The Bennett house was tense that night. Charity would not come down to dinner saying she refused to eat with "THAT GIRL." The morning was not much better and for once Kay was actually glad to go to school. Sitting in English class next to Simone Kay looked over at her and said. "Can I trade families with you?"
"What?" Simone asked
"You take mine I take yours. fair swap?"
"I don't think it works that way. So what's wrong with your family?"
"My cousin hates me and my mom has faith in me."
"Huh? Charity hates you? I can't see Charity hating anyone."
"You didn't see her swinging at me yesterday either."
"NO WAY!"
"Yes, Mom broke it up. She's not mad at me, but she expects me "to keep the peace". Which I want to do but Charity won't even talk to me!."
"So what set her off?"
"Something Miguel said to her I am not sure what."
"Well I think you need to talk to Miguel."
"No way she thinks I am trying to steal Miguel away from her."
"I wonder where she would get that idea from." Simone said sarcastically.
"Simone! I have not gone after Miguel in months and you know it!"
"Sorry, You do have to admit it is kind of ironic."
"I feel like fate is laughing at me. When all I wanted was to cause problems for them I couldn't do it to save my life. I finally set out to leave them alone and I break them up. ugg." Kay sighed as she dropped her head on the desk.
"Cheer up maybe Charity will be better after school."
"I doubt it."
"Well you have to try and I don't envy you that job.
-------------------------------
After school Kay went to wait for Charity. As soon as Charity came out she ran over to her.
"Hey Charity."
"Get away from me!" Charity said turning in the opposite direction. Kay ran around to block her.
"Charity will you just talk to me for a minute."
"Why so you can stab me in the back again."
"Look Charity I don't know what Miguel said to you yesterday, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN CHASING HIM."
Charity stood there her arms crossed in stony silence.
"Charity I mean come on how much time have I even spent with Miguel lately? None you know that he's been with you. Come on Charity don't be mad." Kay pleaded.
"So you're not chasing Miguel."
"No I'm not."
"You've never chased after Miguel?"
Kay hesitated. Did she tell her cousin the truth?
"Is it okay if we go to the book cafe and have a talk?"
Charity wasn't sure what to make of the fact that Kay had not yet answered the question. But she was curious and wanted to understand. So she agreed and the two went to the Book cafe.
With a fresh latte in front of her Kay started her confession.
"Charity I've known Miguel since before I could talk. Mom used to baby sit him while his mom and dad worked. As we got older we became really good friends. At times I was closer to him than even Simone. Well high school hit and all of a sudden I realized that Miguel was a boy. I know that sounds funny but I never thought of him as a boy. He was just my friend. All of a sudden I started noticing how cute he was and all the things girls like about boys."
"Did you tell him that you liked him?" Charity asked.
"NO! I was terrified. What if he didn't like me back, I might ruin our friendship. So all freshman year I kept quite. Than that summer I finally got the nerve I was going to tell Miguel how I felt and let the chips fall where they may. I decided to tell him at the carnival."
"But that's where I met Miguel!" Charity interjected.
"I know." Kay said with a small sad smile. "One look and he was hooked. It was love at first sight and there was nothing that I could do about it. Not that I didn't try."
Charity crossed her arms and sat defensively.
"Well I am sorry but here I was in love with Miguel and he was gaga for some stranger. And to add insult to injury that stranger turns out to be my cousin. Can you try and imagine how I felt?" Kay asked looking at Charity her eyes begging for understanding.
"I guess that is kind of bad."
"Yeah and I was so mad. Mad at you, mad at Miguel, mad at my mom, even myself. I shudder to admit it but I did several things in that first year in the hopes that you two would break up. But last fall after we saw Les Miz I realized what a horrible person I had become. You two were together and I was being a brat because I thought that Miguel was mine and you had stolen him. I hated being a petty jealous person. It wasn't fair to you, it wasn't fair to Miguel and it wasn't fait to me. So I stopped. I accepted that Miguel and I weren't meant to be and I haven't so much as batted my eyes lashes in his direction. I just wanted to be myself again. I've done that. I go out with my friends again and I don't moon over Miguel anymore. Now I don't know what he said to you yesterday to make you so mad at me but I'm not chasing after Miguel"
Kay stopped and looked over at Charity. Charity was quite her face unreadable. She took a sip of coffee and looked over at Kay.
"So what you are saying is that you tried for a year to break us up and it didn't work so you stopped trying and that did work?"
Kay sighed she did not like where it this was going.
"I guess if you want to look at it that way."
"Did you tell Miguel that you were trying to break us up?"
"No." Kay said quietly.
"Why not?" Charity asked.
"I don't know. When I was trying to break you guys up obviously I wouldn't tell him and afterwards it just didn't matter anymore. But Charity..." Kay looked Charity straight in the eye.
"If you want me to tell Miguel I will. You're my cousin Charity I want you to be happy." Kay's heart pounded in her chest as she waited for Charity to speak.
Charity looked at Kay, she seemed so sincere. Yet she just told her that she HAD been after Miguel for a major part of their relationships. Was Charity just supposed to forgive her because now after the damage was done Kay no longer wanted Miguel. Or did Kay still want Miguel? Kay said that she had given up on getting Miguel not that she had stopped loving him. Finally Charity spoke.
"No Kay you don't have to tell him. I understand why you did what you did. People do crazy things for love. But if you are really my cousin, if I mean anything at all to you, if you really are sorry. You will stay from Miguel. It's wrong to pit family against each other. He did that to us! If you are my cousin you will never talk to Miguel again!"