out our paperwork.
  "Well, like we said, we're doing projects on Mindanao, and we're working on it in these groups." Cathy said. "We have to produce big maps, diagrams, charts, etc, and find out information and write it all down in presentations. We can draw pictures, put photos in, anything we like really. It's just got to be a big, colourful, informative presentation on Mindanao."
  "So is this all you've done?" Mewbellinne said, looking at the few bits of paper we had taken out of our folders. I could sense an air of sarcasm in her tone. She was thinking "Oh my God, is this all they've done? How pathetic."
  "Good God no!" Cathy said, getting up off her stomach and squatting on the floor. "That's what we've got in this big box - all our maps and pictures and stuff. We can't keep all that in our folders. We're working on our oral presentations at the moment, you know, when we get up in class we have to each have a speech prepared about our project, and give a few facts about Mindanao, etc."
  "Well I won't have to do that." said Mewbellinne, with such smug satisfaction in her voice that I think, by the look on Tab's face, that she could have easily smacked Mewbellinne at that moment.
  "Yes you will." Cathy said.
  "Well how can I?" Mewbellinne said. "I've only just joined your group, I don't know anything about Mindanao!"
  "That's where all our research books come in!" Cathy said, picking up a book on the Phillipines from our pile of stuff. "Start reading!"
  "There are three more here when you've finished." said Tab. Mewla sniggered. Mewbellinne looked sulky, and started to read.
  "Right." Cathy stood up and rubbed her paws together. "I'm just going to shoot off for ten minutes. Is that OK with everyone?"
  "Yeah, go on then." I said. "But I don't know what I'm going to say if Mrs Fisher comes out and asks where you've gone."
  "Oh, tell her I've gone to the toilet or something." Cathy said lazily.
  "Well where are you going?" Mewbellinne asked.
  Cathy looked at me. We had forgotten that Mewbellinne was there!
  "Never you mind." she said. She winked at me.
  Cathy swaggered off out of the social area. Mewbellinne watched her go, then turned to us.
  "Don't you ever get tired of her?" she said.
  "Tired of her?" Mewla said.
  "Yes - she's so full of herself all the time, she never shuts up or stops being cheeky." said Mewbellinne.
  "Cathy's fantastic!" I said. "She's the life and soul of the group! We could never get tired of her!"
  Mewbellinne looked a little put-out.
  "And where does she keep going off to?" she said. "She comes in late nearly every lesson, and keeps going off somewhere. Doesn't she ever tell you?"
  "No." I said, and looked round at Tab and Mewla. They shrugged and shook their heads, looking completely clueless. I had to stifle a laugh.
  "Hey!" Tibbicca stuck her head out of the classroom. "You guys very busy?"
  "No, not really!" I called back. "Why?"
  "Well, as our group is so brilliant and we've finished most of ours........."
  "Yeah, yeah!" I laughed. Tibbicca grinned.
  "......Can we come and chat to you while you work?" Tibbicca said.
  "Yeah, sure!" I said.
  Tibbicca and Purla came out of the classroom and skipped comically over to us.
  "How are you all getting on?" Purla said.
  "Well we're working on our speeches, Mewbellinne is swotting up on Mindanao, and Cathy's gone off somewhere." I said.
  "Oh, I see." Purla grinned wickedly.
  Mewbellinne lifted her head from the book.
  "What do you mean, you see?" she said. "Do you know where Cathy goes off to?"
  "Um, no." Purla said. "I was just saying 'I see'."
  "Well I've had enough of it." Mewbellinne slammed the book shut and put it down. "I've got a good idea of where she is, and I'm damn well going to go and see if I'm right!"
  She got up and stormed out of the social area.
  We all looked horrified.
  "That's done it." Tab said. "She's going to go up there and barge straight into Mr Mewan's office and catch him and Cath!"
  "Well what can we do?" Tibbicca said, biting her lip. "If we follow her and try to stop her, she'll know that we know where Cathy goes!"
  We all sat for a moment or two, deep in thought.
  "God what a bunch of ugly mugs!"
  We all jumped and looked up.
  Cathy was standing at the door, smirking.
  "Cath!" Purla said.
  "Yep, here I am!" Cathy said, strolling over to us. "Did you miss me?"
  "Well where have you been?" Tab said. "Mewbellinne's just gone storming up to Mr Mewan's office, convinced she's going to find you up there!"
  Cathy laughed.
  "I thought she would." she said.
  "Well did you go up and see him?" I asked.
  "I was intending to." Cathy said. "But when she asked where I was going, I knew she'd probably follow me, so I went outside, walked round the outside of the science block, went round the tech huts, then came back down round the back of Humanities and came in the other door!"
  We all burst into hysterics.
  "Listen - calm down and get on with the work." Cathy said, between giggles. "Mewbellinne will probably be back any minute, and when she comes back in, I want us all to be getting on with our work and make it look like she's gone off for nothing."
  "OK." I said, picking up my papers.
  Tab went and sat down by a bookshelf and leaned her back on it, opened a book, and started to copy out notes. I lay on the floor and jotted down some notes too. Mewla, Cathy, Tibbicca and Purla got the maps and collages and glue and pens and stuff out of our box and carried on sticking things on and writing captions. We all looked very busy; it was going to be hilarious when Mewbellinne came back!
  Mewbellinne came back a couple of minutes later. Cathy and Tibbicca were hooting with laughter about something as they cut little pictures out of the National Geographic to stick on our posters.
  Mewbellinne stopped and stared. I had to bite back a laugh as I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, while I was writing. It was obviously still snowing outside; she was soaked!
  Mewla spotted her and slammed down her poster.
  "Mewbellinne!" she said. "Where the hell have you been? We're all here working and you decide to swan off for ten minutes!"
  "I... I..." Mewbellinne stammered, staring at Cathy.
  "Something the matter?" Cathy said, looking at Mewbellinne and then looking herself up and down.
  "Where did you go?" Mewbellinne said.
  "Why?" Cathy said. "Looking for me, were you?"
  "No, of course not, I just wondered." Mewbellinne said.
  "As it happens, I went to the RE huts and then the PE block to look for an earring I lost this morning." Cathy said. "Why? Where did you go?"
  "Um, nowhere really." Mewbellinne said, going very red in the face.
  "Hmm. I bet I know where you went." said Cathy, smirking, and bent over the poster again.
  Mewbellinne said nothing, and sat down and picked up her book again.
  "I'll be testing you on that later." Cathy said. Mewbellinne blushed even more, and started reading.
  About five minutes later, the door to the social area opened and Mr Mewan came in. Cathy didn't notice. He looked over at her, then looked at me and winked. I smiled. He picked up a wrinkled leaf from one of the plant pots, and threw it at Cathy. It landed in her lap and she shrieked.
  "Oh my God! Get it off me! Get it off me!" she leapt up and clawed at her clothes. Cathy has always been phobic of spiders and creepy crawlies, and is a standing joke amongst all her closest friends.
  The leaf fell on the floor. Cathy saw what it was and stopped having a fit. She put her paws on her hips and looked round, then suddenly did a double-take as she spotted Mr Mewan, laughing, at the side of the social area.
  "You!" she said, picking up the leaf.
  "Joke, joke!" he said, putting up his paws in defence as Cathy ran over to him. She stood in front of him with her paws on her hips.
  Suddenly, to the surprise of us all, Mewbellinne threw down her book and got up.
  "You see?" she said, looking round at us all. "Look how they flirt with each other!"
  We all pulled blank faces.
  "What?" Cathy turned to Mewbellinne.
  "Oh, stop pretending!" Mewbellinne said. "I know there's something going on with you two, it's about as obvious as..."
  "Your eyelashes." Cathy said.
  We all fell about laughing.
  "Mewbellinne, I've warned you about this before." Mr Mewan said.
  "Warned me about what? Telling the truth and landing you in it?" Mewbellinne said.
  "Making these ridiculous accusations." Mr Mewan said. "I am a teacher here, and Catherine is a student."
  "And you fancy the knickers off her!" Mewbellinne retorted.
  "Mewbellinne!" Mr Mewan said. "Stop this talk now. It's actually about you that I've come down to see Miss Mewola."
  "Me? Why?" Mewbellinne started to go red.
  "Well, there was that little incident the other morning, and now this afternoon you come barging into my office without knocking, yelling "Gotcha!". Something needs to be done."
  "Mewbellinne!" Tibbicca said. "I'm shocked. Why on earth did you barge into Mr Mewan's office?"
  "I went up to catch them!" Mewbellinne said. "Why is no-one taking any notice of me? I tell you these two are seeing each other!"
  "Mewbellinne." Cathy stepped forward. "What's your problem? Can't you get it into your head that there is nothing going on? You can follow me around all you like and barge into Mr Mewan's office several times a day, but you'll never find anything, because there's nothing to find! I went to find my earring this afternoon, and Mr Mewan was marking some essays in his office. And you get it into your head that we're at it in his office and go off on one!"
  Tibbicca and Purla sniggered. Even Mr Mewan was finding it difficult not to laugh at Cathy.
  "Chill out, Mewbellinne! There's nothing going on! The only thing that's going on between Mr Mewan and me is in your head!"
  Mewbellinne bit her lip. She looked round at us all, feeling very silly.
  "Thank you Cathy." Mr Mewan said. "At least someone can make some sense out of all this silly mess. Right. Now, I'm going to go and see Miss Mewola."
  He walked off. Mewbellinne got up and ran after him.
  "No! Please! Mr Mewan, please don't see Miss Mewola! It's only my first week here, it would look so bad! I'm sorry for what I've said, I promise I won't say it any more. Please, Mr Mewan. Please don't see Miss Mewola!"
  Mr Mewan stood and looked hard at Mewbellinne. We were all dying to laugh behind her. He stared at her for a moment.
  "Alright." he said. "But if I hear one more word of this I will be straight in her office. It's disgusting how you've kept on insinuating that I'm seeing Cathy, when you had no proof. And barging into my office and...... well, you know what I mean when I say behaving badly."
  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Mewbellinne said, shuffling her feet.
  "Just go and get on with your work and don't let me hear any more slanderous remarks." Mr Mewan said.
  "Yes Sir." Mewbellinne said, and went back to her book.
  Mr Mewan stuck his tongue out at Cathy and winked as he left the social area. Thankfully Mewbellinne didn't see. Cathy grinned and settled back to her work.

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