My Cousin The Creep -

Every family has one. Ours just happened to be named Danny.

At first, I thought it was awkwardness. Danny was the kid who laughed a beat too late at jokes, who stared at your mouth when you spoke, who saved used tissues in his pockets "just in case." But as we got older, the word creep started fitting like a too-small coat. my cousin the creep

And if you're an aunt, an uncle, a parent, a grandparent—please. Stop calling it enthusiasm. Start calling it what it is. Every family has one

Because the creep in the family doesn't just make gatherings uncomfortable. He makes them unsafe. And it's not the job of the cousins to keep smiling through it. Would you like a shorter version (e.g., for social media), or one written from a more humorous or more serious angle? Danny was the kid who laughed a beat

But here's the thing about creeps: they don't grow out of it. They just get better at hiding it until they don't have to anymore.

I told my mom the next day. She sighed. "You know how Danny is."