Chapter 4 - Michaela's Story

March 24, 1997 - Los Angeles, California

I ran into the house and slammed my folder onto the kitchen bench. My Grandma, Annabelle Morgan, looked away from the television and at me. "Ah, Michaela, you look more and more beautiful everyday," she said.
"Stop it Grandma. You know I'm not pleased with you," I said, taking my hair out of my plait.
"You're not still upset about the party, are you?" she asked.
"Yes. My birthday was on a Friday, perfect for a party and you wouldn't let me have one. I don't care what you say, fourteen is not too young for a party." I grabbed a chocolate bar out of the refrigerator and sat down on the couch. I snatched the remote control from Grandma and changed the channel to MTV. "The least you can do is let me watch something decent instead of that dumb cooking show." I knew I was being awful but I didn't care.
"Whatever you want Michaela. It's fine with me. What are these nice girls called?" Grandma asked.
Wannabe was playing. "They're the Spice Girls, Grandma, and they're not nice, they're awful - rude and crude."
She smiled wryly. "So you'd get along well with them, yes?"
I threw a pillow at her. "No."
We sat out the whole song and a new one that I hadn't heard before started playing. It didn't sound that great but you can't judge a song by its first few bars. The band had these two girls and a guy in it. They looked pretty young, like around my age. Then the lead singer started to sing. It was sooooo cool (not the song - that pretty much sucked) she sounded exactly like me.
"That girl looks an awful lot like you Michaela. You could be twins," Grandma had noticed it too.
The phone rang. I picked it up. "Yo Kay!" the voice called.
"Oh hi Chrissie," I said.
"Kay, you have to turn your television to MTV. There's this girl on there and she looks and sounds exactly like you, have you been doing studio work?"
"No. But I did notice the girl....... and you guys always said I had a really bad voice and should stop singing, well sucked in!"
"Shit Kay! She looks so much like you, especially in the car bit!"
"Yah. She's my doppelganger."
"Oh mi god! She's wearing the same clothes as you were wearing at school today."
I looked down. It was true. I was wearing jeans and a red shirt and jacket. "This is just too weird."
Chrissie burst out laughing. "You know Kay, is so typical that if the lead singer looked and sounded like you they'd have a really shit song."
"Yeah, it isn't much good but other than that this is really exciting."
"Whatever," said Chrissie. The song had finished and the bimbo presenter was on screen.
"Wow! What a great song!" the presenter said. "It's called MMMPop, it's by a hot new band named Manson and I think it's going to be a huge hit. Manson is made up of three great looking guys -"
"No shit! It's a guy!" said Chrissie.
"- Neuton, 16, Tweedle-Tay, 14 just last week and Grubbery, who's just 11. That's right - they're just your age. What's more we have them right here in the studio ready to discuss MMMPop and they're lives. Hi guys!"
Anyway, you get the idea. The presenter went on about the Manson's and how "cute" they were and how talented they were and how MMMPop was such a clever song. Words cannot describe how happy I was when Just A Girl by No Doubt came on and put an end to the drivel.