BBC Ghosts: Teatime Club

Insurgency

"Everything alright, Patrick?"

Pat gasped and dove at Cap, hugging his arm. "Please don't leave! It's time for the club! Mary and Robin already ran away and now I'm stressed because if Mrs Cooper finds out about this then she's going to be angry at me because I failed her!" he wailed. "So don't run away!"

"Let go of me. Please." Cap said stiffly, and Pat immediately relinquished his hold.

Pat rubbed his arm, "I-I'm sorry. Do you know where the others are?"

"They're outside the English classroom, waiting for you. I'm leading the scout party and was sent to find you."

Pat went bright red. "Oh. They actually waited?"

"Well yes. That is our room, isn't it?"

"Er, well, actually, no. We've been kicked out."

"Ah."

"Yes. I've been trying to find another room." he replied meekly.

"I see."

"Sorry." he mumbled.

"It's fine."

"Er, right. I might try the outside geography rooms then."

"Good idea. I'll go tell the others and round up Robin and Mary."

"Thank you, Cap."

Cap nodded and the two went their separate ways. Pat moseyed on outside and found one of the actual geography rooms unlocked and available, so waited outside the classroom until Cap and the squad turned up. Pat nervously adjusted his tie and sweeped his hair through before greeting his clubbies with a smile, all of whom were looking most annoyed.

"Ten minutes you've kept us waiting!" Fanny scowled, "It's disgraceful!"

"Well to be fair, the room was occupied. At least we've missed ten minutes of the session." Humphrey acknowledged.

"And that's a good thing, because?" Thomas questioned.

"We've missed work!"

"So he'll keep us behind ten minutes to finish it!" Fanny groaned.

"Oh yeah." Humphrey gulped. "Oops."

Pat shook his head, "Don't worry, I won't do that to you. It was my fault after all." he held open the door and gestured for them to walk through it.

"You bet your arse it is, tubby." came Julian's snide remark as he walked past. Pat's smile fell.

"Don't worry Pat. I don't think you're tubby. Even if everyone else thinks you are." Kitty smiled brightly at him as she walked past, last to enter.

Pat sighed and shook his head, following them inside.

~~~~~

"Okay then clubbies, can anyone tell me what-" he paused for dramatic effect, "-political globalization is?"

"Patrick, please stop." Thomas moaned from underneath his arms which were draped over his head. "This is incredibly boring."

"Why does he keep calling us clubbies?" Fanny asked. "I've never heard the term in my life."

"That's because I made it up." Pat inputted, "Now please stay on task and get on with the question, we've already covered the other types! This is the last one!"

"Bor-ing!" Julian blew a raspberry, kicking his legs up onto the table in front, almost knocking into Mary. "Can't we do something else?"

"But this is what we decided on yesterday! We can't keep changing things willy-nilly, can we?"