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

Chapter Twenty-One


  We were glad of the weekend, I can tell you that! Before we left school on the Friday afternoon, Cathy, Tab, Mewla, Tibbicca, Purla and I arranged to go into town for shopping and lunch on the Saturday.
  The snow was still as bad, so on Saturday morning, we all decided to catch the bus instead of walking.
  "Why is Cathy always late when we're all going out somewhere?" Tibbicca said, as we all huddled at the bus stop in our thick wool jackets.
  "She's not. It's usually you." Purla said bluntly, and we all laughed.
  "There she is." I said, pointing up the road. Cathy was hurrying along in her wool coat and some tight jeans and her high heeled boots. She had her scarf wrapped up round her face. She waved at us.
  "Hi!" she said, hurrying up. "Sorry I'm late, guys. Greg phoned just as I was leaving."
  "So you thought 'Oh never mind my mates, standing out in the snow, I'll have a chat to my bloke.'" said Tab. We laughed.
  "We didn't chat for long." Cathy said, getting her wallet out of her bag and fumbling in it for change. "He was just laughing about Mewbellinne on Friday afternoon."
  "I thought she was going to have a mad fit and scream to everyone that you and Mr Mewan were seeing each other." Purla said. "I was ready to leap on her and shove my fist in her mouth."
  We all laughed.
  "I don't think your fist would be big enough." Tibbicca said.
  "Here's the bus, thank God." Tab said. "See, Cath? A moment longer and you'd have been walking into town on your own." 
  "Nah, she'd have got Greg to meet her and give her a lift in his sports car or something." Tibbicca laughed. Cathy pulled a face and playfully slapped Tibbicca with her gloved paw.
  Town was quite busy, but when it's snowing and everyone is out shopping, it always feels so Christmassy. I always love it. It's so nice, looking forward to Christmas, going Christmas shopping in the snow at weekends.
  "I'm hungry already." said Mewla, as we got off the bus. "Anyone fancy getting something to eat yet?"
  "Nah, cooked breakfasts are enough for most of us." Tibbicca laughed.
  "Well I'm going to the bakery to get some doughnuts." said Mewla. "Where shall I meet you all?"
  "Um, we'll see you in Miss Selfridge." I said, looking round.
  "OK." said Mewla. "I'll only be ten minutes."
  She set off up the high street to the bakery, which we could smell from where we were.
  "I must admit, it does smell good." Purla said. "I think I might go with her."
  "Well!" Tibbicca said, laughing, pretending to be put-out. "Aren't my mother's full English breakfasts good enough for you any more?"
  "No. She just doesn't give me enough bacon." grinned Purla. "See you in a bit!" and she made off up the high street through all the slush to catch up with Mewla.
  We had been in Miss Selfridge about fifteen minutes before Mewla and Purla came back and joined us. They hurried over to us. Cathy was looking at a pair of denim stilletto boots with Tibbicca, and Tab and I were looking at jeans.
  "Cathy!" Mewla said, hurrying over to Cathy. "Come here! Quick!"
  "What is it?" Cathy barely had time to put the boot back before Mewla grabbed her paw and dragged her across the shop.
  "I think you'd better see for yourself." Mewla said. She dragged Cathy out of the shop, and we all followed. We all stopped and stared. Mewbellinne was across the high street, sitting on one of the stone benches outside Thorntons, and sitting with her was Greg Mewan!
  Cathy's jaw dropped. I couldn't tell if she was upset or angry, but I knew she was putting on a brave face, however she was feeling.
  "I don't believe it!" she said. "That little........ what's she doing with him?"
  "Oh, Cath, I'm so sorry." I said gently, touching her arm.
  "Don't say sorry, Mel!" she said, looking at me with determination in her eyes. "I haven't found out what they're doing yet!"
  "Well what are you going to do?" Tab asked.
  "Look, it's pretty busy, so the chances are they won't see us if we sneak across in pairs or on our own." Cathy said. "I want to get behind them so I can hear what they're talking about. I'll go across first, then Mel and Purla, then Tibbicca and Tab, then Mewla. Keep your heads down, everyone."
  We must have looked quite dodgy, crossing the high street in pairs and looking at the ground as we went. We all managed to get across and behind Mewbellinne and Mr Mewan. We loitered outside Thorntons, standing almost right behind them.
  "Why don't you just make it easy on yourself?" Mewbellinne was saying.
  "Why don't you just give up?" Mr Mewan said. "I might have known it was you that wrote that note. I can't believe I was stupid enough to actually take it seriously."
  "You're stupid enough to get involved with that blonde b***h." Mewbellinne said.
  "Don't talk about Cathy like that." Mr Mewan said, looking angry. "I keep telling you there's nothing going on. I'm losing patience with you, Mewbellinne. I think I might have to see Miss Mewola about you after all."
  "It's me you want, really, isn't it?" Mewbellinne said.
  "What?" Mr Mewan said, looking at her in disbelief.
  "You're out with me on a Saturday, and don't pretend you didn't feel anything that day I came into your office."
  "The only reason I'm here with you is because of that stupid note." Mr Mewan said. "And no, I didn't feel anything at all. You're a student, Mewbellinne. You're sixteen. I can honestly look you in the eye and tell you I never have and never will feel anything for you. The whole idea is ridiculous."
  Cathy looked at me and smiled.
  "Oh, don't give me that." Mewbellinne said. She edged nearer to Mr Mewan and kissed his cheek. Then she kissed his mouth.
  Cathy's jaw dropped again. She shoved her bag at me.
  "Hold that." she said.
  She stepped forward and grabbed Mewbellinne by the collar.
  "You never give up, do you?" she said angrily.
  Mr Mewan swung round.
  "Cathy!" he said. "I didn't know you were there!"
  "I've just been listening to everything you two have been saying." Cathy said. "Mewbellinne, don't you ever stop? When are you going to get it into your head that there's nothing going on?"
  "That's what I've been trying to tell her!" Mr Mewan said. "I found this stupid note on my desk last thing Friday afternoon." he took a piece of crumpled paper out of his pocket and gave it to Cathy. She unfolded it and read it.

Mewbellinne Pearson told me
all about you and Catherine
Mewphon. I think you had better
meet me in the town outside
thorntons at 11 on Saturday
morning to sort something out or
there might be some trouble.

  "It was Mewbellinne that wrote it." said Mr Mewan. "Just a trick to get me here with her so she can try and get me to admit to something which has never even happened."
  "More like a trick to get you here so she can try and win you over for herself." Cathy said, screwing up the paper and dropping it into a nearby litter bin.
  "Sounds like you're jealous to me." Mewbellinne said. "He came, didn't he?"
  "Only because I thought there was going to be trouble!" Mr Mewan said.
  "She's jealous, that's all." Mewbellinne said.
  "I am not jealous!" Cathy said, her temper flaring up, as it always does. "Why the hell would I be jealous of you?"
  Mewbellinne smiled infuriatingly.
  "Don't you pull that face at me!" Cathy said. "God Mewbellinne, you're such a b***h!"
  "Takes one to know one." Mewbellinne said.
  "Oh, just clear off!" Cathy said.
  "Why don't you?" Mewbellinne said. "Mr Mewan and I are out together, just go back to Miss Selfridge!"
  "We are not out together." Mr Mewan said. "I'm going right now. I'll see you all at school on Monday." and he walked off.
  "Bye, sir." we all chorused, except for Cathy and Mewbellinne.
  "Why don't you just shove off?" Cathy said to Mewbellinne.
  "Don't worry, I'm going." Mewbellinne said. "I'll be getting a bad name, being seen hanging round with you, you bleached blonde tart."
  Cathy raised her paw to whack Mewbellinne, but she was walking away.
  "Mewbellinne!" Cathy called.
  Mewbellinne stopped and looked back.
  "Your eyelashes fell off - I've got them here!" Cathy said, pretending to hold something up for Mewbellinne to see. Mewbellinne felt her eye, and came rushing back. Cathy put her paw behind her back.
  "Give it here." Mewbellinne said.
  Cathy showed Mewbellinne her empty paw.
  "Quite gullible really, aren't you?" she smirked. "Come on guys, let's get lunch." and with that, we all walked off, leaving Mewbellinne blushing in the street, a group of tom-kittens laughing at her from on one of the benches.

***

  "Well at least that proves he wants you." Mewla said, coming over to our table with her lunch.
  We had gone into Debenhams and up to the restaurant, where we had each ordered a sandwich, a portion of chips, and a hot drink.
  "I know." Cathy smiled, reaching for the vinegar. "He's loyal."
  "Amazingly loyal." I said. "Considering you're a pupil and he's a teacher."
  Cathy had a smug smile on her face.
  "Tibbicca and Tab are still in the queue, I see." Purla said, looking over at the long queue.
  "Well they were taking ages deciding what to have." I said.
  "Mewbellinne's sick in the head." Cathy said, shaking the salt shaker vigourously over her chips. "Fancy writing that anonymous note to get him to meet her!"
  "I can't understand why she did it." I said. "Why would she want him to meet her? She knows he doesn't want her because she tried it on in the office and he told her no, and he's already denied that he's seeing you, so what's the point of meeting him?"
  "Maybe she thought that once they were both out of school, he'd go for her more." Purla suggested, reaching for the pepper.
  "Like I said, sick in the head." Cathy said. "As if he'd fancy her? Massive lips and fake eyelashes!"
  "She's acting like someone in a soap opera." Mewla said. "You don't write anonoymous notes to your teachers and try and seduce them in their offices."
  "Well obviously she doesn't see it like that." Cathy said. "She probably tried it on with a male teacher at her posh private school."
  "I'd love to find out." Purla said with a wicked glint in her eye. "Why did she leave there, anyway? She never told us."
  "Yeah, because it's probably too embarrassing." Cathy grinned.
  "What's too embarrassing?" Tab said, coming over with her food.
  "The reason Mewbellinne left her private school." said Purla. "We were just saying that she never told any of us why."
  "Hmmm." Tab said, putting down her tray and grabbing a chair. "Move up, Mewla."
  Mewla obligingly moved round.
  "Well I think we ought to ask her." Purla said.
  "OK then, we'll ask her Monday." Tibbicca said. "It should prove a laugh, if nothing else."

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