Broken Apart

Chapter 1

1993; Michael's POV: "How do I get it through your thick skull Michael?! You're a worthless piece of shit!" She said as she hit me. I fell to the floor in pain. She stormed off and slammed the bedroom door shut. I'm used to this by now. I just sit here and take it. Maria always does this to me. I have so many bruises and scratches from her that I go through half a tube of concealer before every show trying to cover them up. I clearly do a good job at it because no one has said anything about them. Why do I stay with her? I don't want to be alone. I love her with all my heart but I know she doesn't love me. If she did, she wouldn't be doing this to me. She's basically taken over Neverland. I end up sleeping on the couch while she sleeps in my bed. The truth is, she really does make me feel worthless. But she wasn't like this when I first met her. She was so sweet, she didn't even know who I was, which really surprised me. I don't know what happened but now it's like I'm just a punching bag to her. She doesn't even act this way in public. I've learned to live with it though. Maybe I do deserve it. I stood up and went to the kitchen for an ice pack. I always have a few of these stocked up for when she has an outburst. I held it to my cheek and laid down on the couch, trying to get rid of the pain. I started poking a few of the bruises, flinching at the pain, seeing which ones needed to be iced first. I ran my hand through my hair, shuttering at the pain. I forgot that she pulled my hair pretty hard yesterday. I still don't know if I should tell someone. I think LaToya suspects that something's up, because she keeps saying that I can come to her if I need to talk ever since I started dating Maria. "Get your pussy ass up and get ready. We have the AMAs tonight." Maria said as she threw my outfit at me. I slowly got off the couch and made my way to the bedroom. She grabbed my hair and pulled me back towards the couch. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked with a tight grip on my hair. "Going t-to ch–ange." I said through the pain. "Do it in here you stupid fuck." She said, throwing me to the ground. I looked at her like she was crazy, but this isn't new either. She has me do this all the time so she can humiliate me more. "You heard me. Do it before I beat your ass again." She said. I slowly stood up and took off my clothes. "You're still a skinny fuck Michael. It's a shock I haven't killed you yet! She said as she laughed. The reason I'm so skinny is because I don't eat much anymore. She makes me feel so insecure, but I love her. I don't know what to do. When I changed, I went into my room and started getting my makeup on. "You better be ready when I say so or else you won't be going and it won't be because you had something else to do!" She yelled from outside the room. I slowly brushed through my hair, gritting my teeth at the pain. When that was done, I got out the concealer. A new bruise had formed on my cheek already. After about 10 minutes of covering up the bruises, I finally got to my actual makeup. After 45 minutes, I was ready. "Heal the World" is up for an award again and I'm nominated for artist of the year again. I've won that award for two years straight, so I wouldn't be surprised if I did again. I left my room and went out into the living room where Maria was waiting. "It's about time you finished." She said. I just nodded and we went out to the car. We were completely silent the whole ride. When we arrived at the venue, Maria switched off the abusive girlfriend and switched on the loving girlfriend. I got out of the car and helped her out. She smiled and held my hand as we walked inside. The fans were screaming. I signed a few autographs before we got inside. The usher escorted us to our seats. When the show started, Maria and I acted like a happy couple like we always do when we're out in public. In reality, I was scared. If I didn't win, I was sure she would beat me again. After a while, the award for "Best Humanitarian Song" came up. After they announced the nominees, they had announced that I was the winner. Maria started capping and kissed my cheek as I got up. I flinched a little from the pain because she kissed me where the bruise is. I smiled as I got up and walked to the stage. I was nervous because I felt like she kissed off some of the makeup and the bruise was showing. Nobody on stage said anything or looked shocked so I'm pretty sure it didn't show. I gave a short speech and went back to my seat. Towards the end of the show, it was time for the "Artist of the Year" award. The audience went nuts when the announced my name as a nominee. "And the winner is... Michael Jackson!" They said. The audience went wild. Maria kissed me again and I flinched again. I smiled as I went up to the stage. I gave another short speech before heading back to my seat. When the show was over, Maria and I left. We were silent the whole ride. During the drive, I prepared myself for another beating for when we would get home...