My Cousin

Michelle sat at her desk grinning.

‘Something amusing you, Michelle?’ the teacher asked her.

‘It’s nothing, Miss.’

‘Are you sure? Would you like to share it with the class?’

Michelle’s face turned bright red. No, she certainly didn’t want to share it with the class - she kept thinking about this boy who had asked her out and she thought it was funny. He was so nervous after he had asked her if she wanted to go to the cinema with him. Of course, she did, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She just said she’d let him know. She was going to play hard-to-get.

As Michelle was about to leave the class, with the rest of the students, the teacher called her over.

‘Michelle, can I have a word?’

‘Course, you can, Miss.’

‘Come on, what was so funny?’

‘A boy had asked me out at lunchtime, Miss.’

‘And you found that funny?’

‘You’d have found it funny if someone had asked you out the way he did.’

‘What was your reply?’

‘I said I’d let him know.’

‘Don’t leave it too long. You may lose the chance.’

‘Maybe you are right, Miss.’

‘Now pop along or you’ll be late for your next lesson.’

‘Yes, Miss.’

Michelle didn’t actually go to the next lesson. She skipped it and went into town. She just hung around, waiting till it was time to go home. And on her way home, she took a short cut through the park. But as she kept walking, she noticed someone sitting on the swings, so she went over to him.

‘What you doing here?’ she asked him.

‘Not much. Thought anymore about me asking you to come to the cinema with me?’

‘No. Should I have done?’

‘You are playing games, Michelle.’

‘Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.’

‘I give up where you are concerned. I’m going home.’

Michelle never answered. She just sat on the swing and watched him walk away. She was going to say yes when it suited her. She wasn’t going to be dictated to by anyone.

Once home, she had her tea, then escaped to her room to listen to some music. But as soon as she got to her room, she phoned her cousin up.’

‘Hi, babe,’ she said to her cousin once she had answered.

‘So, what you up to?’ her cousin replied. ‘Still after that Craig?’

‘Not any more. It’s him who is doing the chasing now. He only asked me out to the cinema.’

‘Did you say yes?’

‘Not yet. I’m gonna let him sweat first.’

‘Don’t let him sweat too long. He might go and ask someone else.’

‘He won’t.’

‘Don’t be too sure about that, Michelle. Boys are unpredictable at the best of times.’

The next day when Michelle was walking towards school she saw him hanging around by the school gates. She guessed he was waiting for her, and she wasn’t wrong.

‘Waitinf for me?’ she asked him once she was standing next to him.

‘Of a matter of fact, I am. So, is it the cinema tonight? They have just opened that new multiplex on the edge of town and I’ve got two free tickets. What about it, babe?’

‘Two free tickets? You jammy sod. How did you manage to get them?’

‘My uncle is the manager.’

‘Yeah, go on then,’ Michelle said, looking intrigued. His uncle could probably get them quite a few free entries to the multiplex. She wasn’t going to turn offers down like that.

As soon as Michelle got home from school, she ate her tea, then went to get ready. She didn’t even know what film they were going to see, but could she care?

Once off the bus, she made her way. There was no sign of him. She waited and waited but nothing. Wait till she saw him again. She was going to have words with him. He certainly wasn’t going to get off lightly.

When she got home, she went to her room. All she wanted to do was cry. How could he not turn up? It just didn’t make sense. Wait till she got to school the next morning. His life wasn’t going to be worth living.

When her tears had subsided, she reached for her phone and rang her cousin. But where was she? She always answered her phone. As soon as the phone went it went into voice mail, she hung up. She was too upset to leave a message. She wanted to talk to her cousin, not her voicemail.

Next morning, she saw him coming out of a shop as she was walking to school. She was going to have a word with him but she didn't get a chance. he spoke first.

‘Oh, hi, Michelle,’ he said as soon as he saw her. ‘Look, about last night. I tried to ring you but my battery dried up on my phone. My mum was ill. I had to stay in and look after her.’

Michelle said nothing as she began to walk away from him. Something didn’t add up about last night and she was going to find out the truth.

On her way home, she phoned her cousin.

‘Hey, where were you last night?’ Michelle asked her once her cousin had answered.

‘Oh, sorry. I had a busy day. I went to bed early. I did hear my phone ring but I was too tired to answer it.’

Michelle didn’t believe her story either. Then, approaching her front door, she ran into another friend.

‘Hi, Elise. You all right?’ Michelle asked her.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Hey, I’ve got something to tell you.’

‘What?’

‘You know that boy you are always on about.’

‘Craig?’

‘That’s him. I saw him at McDonald’s last night.’

‘You couldn’t have done. He was at home looking after his mum.’

‘He must have a double, then. He had a girl with him.’

'Who?'

‘Your cousin.’

‘Carly?’

‘Yeah, they looked very cosy together.’

That was it. She was going to get even with him.

When she got home, she rang Craig up.’

‘Oh, Craig, can you come over, I’m in a terrible state. This girl attacted me at school. I just need someone to talk to. I can’t say what I want to say to my mum.'

‘Half an hour later there was a knock at Michelle’s door. She answered and saw Craig on her doorstep.

After he walked through the door, she led him into the kitchen. He nearly had a coronary when he saw her cousin, Carly sitting at the table.

Carly just stared at Craig. What was going on?

‘Well, Carly, well, Craig. This is nice, isn’t it?

‘What’s going on?’ Craig asked her.

‘Oh, nothing much. I invited you and Carly to ask if you had a nice time at McDonald’s the other night. Pity you had to stand me up to go and meet my two-faced cousin.’

Michelle got her revenge. She had a big smile on her face as she asked both of them to leave her house, hopefully never to return again!