BBC Ghosts: Teatime Club

Depth

Pat sat on the garden wall, looking up at the moonlit sky. He turned to see Robin's parents standing a little off from him, in the middle of the garden, smiling proudly as Robin frantically gestured to the Moon and stars, excitedly telling the rest of the group all he knew about space. Robin's parents watched him intently, their love for him clear.

They obviously adored him.

Pat sighed and found himself looking up at the stars again. He was used to staring endlessly at the night sky when he was out camping. Sometimes, when all the other scouts were asleep, Pat would crawl out of his cramped tent and spend the rest of the evening sleeping under the stars. He found it peaceful. Quiet. Calming. He'd feel utterly relaxed. Nobody there to burst his bubble.

"Pat?"

Pat squeaked and flinched under Cap's touch, pulling himself away from his friend's hand that had clamped down on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"D-Don't do that!" Pat held a hand on his chest as he tried to calm himself down.

"You looked deep in thought there, Patrick. Sorry for giving you a fright."

"T-That's okay, I just- I don't like being approached from behind, you know?" he laughed anxiously.

Cap nodded in understanding. "I apologize. I just wanted to know if you were alright? You've been a bit quiet."

His concern made Pat feel special. In general, not many people really noticed how he was feeling, so Pat found Cap's observations rather kind-hearted for someone like him. "Erm, yeah, I'm fine. I-I am enjoying myself! I haven't been round someone else's house before, it's rad! I mean like, from school, yeah. S-Sorry if that doesn't make much sense! I'm tired..."

Cap smiled. "So am I. It's getting late. What time did you say you had to be back for?"

Pat looked at his watch. "Well, it depends. Sometimes my parents stay out really late so I don't really know when to expect them."

Cap turned to him, his gaze a little forlorn, "So you're on your own a lot?"

The truth hurt. Pat bit his tongue, "Oh, um, well, they're just kinda busy a lot of the time and like spending time together without me getting in the way so they just go out for meals and stuff and I usually go camping. In the back garden. U-Unless I'm on a scouts trip or something. It doesn't bother me, really." he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "What about you?"

Cap held his hands behind his back tautly. "My parents have a strict schedule they like to stick by. My bedtime is at ten o'clock and it's already half nine now, so they'll be expecting me back soon."

"Oh..."

The two remained silent for a few moments, taking in Robin's excited chatter. Pat's eyes fell onto Cap's rigid form. His classmate always seemed so uptight. He figured it probably stemmed from Cap's parents being so strict. Maybe.

All parents can't be like that... can they?

Pat watched Mr and Mrs Robin stare dotingly at their son. It was almost frustrating at how much Robin's parents were nicer than his own. It made him a little jealous.

I wish my parents were like that... Would support my interests... Instead of calling me useless...

He felt his face heating up as he thought of his parents' attitude towards him, quickly standing up. "I think... I should probably go."

Robin overheard his words and whined. "Do you have to?"

Pat smiled sadly and nodded. Robin understood and asked the rest of them when they needed to leave.

"Well I can stay as long as you want me to." Julian admitted. His father was away on 'business' and his mother would probably be drinking herself to sleep, leaving Julian on his own.

"Sleepover?" Robin turned excitedly to his parents, who nodded in agreement.

"You... want me to sleep over?" Julian's eyes widened, not expecting to be invited to anything. He couldn't help but smile. "Sure!"

"Awesome!" Robin cheered, turning to the rest. "Anyone else?"

"If I clear it with my parents it should be alright." Humphrey smiled.

"Same here!" Kitty chimed.

"I'll have to ask mine too." said Mary.

The others politely declined, citing overprotective parents as their primary reasons. Robin nodded in understanding and after a few minutes of saying their goodbyes, the group split up and started walking back to their houses. Cap and Thomas eventually left to go in a different direction, leaving Fanny and Pat together.

The journey was a quiet one. Pat found Fanny intimidating at times, often not knowing how to talk to her. He bit his lip as he tried thinking of something to say without sounding clumsy.

"This evening was fun." Fanny broke the silence, making Pat jump. "I've never really... done anything like this before."

"Do you have strict parents too?" Pat offered sympathetically.

Fanny nodded. "I've tried justifying their behaviour for years. They always claimed I was the problem, and I believed them, too." she let out a little sigh. "But I'm starting to think they are the ones with the problem."

"Did they also give you a curfew?"

She nodded. "Mine's at eight. I'm overdue by an hour and a half."

"Will you get into trouble?"

"Most likely." she smiled softly. "But I think it was probably worth it."

Pat found himself overcome with joy, smiling broadly. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd thrown his arms around her in a hug. She stiffened at first, not used to the contact, but sank into it, enjoying his warmth. Realizing what he'd done, Pat pulled away with a blush.

"Er, sorry! I-I just kinda- I-I don't know what happened there."

Fanny smiled, patting his head. "It was a nice gesture, Patrick. Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome!" he stammered, the pair stopping once they'd reached his house. "Um, do you want me to walk you back to your house?"

Fanny shook her head. "No thank you, it's just down the road. I appreciate that, though." she bowed her head. "Goodnight, Pat."

"Goodnight!" he waved her off before entering his house, feeling remarkably better than before..

~~~~~

Humphrey yawned, stretching his back out as he padded along the corridor.

Last night he'd slept on Robin's sofa so his body was feeling a little strained in parts, but it had been totally worth it. It had been really fun. Even though the whole group hadn't been there, it was nice to get to know the girls and Robin a little more.

Hauling his bag over his shoulder, Humphrey lapped the school to waste time before lessons started. Yawning again, the tall boy tiredly greeted two of the teachers as he walked past them.

As he walked towards the canteen, Humphrey swore he could hear some hushed voices nearby. Stopping in his tracks, he listened to see where the noise was coming from and frowned when he heard someone cry out.

Leaning against the wall, Humphrey listened as the voices hushed. A few moments later, a few boys in his year walked out from behind the contained kitchen area and amiably greeted Humphrey as they passed him. Humphrey smiled and waved but was inwardly distrustful of what they'd been doing.

Waiting until they'd gone, Humphrey made his way into the kitchen area and peered behind the counter, finding nobody there. When he turned back and stared down the length of the main corridor, he saw the retreating figure of a dejected looking Pat heading towards his tutor room.

Frowning in thought, Humphrey looked in the opposite direction, where the boys had gone. They'd obviously been talking to Pat, but what about?

Suspicion still in mind, Humphrey made his way to class.