The Teacher's Pet | Slowburn MJ FanFic

• | Chapter Sixty-Nine | •

"We wanna know everything." Tito added as he walked in with the rest of the Jackson gang. Michael sucked his teeth in pure annoyance.

"Y'all so nosy." He muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Watch every single news channel. Everybody's been talking about it for a good minute. The information you want is there."

La Toya disagreed with a shake of her head. "Did they see the shooter up close? Did they get shot? No, you did. Therefore, we want to know the whole story from you."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Michael firmly stated while gently adjusting his arm in the sling.

"Just let him rest. It's a traumatic experience for him." Katherine came to his aid and shooed her children away, and they all pouted as they slowly began to scatter about before Jermaine opened his mouth.

"Does it have something to do with Riley?" He asked, both Michael and Marlon staring at him wide-eyed with a tinge of anger.

"Shut up, big mouth." Marlon half-whispered with a slap on his arm, knowing the cat was out of the bag now.

Michael shook his head, throwing his arm up in exasperation. "See, this is why I barely tell you shit. You don't know how to hold water."

"Michael Jose—"

"I'm sorry, Mother." He interrupted, keeping his back turned to her.

"Wait, who is Riley?" Rebbie asked as she stood between her sisters, all three eyeing him suspiciously. Katherine walked around the kitchen island and joined them.

"She's a girl I know." He kept it vague with a nonchalant shrug, then cringed from the slight pain.

"So, what's she got to do with the shooting?" Jackie asked next as he leaned against the door frame of the kitchen.

Before Michael could answer, a loud, exaggerated gasp was suddenly heard and everyone turned toward the cause of the source.

"Did you finally find someone else?!" La Toya asked in high-pitch excitement, her eyes wide and a large grin plastered across her youthful face.

Michael was quiet momentarily as he stared at the marble floor. "...yeah, I did." He cowered from his sister's over-the-top, shrill scream as La Toya suddenly ran over and hugged him tightly. "OW, TOYA!! Damn."

"Sorry, sorry! I just can't help but to be happy. My little brother is in love again!" She giddily clapped her hands with her pearly whites on full display.

"I didn't say I was in love, I just said I found someone." He corrected in a lackluster tone and she rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"It's close enough. When do we get to meet her?" She asked.

That question crushed his spirit a little.

"I don't think you will." He looked up as they all frowned at him.

"Hol' up," Randy finally spoke up as he walked closer to his brother, "this girl that you like, she had somethin' to do with the shootin'?"

"Oh my God, did she have a hit on your head or something?" La Toya questioned and Michael quickly shook his head.

"No, she didn't mean for me to get hurt. I was trying to protect her and she was trying to protect me, and I ended up like this." He explained in his own vague way again, resulting in the confused stares on his family's faces. "The shooter was some idiot that didn't know how to take rejection."

La Toya tilted her head slightly from a sudden memory and cautiously asked, "Was it that guy from that certain situation we talked about a few months ago?"