Fall Again *Michael Jackson Love Story*

Last. Rehearsal.

   It's been month after month of straight rehearsals, and still no one but Jaime, Jake, and Chandler knew about Michael and I. Sure, people knew I liked him, but no one knew he liked me. We had been dating for about three months now, when dress rehearsals came around, and by our fourth month of dating, it was time to endure our last rehearsals. They were rough. Some went for almost 12 hours.... for days straight. But, that was initally expected considering this was Michael Jackson we were talking about. He would notice me standing there sometimes, tired as ever. But I always tried my best to never physically display my weakness and exhaustion. Obviously I did a poor job of doing so since he did notice. 

    "Okay, take 5 everyone!" He'd shout frequently, and the cast and crew would clear the stage and rushed to the back. I started with the crowd, but then I'd feel a grasp at my arm pulling me back. I'd snap my head back, just to catch myself staring into the eyes of Michael. "Hey, you okay?" He'd giggle. "Yeah. I'm fine." I'd respond, letting out a nervous chuckle alongside it. "You sure?" He'd gently caress my arm. "One-hundred percent." I'd feel myself blushing so hard. "Okay, if you say so." And he'd grab my hand, kiss my forehead, and walk towards his personal, seperate area. I then would escort myself to the refreshments area and guzzled down a bottle of water. 

    "Okay! Break's up! Places!" He'd announce. And instantly, rehearsal would begin within a snap of his long fingers.

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That rehearsal was never ending.  It literally went on forever. Yes, yes, I know I've said this many times but it really never ended. I really wanted it to be the end of practice. My feet hurt, I was sweating, I was tired, and I just wanted to be with Michael. Alone. Waiting for that to happen was a never-ending nightmare.  

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"Alright everyone. Circle up. Everyone grab hands." And under Michael's command, we did. 

        "You've all worked very hard on this show. And I'm so proud of each and everyone of you. It's been a lot of rehearsals, but it's for the best. Anyone have any speeches?" I noticed him wink towards me, quickly, so I took it upon myself to raise my hand. But, after a moment, my entire attitude changed. I rapidly pulled my arm back down to Brielle, a backup singer, grasping her hand once again. I sensed her giving me a look of confusion, but I just ignored it and looked straight at Michael. No one offered a speech for a few seconds until Bobby, one of the lighting managers, decided to say a few words. As he spoke I looked around the circle. Some people had their heads down to the floor, breathing deeply; others had their heads looking up, with sweat dripping down their forehead yet. Everyone was still regaining their "stability" , you can say. 

       I was trying to be more discreet, so I just breathed nice long breaths. Bobby's speech was short. He really just mentioned how as he'd work on lights he watch the whole show reveal itself and stuff like that. Typical speech, of course. When he finished, Jessica, a guitarist made a quick speech about how she used to be insecure about herself and when this opportunity came around she was so proud of herself and she's never been so happy about herself. She felt very strongly about this matter, apparently, because she began to cry. Not only her, but other musicians around her. Not many dancers or singers cried as much because we weren't as close to her as they were. I guess it's because we were all pretty much seperated into our own domains. Then, Jaime spoke. I was honestly shocked at the fact that she volunteered to speak. Jaime is not usually like that. 

       Jaime's speech was my favorite. Not just because I was shocked, not just because she's my best friend, but because it actually touched me, and everyone, in some sort of way. She acknowledged everyone's efforts, not leaving out a single person. She also spoke about herself. At one point in her life, Jaime was very depressed. Her mother disappeared when she was 11, and because of that incident she lost all hope. Hope in finding her mom, hope in finding love, hope in herself, everything. She had a very rough time and was put on antidepressants. However, none of that helped her. She cut herself often, very badly to, and was sent to the hospital multiple times. In her speech, she connected that to her experience during these rehearsals. When she was speaking about her past she was very, very strong. She spoke with a shaky voice, but she never shed a tear. I, on the other hand, did. I remember her telling me about her mom, crying to me, it wasn't until years later that she told me about the cutting and hospital visits. She told about how dancing became her hope. When she was feeling dead inside, she'd dance, and she'd come alive. She said that having the opportunity to perform with Michael gave her even more hope. She said that being chosen for this tour helped her believe in herself more than she ever has. 

        When Jaime finished, she was clearly shaking. She was a few people down from me, and I lunged out to get a better view of her to make sure she was okay. I was proud of her. She's never opened up to people like that. As I was admiring my best friend, I noticed a figure moving towards her in my peripheral vision. It was Michael. He pulled her out of the circle into the middle, and just looked at her for  a few seconds. Then he pulled her into a long embrace. At this point, she broke down. But, they weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy. I knew how she was feeling. She was feeling overjoyed, blessed, accomplished, overall happy. When she looked up, she wiped her tears and let out a giggle. He kissed her forehead, rubbed her shoulder, and then turned away back to his spot. She went back to hers as well. Many may ask me if I got jealous or mad at that gesture. Not at all. I knew it was out of Michael's sincere love. That was proof of how lovely Michael was. 

      No one said a speech after Jaime. No one had anything else to say. We were all speechless. Even Michael. It was silent for a minute, at least, until Michael finally spoke up. "You've all been chosen because you're the best. I expected you all to be your best. And that you were. Very, very, nice job. All of you. See you all on September 12." And we all clapped and departed.

And before I could even leave the stage, Michael pulled me over towards him and hugged me.

Finally.

I could be alone with Michael.