I’d always been jealous of my cousin Carson from day one. The clothes, the video games, the athletic ability… it’s too much.

Not to mention that he picked on me, day in, day out, and cursed at me at school. He might have been a typical bully, but the fact he was my cousin was just bad.

Even if Carson was a boy, I a girl, it still wasn’t fair. I used to think Carson was a spoiled brat. Now I just hate him. The day I really, seriously hated him, though, was January 13th.

There he was, arm around his girlfriend, laughing with the jocks. I turned, feeling hate towards him, and walked home.

The eerie light grew dark as I reached my house. I pulled out a silver key and turned the lock. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Carson’s girlfriend.

“Um, hey, Carson told me to give this to you.” She turned and hurried down the drive way to an idle car. Carson was staring straight at me.

I watched the blue Mercedes turn around in the cul-de-sac and drive away until it was a blue speck in the horizon. Then I glanced down at the ivory envelope with Carson’s perfect handwriting on it. I opened it.

Inside was a note. I sat down at the dining room table and began to read.

Lola, I’m sorry for everything. This is to make it up to you.



-C

Stunned, I glanced inside the ivory envelope to see money. Ten hundred dollar bills sat, Ben Franklin smiling up at me. I grinned and stuffed the money in my pocket.

- - -



I sat in court with an evil gaze plastered to my face. I was fuming, my face redder than a tomato. I imagined punching Carson, over and over again.

I remember the cops, tearing after me on Stewart Street, and the encased feeling of the handcuffs.

“Lola Danton, you are under arrest for the use of counterfeited money.”

Counterfeited, counterfeited… curse that Carson! Thoughts ran like wildfire through my head as I saw Carson in court. He was on jury duty.