Broken Mirrors {Michael Jackson Fanfic}

Chapter 8: No Friend of Mine

The sound of children laughing and running around the backyard filled the area. Athena tip-toed up the wooden steps to her little clubhouse, trying not to crunch the fallen leaves under her feet. To her surprise, the clubhouse wasn't empty. A boy around the same age as her was crouched down in the corner. 
 
"Hey!" Athena whispered. "This is my clubhouse! Go hide somewhere else!"
 
The boy rolled his eyes, making it clear that he wasn't going to move from his spot. "I was here first. Piss off." 
 
"Aha! Found you, Ty and 'Thena." The sound of Sheryl's voice made Athena jump, groaning as she turned to face her sister. Sheryl looked back and forth between the two of them before a wide grin spread across her face. "What are you two doing in here all aloooone, hmmm?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively.
 
"Ew! Don't even go there, Sheryl. Your freakin' sister gave away my hiding place." Ty stood upright, brushing dirt off of his black sweatpants. He walked past Athena, purposely bumping her shoulder along the way. 
 
"Looks like future love to me.~" Sheryl cooed, skipping after him and singing at the top of her lungs. "Ty and Athena sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!~" 
 
The other children laughed and joined in, causing Ty to complain and throw small pebbles at them. His annoyance only egged them on to sing louder and circle around him. Meanwhile, Athena just stood there in the doorway to her clubhouse. Watching the kids tease him and secretly noticing how cute he looked as the autumn leaves fell down around him. She couldn't help but smile. 
 
°•○---♡---○•°
 
"Mama!" Brandon hopped up and down next to Athena's bed, tugging on the blanket that was already halfway kicked off of her body. He pulled it off the rest of the way, exposing her to the crisp morning breeze. Even in her long pajama pants and tank top, she couldn't escape the chill. 
 
"Brandoooon!" She sat up and scooped the child up into her arms, blowing on his tummy while he giggled and squirmed. "Well, I'm up now. What's up?" 
 
Even with his limited amount of words, he always knew how to get his point across. He pointed his finger towards the door and enthusiastically repeated "Gram-mah!" Of course. In this house, family meals were non-negotiable. Usually she loved that about her mother, but after what happened last night she was hoping to hide out in shame for at least a few more hours. Looks like I won't be hiding today. 
 
"Okay Bubba." She said, putting him down onto the carpeted floor. As soon as his feet touched the floor he took off, squealing into the hallway that led to the kitchen.
 
After brushing her teeth and going through her usual morning routine (which felt a lot more luxurious thanks to the face wash and creams Michael packed for her), she joined the rest of her family at the dining table. Her mother had just finished setting the ceramic and glass bowls full of food in the middle of the table when she arrived. 
 
"Well look who decided to join us." Her mother teased, giving her a warm smile. "Good morning." 
 
Athena almost felt like all was forgiven, until she looked over at where her sister was seated. Oh, my God. She tried not to stare, but from the glimpse that she saw, Sheryl's face was not doing well. One of her eyes was definitely bruised, her lip was busted, and her cheek looked swollen. There's no way the boys didn't notice that. Thankfully Athena's had the 'some-things-don't-need-to-be-pointed-out' conversation with Damien. Few things are more embarrassing than being the mother standing next to a child that gawks and points when they see an amputee in the grocery store. 
 
Aside from asking someone to pass the biscuits, Sheryl was more quiet than Athena had ever known her to be. She wasn't even this quiet after their parents announced their divorce. After breakfast her mother decided (forget asking) to take the boys with her to see their 'cousins'. Not blood related of course, but cousins in the way that most mothers called the children of their family friends. 
 
You're not slick, momma. The hint was bold, but well received. Why else would she leave Athena and her sister alone in the house? 
 
"Sheryl…" Athena tapped on the door to Sheryl's bedroom, waiting for some kind of response. The only one she got was a small grunt. She pushed the door open, finally meeting eyes with her sister for the first time today. She was just sitting on the edge of her bed in silence. Probably as deep in thought as Athena was. 
 
"I think we should talk about last night." 
 
"Keep it short." Sheryl bit back. "Talkin' kinda hurts right now." 
 
Athena put her hands up in surrender. "I'll take that. And anything else you have to say… I shouldn't have hit you."
 
"Hit me?!" Sheryl stared at her in disbelief. "This wasn't just a slap across the face, 'Thena! Look at me!"
 
"You're not completely innocent here, Sheryl. It only came to that because you crossed the line." She reached a hand out toward her sister, hoping to comfort her, but Sheryl jumped back. 
 
"You keep your hands away from me. Just stay away."
 
Defeated, Athena turned and headed down the stairs and out into the warmth of the sunlight. She took slow steps around into the backyard, approaching the old remains of her childhood clubhouse. Now seems as good a time as any. Before she could talk herself out of it, she was dialing Michael's number. 
 
"Athena?"
 
Hearing his voice instantly put her body at ease. She cradled the phone closer to her face so she could hear him as clearly as possible. "Hehe, who else would it be? Whitney Houston?"
 
He chuckled, sounding a bit more relaxed as well. "No, of course not. I have her saved as 'Future Babymama'." 
 
"Oh reeeally?! So what am I saved as?"
 
"Pain In My Ass." 
 
"Rude! To think I was being nice and simple, saving your name as an apple emoji."
 
"Good idea! I guess 'Daddy' would've been too obvious."
 
He erupted into a fit of laughter as Athena gasped and tried to hide her own giggles. "Boy, I will hang up this phone!" 
 
"You better not." His playful laughter slowly died down, knowing the conversation was about to get serious. "How's it going with your sister?"
 
"She told me to stay away from her, so uh… not good. Are you ready for me to tell you about Ty?" 
 
"If you're ready to."
 
A soft wind blew, making the swing set a few feet away from her creak and sway. They didn't upkeep the clubhouse, but the shiny red swing set was still in great condition. She crossed the grassy yard, sitting down on the thick black plastic seat of the swing. "I have to be. It's unavoidable now. But I'll stick to the important details. Some things are just- you wouldn't wanna know."
 
"I'll take your word for it."
 
"I've known Ty since we were kids. Right here in this neighborhood." Athena folded her legs up, letting the swing sway a little. "He was an asshole to me at first… but I still liked him. He hung out with my sister back then. Eventually, around high school, we actually became friends."
 
"So he was friends with your sister first?" Michael asked, confirming that he was listening. Come to think of it, she never felt unheard whenever they spoke. 
 
"Yup." I should've seen it coming that she had feelings for him. "The rest was pretty much any teen romance, at first. Enemies become friends. Friends become lovers. He asked me out right before sophomore year. Apparently he liked me all along."
 
"How'd your sister take it?"
 
She sighed, putting her feet back on the ground. "Not well. But I didn't peep that until much later. I was too busy enjoying my first love. I didn't even notice he slowly stopped hanging out with her or really talking to her. He could be rude as shit to people outside of our circle, and he got into fights a lot, but he never seemed like a bad guy. Just a damaged kid who sucked at expressing his feelings. I thought I could save him." 
 
There was a moment of silence, and she could hear Michael shifting around. He settled, speaking up again. "That's what you do. You see the best in people.. I admire that." 
 
Me? If anyone did that, it was Michael. Hell, he saw something worthwhile in Athena. Something trustworthy. Something she didn't even see in herself. "It all went downhill from there. We found out I was pregnant with Damien, and he just started freaking out. Cheating on me. Not answering calls. I tried so hard to make it work… By the time Damien was four and Brandon was a newborn, I was the one working and he stayed in the house. I came home to find him and his stuff gone. He left Damien there with Brandon, all by himself with that damn toy… I haven't seen him since." 
 
The memory of that day was still just as painful as it was back then. Coming home after a long day at work, hoping to find some kind of comfort in her partner. Then the horrific sight of little Damien, curled up and sobbing beside the front door waiting for his dad to come back. The closets and dresser drawers bare, as if he had never been there. He took everything, down to his stupid lime-green plastic toothbrush cap. It was too soon, and too organized for her to believe that he wasn't planning this already. How long had he laid next to her, held her in his arms, counting down the days to when he would abandon them? 
 
Michael's end got quiet. There wasn't even the soft sound of his breathing present. She held the phone away from her face, checking to see if the call was still ongoing. The screen lit up and confirmed that it was. Each second felt like a full minute as they passed. Eventually he let out a deep sigh. "What a piece of shit. How can someone just leave their kids like that?! Leave you?" It was hard to gauge his tone over the phone, but his words were sharp. 
 
There it finally was. Now that she'd finally said it, it almost felt foolish how much she guarded any information about him. Out of sight, but never really out of mind. Athena twisted her tongue around inside her cheek, longing for something fruity and alcoholic. Fuck the fact that it was still early in the afternoon. She needed to burn the bitter taste of Ty's name out of her mouth. So she replaced it with a better one.
 
"Michael." 
 
"Yes?" He spoke softly, still trying to keep a lid on his emotions. 
 
"I…" Really like you. As if she'd ever get up the sack to say it. Being a fan was one thing. It was a one-sided devotion. Actually knowing him was so much more. Sleeping with him- DEFINITELY more than she imagined. "...can't wait to see you again." 
 
"Me too, Athena." 
 
°•○---♡---○•°
 
Minus the silent treatment from Sheryl, the overall mood was uplifted. Athena's mother and the kids returned with boxes of pizza (a request from the boys) and cartons of fruit juice. Pizza is one thing her mother would allow in moderation. Soda, however, would be a step too far. 
 
Ding dong!
 
The doorbell rang out, drawing Athena's attention as she sat Brandon down in his chair. "I'll get it." She called out, pushing his chair in toward the table before she headed downstairs. Who the fuck is ringing this bell at eight o'clock? Although her mother charmed everyone she came across, she didn't get many visitors. And she hated people stopping by without checking with her first. 
 
She twisted the doorknob, thinking of polite but stern ways to turn away an unwanted guest. If she even bothered being polite. Then she saw the man standing there before her, and all thoughts of politeness flew out the window. All thoughts in general became hard to grasp. 
 
"Hey mamas." 
 
The sound of his deep voice made her stomach churn, and she was sure she might vomit right on his stupid Air Forces. She probably should. It's amazing what name brand bullshit he can buy, when he doesn't have to spend money on two children. 
 
"What are you doing here Ty?"