Pressure. Pressure. Everywhere I look there’s more pressure! It’s 1979 and I’m super busy working on my first solo album as an adult artist; Off the Wall. It’s really important to me because I’m finally branching away from my brothers and Joseph. I really want to prove to them that I can get by in the world of music and entertainment! This album has to be killer! It has to do well! It has to be better then the rest!

The album is almost done, but we still have some work to do. Ugh! Work. That’s all I ever hear! Work, work, work, work and more work! It just never ends! I guess it’s my own fault, I signed up for this gig so I’ve just got to make the best of it.

“This isn’t right,” I said in a soft voice.

“What’s that?” Quincy Jones asked me. Quincy was my producer. We were good friends and he was a great guy. He really gets me.

“The sound. It doesn’t sound right. It needs to be funkier,” I told him. Quincy leaned back on his chair deep in thought. He looked at the ticking clock on the wall.

“What do you think it needs more of Mike? What do you want to hear?” Quincy asked me.

“More percussion. We need more of that in the background. It would sound better,” I explained.

“Alright Michael, we’ll get that for you,” Quincy said. I smiled. He always got what I needed.

“Thanks Q,”

“No problem Mike! It is my job to make sure that this album is to your liking,” he replied.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” I told him honestly.

“Do you think we should call it a night? It’s almost midnight,” Quincy told me. I glanced at the clock! My God! He was right! I yawned and realized that I was pretty tired.

“That idea definitely appeals to me!” I replied. Quincy chuckled. We both got up from our chairs and headed out the door. Quincy stopped.

“Hey Mike?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t mean to be nosy or anything, but how’s your relationship with that girl? What’s her name... Tatum O’Neal?” Quincy asked me. I moaned.

“Not well. I just don’t feel it anymore...” I told him.

“Oh yeah? Too bad, she seems like a nice girl,”

“Oh she is! She just isn’t for me,” I told him.

“Alright man, I just had to ask you that. I’ve been wondering for awhile,” Quincy confessed. I chuckled.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” I told him. He smiled and then we continued out of the studio. I jumped into a small limousine and then I was chauffeured back to my place. When I got there, the lights were off. Well, most of them were.

I quietly tip-toed through the house, being careful to make as little noise as possible. As I passed the living room, I saw Janet sitting in one of the chairs, staring at me. I smiled and then walked up and sat on the arm of the chair she was sitting on.

“Hey Dunk,” I said as I gave her a noogie.

“Stop it Mike! I’m not 12 years old anymore!” Janet said as she giggled and moved my hand away from her head. She straightened out her hair. I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Janet! You’re 13! You were 12 about a year ago!” I told her. She folded her arms across her chest.

“So? 12 and 13 have huge differences! When you’re 12, you’re a pre-teen. You’re still a little kid. When you’re 13 you’re like a whole new person! You’re finally a teenager! See the difference?” Janet asked me. I was still laughing, but I nodded my head.

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” I told her. She smiled.

“Good,”

“What are you doing still up?” I asked her.

“I couldn’t fall asleep,” she told me.

“Shouldn’t you be rehearsing your lines for that show you’re on? A new kind of family?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“I’ve already rehearsed them at least 50 times! I was just waiting for you to get back,” she told me. I smiled. That’s what every older brother wanted to hear from their little sister.

“Well, hear I am!” I told her.

“Well I expected you sooner! Now I’m just tired and I want to go to bed,” she told me. I frowned.

“Really?” I asked her. She nodded.

“Yeah, I was supposed to be in bed a long time ago!” Janet told me. I knew she was right, but I wish she wasn’t. I didn’t get a whole lot of time to spend with my family with this new album I’m working on. I especially missed Janet. Now, I don’t pick favourites when it comes to my siblings! I love them all equally! All I’m going to say is that I relate most to Janet! We both like the same sort of stuff.

“You don’t want to stay up a little bit longer? I want to talk to you,” I told her. She sat in the chair and thought about it for a moment.

“Alright, just a little bit longer. Only because I’ve been sitting here waiting for you for what seemed like forever!” Janet told me. I chuckled and then sat down on the couch nearest to where she was sitting. Janet stared at me, waiting for me to begin a conversation.

“Janet... I need to ask you something,” I told her. She leaned in closer.

“Sure Applehead! Ask me anything you want!” she told me. She was grinning from ear to ear because she had called me by Applehead. I guess that was her idea of revenge since I called her Dunk.

“No matter how good or how bad my new album is, you’ll still like it right?” I asked her.

“Are you crazy? I like everything you make Mike! Why are you asking such a stupid question anyway?” she asked me.

“Well, I’m working real hard on this album and I’m not sure how well it’s going to appeal to the public once it’s released. I just want to make sure that you’ll like it no matter what,” I told her.

“C’mon Mike! If this was all you had to ask me that was pretty lame. You should know that I’ll love whatever you do!” Janet told me. I smiled.

“Thanks Jan, I’m glad,”

“No problem Mike. Can I go to bed now? I think I’m going to pass out,” she told me. I laughed

“Yeah, you can go to bed if you want,” I told her. She yawned and then got up out of her seat.

“Goodnight Michael!” Janet said as she headed up the stairs. I waved to her.

“Goodnight! I’ll see you in the morning!” I said. She waved back and continued up the stairs. Once she had completely disappeared I got up and headed for the fridge. I decided to have a glass of milk before I headed off to bed as well. As I was about halfway through the glass, Joseph popped up out of nowhere.

“Looks who’s home,” he said. I swallowed the milk I had in my mouth.

“Hey Joseph,” I greeted. He walked up next to me.

“How’s the album?”

“It’s fine,”

“Fine? If I was still your manager it would have been fucking fantastic!” Joseph shouted.

“Shh! You’ll wake up everyone!” I warned him. He didn’t seem to care. He didn’t care about anything.

“Well, if you change your mind-“

“No offense Joseph, but I’m perfectly happy on my own,” I told him. He glared at me and then walked off to who knows where. Whatever. I didn’t really care about what he did. I finished my glass of milk, brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas and then headed off to bed.

“Ugh! This is wrong! This is all wrong! Why can’t we get this right?!” I screamed as I buried myself in my hands.

“Sorry Mike! We’re really trying!”

“I know! I know! It’s just... this isn’t turning out the way I want it to. This isn’t going to go to the top of the charts!” I complained.

“We’re sorry,”

“Don’t worry about it...” I assured them, “Let’s just get back to the music.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Let’s start it up! C’mon!” I yelled impatiently. Everyone got ready and we started the track again. About halfway through it I got up and hurried off.

“This isn’t working,” I muttered as I walked out of the recording studio. I stormed out of the building and started walking down the dimly lit streets.

Stupid album. Stupid deadline. Stupid track not turning out the way it should. Ugh! Why isn’t anything working? I need someone to vent to. Not Janet... she’s only a kid. I don’t want to scar her! I need someone who will listen to me... anybody!

I continued walking down the street. I looked up in the night sky. You couldn’t see the moon or the stars. There was a big, dark cloud in the way. That’s when I noticed a dark figure walking along the other side of the street. Maybe this guy would listen to me. I looked both ways before I ran across the street and up to the guy.

“Excuse me sir?” I asked. The man continued walking, not even acknowledging my existence!

“Sir?” I asked again. The man turned around and gave me a confused look.

“Do you mean me?” asked the man in a very high pitch feminine voice. I examined the man more closely and realized that it wasn’t a man.

“Oh I’m so sorry! I thought you were a man!” I apologized. The woman giggled.

“It’s alright, I don’t blame you. It’s dark out and in these clothes I guess it doesn’t really compliment my feminine figure,” she giggled. I smiled and examined her from head to toe. She was wearing ripped jeans and a baggy hoodie. She was right, it didn’t compliment her figure, but she still looked good in it.

She had beautiful pale blonde hair. Her eyes sparkled like gems and she was... well... flawless! I know that that sounds cliché. All guys are convinced that their girl is flawless, but she really was! I don’t even know her name and I already feel attracted to her!

“Do you mind if I ask your name?” I asked her.

“Nick,” she replied.

“Nick?” I asked. She laughed.

“Yeah, I know. My parents were expecting a boy. You can call me Nikki if you don’t mind,” she requested. I smiled.

“I don’t mind at all, I’m Michael,” I introduced as I held out my hand. She looked at my hand awkwardly, but didn’t shake it. I brought my hand back awkwardly. I shrugged it off. Maybe she was just having a bad day.

“Do you need something?” she asked me. I walked up next to her, and she took a step sideways to put space between us. Weird.

“I just needed someone to talk to. Someone who would listen to me. I’m having a bad day...” I told her as I let out a sigh. I looked at her with hopeful eyes that she would listen. She smiled.

“I know what you mean. Tell me about it. I’ll listen,” Nikki said. I let out a deep breath.

“I’m working on this new album. Nothing is going right! It seems that every time we try to make the track better, it just ends up making it worse! I work really hard on everything I do! I just can’t understand why this track isn’t working!” I vented. She frowned.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“And to make it worse, I just fired my dad as my manager and I have to make this album really good so that my father doesn’t laugh in my face! He’s already entertaining himself with the fact that nothing is going right...” I added.

“That blows. I wish there was something that could be done to make it better. But you’re only human... human’s always make mistakes. It’s just what happens...” she told me as her expression turned very blank and serious.

“You okay? You don’t look as happy as you were a few moments ago,” I asked her generally concerned.

“Oh it’s nothing. I’ve just made a few mistakes recently myself. I’m fine though, really,” she told me. I had a hunch that she was lying. Girls always say that they’re fine when they’re not. It’s the guy’s job to figure out when she’s serious and when she isn’t. I didn’t mention that though.

We walked for awhile longer in silence. She didn’t notice that I was subtly looking at her. She was so beautiful. I wish it was lighter out so I could see her face. Her skin looked so smooth. The one thing that I did notice that stood out a lot was that she was very pale. Very, very pale. It was so pale it almost seemed transparent. When she noticed that I was looking at her, she looked around and then stopped.

“I should go,” she said hastily.

“Wait! Not just yet...” I said. She continued looking around nervously.

“No, I have to go,” she told me as she turned to walk off.

“Wait! I want to see you again!” I said as I reached out to her to grab her wrist. Unfortunately, I missed, but she stopped in her tracks. She didn’t face me.

“When?” she asked quickly.

“Tomorrow? At the cafe on the corner of the street down there. Meet me there at noon,” I told her. She faced me and then managed a quick smile.

“Gotcha,” she said as she ran off. She was gone so quickly it was like she had just disappeared into thin air. I stood there in silence for a moment. A smile crept across my face as I looked in the sky and let the moonlight shine down.

Looks like I’ve got myself a date!

It was 11:25am and I was getting myself ready to meet with Nikki. Jermaine and Tito were hanging around me. Pestering me. They both wanted to know why I was getting dressed up.

“C’mon Mike! Who is it?” Jermaine asked.

“Yeah bro, what’s the occasion?” Tito questioned as he playfully nudged my arm.

“Someone,” I replied.

“Oh yeah, like we couldn’t figure that out! It’s a special someone ain’t it?” Tito asked. I tried to ignore them as I pulled on my blazer.

“C’mon Mike! We’re your brothers! You can tell us!” Jermaine said. Tito was on my left and Jermaine was on my right. They were both closing the space between us. I laughed and then shoved them aside and walked out. They followed me.

“Mike!” Jermaine called out to me.

“Guys! It’s nobody! It’s just someone I met,” I told them.

“Who? Is she pretty?”

“How’d you know it was a girl?” I asked.

“Because you wouldn’t get dressed up like that for a dude! C’mon! You’re trying to look especially sharp for a girl!” Jermaine replied.

“Just tell us!” Tito demanded. At that moment Jackie and Marlon walked in. Here we go...

“What’s all the commotion?” Jackie asked.

“Mike’s got a girlfriend and he won’t tell us who it is!” Jermaine told him. Jackie and Marlon both looked at Michael with the same shocked expression.

“Little Mike’s got a girlfriend has he?” Marlon teased.

“C’mon guys! Leave me alone,” I said as I tried to shove by them.

“Mike! We’re your brothers right? We share everything! Just tell us! What do you think we’re going to do?” Jackie asked. Michael sighed.

“Look, I’m just meeting up with my friend Nick,” I told them. Her having a name that was more commonly used as a guy’s name came in handy. They all frowned.

“What? Nick? Who’s that?” Tito asked.

“A friend. He’s working with me on the album,”

“That’s a lie,” Jermaine said.

“Why do you think I’m lying!?”

“Why would you get so dressed up for this Nick guy?” Marlon asked.

“What? I can’t look nice?” I asked. They all remained silent. I checked my watch and it was 11:35.

“Look, can I go now? I’m going to be late,” I told them. They all rolled their eyes and moved to the side.

“Go ahead. But we’ll find out who this Nick guy is!” Jackie told me. I chuckled as I walked out of the house and got into my car. I drove down to the cafe where I said that I’d meet Nikki. I got there five minutes early, but it didn’t matter because so did Nikki. I smiled when I saw her. She walked up to me.

“Hey,” I greeted. She smiled.

“Hi Michael,” she said. I opened the door to the cafe.

“Want to grab a coffee?” I asked her. She smiled and then nodded as she walked into the small cafe. I got some looks from a bunch of people, but nobody bothered me. They didn’t think that it was really me. People found it so hard to believe that, yes, I have a life too and I like coffee! Like God...

She ordered a pumpkin spice late and a blueberry muffin. I got a hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie. We both sat down at an empty booth at the back of the cafe.

“You’re very pretty you know that right?” I said smoothly. She blushed.

“Thank you. You’re handsome yourself,” she told me. I think she felt a little uncomfortable since we had only just met. I took a sip of my drink.

“So what do you do?” I asked her. The question seemed to for one reason or another catch her off guard.

“Um... you know... I’m a uh... waitress,” she replied.

“That’s cool. How do you like it?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“It’s okay,” she replied.

“You don’t like it?” I asked her.

“What do you do?” she asked dodging my question. I was a little surprised when she asked me that.

“I’m a famous recording artist. I’m Michael Jackson,” I told her. She nodded as she examined me.

“Oh! That’s cool! I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you. I don’t listen to music,” she told me.

“You don’t? Not at all?” I asked her. She shook her head.

“Not at all,” she repeated. There was another silence as we each took a bite of our treat and a sip of our beverages.

God! Think Michael, think! You’re probably boring her! Ugh! I need to start up a conversation! C’mon... c’mon...

“I know I told you this earlier, but you’re so beautiful,” I told her again. Her face turned a bright red. She looked down at her coffee cup.

“Aw, you don’t mean it,” she said. I reached to grab her hand, but she moved it away, so I pretended to dust something off of the table.

“Of course I mean it! You’re amazing Nikki! Why don’t you think so?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“Well, I don’t think of myself as pretty,” she told me, “I used to...”

“What do you mean you used to?” I asked her. Her eyes widened.

“What?”

“What what?”

“I don’t know,”

“Why are you dodging my questions? Is everything okay?” I asked her. She started breathing faster.

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s fine,” she assured me.

“Are you sure? You can tell me,” I told her.

“I’m fine,” she told me again. I noticed that her eyes started to fill with water and a small tear rolled down the side of her cheek. She quickly whipped it away, hoping that I didn’t see. But I did.

I felt bad for her. I don’t know what she has been through, but it seemed serious.

“You know, talking about it might make you feel better,” I told her. She looked at me with wide, puppy dog eyes. Then she looked around nervously and then faced me again. Was she paranoid?

“Come with me,” she said as she quickly got up and headed out of the cafe. I hurried up and followed her out.

She led me to a beautiful park. There was a pond and lovely forest trails. She took me down one of them. She looked around to make sure that nobody was around.

“Is everything alright?” I asked her concerned.

“Yeah, it’s just a sensitive topic,” she told me.

“Well, I’m here to listen. You listened to me last night, I’m going to listen to you,” I told her. She smiled and then let out a big sigh.

“I’m just kind of sad because I just feel so alone in this world,” she stared.

“You’re lonely? How? How’s a beautiful girl like you lonely?” I asked.

“Well, there’s just recently been a family tragedy,” she told me. I was curious to what had happened, but I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to feel nosy.

“Oh I’m so sorry!” I said. She shrugged.

“It is what it is. Anyway, after the tragedy we’ve all just... grown apart. It feels like I’m just so distant from them now,” she told me. I was about to wrap my arm around her, but she moved away. Okay, what was her problem? Why didn’t she want me to touch her?  She looked at me and could tell that I was confused as to why she wouldn’t let me hold her, but she didn’t mention anything.

“Well hey, if you ever need someone I’m here,” I told her. She smiled.

“Thanks Michael,” she thanked me. I shrugged.

“No problem,”

“We should hang out again. I really enjoyed hanging out with you today,” she told me. I smiled. I was a little surprised; I didn’t think she was enjoying herself.

“We should,” I agreed.

“If you ever want to hang out, here’s my phone number,” she said as she held out a slip of paper. I was going to try and touch her hand when I took the paper, but she was quick and wouldn’t let me. I guess it didn’t really matter anyway. I smiled as I put the slip of paper in my pocket. She smiled back at me.

“Thanks,” I said. She giggled.

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad that I’ll be able to see you again!” she told me. I blushed. She giggled.

“Red looks good on you,” she joked. I laughed and so did she. She was nice. She really was. I enjoyed being around her and I’d love to get to know her better. What I really want to know is what the tragedy was and why she won’t touch me.

“I should go,” she said.

“Alright, I’ll catch you later than?” I asked her. She smiled and then nodded.

“Definitely,” she said as she turned and walked towards the exit. I stood there as I waited for her to disappear. Man, she was something. She was nice, funny, beautiful and well... mysterious.

But I liked that.

When I got back home Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Randy, La Toya, Rebbie and Janet were all in the living room waiting for me to arrive home.

“Hi guys,” I greeted.

“Cut with the chit-chat. Let’s get to the chase...” La Toya said. I was taken aback.

“What are you guys talking-“

“Who’s the girl Mike?” Marlon asked. I rolled my eyes. I should have known.

“Guys, it’s nothing. Seriously!” I lied. They didn’t buy it.

“When do we get to meet her?” Rebbie asked.

“Why do you want to meet her?!”

“Because she’s your girlfriend! And we’re your family! You owe it to us to let us meet her!” Jermaine replied. I rolled my eyes.

“C’mon Michael!” Janet whined.

“I don’t even know how to reach her!” I fibbed as I threw my hands in the air. Tito gave me a how-dumb-do-you-think-we-are look as he walked up to me and snatched the slip of paper that Nikki had given to me. Whoops. I forgot I was holding that.

“Hey! That’s mine!” I said as I tried to snatch it back but couldn’t manage. Tito examined the piece of paper.

“Her names Nikki!” Tito announced.

“Oooh! That sounds like a nice name!” Jackie commented.

“This is her number,” Tito said.

“Ha! Liar Michael! Call her c’mon!” Jermaine pleaded.

“No! I don’t want to seem desperate!” I debated.

“You won’t! Trust me, girls like it when the guy calls them! Just do it Michael!” La Toya told me.

“No!” I shouted angrily.

“Fine, than I guess I’ll call her,” Tito said as he picked up the nearest phone.

“Tito don’t! Don’t you dare! Don’t do it!” I warned. Tito chuckled as he started dialling Nikki’s number. I reached for the phone but my siblings held me back.

“Don’t fight it Mike! This is a good thing!” Randy told me. I ignored him. I continued reaching for the phone. Tito brought the phone to his ear and a wide grin crossed his face.

“Tito stop! Hang up! Hang up!” I yelled. Tito didn’t listen to me. Tito’s grin disappeared and he put the phone down. Yes! Thank God!

“Why’d you do that Tito?” Jermaine asked. Tito had a very serious facial expression. He didn’t reply. He slowly turned to face me.

“What?” I asked bitterly.

“The number is out of service,” Tito informed me. I was no longer mad. I was sad. I was disappointed. Maybe Tito punched in the wrong numbers. Maybe he thought that the 7 was a 1. She couldn’t have given me a fake number! She seemed so real and innocent! But than again... she didn’t look like she was enjoying herself. But why would she break my heart and give me a fake number instead of just walking away? I slumped to the ground and buried myself in my knees.

“I’m such a fool,” I sobbed. Rebbie rested her hand on my back in an effort to comfort me.

“Oh Michael, we’re sorry,” Rebbie apologized.

“It ain’t your fault Mike,” Randy assured me.

“Yeah! It’s her loss!” Jermaine told me. As much as I wanted to believe them, it wasn’t her loss. It was mine. She was beautiful, nice, funny and she listened to me! I was so convinced that she was the girl for me! God... I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. At that moment Joseph came into the room.

“What’s going on?” Joe asked. Everyone turned to face him.

“Michael’s girlfriend dumped him,”

“She wasn’t my girlfriend!” I protested.

“Oh suck it up Michael! You can get bus loads of girls! Who cares if one didn’t want you? A million other girls want you!” Joseph tried to persuade me.

“No, they’re after my money,” I corrected. Joseph didn’t say anything. He just huffed and then walked off.

“Mike? Are you gunna be okay?” Jackie asked me. I nodded my head even though I knew that I wouldn’t be okay.

“Are you sure?” La Toya asked me.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I lied as I got up and brushed myself off.

“Alright Michael, we’re sorry,”

“It’s not your fault. Look, I’ll be okay. I’m just going to go up to my room for a bit,” I said. They started following me up the stairs.

“Alone,” I finished. They all stopped dead in their tracks and stopped following me. I continued up to my room and I slammed the door shut. I flopped down on my bed and sighed.

How could she do this to me? She played me like a violin? What did I do? I must have done something wrong! But what? I was friendly wasn’t I? Maybe she was looking for something else... oh well.

Well, there are plenty of fish in the sea right? Yeah, but there’s only one Nemo. Nikki was my Nemo.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, thinking of Nikki.

The following morning I was in the recording studio with Quincy Jones and we had just finished the track that was stressing me out so much! The track was called; Don’t stop ‘til you get enough. Now we were working on a new one called; Rock with you.

“I wanna rock with you, all night,” I sang. I noticed Quincy Jones grooving to the song and I couldn’t help but smile. I started grooving myself and Quincy Jones laughed. I loved that. I loved how we totally understood each other and he doesn’t mind if we fool around a little bit on the job.

When I had finished laying down the vocals I exited the recording area.

“What did you think Q?” I asked. He applauded.

“I loved it Michael. Damn! You’ve got one hell of a voice!” Quincy complimented. I blushed.

“Thank you,”

“Don’t sweat it man,” Q told me. There was a bit of a silence before Quincy started up a new conversation.

“Hey, how was your day off yesterday?” Q asked me. My smile faded as an image of Nikki flashed before my eyes.

“Nice I guess,” I shrugged. Q noticed my unease.

“You wanna talk about it Mike? You don’t look too well,” he told me. I let out a sigh and spilled everything! He was shocked by all of my emotion.

“Mike, you’ve known that girl for two days...” Q told me.

“I know, I know, but I was sure she was the one! I was sure of it!” I told him. Quincy patted my back.

“Look Mike, they’ll be others,” Q assured me.

“But there won’t be another Nikki,” I whimpered.

“C’mon Mike, snap out of it! Let’s continue with the track to get your mind off of her! Sorry I even brought it up,” Q told me as he got up out of his seat. I followed his suit and we continued working on the album.

When all of our work was done I exited the studio.

“See you later Q!”

“Bye Mike!” Quincy called back to me. I turned and headed out of the door. It was a dark night, but something (rather someone) stood out. It was Nikki. I recognized her immediately. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. She wore a sad expression across her face. She slowly moved up to me until she was practically on top of me.

There’s my Nemo.

“Michael...” she started.

“What is it? Are you here to give me another fake number?” I spat bitterly. She shook her head. I saw tears starting to swell up in her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to do that. Michael, that is... was... my number,” she told me.

“Well can I have your new number?” I asked her. She shook her head. Well that was rude. Way to crush my dreams!

“I don’t have one,” she told me. I gave her a confused look. Who doesn’t have a phone? I mean c’mon! I get it, not everybody has a cell phone but what about a house phone!

“Are you playing with me?” I asked her.

“No, Michael I’m serious. After I had given you my number and I had left I realized what I had done and ran back to find you, but you weren’t there. I figured you’d be recording a track or something so I came here and you weren’t there either so I came back here today. I’m so, so sorry,” she explained as she started sobbing.

I felt bad for her. Her story seemed legit and she was really sad. I hated seeing girls cry. It made my heart break. It really did. I went out to put my hand on her shoulder, but she moved away. Geez... I just wanted to comfort her that’s all! Why won’t she let me touch her?

“I forgive you Nemo,” I told her. I covered my mouth when I realized that I had just called her Nemo. She looked up and gazed into my eyes.

“Did you just call me-“

“Nikki? Yes, yes I did,” I lied. She blushed.

“I like the nickname Nemo,” she told me. I smiled.

“Than I’ll call you Nemo,” I told her. She smiled and looked down at her feet as if she were embarrassed. Yeah, like she had anything to be embarrassed about! I’m the one who just called her Nemo!

“If you don’t have a phone number, who can I reach you?” I asked her.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll find you,” she told me.

“How?” I asked her.

“Call it woman’s intuition. Don’t worry about it. Whenever you need me most, I’ll be there,” she assured me. She spoke with such a small, delicate voice. Yet at the same time, it was so mysterious. I knew she was hiding something from me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Finger. Finger! I looked at her hands. I frowned when I didn’t see a ring. Okay, so she wasn’t married, that’s a good thing, sort of. At least I know I can date her, but I still don’t know her secret. I have to figure it out. It’s killing me!

“You know, I was worried that you were just playing me when the phone number you gave me was out of service,” I told her.

“Yeah... sorry about that, again. And believe me, I’m not a player,” she assured me. I smiled.

“Good, I’m glad,” I told her. We both stared at each other and I got lost in her eyes. Her beautiful, icy blue eyes. They sparkled every time I gazed into them. I smiled when I realized that this blue eyed beauty was mine. All mine. I leaned in closer to her, and she leaned in closer to me. I closed my eyes and puckered up.

But I just ended up kissing air. I opened my eyes and I saw her with her head buried in her hands.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her. She looked up.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not ready,” she told me. I was disappointed because I was ready. I wanted her. I wanted to feel her soft lips against mine. I sighed.

“Okay, I understand. I don’t want to rush you into something that you’re not ready for,” I told her. She managed a small smile.

“Thanks, I’m glad you understand,” she told me. I managed a small smile.

“What about a hug?” I suggested. She didn’t reply. She just stared blankly into my eyes.

“Nemo?” I asked. She snapped out of her trance.

“I should go,” she told me.

“Oh, well, can I have a hug first?” I asked her. She looked at her wrist.

“I don’t have time. I’ve got to get going,” she told me. I looked at her wrists. There was no watch on either of them. What’s going on? What’s she hiding fro me?

“Please, don’t go,” I begged. She looked up into the dark sky.

“No, I have to go, bye Michael,” she said as she quickly spun around on her heels and started running. No, she can’t leave now. I reached out to grab her wrist and was surprised when all I grabbed was air. I could have sworn I grabbed her wrist! I would have bet on it! What just happened? I stared at the air where I thought her wrist would have been, and then I looked back up in search of her.

But she was gone.

Just like that! Gone! What’s going on here? She couldn’t have honestly ran that fast! Maybe she’s hiding... I fell to my knees and landed and the cold, hard ground. Where did she go?

Where does my Nemo keep running off too?

The following day, I decided that I had to learn more about her. I had to get her comfortable and alone. Maybe if I make her feel at ease she’ll talk to me about why she won’t touch me and why she’s constantly running off. I do like her, I really do. I also truly believe that she likes me back, but I have to know. She has to tell me what’s really going on. I want to hear the truth. I’ve got to hear it.

Nikki and I met up at a fancy restaurant for dinner. She was wearing an elegant, black dress and she looked amazing I must say! It hugged her curves in all the right places and she looked breathtaking!

I watched as she twirled her spaghetti beautifully. God... everything she did was perfect. I felt so vulnerable. She barely had to do anything and she was capable of putting me into a trance just like that! I was like clay, and she was the artist. She could sculpt me into whatever she wanted.

“This is nice,” she told me as she took a bite of her dinner. I smiled.

“Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” I told her.

“Michael... are you doing this for a certain reason?” she asked me suspiciously. I had a feeling that she was catching on to my true intentions.

“I just feel really attracted to you that’s all. I just wanted to prove it to you in the form of a romantic dinner date,” I explained to her. She chuckled a little bit.

“You know I don’t believe that,” she told me. I blushed. Looks like I wasn’t that good at covering up my true thought after all.

“Well... there are a few things that are on my mind that I’d like to discuss...” I hinted. Her smile vanished and she started playing with her spaghetti. She didn’t seem too keen on telling me anything and I haven’t even told her what!

“I thought you’d say that...” she muttered. I reached my hands over the table and reached for hers, but she pulled back (not to my surprise) yet again.

“See! Right there! What’s that all about?” I blurted out. I covered my mouth as soon as I said it. I definitely didn’t want it to come across as rudely as it did. She looked shocked at my outburst, but she didn’t yell back at me. She only sighed.

“Michael...” she started.

“Please don’t give me the whole ‘it’s complicated’ or ‘now isn’t a good time’ speech! I’ve heard it all before. I’ll spare you the breath,” I said bitterly as I rolled my eyes.

I didn’t know what was coming over me! I guess I was just frustrated that she was keeping things from me. Who knows, it might be a boyfriend she’s keeping from me?

He looked down in disappointed and I saw her fiddling with her napkin. She looked back up at me with grey eyes. Yes, grey. Like, actual grey eyes! I don’t mean it as an expression for saying that she looked sad, they were actually grey! But not just any grey, they were grey like haze, or smoke, or fog! Odd right? I can’t be the only one who thinks that it’s odd. She looked out of the restaurant window. The sun was just falling behind the mountains. She looked back at me.

“We need to go for a walk,” she told me. I nodded and she led me outside of the restaurant as soon as I paid the bill.

She took me for a walk through a small forest and we ended up appearing in a large, grassy field. The wind was whistling and the grass rustled. It was like a scene out of a bad horror movie. Any moment now I expected something to pop out at me!

When we got to the middle of the field, she stopped and faced me. Her skin looked like it did when I first saw her. Almost translucent. It must have just been my eyes playing tricks on me. I watched her movements carefully.

“Michael... I wanted to wait to tell you this...” she started.

Here we go... this speech! Every sappy love story has this speech! The ‘I’m waiting for the right time’ speech. Yup... this was going to be interesting.

“What is it?” I asked. She placed her finger on my lips to silence me, but I couldn’t feel anything. All I felt was the cool air wrap around my body like a cloak. Why was she now touching me? Why couldn’t I feel anything? Were my lips numb? No, that would be stupid. Why would my lips be numb?!

She pulled her hand back slowly and looked back up in the sky. There were clouds covering the beautiful moon. She looked back at me.

“Michael... I need to first tell you what I’ve been through,” Nikki started. I waited for her to continue. She let out an exasperated sigh. “A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went on a date-“

“Your boyfriend?!” I screamed.

“Shhh! I’m not finished yet,” she told me. I decided to keep quiet. I definitely wanted to hear this! “Anyway, we went on a date in the woods. He was an outdoor person, so I understood. We went walking, and about an our and a half into it, he pulled out a knife and stabbed me. He stabbed me until I fell to the ground and remained motionless. I screamed and cried out in pain, but we were too far away from any civilisation for anyone to have possibly heard me!” she shared as she started tearing up.

Wait, what? She was stabbed until she fell to the ground motionless? What the hell is this girl talking about? She noticed my confused expression.

“I’m dead Michael. I’m a ghost,” she told me. My mouth dropped.

The clouds moved away and revealed the moon. It’s light shone down upon us both, and she turned almost transparent and her she physically changed. Her beautiful, black dress became torn and tattered and blood dripped from her mouth and chin onto her chest and dress. One of the straps were torn off. She had stab marks on her chest and there was a large red patch above her heart. Her hair was matted and dirty.

“B-b-b-but,” I stammered.

“That’s why I never touched you,” she told me. Her voice sounded old, musky and dirty. She even sounded like a ghost! “When I touched your lips earlier, you didn’t feel a touch did you? That’s because I’m not really real. I’m a ghost. You just walk right through me,”

“Wait? Are you a dream?” I asked. She shook her head.

“No! I’m a ghost but I’m not physically here,”

“Okay... but what does this have to do with you always running off?” I asked.

“The moonlight turns me into this ghost girl. All of those times I ran off was because it was getting darker and I couldn’t risk you seeing me like this. I didn’t want you to find out this way, I wanted to tell you like I am now,” she explained.

“Are there more ghosts?” I asked as I looked around frantically. She nodded.

“Yes, but contrary to popular belief, we aren’t here to freak people out. After we die, we’re sent back to earth to fulfill a final mission,” she informed me.

“Well... what was yours?” I asked her.

“Well, since I was murdered by a boyfriend who didn’t actually love me, my mission was to find love,” she told me. I smiled.

“Am I...?” I asked. She smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, you are,” she replied. I smiled and went to give her a hug, but I walked right through her. She giggled.

“Michael! I’m a ghost remember?” she reminded me. I smiled and laughed a bit myself.

“Oh yeah. You know, that’s kind of a bummer because I’d really like to kiss you right now,” I told her. She smiled and looked around embarrassed.

“So... are we okay now that I’ve told you? Will this change anything?” she asked me. I shook my head.

“Of course not, you’re my Nemo and I love you just the way you are,” I told her. She smiled and we both leaned in, and then we stopped.

“Sorry! Even I forgot that I was a ghost! I guess I was just caught up in the moment...” she said a little embarrassed. I smiled.

“It’s okay, I forgot again myself,” I told her. She smiled at me.

Finally, the truth.

I headed back to my house and I didn’t see anybody. I searched the house.

“Hello?” I asked as I entered each of the rooms. When I entered the kitchen I saw Joseph sitting at the bar. I managed a fake smile. I didn’t really want to see him.

“Hey Joseph,” I greeted. He glared at me. What’s his problem?

“Hmmph,” he grunted.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Where have you been?”

“Working on my album. As always,” I lied. Where did he think I was?

“Really? I was there awhile ago and you weren’t there,”

“You came to check up on me?” I asked. That was different. He never usually did that.

“Yeah, I did. I wanted to see how that album of yours was doing,”

“Well, I must have been on my way home,” I told him.

“I got back half an hour ago Michael. Where have you been?”

“Joseph c’mon! I’m not a kid anymore! Do you really have to monitor my every movement?” I asked getting annoyed with Joseph. Why does he always have to be in my business? He’s probably just mad because I fired him. Geez... he sure can hold a grudge!

“Michael! I want to know where you were!”

“I don’t have to tell you squat!” I spat bitterly. Joseph smacked me.

“Tell me!” he thundered. I glared at them.

“How dare you!” I shouted, “How dare you!” I stormed off up the stairs and into my room. I heard Joseph’s heavy footsteps following close behind me. He grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me back and made me face him.

“Tell me now Michael! I’m your father! I deserve to know!” he screamed. I groaned.

“I was with a friend okay? There! Is that satisfactory for you?” I asked extremely pissed off.

“You know damn well that that ain’t satisfactory for me! Tell me your friend’s name now Michael! Who were you with?!”

“It’s none of your damn business!” I yelled.

“Yes it is! I’m your father!” He shouted again. I rolled my eyes, shoved him away from me and locked myself in my bedroom. He continued to knock incessantly on the door.

“Go away!” I ordered.

“Michael! Open up this door right now! Right now!” Joseph demanded.

“No! You’re mad at me!” I replied. I had to admit, that reply did sound child like, but it was just the truth. As if I was going to let him in when he’s mad as hell like that! No way!

After awhile, Joseph finally gave up and left me alone. God! I’m 21 years old! I don’t need my dad to be following me around everywhere and getting in all of my business! Like Geez! What’s his problem? I bet he’s been spying on my progress with me new album... Yup, that’s probably exactly what he’s been doing! He’s never came to the studio to check up on before! Oh yeah, he’s definitely jealous of all of my soon to be success. Not that I haven’t had success before, I’m just going to get more of it that’s all.

I heard a soft tap on my door. It couldn’t be Joseph... his knock is more violent.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s Janet!”

“C’mon in Dunk!” I said as I smiled and unlocked the door. Janet smiled at me, shut the door and then locked it again so that Joseph couldn’t get in.

“What are you still doing up?” I asked her.

“I woke up when I heard you and Joseph,”

“Oh... sorry about that,”

“No it’s okay. I wanted enjoy talking with you anyway!” she told me. We both smiled and I wrapped an arm around my little sister.

“So what’s up Dunk?” I asked her. She nudged me playfully.

“I told you not to call me that... Applehead!” she teased. We both laughed.

“I know, I know, I just couldn’t help myself,” I admitted.

“That’s okay. I was just wondering how things were going with you and that girlfriend of yours,” she told me. At first I didn’t reply. What do I say? Things are going great! I’ve just learnt that I’ll never be able to kiss, hug or physically feel her because she’s actually a ghost who’s come back from the dead to find love! Yeah, I want to make her feel happy not scared out of her wits!

“Oh great! I met up with her yesterday and she explained that she forgot that that number was out of service and that she didn’t actually have a cell phone! Then, we met up earlier today when I told you guys I was going to the studio. I didn’t want to be pestered again about my girlfriend so I just made that up. We had a good time together,” I told her. I was able to keep a straight face because it was mostly truth right? I didn’t make up some totally ludicrous story!

“Oh! That’s great Michael! I’m really happy for you!” Janet told me. I smiled.

“Thanks Janet, but you can’t tell anyone okay? I want to tell them if things get any more serious okay?”

“C’mon Mike! Do you not trust me?

“No I trust you! But I also know you like gossip...”

“Hey! I may like gossip but I can keep a secret Applehead! Don’t worry about a thing!” Janet promised me. I smiled and gave her a warm hug.

“Thanks Janet, you’re amazing,” I told her. She beamed.

“Thanks Michael!” she said. I patted her on the back.

“Don’t mention it! Hey! In the morning, come to my room and let me know if Joseph has cooled down okay? He’s kind of mad because I didn’t give him the whole story of why I wasn’t at the studio tonight when he went there to check up on me,”

“He went to check up on you?” Janet asked. I nodded.

“I know right? He’s totally obsessed with me and this new album! I think he’s trying to spy on me...” I shared with her.

“Probably, Joseph’s a little...” Janet started.

“Out of sorts?” I finished. She laughed and then nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you could put it like that!” she said. We both laughed.

“So will you do it?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“If I remember,” she told me.

“Good enough,” I replied. She smiled at me and then left the room. I flopped down onto my bed and fell asleep and dreamed of my darling Nikki.

I woke up the next morning and sat in my room, waiting for Janet to come and tell me that Joseph had cooled down. I sat there for about an hour before I concluded that Janet probably forgot about it. I pulled on some sweat pants and a loose fitting t-shirt. I wasn’t really in the mood to dress professionally today. I walked out of the room and headed downstairs and into the kitchen. My entire family was down there. Joseph glared at me and pointed a dirty finger at me.

“There he is! The little liar!” Joseph yelled. Janet gave me a what-the-hell-are-you-doing-down-here look.

“I didn’t come up to tell you Mike!” she said.

“Sorry! I thought you forgot!” I told her honestly.

“Geez Mike, I’m not that forgetful,” Janet told me. My mother walked up to me.

“Is everything alright Michael?” asked my mother. I nodded.

“Everything’s fine,” I replied.

“If everything was fine then where the hell were you last night?!” Joseph asked angrily.

“I already told you Joseph, you don’t need to know where I am every second of the day! I’m not a little kid anymore!” I yelled.

“You’re my son!”

“We had this conversation last night, I’d prefer if we didn’t revive it,” I told him as I pulled out some orange juice from the fridge and poured myself a glass.

“Mike... we just care about you bro,” Jermaine told me as he put a hand on my shoulder. I pulled it off. I finished chugging my glass of orange juice and put the glass in the sink.

“Well I’ll tell you guys when I’m ready,” I replied. I started to walk off but Joseph grabbed me.

“Tell me now,” he thundered. I escaped his grip.

“No!” I screamed. I walked out of the kitchen and there was a knock on the door.

“Everybody! Act friendly!” I heard one of my brothers call out to everyone else. I took a deep breath to allow my anger flow out of me, and then I opened the door.

“Hello,” I said. I was staring at the floor. I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone right now.

“Look at my face, not my feet Michael,” I heard a familiar voice. I looked up and saw Nikki smiling lovingly at me. I smiled back. Man, was I glad to see her. She practically brightened up my entire day! Although, now wasn’t the best time.

“Hey Nikki,” I greeted. She waved a small wave.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly. There was a brief silence. “Can I come in?” she asked me. Oh man! It hasn’t even been a minute and I’ve already screwed up! I opened the door wider and she stepped into the house. She was wearing a flowing blue dress that stopped just below her knees and she wore black heels. For a ghost, she looked pretty good.

“Who’s that?” asked Randy when he saw Nikki.

“This is my friend,” I replied.

“Aha! That was who you were with last night!” Joseph said as he stood up and pointed directly at Nikki. Nikki and I exchanged glances.

“You didn’t tell your parents that you were with me?” she whispered to me.

“Um... not exactly,” I whispered back. I looked back at Joseph.

“No Joseph, it wasn’t her,” I lied. I wasn’t sure why I was lying to him. I guess I just wanted the satisfaction on knowing that I was totally aggravating him and plus, he deserved this. He’s always in my business! Well, not this time! Joseph turned to face Nikki.

“Is this true?” he asked her. I looked at Nikki. Hopefully she’d go along with it.

“Yes, what he’s telling you is true,” Nikki replied. I let out a sigh of relief. Thank God!

“Well than where were you last night?” Joseph asked. Nikki didn’t even flinch. Man, she was good under pressure.

“I was at home. Like I usually am,” she replied. Joseph then turned to face me.

“See, she was at home lie she should be. How about you Michael? Why weren’t you at home like you should be?” Joseph interrogated. I rolled my eyes.

“Knock it off Joseph,” I told him.

“I am your father! I can do whatever I want!”

“Joseph! Please! I have a friend over!” I shouted. I grabbed Nikki by the arm. “C’mon, let’s go upstairs,” I told her as I led her up the stairs and into my room. I shut the door and locked it behind us.

“Nice dad you’ve got there,” Nikki said trying to be as polite as possible.

“Please, don’t refer to him as my dad. I don’t even call him dad!” I told her. She nodded.

“Alright, I won’t mention it again,” she told me. I smiled at her.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Look, why haven’t you told them about you and I?” she asked me curiously. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t know, I guess it was just because when you gave me that number they were all kind of mad at you because they think you played me. I just don’t think they’ll be impressed to hear that I’m still with you. I did tell my youngest sister though. She understands me,” I explained, “Did you tell your parents?” I asked. As soon as the words slipped through my mouth I knew that I had said the wrong thing. “Sorry! I forgot!” I quickly added. She smiled at me.

“It’s okay,” she replied.

“So, can you even see your parents and interact with them?” I asked her. She shook her head.

“No,”

“Why can’t you interact with them but you can interact with me?” I asked her.

“Well, I can interact with them, I just don’t. First of all, they know I was murdered so if I just popped up that would bring lots of suspicion and stuff, so I just stay away from them. Besides, my mission was to find love,” she said as she gazed lovingly into my eyes. I smiled.

“Well you’ve found it darling,” I replied. She giggled. God, I wish I could kiss her right now. I really wish I could. She looked so real it just felt wrong to not lean in and attempt!

“So why did you come here?” I asked her. She sighed.

“I’ve uh... I’ve got some news for you. But I want to discuss it over dinner,” she replied. News? That could be good and bad.

“What kind of news?” I asked her.

“You’ll find out over dinner,” she told me.

“Alright, where should I meet you?” I asked her. She handed me a slip of paper.

“Follow these directions and meet me there at 7 alright?” she told me. I examined the piece of paper and nodded my head.

“Alright, I understand,” I replied. She smiled.

“Thanks,” she said as she stood up.

“My pleasure,” I said as I opened up the door for her and we walked out of my room. We both headed downstairs and Jermaine, Tito and Jackie were playing a little indoor football.

“Go long Tito!” shouted Jermaine. Tito smiled and started running backwards. He didn’t even realize that Nikki was behind him as he ran.

“Tito look out!” I shouted. Tito looked at me and then he saw Nikki and tried to get to a stop, but he was too late and he ran into Nikki. Or rather, ran through Nikki! Tito looked around and saw that instead of falling into her, he fell right through her and was on the ground. Everyone’s mouths dropped. All eyes were on Nikki. Nikki held her hands over her mouth, looked around and ran out of the house as fast as her feet could carry her. Once my family had gotten out of their state of shock, they all turned to look at me.

Looks like I had some explaining to do.

“Mike... why did I fall through her?” Tito asked me. Everyone was staring at me.

“Um... this is a dream,” I tried to convince him. He got up off of the floor.

“Mike, what’s up bro?” he asked me again. Looks like he didn’t believe the whole ‘it’s a dream’ thing. I didn’t really expect him too. He’s not a complete idiot!

“I can’t tell you,” I sighed.

“Of course! You can’t tell anyone anything anymore!” Joseph complained as he threw his hands up in the air.

“Joseph...” Katherine warned.

“It’s true! Everything’s a secret with you isn’t it Michael? Huh? Isn’t it?” Joseph asked me as he moved closer.

“Just let it go okay?! It’s not like I’m in any danger!” I shouted.

“Mike, we just want to know what’s going on,” Jermaine said.

“Well I’m not telling you guys anything! It’s my life! It’s my information and I can choose if I want to share it or not so step off!” I shouted as I stormed back up into my room. I looked at the clock. God, I sure with it was 7 right now.

It seemed to take forever and a day before the clock finally hit 7! I had left the house at 6:45 and now I was standing under a lamppost near a small pond. This is where she said she’d meet me. At that moment, the air got colder. I turned around and saw Nikki behind me. I jumped. She smiled.

“Did I scare you?” she asked me.

“A little yeah,” I replied. Nikki was in her ghost form, since the moonlight was shinning down on the both of us.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her.

“Follow me Michael, I have to talk to you,” she told me her voice becoming very serious. I had a bad feeling about this. It sounds as if that news that she was telling me about is the bad kind.

Nikki and I walked to a small bench on the edge of the pond. She took a seat and patted the open area next to her. I gladly took a seat next to her. She let out a long sigh.

“Michael... you can’t love me,” she told me. There was a long silence. Had I heard her correctly? Did she just say that I can’t love her? No, of course not.

“Pardon me?” I asked. She let out another sigh.

“I said, you can’t love me,” she repeated. This time I knew that I had heard her correctly.

“What are you talking about? Of course I can love you! I do love you! You’re the love of my-“

“Michael stop!” she shouted as she plugged her ears. What’s going on?

“But it’s true... I love-“

“I said stop!” she shouted. I was taken aback. Whoa, she’s never yelled at me like that before.

“Why?” I asked in a small voice.

“Because you’re just making the situation worse,” she told me.

“What situation?” I asked. Man, she sure was leaving me in the dark right now.

“You remember when I told you that I was sent back down here to find love right?” she asked me. I nodded my head.

“Of course I remember,” I replied.

“Well now that I’ve found it, I’m being sent back,” she told me. There was an eerie silence before I replied.

“W-what do you mean?” I stammered.

“I mean exactly what I said. They’re sending me back. I found love and now my mission is over. That’s it,” she explained.

“No!” I said as I stood up from my seat, “No! You can’t just leave! How do we stop this? You have to stay with me! You belong to me!”

“I don’t think that we can stop it Michael. That’s why you can’t love me, because I’m not going to be here for you to love,” she told me. Tears started to form in my eyes.

“But you’re the only one for me,” I said in a quiet voice.

“No. No I’m not. You think I’m the only one for you. There are so many fish in the sea,”

“But you’re my Nemo...”

“At the end of that movie, didn’t Marlin have to let go of Nemo and stop being so protective of him?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. Yes, of course I knew. I was just too sad to admit it.

“You have to let go of me,” she finished.

“But I don’t want to,”

“But you have no choice. You can either start now so that it’s easier later, or start after where it might be much harder,” she explained. I buried myself in my hands.

“It’s not fair,” I sobbed, “It’s not fair. I’ve never even gotten to kiss you. To hold your hand. To hug you...”

“I know, but all good things come to an end,”

“I wish that weren’t true,”

“Me too... but there’s nothing we can do to change it...” she told me. I looked up at her. God, she looked so beautiful right now. It hurt so much to know that I have to let her go.

“W-when are you going?” I asked her. She sighed and started pacing.

“Soon,” she replied.

“How long is soon?” I asked her.

“This might be our last conversation soon,” she replied. My eyes widened and I re-buried myself in my hands. “Don’t cry Michael!” she begged.

“I can’t help it,” I sobbed. You know, people only think that girls cry over their relationships, but that’s not the case. Guys have emotions too! Guys not crying over relationships is just a huge stereotype!

“Michael...” she said quietly. I looked up to face her.

“Yes?” I asked. More tears started to fall when I saw her figure fading.

“Good-bye Michael...” she said as she reached her hand out towards me. I tried to grab it even though I knew very well that it wouldn’t work.

“Please don’t go,” I said in a small voice.

“Good-bye Michael...” she repeated. I waved to her as she started to disappear.

“Good-bye Nikki. I love you,” I said. Her figure had now completely disappeared into thin air, and I was left alone sobbing on a bench. “I love you so, so much...”

“She’s out of my life,

She’s out of my life,

And I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,

I don’t know whether to live or die,

And it cuts like a knife,

She’s out of my life,” I sang.

Yes, I was inspired to sing this song because of Nikki. As I sang the song, the tears from last night appeared again. At first I was a little embarrassed, but then I realized... why? It’s true emotion and it’s from the heart and it’s what Quincy is looking for.

When I finished the song, I looked to where Quincy was sitting. His expression was that of disbelief. He slowly stood up and started clapping. I smiled and then walked out of the recording area.

“You liked it?” I asked him. Quincy was grinning wildly.

“Of course I like it Mike! Damn! You’ve got one hell of a voice! All of the ladies are gunna be tearing up when we release this song!”

“So it’s going on the album?” I asked excitedly.

“Hell yeah!” Q exclaimed. I smiled and we both gave each other a hug.

“So that’s it then?” I asked. Q nodded.

“That’s it. That’s the final track we needed! We’ve got ourselves a hit album on our hands Michael! I’m telling you, I see this album going big! Big Michael!” Q exclaimed. I grinned. I sure liked the sound of that.

“Thanks Q,” I thanked. Q patted me on the back.

“My pleasure Mike! But I have to ask... was the inspiration to this because of personal experience?” Q asked me. I sighed and nodded my head.

“Yeah, it was,” I replied.

“Hey! They’ll be others Mike,” Q assured me. I managed a small smile.

“Yeah, but nobody like her,” I said.

“Hey! Don’t be all down about it! It probably ended for a reason!” Q told me.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said.

“I always am,” Q teased. We both laughed.

“So it’s all done now?”

“Yup, I’ll take care of the last few things and then we’ll send it off!” Q explained.

“Great! Then I should get going,” I told him.

“Alright Mike! I’ll see you around!”

“Bye Q!” I said as I waved good-bye to him as I left the recording studio.

Yeah, Q was probably right. It probably did end for a reason. Maybe a ghost and a human just aren’t meant to be together. Maybe it’s better that way. I sat in my car for a long time, just fantasizing about Nikki. She was probably watching over me right now. I hope that she’s happy up there. I also hope that she’s happy with the song. It’s my favourite one from this album. But what I really hope for,

Is that she was happy with the love that she found.