Chapter 3

Bombalurina had of course, seen the whole horrible thing and had no intention of hanging about. Once she saw Tugger's lips meet her sister's she turned around and began to push and shove her way out of the junkyard, tears spilling down her cheeks. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, the horrible moment replaying over and over again inside her head.

She had no idea who she was pushing or where she was going, she didn't care. She was vaguely aware of others calling after her but she ignored them, she needed to escape from everyone, she had to get away.

Bomba reached the edge of the junkyard, but she didn't stop, she kept running and running blindly through the dark, deserted streets, tears still streaming down her face.

Eventually, she turned down a small, dark alley and collapsed down onto the ground, sobbing.

How could Tugger want to hurt her that much? How could Demeter want to hurt her that much? After everything she had said to her about how she hated Tugger, how she liked Munkustrap, all that crap about not wasting her feelings on him and now she was kissing him?

She knew Tugger had a reputation but to blatantly start making out with her sister in front of her, and after smiling away at her…he might as well have just ripped her heart straight out of her chest.

Bomba's whole world was collapsing in on her, the two cats she cared most about in the world had gone out of their way to destroy her and, now that she lifted her head, she saw that she had no idea where she was.

She heard the chiming of a clock tower strike midnight, and far away a dog howled, causing her to jump. Just as she thought it couldn't get any worse, the rain started to lash down on Bombalurina.

Bomba didn't move though, she didn't have the energy. She just stayed, sitting in the alleyway, her fur soaked. She was so fed up of being messed about by Tugger, if she could just stop loving him… but you can't just stop loving someone, if it was that simple she would've stopped along time ago. Why didn't he love her?

Too tired to carrying on sobbing, she just let the tears pour silently down her cheeks, wondering if she should just give up. She could easily wait for a car to drive past and just jump under it. What was the point in living with a broken heart, without her sister and without Tugger?

She curled up in the rain and closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep, to escape her horrible thoughts for as long as possible.

"Bombalurina!"

Bomba opened her eyes, the rain had eased off slightly but she was still in the dark alley. She had only been asleep for about an hour, and as she sat up on the cold, hard ground, she could hear a voice calling her name.

"Bomba! Bombalurina!"

She recognised Demeter's voice getting louder, coming nearer and nearer to the alley. Bomba slid as far back into the shadows as she could, she would rather die than speak to Demeter, she didn't need her sympathy. If she wanted Tugger, well she was welcome to that arrogant piece of scum; she didn't need Demeter to explain to her.

"Bombalurina? Is that you?"

Bomba could see her now, at the bottom of the alley. She was drenched and her golden fur was splattered with muddy water. Her head-fur was dripping water down her face, and she was limping slightly as she walked towards Bomba.

"Bomba? Please, I need to explain, I'm so so sorry but it honestly wasn't what it looked like!"

"Then what the hell was it? Just talking were you?" Bomba asked coming out of the shadows. The sight of Demeter brought a whole new feeling of anger, and here she was trying to apologise?

"Oh thank god, Bomba it is you! I thought you were dead!" Demeter cried, limping towards Bomba through the rain as quickly as she could, a look of relief mixed with exhaustion on her face.

"Disappoint you, did I? Oh I'm sorry, I don't want to get in the way of you and your new true love!" Bomba hissed, starting to walk down the alley.

"Bomba, wait! You have to listen, you've got it all wrong!" Demeter shouted desperately, struggling after her.

"How could I get it wrong? Let me think… you lied to my face, made out with Tugger, broke mine and not to mention Munkustrap's hearts, humiliated me in front of everyone and now you've come crawling after me, expecting me to listen to you?" Bomba yelled, turning around to face Demi. Tears were coming down her face now, and Bomba noticed she had a deep cut down her right calf.

"Bomba, you know I would never do any of those things to you." She said quietly.

"There you go, lying again!" Bombalurina yelled.

"But I'm not! Listen Bomba, Tugger was completely drunk, off his head, he had no idea what he was doing!" Demi suddenly yelled back, coming right up to Bombalurina. "He grabbed me and I honestly thought he was Munkustrap, and then…"

"Oh I think I can figure the rest out for myself!" Bomba said, sarcasm and malice dripping from her words. She began to walk off again but Demeter grabbed her by the arm.

"No you can't! It all happened so fast, and the minute I realised it was Tugger kissing me I slapped him clean across the face. You know I can't stand him, and after what he did tonight I never want to set eyes on him again. Do you honestly believe I would do that to you? I would rather stay single for ever than lose you as my sister."

Bomba looked at her sister's face, saw the tears in her eyes and knew that she was telling the truth.

"You really slapped him?" she asked, a small smile appearing on her tear-stained face.

"Of course I did!" Demi smiled back, "Best feeling in the world."

"Oh I'm sorry Demi." Bomba sighed, "I know you would never do that regardless of whether I liked Tugger or not! It's just…"

"Hey, I understand. If it had been you and Munkus I would've reacted the same way, except I suppose it was worse for you. You and Tugger have a lot more…history, than me and Munkustrap." Demi said, hugging her sister tightly, "I'm sorry too."

"Oh, you have nothing to apologise for. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sorry for yelling at you, I just needed to take my anger out on someone. You're sure he was drunk?" Bomba asked, hugging Demi back.

"Hundred percent. He almost fell over when I slapped him, plus he feels the same way about me as I do about him, he would never want to kiss me. Maybe we should get back home, then I can explain properly. Plus I'm freezing and soaked, as are you."

Demi saw a look of doubt on Bomba's face; she could tell she didn't want to go back to the junkyard.

"Everyone's probably fast asleep by now, they all left the party after that incident and it started pouring. We'll just creep back home quietly, yeah?" Demi said, reassuringly. Bomba nodded.

"Ok, I'll probably feel better after I get some sleep anyway, I'm exhausted. I bet you are too, and you're leg looks awful."

"Oh, it's just a scratch, but yeah I'm pretty wrecked! I know a short cut back, it'll only be about a 10 minute walk and then we'll be home."

"Thanks Demi. If you hadn't come who knows what would've happened. You always seem to come to have to the rescue when I get myself into a stupid situation," Bomba smiled, putting her arm under Demeter to help her walk, "What would I do without you?"

"Hey, that's was sisters are for right? I'll always be there to help you out." Demi grinned. "Right, let's get going!"

The two queens set off in the darkness, back to the junkyard.

"Oh shiiiitt!" Tugger groaned, opening his eyes and rubbing his throbbing head with his paw.

"Good morning to you too!" Munkustrap called from a chair at the front of Tugger's den.

"Munkus? Is that you?" Tugger asked, closing his eyes again.

"Who else would drag their complete drunken idiot of a brother back to his den in the pouring rain?" Munkus replied, approaching the makeshift wooden bed where Tugger lay on a large pile of blue and purple cushions, covered in a royal blue blanket.

"What do you mean? Why is my head so bloody sore?" Tugger complained, squinting up at the grey tabby, still clutching his forehead.

"Try casting your memory back to last night. Oh and I'm furious with you by the way, so don't start whining about your head because quite frankly, I couldn't give a damn."

Munkustrap said calmly, handing Tugger a chipped mug of murky grey liquid.

"Um, thanks." Tugger said, taking the mug and sitting up gingerly, "What is this?"

"It'll cure your, what is it called? Ah yes, hangover." Munkustrap said, sitting on a nearby stool.

"What? A hangover? And why are you furious with me? Ok I'm sorry about the argument we had before the…"

His words tailed off slowly, memories of the party returning to him.

"Oh god, I didn't…I didn't actually…Oh god, Munkus, listen I'm so sorry. I was completely out of it man, I seriously didn't mean to, em, y'know, k-kiss her and everything." Tugger said nervously, now understanding why Munkustrap was furious.

"Y'know what Tugger, I don't know that you are sorry." Munkus said, getting off the stool and pacing up and down.

"No, no I swear I am, listen Munkus you've got to-"

Munkustrap cut him off.

"No, Tugger, you listen!" he suddenly exploded, "I don't know what sort of screwed up thing you've got going on with Bombalurina, and I don't give a shit if you want to play some sort of twisted 'game' with her, but I'll be dammed if you start playing it with Demeter!" he yelled uncharacteristically at Tugger.

Tugger, who was still sitting up in his bed, was shocked at this sudden outburst from his brother. Not because he felt he had done nothing to deserve this reaction, but because it was so unlike Munkustrap. He usually liked to 'talk things through calmly' and 'try to understand', it was Tugger who just started yelling and swearing at everyone.

"Munkustrap, I was so drunk, you saw me! I know it was completely over the line and I would take it back if I could-"

"Jeez Tugger, you're so far past the bloody line it's literally invisible!" Munkustrap yelled over Tugger, "Do have no self-respect? Are you completely oblivious to other people's feelings? It's your own fault for getting so plastered in the first place so don't give me lame excuses and apologies, you know full well how I feel about Demeter!"

Tugger sat silently for a few moments, clearly taken aback.

"I don't know what to say… I am sorry though. I know it was stupid and irresponsible; I just wanted to forget about everything for a bit. I didn't deliberately set out to…to do all this!"

"Well you could've fooled me! And who was it that had to take you home? Who was it that had to practically carry you in the rain? Who was it that was humiliated in front of everyone? Me, Tugger."

"I know, I'm sorry, I can't turn back time. I didn't mean to humiliate you or, or Demeter and I'm pretty humiliated myself." Tugger said quietly.

Munkustrap sighed, "Look, I'll let it go because I know that you were drunk, but you are going to have to seriously grow up, you've hurt me and Demeter, not to mention Bombalurina."

Tugger winced at the sound of Bombalurina's name. Munkustrap sat down on the end of the bed.

"I'll apologise to Demeter, if she'll let me. How…. how did em, Bombalurina, em, take it?"

"I don't know, she disappeared pretty quickly. Right after Demeter slapped you-"

"She slapped me? Oh yeah, that was pretty painful actually."

"Well right after that, she said she had to go and find her, even though it was pouring. I tried to come with her but she said she was more likely to get her back alone. She's even more angry with you than I am."

Tugger bit his lip.

"Have you seen her since?"

"No, but she might've arrived home with Bombalurina sometime last night, if she managed to find her that is. I'm going over to theirs in a minute. If anything's happened to Demeter I'll kill you. And if anything's happened to Bombalurina…"

"Demeter will kill me, I know." Tugger said worriedly, 'Unless I beat her to it.' He thought.

Tugger drained his mug of grey water. "Thanks, for y'know helping me back, and not hating me forever."

"Forever? No. I'm not so sure about Demeter and Bombalurina though." Munkustrap said, smiling.

"Well, I can understand it if they hate me. Jeez, I have screwed everything up so badly it's unreal." Tugger sighed, setting his empty mug down and leaning back on his cushions.

"Yes, you have, and you've hurt a lot of people, but you'll be able to fix it. Well, you can try your best." Munkus said gently, "Why did you do it though? I mean, I know you got drunk but why did you kiss Demeter? You don't even like her."

Tugger shut his eyes, "God, it was so stupid. You really don't want to know."

"What? To get back at me, for that argument we had?" Munkus asked, surprised.

Tugger laughed, opening his eyes again.

"No, no! It was…. I just…I thought she, not Demeter obviously…with Alonzo but even if she is I have no right to…."

Munkus nodded, "Surprisingly, I think I know what you're talking about!"

"Really?"

"Bombalurina?"

"Correct."

"What was she doing with Alonzo? It must've been pretty full on to get you so mad at her." Munkus asked.

"That's the stupid thing, she was just dancing with him! It might not even have meant anything, and if it did, I have no reason to start getting all wound up. It's not like I…"

"I think you might have to admit how you feel about her now. I knew anyway." Munkustrap smiled. Tugger lay back down in his bed, his paws over his face.

"Oh you're killing me man!"

"Haha I know! It's very satisfying." Munkus laughed.

Tugger slowly took his hands off his face; he wasn't smiling now. There was a long silence.

"I love her." He said quietly, "I love her so much that it hurts." his voice became a whisper, "She's so beautiful."

Munkustrap smiled knowingly, he knew only too well how his brother felt.

"You've got it that bad then?"

"Yes," Tugger said, still whispering, "I loved her since I first met her. And I could've made it work so well with her. I would've been so happy with Bombalurina."

"Hey, you still can. It can still happen, you and Bombalurina." Munkustrap said, inwardly surprised how deep Tugger's feelings were.

"No. I've gone way too far this time. Blown it. Anyway, you're right, I've never treated her the way she deserves to be. Why was I so horrible to her? What the hell is wrong with me Munkus?"

Tugger's voice had cracked. He rolled over onto his stomach, his head buried in a cushion, hidden from Munkustrap's view.

"Em, Tugger? Do you want me to go?"

Tugger nodded, his face still hidden. Munkustrap got off the bed, wondering if he should say anything else.

"It'll be ok man." Munkustrap said, tapping Tugger awkwardly on his back. Just as he reached the door to leave, Tugger's muffled voice came from deep within the cushions on his bed.

"Thank-you."

Munkustrap smiled, "No problem." He replied, closing the door gently behind him.