Ever Victorious (A Michael Jackson Tale)

Guilt

Michael's P.O.V

"...Suzie?"

As soon as I heard that name, my arm dropped, along with my heart, which plummeted down into my stomach.

I stared at the girl who had unknowingly just turned my entire life upside down, but her full attention was on the other girl she was eyeballing, the girl I thought I knew, or was just grasping knowledge of.

The eyes were the same, the only difference was the hardened stare within them. She looked exactly the same as... What was the point of names now? I couldn't bring myself to look at her, I was scared of what I might find.

Instead, I edged away from her side and turned away from them both. I caught the reflection of them in the window, still stiff and unmoving. It was almost like time had paused, as if when they looked at each other a force between them stopped time altogether, and it chilled me to the bone.

Finally, the silence broke.

"What do you want me to say, Maria? I'm sorry?" The tone of voice was venomous, a far cry from the sweet tinkling of the good morning I had heard just hours ago.

The real Maria folded her arms, still not breaking her stare.

"I want a damn explanation, not an apology. You aren't even supposed to be here Suzie, you aren't stable. You think I wouldn't find out that you'd busted out of there, huh? I've been searching for you for months and months, I went to the flat you were staying in, using my money to pay the rent for, but you were gone. Then the paparazzi descended. I couldn't get rid of them, they followed me everywhere when they should have been stalking you. You want to know what that's like? For something you don't even know had happene-"

"Shut the f*ck up, Maria! Just shut up! I don't need this, you wanted me to be happy, you wanted me to be normal, but I couldn't ever be normal enough for you could I? So you lock me up like some criminal in that hell hole and never once visited me! You didn't give a flying f*ck about me except for the fact that I may be tainting your good name. And now I'm happy you're out to ruin that for me too?"

"That happiness isn't yours though, is it Suzie? It's mine, it's in my name and I'll be damned if I let you hurt my family again. You were never satisfied with ruining our father's life, by taking away his wife, your own mother, you had to ruin mine too. Now you're going to ruin your lover's over there."

I turned as both pairs of eyes looked in my direction. I scanned Suzie's face, but found little to no emotion. No remorse, no shame, nothing. It was like looking at the face of a porcelain doll, the eyes shone, but were dead inside. I suddenly realised who she was, she wasn't my Maria, she was Suzie, little more than a monster, disguised as my beautiful fiancé.

My body was pressed against the cool glass, a relief from the intense heat of rage that was beginning to radiate through my body. This was not happening, this was all lies. I was not going to be the victim of conspiracy again. I aimed my focus on Maria, who was shaking

"Would you care to tell me what the hell is going on here? You think I'm just gonna stand here, completely out of the loop while you take away everything I have? The hell you are. You better give me something more than that to prove yourself, I don't trust nobody's words no more. I don't know what to think. I don't know who that woman over there is any more, but two minutes ago she was the love of my life, so you better tell me exactly what you're talking about right now or I'm getting my security on you."

"Security is already here, Mr Jackson."

I whipped round and saw Matt and my two other guards standing behind me. They moved in on the two girls and restrained them both.