~~Chapter 13~~
~~Virtual Insanity Index~~
Crystal opened her eyes, confused, not knowing where she was. When her vision focused, she realized she was lying on a couch and Michael was running his fingers through her hair. He had a worried expression on his face. She knew what he was going to say before he even said it.
�� "Michael, don't take me to a hospital...please." she said softly, trying to sit up.
�� "Don't get up. Just relax." Michael said. He sighed.
�� "I have to. I don't know what's wrong with you. Do you have any idea?"
Crystal shook her head. "I felt tired for a while now. I don't know what it is....but I'm sure it's nothing serious Mike."
�� "Look, I know you're scared but I have to take you to a hospital. Just to make sure."
�� "No, Michael. Please." Crystal begged. She sat up anyway. The room began to spin for a second but then stopped. "I'm fine."
�� "MICHAEL!" they heard Jeff in the other room call.
�� "You stay here, I'll be right back." Michael said.
Michael went into the kitchen where Jeff was. He removed the strands of hair from in front of his face.
�� "What is it?"
�� "Tommy means business Mike." Jeff said, passing him the newspaper. Michael looked at the front page. In bold letters it said "Jackson scare: Read more on page 28". Michael shook his head and turned to the page.
� "Record Label Labels Jackson A No Sell" the headline said.
The article was about how Sony felt sorry for Michael because it seemed as if Michael doesn't have what it took to sell as many records as he used to. This is the reason why Invincible did not sell very well.
�� "That's crap!" Michael said. He saw Crystal walk in the door.
�� "What's crap?" she asked.
�� "Tommy Mottola is planting stories in the media to make Michael look bad." Jeff said.
�� "So the fans were right. There is something going on between you and Sony..." Crystal told Michael, looking over his shoulder at the article.
�� "They are. Sony is trying to ruin me." Michael said with a sigh.
�� "And are you gonna let them do that?" Crystal asked, smiling. She put her arms around his waist and her chin on his shoulder.
�� "Yes." Michael said. He slipped out of Crystal's hold, slammed the paper on the table, and went out of the room.
Crystal and Jeff looked at each other in shock. They weren't expecting that answer.
Coughing, James saw the report on Michael Jackson on the news. For some reason, he had felt sick. But it was nothing compared to how Michael Jackson made him feel at the moment. He kept torturing himself mentally because he hadn't shot the gun right. Michael Jackson should've been dead. Now look what's happened. Crystal wouldn't dare come home, because she knew damn well that James would ruff her up for what she did. Going to meet Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson the softy. Michael Jackson the I-Care-For-Everyone guy.
What a bitch, James thought.
He lay in the bed with the TV still on. He thought about his next plan to get Crystal away from Michael.
Jeff suggested to Crystal that she should leave Michael alone for awhile. Jeff thought Michael was absolutely crazy for saying that he'd let Tommy step all over him. But as Crystal watched TV in the guestroom, she thought about Michael's reasoning. She afraid that Michael had given up on everything at that point. She thought that things had gotten too much for Michael.
A coughing fit suddenly came to Crystal again. Crystal sat up in the bed and started coughing uncontrollably. Luckily it stopped after a while. Crystal took in a shaky breath. She wondered was wrong with her. But she was afraid to find out. Hopefully whatever virus she had caught would go away in time. Someone knocked on the door.
�� "Crystal, may I come in please?" Michael said. Crystal heard his voice quivering. Crystal got up from the bed, smooth out the jeans she had on, went to open the door. Michael hugged her and started crying in her arms. Crystal was shocked for a moment, but then was curious to what was wrong with him.
�� "Michael, Michael, calm down....here...come sit down." Crystal said. They both sat down on the bed, Michael still shedding tears. While crying he started spitting out phrases of words. Crystal had no idea what he was saying but she let him talk
. � "Cristy...I can't...I can't take it....it's over...it's done.....it needs to stop now....all the work....for nothing....I can never do anything right.....nothing will please them....I just need it to stop...."
�� "Michael, please, calm down. I don't know what you're talking about." Crystal said.
Michael took a deep breath, wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist and said, "I can't go on with this anymore. The fame. The system. Sony's going to destroy me anyway. I'm...I'm..." he started fighting back another set of tears. "I'm just going to let them do it. Maybe then...people will leave me alone with their games, and their contracts, and their images they make for me....maybe then..."
�� "Michael nooooo," Crystal said alarmed. "Michael, NO!"
�� "Yes. Yes. It has to stop. It has to. Cristy you don't understand what I've been through all these years. No one likes me for me. It's the money. They don't want my albums, they want the money. And oh god, the lies. They make fun of me. They torture me....I can't take it anymore. And I've thought about this a lot and..."
�� "Michael, what about the people who DO like you for you? What about those who constantly buy your records? What about the people who really love you, Mike? What about them? What about those who don't believe in the lies? Michael, you have fans..." Crystal said. "Don't give up so easily, you have to stick up for yourself! Get yourself together!"
�� "That's all nice. I love the fans, but...I just can't have the whole rest of the world constantly drowning me. I've given all that I can give...I know it sounds selfish..."
�� "It's not selfish. I understand. But Mike...think about this some more. Please, don't do this to yourself." Crystal said.
�� "Crystal thank you for listening to me. I just needed to tell someone..." Michael said. Crystal kissed him. "It's going to be okay."
Michael nodded and left the room. Crystal sighed and lay back on the bed. She cared so much for Michael, it amazed her. The words that she just told him never came out of her mouth before. It was easy for her to say. She knew the truth of the words she said all along, but she was too afraid to believe they applied to her too.
Michael went to his room and the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"So who's this Crystal chick?" Lisa asked on the other end
. Michael should have known. Why can't he just hang up the phone?
"I heard she was with you on the news when you got shot. So who is she?" Lisa asked.
"A girl I know. Now stop calling me." Michael said.
"You know what? I can change my phone number..."
"Some girl you know, huh?" Lisa said ignoring his comment. "From where?"
"The Internet."
"Ah I see." Lisa said. "Well I just wanted to know. Talks are going around fan clubs that that is your new girlfriend."
"Are you stalking me or something? " Michael said, irritated.
"Does she make you happy? Huh Mike?"
Michael rolled his eyes. "Lisa for the last time. Give it up!"
He finally hung up the phone.
Lisa smiled twirling the cord of the phone around her finger. Chewing on gum, she snickered.
"Poor poor Crystal. Wait until you find out what such dogs men are. That includes Michael..."