| That Night ~ 7:47 PM. . .
"Get out'cho feelings." Jermaine teased his younger brother while laying a heavy hand on his shoulder and shaking him as Michael stared down at his phone.
He sneered, then elbowed Jermaine in an attempt to push him away. "Get out my business." He retorted.
"I will when you stop moping around the house like a sad puppy. You've been staring at your phone ever since you got here." Jermaine said as he plopped down on the couch behind them.
The Jacksons were having a family dinner that night and Katherine wanted to see all her children and grandchildren in one place. Michael originally declined, but a call from his mother earlier that day after what went down between him and Riley changed his mind. But he was slowly beginning to regret it due to Jermaine's annoying ass.
"I'm fine, you always think something's wrong with me." Michael mumbled as he walked away, then slumped down into his father's old recliner.
"Because usually there is. Is it Riley?" He asked with a small smirk, receiving silence in return. "Yep, that's the root of your moody attitude. What happened? Did she break up with you? Did she cheat? Did she not enjoy the sugar baby lifestyle? What?"
Michael felt a twinge of anger sweep over his body and he grabbed a throw pillow, hurling it at his older brother with a cold look in his eyes. "You're always so fucking insensitive."
He abruptly stood and walked out of the room just as his phone came alive with a familiar ringtone.
"Okay, that was rude of me. But I genuinely want to know." Jermaine said as he followed behind.
"Go away, damn!" Michael yelled loud enough to where some of his other siblings and family could hear him before he slammed the door shut of the study suite.
He looked down at the phone and saw it was Riley FaceTiming him. His anger immediately flew out the window and he became a wave of relief washed over him. He eagerly swiped his thumb across the bottom of the screen and her gorgeous face appeared on his screen.
She quickly spoke before he could open his mouth. "I was an ass."
Michael creased his eyebrows as he took a seat on a nearby cushioned bench. "About what?"
She gave him a look. "You know what about. I shouldn't have acted that way towards you when all you were doing was trying to help me in some way. I'm sorry."
"No hard feelings, babe. I'm just happy to hear from you." He softly smiled. "Are you gonna tell me why you exploded on me, though? That wasn't like you at all."
She deeply sighed and the camera moved slightly as she adjusted herself on her bed. "I'm just... I'm going through a lot right now."
"Want to talk about it? Free therapy here." He lightly chuckled to make her smile, then frowned when she shook her head with a pained expression.
"No, thanks."
He could see the sadness on her features despite her trying to smile. Whatever she wasn't telling him was bothering him greatly and he just wished she would finally confess everything to him.
"No matter what, I'll always be there for you." He reminded her. "I don't like seeing this Riley. Where's the bold, flirtatious, vibrant girl who was always smiling and goofing around?"
The corner of her lips slowly curled upward into a smile. "She's still in here."
'Somewhere if she's not dead.' She solemnly thought.
"Bring her back," Michael said with a playful lip pout. "I miss her."
Riley softly giggled. "She misses you, too."
Hearing some form of her laughter made him smile and he missed that beautiful sound all day. "How's your wrist?" He asked after seeing her fumble around with her splint. "What's going on?"
"It's not as bad, but it itches like hell." She sharply hissed when she felt pain radiate through her hand. "Dammit."
"Don't pick at it, Ry." Michael gently chastised her, watching her blow out air from her mouth in frustration before hearing her mumble under her breath. What he heard caused him to freeze for a split second.
When she noticed his baffled expression, she cocked her head slightly. "What?"
"What did you mean by that?" He slowly asked.
"By what?"
"You said, 'I shouldn't have provoked him'. Baby, who are you talking about?" He asked again which left her to look like a deer in headlights and she quickly racked her brain for a suitable lie.
But she couldn't think of anything. Her mind was blank and she was out of ammo for any more excuses. "Nobody. I didn't say that."
Michael deeply furrowed his eyebrows and gave her one of his looks. "I heard you clear as day, girl. Who did you supposedly provoke?"
"No one, Michael, geez. I'm not doing this again." She rolled her eyes, tired of the arguing and the excuses. If she wanted to tell him, she would; he didn't need to know every little detail going on in her life, especially if he kept him safe from Javen's lunatic ways.
"Stop making up excuses and tell me the truth, then we wouldn't be having these problems!" He was getting fed up with all of the random attitudes, anger, and crying. Something was causing her to behave this way and he was becoming infuriated that he couldn't figure out what it was.
The door behind Michael softly clicked open just as Riley's angered voice rang throughout the room.
"IT'S NOTHING, MICHAEL!"
He rubbed his temple as he quietly exhaled. "That's the shit I'm talking 'bout-right there! That anger you keep unleashing on me!"
She didn't bother to reply knowing that she pissed him off judging from his face, his tone, and his use of language. Jermaine stood behind Michael with his arms folded across his chest as his tongue made a 'tsk tsk tsk' sound against his teeth. Riley remained quiet and Michael abruptly turned around in his chair in annoyance.
"Someone needs their kitty eaten and the other needs his dick wet." Jermaine said in a teasing tone.
Riley dropped her phone against the mattress and covered her face in embarrassment as she sunk down against her pillows. Michael tried to swat at Jermaine, but he nimbly moved away. His concern for Riley outweighed putting up with Jermaine's annoying antics; he left his phone unattended for a moment as he grabbed his older brother by the sleeve of his cashmere sweater and pushed him out the room.
Hugging a peach-colored decorative pillow to her chest with her chin propped on top, she could hear Jermaine's protest and Michael shouting, "Get the fuck out, Jermaine!" before the slam of a door shut quieted the argument between them.
Michael picked his phone back up and could only see the smooth white surface of her ceiling rather than her face. He ran a hand over his face as breathed out a deep, agitated sigh.
After gathering himself and extinguishing the hostility in his voice, he sat back on the couch as he said in a warm tone, "Ry, none of this is like you. Can you pick up the phone so I can see your beautiful face? Please?"
She hesitated for a moment before quickly dabbing at her wet eyes and cursing beneath her breath from the immense anger and sadness physically taking form through her body. Slowly, she reached over and picked up her phone.
The sight of her red eyes and a few tear streaks on her cheeks further increased his worry. He wanted nothing more than to up and leave Hayvenhurst and be by her side, holding her close and showering her in loving kisses.
"Just talk to me, Ry. Tell me what's going on with you because none of this is making sense. You're obviously hurting, holding in all this anger, and you keep lashing out. Any time I try to ask you questions or whatnot, you either shut me out or go off on me. What's making you like this, baby?"
Her watery eyes shifted from the camera and she refused to speak. She knew if she opened her mouth, it wouldn't be words coming out.
"It's like you changed overnight to someone I don't even recognize and I hate it. You keep distancing yourself, you've iced everyone out, and you're always upset." He said with sadness coating his voice. "I worry about you constantly and I just want to help you, but you won't let me."
She inhaled sharply, then blew a breath out slowly. Doing that kept her emotions at bay. She simply said in a somewhat shaky voice, "It's just a lot."
"All you have to do is talk to me. I won't judge you, make you feel bad about whatever is going on, or none of that. If all you want me to do is listen, I can do that." He promised, his doe-brown eyes pleading for her to release the pain she had been harboring.
She sat still for a moment and thought. She thought about the potential outcomes of releasing the dark secret that weighed heavily on her since the night Javen showed up at her home and took advantage of her. The mere thought of uttering the words "I was raped and now I'm pregnant." made her sick to her stomach and she couldn't bear saying it aloud.
She also knew those words would set an untamed wildfire within Michael and make him lash out in pure rage. He never hid how ferociously protective he was of her and although she appreciated how much he cared for her, Javen's unpredictable response hindered her from speaking the truth.
The heart-stopping photos he would send her of him posted up outside of either Jay's and Michelle's home as a warning to the bone-chilling reminder of when he nearly electrocuted her in the tub because he thought she talked was enough to show a small glimpse of what he was capable of when he became infuriated.
"I'm just under a lot of stress, that's all. I have so many assignments to do on top of rehearsing for competition and stuff. It's overwhelming-" She stopped short from the sound of Michael's agitated sigh and watched him rub his eyes for a quick second.
He stared at his lap, then looked back into the camera. "You're lying to me."
"I'm not." She stated in annoyance.
"Yes, you are." He said. "I've known you long enough to know when you're lying."
"Fuck, Michael, you just begged me to tell you what's going on and when I do, you accuse me of lying!" She raised her voice and he took another deep, silent breath to keep his own voice even.
"Whenever you lie, you don't look me in the eyes and you start talking a little faster than normal; sometime your tone changes in your voice. Also, I've been informed that you haven't been attending practice." He explained as she grew quiet. "Ry, I want the truth. What is this secret problem that's changing you for the worse, making you constantly lie, and it's keeping you from practice? Who is this asshole you supposedly provoked? Is that person the real reason behind your broken wrist?"
Unintentionally, his questions were bringing forth the undesirable flashbacks and memories of Javen. She gritted her teeth and buried her face into the pillow, making Michael frown more than he already was.
"Tell me who this piece of shit is and I'll handle them myself."
She shook her head, then mumbled into the pillow. Though her words were a bit muffled, it was loud enough for him to understand enough. "It's nothing..."
Normally, Michael was slow to anger. But the fact that he could clearly see Riley suffering yet she refused to tell him anything had him beyond infuriated.
"Ry, y'know I care about you more than anything in the world and I would do anything for you, but you're driving me crazy with all these lies. Someone is hurting you and you won't tell me who they are; you can't keep hiding this forever." It was hard to keep his voice calm, but somehow he managed.
"I'm not gonna argue with you." She plainly stated after lifting her face from the pillow and her puffy eyes stared into the screen.
"You keep deflecting and that right there tells me I'm onto something. Who is it? Is it that asshole-"
He stopped short when he quickly realized she was going to hang up on him. As much as he wanted to pull the truth from within her and get to the bottom of the situation, the last thing he wanted her to do was push him out again.
"Ry, don't. Please." He softly pleaded just as her finger hovered over the end call button. "Listen, I'm sorry for coming at you like that, but I'm just worried. You keep leaving me in the dark and you don't understand how much it hurts me when you won't let me help you."
She could see the immense sadness in his eyes and it made her feel ten times worse. "I'm fine, don't worry 'bout me."
He loudly sighed, then told her, "Just know whenever you need me, I'll be there in a heartbeat. I don't care what time of the day it is or how far you are. As much as it kills me, I'm not gonna force you-"
He was abruptly interrupted when Jermaine loudly made his re-entrance, instantly inciting an eyeroll from Michael and a very angry grunt. He swiftly turned in his seat and half-shouted, "Can't you see I'm having a very important conversation with my girl right now!?"
"Sorry to crash your little chit-chat, but Mother sent me." He said with a nonchalant shrug before invading Michael's space and grinning into the camera "Hey, Riley!"
"Move, idiot!" Michael shoved his chest, but Jermaine barely budged. He was too busy annoying his little brother to notice Riley's saddened state and weak smile.
Her voice was small as she replied, "Hi, Jermaine. How are you?"
Jermaine turned back to the camera. "Just hungry. This guy right here," he ruffled Michael's hair before being shoved away once more, "is holding up dinner."
"Oh, right." Riley nodded, sighing sadly. "I'll let you guys go."
"No, Ry-" Michael was cut short when she hung up without a goodbye. He stood and slapped Jermaine in the chest with the back of his hand as hard as he could. He almost entertained the thought of beating his ass. "Why'd you make her hang up!?"
Jermaine grunted from the pain radiating out through his chest . "Damn you hit hard as fuck." He mumbled as he rubbed the aching spot on his chest. "I'm hungry, Mike. Y'all can talk later, come on." He left the room without another word, leaving Michael more than infuriated.
"He gets on my last fucking nerve."
He shook his head angrily and slowly followed after him as he sent Riley a text.
Bambi 💃🏾😍
I'm so sorry about him. You didn't have to hang up baby.
8:01 PM
You gotta eat sometime right?
8:02 PM
I don't care about food, I just care about you. Why are you putting a wall up between us? I really hate the way you're acting.
8:04 PM
(. . .)
Katherine cleared her throat and Michael looked up to see most eyes on him. He sheepishly blushed from all the attention and put away his phone without another second. Earlier in time, he didn't mind this rule of not having any phones at dinner. But now, he was sitting here annoyed to high heavens. He needed to know what was going on with Riley and being at this dinner was hindering him.
" 'Scuse me." Michael suddenly said over some conversations in the room and the clinking of utensils against the plates. He got up and walked out of the dining room, not caring about baffling some of his family members.
Jermaine sighed and shook his head, then muttered underneath his breath, "That girl has him whipped."
Bambi 💃🏾😍
I'm a moody bitch when I'm on my period.
8:05 PM
I don't believe you. I heard you say that you provoked someone and you won't come clean about it. Please, just tell me!
8:10 PM
Goodnight Michael.
8:12 PM
Are you seriously doing this? It's not even that late!
8:12 PM
NIGHT.
8:13 PM
Don't push me away Ry! All I ask of you is to tell me the truth and you keep avoiding the conversation.
8:14 PM
Can you please just answer?
8:20 PM
I know I said I wasn't gonna force you to talk about it, but let me help you.
8:28 PM
Baby girl? Please.
8:31 PM
If you keep texting me, I will block you. Goodnight.
8:33 PM
Michael deeply frowned as he shut off his phone and ran a hand through his hair. He stared at the tanned-colored walls of the bathroom, now losing any appetite he had. All he wanted was the truth and the old Riley back. This girl that was just texting him wasn't the same girl he found himself slowly falling for.
She was curt, mean, and often angry or sad. How could such a sweet girl change so much in as little as a month, and not for the better? He knew something or someone made her this way, and he was fully determined to pinpoint the cause.
🥀
| 3:36 AM. . .
The room was mostly quiet except for the heater going on nearby and her bluetooth speaker with the volume turned down extremely low playing by her closet. Only pitch blackness captivated the room since the moonlight couldn't even squeeze past the closed blinds that were also shielded by her dark curtains.
Riley laid awake in bed underneath the soft comforter as she stared at nothing but the dark dancing before her eyes. Her sleep was on and off, especially after her last curt message to Michael earlier. She didn't mean to snap on him, but she obviously didn't want him prying information out of her. It wasn't intentional for her to slip up, but she also didn't think he could hear her. Obviously, she was wrong.
He hadn't replied since she threatened to block him and she's felt bad ever since. She thought about ringing up Michelle to vent just a bit on the situation and ask for her opinion on how to deal with it but came to her own conclusion just hours prior. She had to apologize.
The looming guilt in her chest rose when her eyes settled on the outline of the large valentine's gift basket Michael had delivered to her home. She could feel her eyes watering as she thought back on her actions toward him when all he did was treat her with kindness and respect.
She grabbed her phone and squinted her eyes when the bright screen suddenly lit up at her touch. After quickly unlocking it and diving into her messages, her thumb lingered over the virtual keyboard as she struggled to type the two words. In all honesty, she hated apologizing, but she did it when she felt the need to.
Applehead ❤️😘
Are you awake?
3:43 AM
She stared at the screen for several moments before she saw three dots appear in grey where his response would garner. She held her breath.
Yes.
I thought you said you were going to block me if I texted back.
3:45 AM
She bit her lip and sighed.
You should know me by now, Michael. I wouldn't block you even if my life depended on me doing so.
3:47 AM
I'm really sorry.
3:48 AM
Michael stared at his text screen in annoyance. She may have apologized, but she did the same thing before their little argument just hours ago. How did he know she wasn't going to go back into one of her moods over something else and end up releasing her anger out on him when he was only trying to help? He didn't, and he wasn't too keen on taking another chance.
He accepted her apology, but he wasn't in the spirit for doing this a thousand times more over the same thing.
You're forgiven.
3:50 AM
Really?
3:50 AM
Yes.
3:51 AM
She slightly lowered her eyelids from his abrupt responses. Judging by that alone, she knew he was either still upset or annoyed with her. A frown formed on her lips.
I care about you, I really do. But I'm just going through a lot right now and... I'm really sorry about my rude behavior. You deserve none of it. I have no idea what I was mumbling earlier nor can I exactly remember, but just discard it. I'll tell you everything when I feel I'm able to spill.
3:56 AM
What she typed was just a half-truth. She was apologetic and cared about him, but she still did have knowledge of the words that slipped out her lips earlier and she wasn't so sure she'd ever tell Michael any and everything. What could he do? Nothing that would protect them both or anyone else she cared about.
Her best bet at this point was just to keep her mouth shut.
Okay.
3:57 AM
'That's it? That's all he had to say?' She glumly thought.
She felt disappointment settle and weigh heavily on her chest. She expected more from him, but then again she exploded on him twice in one day. Maybe she deserved his abrupt responses.
She didn't bother to respond back and instead placed her phone away from her. She turned over and settled into a cool spot on the other end of her bed. Closing her eyes and exhaling softly, she waited for sleep to come.
🥀
| Friday Afternoon . . .
The final bell had rung for the day as the student body rushed out of their classes and toward freedom. The usual chorus of slamming lockers, squeaky shoes, and numerous voices echoed throughout the corridors as Riley sat in the library towards the very back.
She had been avoiding Michael the rest of the week since Valentine's Day and refused to be in the same room with him during her free two periods. She couldn't bear the awkward silence or the tension in the room, so she either left campus early to go home for the rest of the day or ended up back here until school let out. She was sure he hadn't ratted her out for not showing up since she hadn't gotten in any trouble yet, but she was thankful nonetheless. That was the last thing she needed.
She looked at her phone just as it vibrated with a text.
POS 💩
Where are you going to be tonight?
3:17 PM
Ever since her dad made her stay at home more often, she had changed Javen's contact name to her liking. Her eyes rolled high to the sky and she blew out a breath of annoyance.
"None of your business, nut job." She muttered angrily before eventually replying her future whereabouts with Michelle.
Moments later, she received another text but from Michelle this time, asking where she was. After telling her location, it wasn't long before she showed up toward the back.
"What are you doing back here?" Michelle asked as she walked over and Riley slowly stood from the table. "I thought you were with Michael. I went by there looking for you."
"Was he there?" Riley asked, slinging her bag onto her shoulder.
Michelle nodded. "Yeah, but he wasn't much help nor did he seem in a very good mood. Something going on between you two?"
"He's mad at me." She plainly said before she brushed past and headed down one of the aisles toward the front of the library.
Michelle creased her eyebrows as she followed close behind. "Since when? For what?"
Riley maneuvered around several tables and past the front desk before finally walking out into the crowded foyer of the school. She watched several teachers push through students toward the front office down the hall, which she guessed they were heading to some type of meeting.
She looked to the right of her where Michelle walked. "Since the night of Valentine's Day. I don't blame him, though. I was mean as hell towards him."
"Why?" Michelle frowned with a disapproving look.
Just before she could start making her way outside, she unintentionally made eye-contact with the person she spent the last week avoiding. His intense brown eyes sent a chill down her spine and she quickly looked away before darting toward the exit. Michelle quickly followed behind, catching a glimpse of Michael's disheartened face before he continued on his way toward the office.
"Riley, come on. Don't do that to him. He really cares about you." Michelle said as she hurried behind her before eventually catching up. "What happened?"
She heavily sighed and pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head. "He keeps bringing up stuff that I don't want to talk about. I don't like yelling at him or being a bitch, but he can't know every little thing going on in my life."
"Well, can you blame him? You're acting weird for obvious reasons." Michelle said, receiving a side-eye from her. "I won't tell him or Jay anything as I promised, but you can't expect them not to question you after all the stuff you've been doing. You're not yourself anymore."
"People change." Riley shrugged as they finally approached Michelle's car in the student parking lot.
"Yeah, but you didn't change for the better." It was Michelle's turn to give her a side-eye before she unlocked her doors and they got in. She decided to drop the subject before risking Riley's temper. "Pizza? Sub? What do you want to eat?"
She shrugged again, aimlessly scrolling the texts in her phone between her and Michael. A subconscious smile formed as she read between their goofy messages less than a month back. "It doesn't matter, M..."
Michelle looked at her for a second before starting up her car. "Did you at least apologize for your anger?"
Riley slowly nodded. "Yeah... he was still mad, though. He sent short responses or one-worded texts. I didn't know what else to say, so I just left him alone."
She sighed and gently squeezed Riley's shoulder. "Just give it time. Maybe text him later tonight?"
"I might." She locked her phone and hid it away in her bag. "So... Hibachi chicken and shrimp sounds good."
"Hibachi it is." Michelle sighed as she turned the ignition and stared out the windshield. She lowered her eyes and hoped soon she would be free of this heavy secret that ate away at her one day at a time.