Teenage Antichrist Book Two: A Journey of a Brother's Hatred 1990 - 1991

Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Hopeful Audition

"Miss Doherty's a bitch," Rick said. "She always looks like that,"

Michelle really wanted to believe that but she just couldn't keep the look out of her mind.

"No, I don't think it's that," she replied.

Natalie and Rick continued to argue their support for her singing voice but she just couldn't believe them, not with Miss Doherty's look firmly in mind.

*****

Michelle knew she was pushing her luck but as far as she was concerned it was too important not to. So she waited out the front of the house for her mother to come home. As Mrs. Slater pulled up in her car she was agitated and the last thing she needed was to see Michelle waiting for her out the front of their house. All Mrs. Slater wanted was a strong cup of coffee to deal with the day she had. Michelle could tell her mother was in a bad mood the second she got out of the car but she didn't care.

"Hi Mum," Michelle said casually. "Did you have a good day at work?"

In Mrs. Slater's mind that translated to Mum, I want something.

"No, my day was horrendous," she replied sternly.

In Michelle's mind that translated to: Don't even think about asking me for anything!

So with that translation in mind, Michelle knew she was stuck but she knew that if she waited for the right time someone else could get the role of 'Rhonda' and she wouldn't be able to sing for Mrs. Doherty again to prove her wrong.

"Mum, can I be honest with you?" she asked sincerely.

As Mrs. Slater walked towards Michelle she was taken aback by her bravery to be honest. She also considered the fact that Michelle could be lying but it didn't seem like it wanted to see where this was going to go.

"Yes, you can be honest with me," she replied. "What do you want?"

"I want to have singing lessons," Michelle said.

Mrs. Slater sighed instantly with frustration.

"Michelle, your father and I already let you audition for that musical," she said. "What makes you think we're going to pay for singing lessons?"

"Because I want to join a choir when I go to university," Michelle replied.

That was a notion Mrs. Slater didn't anticipate. When it came to Michelle's intelligence she wasn't entirely sure if she could make it university. Tafe, maybe, but not university. However there she was demonstrating a need to get into university and was intrigued by it.

"Is that something you really want to do?" Mrs. Slater asked fascinated.

"Yeah, because I really want to sing," Michelle said. "And I know you and Dad want me to go to uni so why can't I do both?"

As Michelle continued to talk to her mother about it, it became obvious she was going to get her way. Mission accomplished.

*****

Cameron had no idea how many times he had read Michelle's first letter because whenever he did he felt like he could get lost in it. All of his problems seemed to go away simply because he felt like he had a friend that wasn't going to make fun of him or judge him. He was happily lost in this euphoria until one of his classmates, a boy his own age with red hair, walked up to him as he stood by his locker.

"What are you reading, geek?" the boy asked aggressively.

Cameron quickly put the letter behind his back.