Two months later, holly has still been suffering from migraines. It always seems when she does she always finds a way to stay at Michael’s house because it makes her feel zaidi comforted than her mom. Within a short amount of time so much has changed in the William household and at some moments holly can’t handle the pressures, especially with her mom. One slow Thursday morning after holly is finishing up her schooling at the dining room table, Mrs. Williams walks in with a brown moving box in her hands. “Holly, later today I’m going to need wewe to be scarce in the house as the movers will be bringing in the rest of the things.” holly looks up from her English textbook and nods before going back to her work of diagraming complex sentences. “You know, wewe think wewe would be zaidi excited of daddy, sissy, and Ollie moving in with us,” her mom remarks as she leaves the room. holly doesn’t even bother to respond but instead rests her chin in her hand looking off into the distance of the large bay windows. For Holly, she was excited about seeing her family, but knowing that they were moving and selling her childhood nyumbani finally meant that this was now her new life, and nothing could change it now. Some days it excited her, others it depressed her, but luckily she would have Michael to depend on with this transition. “Holly!” Mrs. Williams shouts from the kitchen. “Yes, mom?” “Has your period still not come yet?” holly can feel her stomach clenching at the words and the embarrassment that she feels at being fourteen and still with no period. “No…it hasn’t.” “Hmm, well let me know if it hasn’t came in a few weeks because I’ll make a doctors appointment.”

Later that afternoon, Holly’s new bodyguard drives her over to Michael’s nyumbani to visit for a little while before she has to go for a costume fitting for a performance inayofuata week. As she opens the car door she can see Katherine taking a look at her rose bushes before she notices holly from under her sun hat. “Hi, sweetheart!” Katherine exclaims as holly walks up to her. “Hi Katherine, how’s the rose bushes doing?” holly jests referring to her impaling them a couple months ago. Katherine smiles and giggles, “Very well, they are strong rose bushes. If you’re looking for Michael, he’s in the studio behind the garage.” “Thanks, Katherine.” As she begins to walk towards the karakana she can hear Katherine loudly clear her throat, making her look back. “Aren’t wewe forgetting something?” Katherine asks. holly smiles while walking up to Katherine before kissing her on the cheek, “Sorry.”

As holly approaches the studio she can hear beats from muziki coming out of it like a pulsating rhythm. She can feel herself begin to sway to the beat as she opens the door to find Michael sitting at the mixing board turning different dials. He turns his head and sees her standing in the doorway with the Californian sun hitting her backside, illuminating her like an angel. He smiles widely and feels that the room is now complete. “There’s my inayopendelewa person! Get in here and listen at what I’m making.” holly closes the door and lets the central air hit her as she takes a kiti, kiti cha inayofuata to him, watching him…studying him. “That’s great, Michael. Is it all yours?” “Of course. Sometimes when I get a free moment I like to come in here and make some stuff.” “Maybe wewe can make your own album with them one day?” Michael chuckles at the notion. “I don’t know about that. “ “Why not? wewe don’t expect to be part of the Jacksons forever, do you?” “Well no…” “See!” “But what if I make an album and nobody likes it?” “Then you’ll make a better one, it’s that simple.” Michael glances at her through the side of his eye and smiles. “To be your age and so optimistic.” “You scoff at me now, but just wait and see, and the night that wewe have big record sales, wewe owe me a chajio, chakula cha jioni date.” Michael turns fully towards her with shocked eyes. “Oh really?” “Yeah, you’re gonna take me out on a date.” holly seems so confident with the fact that it nearly takes Michael back. “Alright, but what if I have a girlfriend au a wife when that happens?” holly shakes her head with a smile, “Nah, wewe like me too much to have one, besides, I’m your best girl.” Michael shrugs his shoulders in defeat, “True. So what’s new at the Williams’ residence?” holly slumps back in the chair, “Ugh, the rest of my family is moving here inayofuata week so mom is in a tizzy trying to get the house ready before their arrival.” “And wewe aren’t excited?” “I don’t know…I guess it just tells me that me that my old life is over.” “I know it’s hard for you, it was for me.” “What was the positive of living in a new nyumbani for you?” “Separate bathrooms. holly rolls her eyes at Michael starts cracking up. “Michael, I’m serious.” “I don’t know honestly.” “Well, wewe were no help.” Michael can’t help but still laugh, “I’m sorry, I guess I’m just in a good mood today.” “Why.” “Well, I have exciting news, Holly.” holly smiles and pulls her chair closer. “What is it? Oh c’mon tell me!” “Well I just got the phone call today that I’m gonna play the scarecrow in the Wiz movie!” holly jumps up out of the chair in excitement and hugs Michael. “Michael that is fantastic! I’m so happy for you. I know you’ve been wanting it for awhile.” Michael pulls away from holly and stands up to grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the room. “What I’m most excited about is working with Diana…oh Holly, wewe would upendo Diana, she is the epitome of the perfect woman: smart, accomplished, beautiful, and funny. I’m so giddy!” holly cannot help but feel a sickening feeling in her moyo at his words. He looks so happy as he speaks her name that holly can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at his admiration for Diana. She had just been assuming that all this time that she was his inayopendelewa woman, but now…she didn’t know. At this moment in her life, having another area of her life be altered was not what she wanted.

holly looks down at the floor and tries to hold back tears that are welling up in her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll have a great time, Michael. When does rehearsals start?” “Next week in Brooklyn. I’ll probably be there the rest of the mwaka until we’re done.” holly feels completely nauseous now at his being away from her. “Oh…that long?” Michael sits down and faces her again, “Yeah that long. But don’t wewe worry Holly, I’ll call wewe every night, ok? wewe know I can’t forget my inayopendelewa little lady from back home.” “I guess this means you’ll miss my birthday party?” holly mumbles. Michael’s face changes from a smile to a frown instantly. “I guess I didn’t realize it. Well when wewe come to visit me in New York for the premiere we will celebrate then, just the two of us…how does that sound?” holly can only smile at his words before he grabs her hand and kisses it innocently before going back to his music. For the remainder of her visit there, holly could not focus on what Michael was doing, only to think about the possibility that her friendship with Michael could soon be ending as quickly as it started. Between everything going on right now she can’t lose the one stable thing in her life, especially to some other woman. What if he met his future girlfriend au wife while he was up there filming and he forgot all about her? These were the thoughts that plagued her mind as it raced at full speed. The only thing that she was certain was that she would make herself into a type Michael would prefer – just like Diana Ross.

A week later Michael left for New York, leaving holly alone in California. The same siku Michael left her family was flying in – a cruel irony it seemed to Holly. As she stands at the front door to their home, she watches as her family piles out of the car and walks up the driveway. holly can feel the apprehension mounting as she stands there and waits for the house to be filled with the senseless noise of arguments and smart comebacks from her sister and brother. She waits for her parent’s first argument and her dad’s first moment of completely ignoring holly and waiting for him to tell her mom that holly “is one of them now”. This was what holly never told Michael, of how desperately unhappy she was with her family and how she loathed being around them, especially now that they resent her for forcing them to songesha to a new home, city, and state. “Holly, good to see you,” her dad says moving past her with the luggage. Her older sister comes after him, rumpling her hair “Hey twerp.” inayofuata is her little brother who gives her a quick hug, “Hey sis.” Her mom brings up the line with her mouth already running of how holly has an event she needs to be at tonight and to order pizza with the stash away money. holly can already feel her eyes rolling back.

She quickly excuses herself to her bathroom when she feels cramping in her lower stomach to find blood everywhere. It’s her period, finally! A wave of relief rushes over her as she cleans up and puts on a mini pad. She supposes she will have to tell her mom about this; otherwise, she will have a fit with her. The significance of having a period was always Lost on holly – her mom never explained it well enough to her that made her understand the power it held. For Holly, it was just something everyone kept asking her if she got yet and made her nervous when she told him au her no with that look on her face. This would explain why she has been overly emotional lately – even her mom made a maoni on it. When Michael left this morning, it felt like her entire moyo was being ripped out of her chest – but that could just be the uncertainty of how she feels for him.

As she comes out, she sees her sister Abby sitting on her kitanda looking at the picture of Michael and holly laughing sitting together on the kitanda one night. holly instantly wants to take it out of her hands and hold it close to her chest. “So, what mom alisema was true about wewe and Michael Jackson.” “True about what?” “That he took wewe under his wing and wewe two send wewe a lot of time together.” “Well it’s not like I have a lot of friends,” holly mumbles going over to her dresser to brush her hair. “Now that makes three of us.” “I knew wewe had to make a maoni about that within the first saa of being here.” “Can wewe blame me?” Abby asks sharply looking at her. “If wewe got a problem with that talk to me, I didn’t ask to songesha out here either.” “Oh please, she would do anything for her golden child.” holly scoffs slamming down her hairbrush. “Abby what do wewe mean golden child? Your mom’s favorite. Besides, wewe can have her if wewe want.” “Oh no sister dearest, wewe keep her and continue to do your own thing, wewe always do.” Abby gets up and slams the door behind her. holly sighs and looks over at the picture of her and Michael. It makes her heartache. Without thinking she grabs the phone and dials his room number.

She hears the phone dialing, a crack, and then Michael’s voice. “Is that my girl?” holly smiles at the words. “Hi, Michael. I just wanted to see if wewe made it there alright.” “Very. I already met with the director and Quincy Jones, a super nice guy. How’s it going there? Did your family arrive?” holly hears a noise coming from the family downstairs, “Uh…yeah, yeah they made it.” “Good! Hey, Holly, would wewe mind if I call wewe back? Diana just got here.” She feels taken back, “Oh yeah…sure, no problem. Talk to wewe later.” “Thanks, Holly, I’ll talk to wewe later.” holly can’t help but fight back the tears as she hangs up the phone with her family fighting in the background.

“Who was that?” Diana asked slumped on the kitanda with her long legs lying on the ottoman of the living room. “Oh it was Holly, she wanted to make sure I made it here alright,” Michael remarks sitting down beside her. “Holly? wewe mean holly Williams?” “The very same, we are really good friends.” Diana looks over at him with a knowing look. “And that’s it?” “Diana, she’s fourteen.” “But not for long, and she is a pretty girl with great talent.” Michael shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t want to talk about it. Now tell me about you, how’s things for you? I’ve missed seeing you.” “Well get used to it Michael, we are going to be seeing a lot of each other for the inayofuata year,” she grabs his hands lovingly. Michael looks down at her touch and smiles, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Diana.”