To Be A Cat

The Bus

BARNEY GOT THE school bus every day, so he knew that people normally sat in the same seats.

The twins, Petra and Petula Primm (every teacher’s favourites), always sat on the front seat. Gavin Needle and his friends always took over the back two rows.

And Rissa and Barney always sat together, three seats behind Petra and Petula Primm, but on the other side of the aisle, opposite the Blub (who wasn’t really called the Blub, he was called Oscar Williams, but that’s what Miss Whipmire called him – because he was very fat, and because he had the understandable tendency to cry when slapped in the face by bullies).

So Barney knew where he was going as he kept close behind his friend’s heels.

The trouble was the bus driver had finished his chocolate bar now and was paying more attention. And the driver was sure he’d seen something sneak onto the bus behind that strange, tall girl with the crazy hair (which is how he thought of Rissa).

He looked in the large round mirror that reflected all his passengers but couldn’t see anything. Neither could anyone else. Not even Petula Primm, who had felt something soft and hairy slide

against her leg but was so busy talking in excited and secret tones to her sister about a recent trip to their aunt’s that she hardly noticed.

Not even Rissa noticed as she was too busy wondering why ‘Barney’ had run away from her, and away from the bus to school too. What was going on? First the silent treatment, then this.

Maybe he was just worried about Miss Whipmire.

Or maybe he was just missing his dad.

Or maybe he’d become totally insane overnight.

Rissa didn’t own a mobile, so she asked to borrow Oscar’s and called Barney’s mother. After a few rings the answering machine clicked on.

‘Hello, Mrs Willow. It’s me, Rissa …’

Barney was listening from under her seat, struggling to keep his balance as the bus turned corners, and feeling that itchiness in his ear again.

‘… Look, Mrs Willow, I don’t want to get Barney into trouble, or anything. I’m just a bit worried about him …’

It was at this point that Gavin shouted from the back seat.

‘Mr Bus Driver! Mr Bus Driver!’ he called in a pretend goody-goody voice. ‘There’s a girl using her phone on the bus!’

The next thing Barney knew the bus had pulled to a stop, sending him hurtling forward into Rissa’s legs.

Her face appeared in front of him, upside down. ‘You!’

The driver tapped her on the shoulder.

‘Now, I’m sure you know the rules about phones on the school bus, young lady!’

‘Yes,’ said Rissa. ‘I do. But this is actually quite important. My friend has just run away.’

The bus driver sneered. ‘Not surprised, with hair like that.’

Rissa heard the laughter behind her but wasn’t going to back down. ‘Look, it’s important.’

‘Sorry. Rules is rules. Using phones on school buses leads to mugging. That’s a known fact.’

‘Well, eating chocolate while driving causes traffic accidents,’ said Rissa. ‘That’s also a known fact. You nearly ran over a cat before. And, anyway, I never normally use mobile phones. I prefer talking to faces. But this is an emergency.’

‘’Snot even her phone,’ said Oscar.

‘Shut up, Blub,’ jeered Gavin from the back seat.

The driver wasn’t listening to Gavin or Oscar. He was thinking about what Rissa said, and remembering what he might just have seen stepping onto the bus.

‘A cat?’

Barney’s tail was rising with fear as cats’ tails do. And Rissa was quick to see it. She knew that if the bus driver saw it, the cat would be thrown off right here, miles from home, so she moved her leg to hide it.

‘I’m … I’m sorry,’ Rissa said, changing her tune. ‘For using the phone on the bus. I won’t do it again.’

It worked.

The driver gave the phone back to Oscar with a warning to them both, and then returned to his seat.

‘Sorry, Oscar,’ Rissa said.

‘’S all right,’ Oscar replied.

Barney said thank you to his best friend the only way he could, by nuzzling his head against her ankles.