Michael Collins

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A week has passed and it was a quick one. We were all so busy since the exams were coming up. There were remedial classes after school for an hour and I had to take one in math because I sucked at it. I sat on my desk as I waited for the teacher to come in. It was already four thirty and classes were about to end. Tomorrow was a Sunday and I thought about having a group study with Catherine since she was awesome in every subject and we needed to continue on our project. She’s been coming to my house every day since last week and my parents are eager to meet her since they are still in Russia and are coming back tomorrow. It was a good opportunity to introduce them to her. Steve and Mark came in and sat with me.

“Dude. Tell us what happened.”

“About what?”, I asked.

“About your plan on Catherine. We kept asking you the whole week and within the whole week, we noticed you kept your eyes on her and kept on blabbering about how smart and awesome she is. You never told us the story.”, Mark replied.

“Okay dude. Shut up already. You’re hurting my ears. So here’s what happened. Two hours after we were discussing about the project, I laid her on the couch and I was on top of her. She struggled at first but then she stopped.”, I said.

“Why did she stop? That’s weird. Why did she even struggle? If it was a different girl, she’ll be like, ‘let’s do it babe. Give it to me.’ and then you’ll both be satisfied in the end. But why? What’s with the struggling and stuff?”, Steven asked.

“Okay first of all, Steven, stop the girl accent. You sound like a bitch.”, I said and he rolled his eyes.

“So, she stopped struggling because she said I was just staring at her for a long time. I didn’t do anything to her. She later slapped me in the face and told me I was a freak and she ran away. Then I saw her umbrella and planned to return it to her. When I went outside, she wasn’t there anymore so I looked for her. Then we met at the bus waiting shed near our school and I apologized for what I did. I couldn’t bring myself to do it to her. Something was stopping me from doing it.”, I said. Mark and Steven were shocked. Were they shocked because I didn’t do it? Or was it because of something else?

“Dude. I can’t believe it. The mighty bastard Michael Collins looked for Catherine just to return an umbrella and apologized for what he did! This is an addition to history!”, Mark said to Steven.

“He didn’t even do something to Catherine! Now that’s unusual!”, Steven added.

“Shut up guys.”, I said.

“This already happened before Michael back at our old school in junior high. Could it be that you’re actually starting to like Catherine McMillan?”, Mark asked.

“No way dude!”, I quickly answered.

“That’s what you always say dude.”, Mark said.

“Whatever.”, I said as I placed my arms on the table and laid my head on top of it. Me? Falling for Catherine? No way! She’s not on my hot girls list. Later, class was finally over and it was five forty five. I went to my locker and placed my things inside. I still had football practice so I went to the boys room. While walking, I passed by the oak tree and saw Catherine writing something.

“Catherine!”, I called out and raised my left arm so she would notice me. She lifted her head up and she smiled as she waved at me. I approached her and said,

“Aren’t you supposed to be home by now?”, I asked.

“Yeah I should be but I needed to finish this first then I’ll go home.”, she said.

“You should finish that right away. It’s getting pretty late.”, I said.

“Looks like somebody is concerned about me.”, she smirked.

“Well duh. How can I finish my project if you’re not there?”, I asked.

“Typical. Anyway, you still have football practice?”, she asked.

“Yeah. It’s really tiring. We’ve got a big game after the Halloween party.”, I replied.

“Oh yeah. It’s almost Halloween. I almost forgot about it.”, she said.

“Anyway, you’ll be coming to my house tomorrow right?”, I asked and she nodded in response. I turned around to hide my smile.

“Be sure to wear something good but don’t let your clothes be overly dramatic. Simple clothes will do.”, I said and walked away leaving a puzzled Catherine.

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Catherine McMillan

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What did he mean? I got home confused and after he said that, I suddenly felt conscious about what I’m going to wear tomorrow. I got ready for work but it kept bothering me.

“Hey Catherine! Ready for work?”, Jacob asked happily as I walked in the restaurant.

“Yeah. I’m ready as always!”, I replied. We both went in the kitchen and started working. It was already past one in the morning and my shift was over.

“I’m going home first everyone, Jacob.”, I called out.

“Be careful on the way home Catherine. I’m sorry I can’t walk you home today. The manager is letting me have an overtime to make up for my absences.”, he apologized.

“No biggy. So, I’ll see you at work tonight. Bye!”, I said as I kissed his cheek and walked out of the restaurant. It was dark and I could feel the cold breeze of autumn. Well duh, it was already autumn. There were leaves scattered on the street, one of the street light was blinking. It gave me the shivers and it reminded me of Halloween that was coming up. While walking I saw a person not walking properly as if he was drunk. I took a closer look and recognized that it was Michael.

“Michael?”, I asked to confirm if it was really him. The guy looked up and yeah, it was really Michael. Man, he stinked like cigarette and alcohol.

“Have you been partying?”, I asked even though it was an obvious one. How dumber could I get?

“Hi there Catherine! Let’s hang out somewhere!”, he said.

“Go home Michael. We need to plan on the project later.”, I replied.

“Sure.”, he continued to walk. Looks like he’s easy to talk to. He was about two feet away from me now.

“Can you manage?”, I asked.

“Yeah. Even though I’m drunk, I can still go home.”, he replied. Wow, he admitted that he’s drunk. Most people don’t admit that they’re drunk. I called a taxi and it stopped. I opened the door and grabbed Michael. He went in and I told the driver,

“Oakridge street sir. The house where it has a huge swimming pool at the front yard. Here’s fifty. It’s a bit far. He’ll give you money if it’s not enough.”. The driver nodded and I closed the door. The taxi drove away with Michael and I sighed.

“Good grief Michael.”

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Michael Collins

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I woke up with a freaking headache. I looked around and I noticed that I was in my room already. I sat up and tried to remember how I got here. Let’s see. I was at the party with my friends, I walked out of the party with a bottle of tequila, I walked on the streets and threw the bottle at some stray cat, then I was walking at the park and saw a girl. I forgot who the girl was but I remember her smell. It was sweet and nice. I wonder who she was. Then I remember that I rode in some taxi but I can’t remember how I got in my room. I tried to remember and oh yeah, Billy, our security guard carried me here. I remembered almost everything but why couldn’t I remember the girl? Forget about her. I stood up and my vision went blurry and everything was spinning. Geez, I must have drunk a lot last night. I went to the bathroom and took a bath. I turned on the shower and I let it pour down on me. I closed my eyes and felt the cold water wash my whole body. Then I turned the shower off and noticed that the tub was full so I dipped myself in it. I rested both of my arms on each side of the tub and closed my eyes again. I wonder who the girl was. Then I dozed off.

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Catherine McMillan

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I woke up and sat up right away. I fixed my bed and took a shower. After, I got out of the bathroom and faced my closet. Which one to wear? I searched through my clothes and found a dress. It was a spaghetti strap dress, it had frills on the bottom and it was blue. It was a simple one though but I had no choice. So I wore it and went to my dresser. What should I do with my hair? Should I tie it up? Or leave it like that? I combed my hair and stared at the mirror. I’ll just leave it like that. I put on some power, brow liner, some cherry pink lipstick, and perfume. I wore my silver necklace which Jacob gave me for Valentine ’s Day. I wore my black doll shoes and took my sling bag. I looked so... simple. I don’t normally dress like this. I always wore tattered jeans, converse shoes, back pack, and had multiple earrings on my right ear. But today, I was so simple; like some casual girl going to a tea party. Ugh. I didn’t have normal clothes to wear but this. I went out of my room and locked the door.

“Good morning Catherine. You look splendid today.”, the care taker greeted and I greeted back.

“I don’t usually wear these kinds of clothes.”

“I can tell. You always wore those ragged kind of clothes. Is there any event today?”, she asked.

“No. Just that my friend told me to wear clothes that aren’t too formal and over dramatic and this dress is what I spotted.”, I replied.

“Well you look dazzling in it my dear. You should wear those kinds sometime. It makes you look like a fresh young woman.”, she said. Then what do I look like in my usual clothes? Some psycho emo freak? Nice choice of words ya got there care taker.

“Well, I have to go now.”, I said as I walked away.

“Have a good day Catherine.”, she called out. I went out of the apartment building and started to walk again. I had no cash for a taxi ride since I spent in on Michael’s ride home a while ago. I sighed and continued walking. After thirty minutes of walking, I finally arrived in front of their house. I hid behind a tree and fixed myself. I did a retouch and fixed my hair. I suddenly got nervous. Maybe because I wasn’t in my usual clothes and it made me uncomfortable. I walked towards their front door and pushed the doorbell. I heard footsteps getting closer and someone opened the door.

“Why, hello there young lady. How may I help you.”. There stood a man in front of me who looked like his forties and about six feet tall. He was a fine man who looked handsome. He somehow looked like Donald Trump but a bit younger and a bit different.

“Good day sir. Is Michael there?”, I asked.

“Catherine!”, he waved at me and came to us.

“Dad, that’s Catherine.”, Michael introduced me.

“My oh my. What a beautiful young lady.”, his father complimented.

“Thank you sir.”, I replied.

“Why don’t you come in? We were told by our son that one of his friend is coming today.”, his father said. I went in and his father went to the living room. I stood in front of the front door.

“Why didn’t you tell me that your parents were here?”, I asked nervously.

“I told you to wear something elegant, didn’t I”, he said with a smirk on his face. Was he teasing me?!

“But you didn’t tell me why. I could’ve wore something else.”, I replied.

“But if I did, I know you’d wear something formal.”, he said and I was silent.

“How do I look?”, I whispered while I was looking at me shoes.

“Beautiful.”, he replied. My heart skipped a beat for some unknown reason.

“Wait. How do I talk to them? I don’t even know what to say.”, I said. I got more nervous since I had no experience of this kind of situation.

“Catherine, relax. They’re just my parents.”, he said.

“But I don’t have any experience.”, I replied.

“Is this your first time being introduced to a boy’s parents?”, he asked curiously.

“Isn’t it obvious?”, I asked back. He smiled at me and said,

“Don’t worry Catherine. Just follow my lead.”. I did what he said and we entered the living room.  Everyone looked at us, especially me. How did it end up like this? I never expected this to happen. This is stupid. This must be a dream. Well if it was, then I want to wake up as soon as possible. I sat down with Michael.

“How are we supposed to make the project? We barely have two weeks left Michael.”, I whispered.

“We’ll go to my room later. My parents just arrived an hour ago, earlier than I expected. Don’t worry. I promise we’ll be done with half of the project later.”, he replied.

“So, Michael. Will you introduce your friend to us?”, his mother asked. His family is way too formal. I didn’t like it at all. I hate formalities and stuff. Why can’t everyone just be casual?

“This is my friend Catherine McMillan. She came here for our project in geography.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Collins.”, I said.

“Nice to meet you too Catherine. You’re very pretty. You’d make a fine bride for our son Michael.”, his mother said as she giggled. I blushed after hearing what she said. What a joke! Well, I hope it was a joke because neither of us, Michael and I, didn’t like what she said.

“Mom! Stop teasing us.”, Michael said. I saw a little flush of red on his cheeks. Was he blushing? Now that’s cute.

“I’m sorry dear but I wasn’t teasing.”, his mother said. Michael and I went silent. Later, Michael stood up and took my arm.

“We’re going to go to my room and continue on the project.”, Michael said as me exited the living room and went upstairs.

“Thanks.”, I said.

“What for?”, he asked as he was trying to unlock the door.

“For saving me back there. I couldn’t handle the air in front of your parents.”, I replied. He opened the door and we both went in. Michael locked the door and went to the closet and took out our project.

“You’re welcome. I couldn’t handle my mom any longer with her jokes. It’s so personal.”, he said and I nodded in response.

“Let’s continue on our project. I hope you’ll do what you promised.”, I said as I sat on the carpeted floor.

“Sure. I’ll fulfill my promise.”, he said as he sat down opposite to me. We continued on the project until I lost track of time.

“Let’s take a break. I’m beat.”, he said. I looked at my watch and it was already past seven thirty.

“I need to go home. It’s getting late.”, I said.

“Okay. I’ll give you a ride home.”, he said as we both stood up. I wore my shoes and he carried my bag. We went out of his room and went down the stairs. We met his mother and she said,

“Won’t she be joining us for dinner Michael?”

“She still has work mom. She’s also working.”, he replied. Wait, he lied to his mom? Why?

“Oh is that so? Well, I hope you can join us for dinner one day Catherine.”, she said as she looked at me and smiled.

“Thank you for the offer Mrs. Collins.”, I replied and smiled back at her. Michael and I went out of their house and approached his car. We went in and drove away. It was a silent ride. After twenty minutes, we arrived in front of the apartment.

“You live in an apartment?”, he asked.

“Yes, I do.”, I replied as I removed my seatbelt.

“Thanks for today Catherine.”, he said and smiled at me.

“You’re welcome Michael. Thanks for introducing me to your parents.”, I said. I kissed his cheek and he froze. I smiled at him and went out of the car. Wait, did I just kiss him? Fuck! Why the hell I did I do that?!