Michaela first appears as a friend of Amy Barnes (Ashley Slanina-Davies). She pressures Amy into having sex with boyfriend Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson), so that Michaela's boyfriend Wayne Tunnicliffe (Joe Marsden) wouldn't dump her. When Ste dumps Amy, Michaela's nasty streak becomes apparent when she begins teasing her, before going off with Wayne and Ste, leaving Amy upset and alone. When Amy stands up to Michaela, they fight in the playground at school. The next day, Michaela is dumped by Wayne, so she reconciles with Amy. Amy and Ste get back together and he takes her, Michaela, Josh Ashworth (Sonny Flood) and Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher (Sam Darbyshire) joyriding, which leads to a car crash. Ste flees the scene. However, Amy is badly injured and taken to hospital. After spending the night in a police cell, Michaela visits Amy in hospital and nearly tells the Barnes family about Amy's pregnancy.