CHEMISTRY [MICHAEL JACKSON]

09.

It was a Saturday morning and I could never forget it.

"Hey." My dad came down the stairs and saw me, eating a bowl of Cheerios and watching the Scooby Doo marathon.

"Hi," I smiled at him. I couldn't deny the fact that I enjoyed my father's company when he was sober. He was much nicer. He was much nicer to hang with, but it was barely ever like this.

"Scooby Doo again?"

"You should know me." I chuckled and turned my attention to the screen.

"I'm going to head back upstairs. I'm tired." My father told me, causing me to shake my head.

"You went to sleep at 8 and got a full twelve hours asleep last night." I looked at him, still stretching and yawning. "You're tired?"

"You know how it goes, Leah." My father was most likely referring to the alcohol as he winked at me before going upstairs.

I went back to watching Scooby Doo. Just as soon as the episode I was watching was going off, I heard the doorbell ring.

I didn't want to get up and get it, but my father called down to me and told me to get it.

I groaned and placed my bowl on the table. I got up and walked to the door. Then, I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Michael.

Michael Jackson.

I opened the door immediately and smiled.

"Michael!" I squealed. His face read solemn.

Maybe, I was but too happy to see him.

"I'm not here to stay, as it is pretty early." Michael began.

"Oh no, it's fine. Really." I insisted. "Are you alright?"

"Well, I just came to set the record straight with you." He stated and I nodded, waiting for him to continue on.

"I'm listening."

Michael sighed and looked down at his blue suede shoes before trailing his eyes up to meet mine.

"Goodness, Leah. It's so hard to say this." Michael stammered, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Say what?"

"We've got serious chemistry and I love it." He took a deep breath. "I love it a lot."

"Yeah? I love it too." I smiled, feeling elated that Michael felt the same way as I did.

"Yeah, I know." Michael lightly scratched his Afro. "It's just that, we can't be anything more than friends."

"Oh." I felt myself going through a swift emotion change and becoming sad. "W-Why not?"

"I've got a girlfriend and I love her very much." I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

He had a girlfriend?

I mean, I should've assumed that from the beginning.

He was too attractive to be single.

"Trust me, I wasn't toying around with you. I'm genuinely attracted to you, Leah, but I have to stay loyal to Amanda." He quickly added as those thoughts were running through my brain.

"Do me a favor and never talk to me again." I stated, not even believing that Michael and I were having this very conversation at my front door.

"Leah, listen," Michael started, but I didn't want to hear anything else. I honestly just wanted to cry.

"I'm serious, Michael. Leave me alone." I felt tears building up in my eyes as I noticed his eyes were becoming glossy too.

"I'm sorry."

"Alright. Let me offer you a deal. I leave you alone and never talk to you again, okay? In return, you give me a broken heart?"

"Leah, come on. A broken heart? Really?"

"Yes, really! I'm not gonna bother explaining myself to you." I sighed, not wanting to have to actually never talk or see him again. "Do we have a deal?"

Michael sighed. "I guess we have a deal." I nodded and slammed the door in his face.

I watched him leave out of the window, but I saw Jermaine's car further past my house. Michael hopped in and the two of them headed off.

I cried myself a nice little river as I leant against the closed front door and slid down onto the floor.

As I said before, I could never be with Michael Jackson. He was too jovial to even think about being with a sad person like me.

"You're as beautiful as Diana Ross."

Those were probably all lies.

I bet Amanda was even more beautiful than that!

"We have a lot of chemistry, you and I."

I replayed Michael's frequent phrases to myself in my head.

Michael and Amanda probably had so much chemistry, the two of them couldn't even fathom it.

To think, I actually had a chance with Michael.

Not only was I the shyest person on the planet, I was the most pathetic person on the planet too.

"We have serious chemistry and I love it. I love it a lot."

What a joke.

-Leah Simone, 1985

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THE END.

I didn't plan to end this book on Michael's birthday, but it's kinda ironic that it happened this way.

Happy Birthday to my favorite, Michael Joseph Jackson. I love you so much and I miss you. You're in my heart forever, King. ✌🏾️❤️✨

Thank you for all of the comments, reads, and votes! I don't say it as often as I should, but I appreciate every single one of you. You guys motivate me and make me happy. 😊💕

I hope you enjoyed this short story! I found it really cute, aha.

-T. Alicia