Smile

Chapter 8

March 30th 1988 (11:34 am)

"You should meet my family." Michael suggested his eyes scanning the newspaper as he sat down on the beige lounge chair.

"I'm really shy, I'd probably make a fool of myself... plus I'll probably get star struck by Janet and all of them." She replied.

"How are you gonna do that? Get star struck by them and not me?" He joked.

Mariah giggled. "I don't know if you can recall but I almost passed out."

"Well what about your family? why don't you take me to meet them?" Michael questioned.

Mariah turned around sadly and sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea." She replied, facing the floor.

"Why not?" He asked.

He knew she didn't have the best relationship with her family but they were still family.

"Because I hate them... all of them except my brother and from what I remember more of my father then him too." She explained.

Michael raised his eyebrow. "Well what do you remember of your father?" He asked trying to get her to open up more.

Mariah smiled as a few memories flowed to her mind. "Well I remember him being strict but funny and a friendly man." She said reminiscing.

She chuckled remembering the time she disobeyed her father. "I remember one time right before my parents got divorced... I had to be about 3 maybe, I was singing as we were eating dinner and he said 'there will be no singing at my dinner table.' So I promptly got up from the table and went into the living room and then stood up on the coffee table and started singing." She explained trying not to burst out in laughter.

Michael laughed along with her.

"The looks on my siblings faces are emblazoned in my mind, they were in shock because they'd never dare to disobey our father..."

"Emblazoned Huh?" He asked.

"Oh sorry I- sometimes I forget that some people don't know the words I do." She replied.

He laughed. "No I know what it means I just didn't know you used words like that."

April 5th 1988 (7:45 pm)

Mariah watched as Michael performed 'Thriller' on the stage. She laughed, noticing that he almost tripped while dancing.

Suddenly he abruptly stopped and looked directly in her direction.

"Hey everybody!" Michael yelled.

The crowd cheered loudly, lord she had never seen fans like Michaels before. They would literally die for him.

"So today I brought my friend with
me, her name Mariah." He told them and pointed at her.

What his he doing? She asked herself puzzled.

"She's real young, only 18 and she can really sing..." he explained. "Mariah why don't you come on the stage?"

Mariah looked around. "Come on now." Michael told her and gestured for her to come up on stage.

She nervously stood up and went on stage. Michael went over to her and grabbed her hand, taking her across the stage to where he was originally. The intro to 'The Way You Make Me Feel' started playing. "Alright now I want you to sing this with me." He told her.

Mariah had severe stage fright but she knew she had to bring it because millions of people would probably see this and she didn't want to make a fool of her self.

"Hey pretty baby with the high heels on, you give me fever like I've never ever known." He sang to her dramatically.

"You're just a product of loneliness I like the groove of your walk your talk your dress." He continued. "I feel your fever from miles around, I'll pick you up in my car and we'll paint the town, just kiss me baby and tell me twice your the one for me."

One of his crew members came in the stage and handed her a diamond studded microphone.

"Alright now come on and sing with me Mariah." He told her.

She put the mic up to her mouth and started singing along with him.

"The way you make me feel, you really turn me on, you knock me off my feet, my lonely days are gone." They sang together in unison.

"Take it away!" Michael told her referring to the 2nd verse.

"I like the feeling you're giving me, just hold me baby and I'm in ecstasy, oh I'll be working from 9 to 5 to but you things to keep you buy my side." She sang.

They continued to sing the song until it was finished. The audience stood up and started clapping and cheering.

"Oh my god she's a star." Mariah heard one of the audience members in the front yell.

She smiled, though she wasn't sure if the audience was cheering because they knew Michael thought she was good or because they genuinely thought she was good themselves but either way she was enjoying the applause.