Help With Love

"May I speak to Michael?" Jeff had picked up Michael's ringing cell phone, which sat on the kitchen table. His cell phone had rung to the tune of "If You Wish Apone A Star" and Jeff picked it up since Michael wasn't around to do so. Janet's voice was on the other line. She spoke happily and it felt weird to Jeff. As far as he knew, Janet was rolling around the hospital in a wheelchair. It was quite depressing at Neverland for someone to talk on the phone so cheerfully. But Janet was always the kind of girl who smiles through pain.

�� "May you speak to Michael?" Jeff repeated.

�� "Oh hey Jeff! I haven't talked to you in a while." Janet said pleasantly.

�� "Yeah."

�� "So is Michael around?" She asked again. "I really would like to see him. Everyone has come to visit me this week except him. I want to at least talk to him. I could understand if he's busy."

�� "No he isn't busy...but...he hasn't been accepting any calls lately." Jeff said with a sigh.

������ "Really?"

� "Yeah, he's been....uhh....either in his room....or in the living room late a night on the piano....I doubt he has slept all week." Jeff explained in a depressing tone. "It's not too hot in Neverland this week. I'm worried for him."

�� "It's because of what happened to me, isn't it?" Janet asked softly.

�� "I think it's that.....on top of everything else that's been happening to him. Crystal....."

"Crystal?"� Janet asked.

�� "Yeah, he didn't tell you about his new 'friend'?" Jeff asked. "He claims he doesn't want to have a relationship. Actually, he refuses to have a relationship with this chick. And he's obviously attached to her. Well Crystal is pretty pissed at him."

�� "Hmm...poor thing." Janet said. "tell him I send my love, okay?"

� "Okay. Take care of yourself. get better for me, okay?" Jeff said.� "You got it. See ya." Janet replied.

�� "Bye." Jeff cut off Michael's cell as Crystal walked in the room with a t-shirt and jeans on.� Crystal rolled her eyes. "It's like when the owner of this place is..." She suddenly started to cough while holding her hand in front of her mouth.

�� "Did you take the medicine? Usually Mike reminds you of that stuff." Jeff said sighing again.

�� "I'm going to." Crystal said, as if she was perfectly fine. "What I was saying was......It's like when the owner of this place is down, everyone is down."

�� "For all you know, Michael could be killing himself upstairs." Jeff mumbled under his breath.

Crystal laughed. "Oh I see now. You think Michael being more reclusive than he already is is MY fault. Look, I tried the help the guy, but obviously he doesn't WANT any help. And obviously he has no interest in me anyways....so..." She shrugged.

�� "You are so stupid." Jeff said. "He's doing all this stuff for you."

Crystal laughed. "I've been fooled once. I can see right through him." She grabbed the newspaper and sat down. She began flipping through it.

� "You must hate men or something." Jeff mumbled. Crystal ignored him. She flipped to the entertainment section of the newspaper and her eyes widened.��

�� "What is it?" Jeff asked.

� "There's a small article about Mike in the paper. 'The Man Behind The Mask'." Crystal read the article. It was about a rumor spread throughout the Internet about how Michael is taking advantage of his fans. It said that Michael is making it seem that Sony is treating him wrong by leaking fake information out to the fans and making them protest. They claim that the Sony-treating-him-wrong scandal was just for publicity. They mentioned other ways that Michael tried to use the fans throughout the years; including the "fact" that Michael's contributions to charities weren't his money entirely He got help from other celebrities in secret to donate large sums to charity and he claimed it as all his.

� "Damn, Sony went low that time." Jeff sighed heavily.�

���� "Hmmm...It doesn't look like it....." Crystal said.

�� "Well...rumors rumors. Who cares? " Jeff said.

�� "Michael does." Crystal said.����� "Right." Jeff snorted.

�� "You are like...really mad at me, aren't you." Crystal said, folding the paper.

�� "Michael is hurting, Crystal. You don't know him like I do, but he's been hurting for a long time. I've seen too many tears, girl. And like I've said, YOU are the one that can change this. You cannot deny that Michael likes you and you like him. You just cannot deny it." Jeff said seriously.

�� "I can't. Okay? I can't. But it wouldn't work. I know how things go and...it just won't work."

�� "hey," Jeff said. He put his finger up.

��� "What?" Jeff stood and went to the nearest window. Crystal sat still for a moment and tried to listen. She heard chanting. Jeff definitely heard it and he couldn't see anything in the window he went into another room. After a moment Jeff started shouting. "People are protesting outside the gates!!"

Michael's vision was blurry because of his tears. He saw the people protesting outside the gates through his bedroom window: "Down with Michael Jackson!" "Michael Jackson's a traitor!" "Michael Jackson is a liar!" "Michael Jackson: The white freak"

This was as low as he could possibly go. He loved someone but didn't want a relationship, Sony was slowly sinking his career, and his sister was in the hospital paralyzed. He didn't want to come out of his room because he was afraid that something else would go wrong. He didn't want to go to sleep because he was afraid of being at peace for a moment and waking up in torture again.

�� Michael Joesph Jackson, after all the success over the years, this where you end up? Michael thought as he closed his window.� He sat on his bed. He felt so tired but he refused to go to sleep. It would be better if he could just go to sleep and never wake up. But he just closed his eyes and placed himself in the classical music that was playing in his room.

Jeff came back into the kitchen. When he did, he saw Crystal crying with her head in her hands.

�� "Yeah, I know this isn't good." Jeff said, worry in his expression. He patted Crystal on the back.

�� "I need to get through to him. " Crystal sobbed. "I love him so much, I can't let them hurt him like this. But I can't trust him....the things I've been through...I can't get too involved in him...I just...."

�� "Hey," Jeff said softly. She looked up at him. Tears stained her face.� "Take another chance. Just go for it. This is your chance to have a life with someone who cares about you. You will never have this chance again."

Michael blinked slowly as he gazed up at the ceiling while lying on his bed. Someone knocked on his door.

�� "Mike, it's me, Cristy...." Crystal said behind the door. "I have something to say."

�� "Can you say it behind the door?" Michael said. His voice was soft and deep. He sounded tired.

�� "No." Crystal said.� Michael sighed. "come in." Crystal walked in the room to the sound of violins. Michael lay on the bed with his hands behind his head. Crystal walked up to his bedside.

�� "Michael. I really love you. And I want to start something with you. I'm going to take a chance with you. " Crystal put her knee on the bed and kissed him. Michael closed his eyes for a moment.

"I just can't be in a relationship right now..." He confessed. "I'm too tired to go through something else and..."

�� "Michael I will HELP you. I put my trust in you, you have to put your trust in me."� Michael closed his eyes again and kept them closed this time.

Crystal got in the bed next to him and ran her hand down his chest, feeling the cotton of his blue shirt.

�� "Go to sleep, Mike. We'll make things better when you wake up...together."