Michael or Mac Ep. 01

Hello and welcome to something a little different. The character of Mac is quite complex and has needed a bit of explaining in this first part. There's not much sexual content in the first part, but it will develop with relationships.

As always, any characters involved in any sex scene are over the age of 18 years.

There is a lot of descriptive text, so please try and stay with me.

Please enjoy...

******

Here I am again on the first day back of my senior year of High School. As usual, I am early to avoid the rush and sat in my first class at the back. My look for the last four years been my hat, glasses, earbuds, and hoody. Everyone has their mask, façade, wall, or barrier against the world, and this is mine. When I first started to dress this way, it was a way to keep people at arm's length. Now I think it's more just out of habit or a comfort thing.

For this last year, Monday mornings, first thing is Calculus, with Miss Harper. Susan Harper and I go back a long way. She has looked out for me since she became my temporary Guardian for a while. This was when Grammy became seriously ill before she passed. I have been fortunate with people that have looked out for me growing up.

Other students start to filter in, the odd person glancing my way, but look away as soon as they see it's me. Some of them have already seen me before sat at the back in my own world; for others, this is a first. My attention is taken, though, by three girls walking in looking like they own the place. None of them glance in my direction as they shoo two people away from what they deem as 'their seats.' First through the door is my next-door neighbor, Donna; following are her two buddies Emma and Mia. These three are part of the school 'popular' group of students, part of our very own social caste. The rest of the cheerleaders, athletes and football players mixed with a splattering of rich kids make up this select group.

The only reason I take any notice of these three is Emma. She is by far the most beautiful girl in the school, and she used to be my best friend. When my Grammy became ill, Paps sent me to live with Miss Harper to spare me her suffering, Emma was our next-door neighbor, and we were inseparable. Through Junior High, we were always together in and out of school. She is the only person that I have ever been entirely comfortable with since I moved here. We always held hands and cuddling even though we were very young. It all came naturally, and there was indeed a natural bond between us.

My last memory of us together is the Junior Prom. We both treated it like an actual date. It is one of the best times I have ever had; we didn't stop dancing and laughing all night.

Grammy passing hit me hard, changing me as well as my life. In the following years, Emma has grown into a gorgeous teenager, and the best thing is that she doesn't know it. She does a lot of athletics to keep herself trim. As a result, she has developed the most incredible body; well, it's my taste anyway. Long brown hair that shimmers in the light and flows with her body perfectly. Her smile lights up the darkest room, and her skin is flawless. She's tall at 5 ft. 8 and well-toned, something that can be seen only on the odd occasion. She tends to dress more conservatively than her two friends, choosing to cover herself. What she does do well is wear clothes that complement her body instead of uncovering it. Her body is incredible, going in and out all in the right places. The only time she bears a lot of skin is when the weather is too hot, on the athletics track, or in the swimming pool.

Emma's mother, Kim, has kept me informed on what is happening in Emma's life. Kim, one of four women who have supported me through my difficulties. I've never seen Emma with a long-term boyfriend, and I heard from Kim that she had gone on a couple of double dates with Donna, but they never seem to be serious. The three girls hang out with the football team and other cheerleaders at breaks. I've noticed many of the guys eyeing her up or trying to make conversation. She shows little interest and steers clear of them where she can.

I apologize for this long-winded start; there is much to say. First, I better introduce myself; my name is Michael Alexander Carter. Most people call me either Michael or Mac, depending on how well you know me. I am an 18-year-old guy who lives a strange double life, even if I do say so myself, I'm not your typical teenager. On one side, I am this quiet loner who acts older than my years and wants to get through his last school year unnoticed. On the other, I am a multi-millionaire who plays in a local band.

I am from a very wealthy family. When I say rich, I don't mean Bill Gates wealthy. When my father married my mother, it created the amalgamation of two family dynasties. The new company has fingers in many pies from Silicon Valley, Farming in Virginia, and renewable energy; the list is quite long. You will hear more of that as the story progresses. I live with Paps, who had retired to a place just outside Charlotte, in a place called Belmont. He had to come out of retirement when my parents died, leaving the family business to me. He is the one person my parents trusted to look after my interests. I think this annoyed the extended family a little too much, and there was a protracted court case. In the end, the judge just threw it out, this and the fact they all turned their backs on me. They don't seem to realize that I will be the person at the head of the family business one day.

As you can see, this is not a sob story about a poor virgin or the geek, nerd, underdeveloped shy guy. Oh, I do have my' problems,' which is the true reason for this story. I look in the mirror, and I am happy with the guy looking back at me. It has been mentioned to me by more than one female that I am gorgeous, sexy, and well stacked. I don't see it myself, and if you ask me, I will tell you that I am just above average. I will try to describe myself a little to give you that mental picture. I am a little over 6 ft. I am well-toned but not musclebound. I keep myself fit by swimming and using the Gym I have set up at home. I have dirty blond hair that bleaches in the sun and a strong jawline. I get my looks from my father, strong jawline, clear blue eyes, height, and my mother's blond hair, personality, and complexion. I get my intelligence from both and then some. My eyes are a deep blue, which is the one thing the girls seem to drool over. I am not overly well endowed, but I am above average if you believe the internet. Now just to confuse you more, I am still a virgin. This is not due to the lack of offers but because I have no interest in having a sexual relationship. That part of me just seems to be switched off; I would be worried that I was impotent, but if my morning wood is anything to go by, it all seems to be working fine. As you might have gathered from above, I am interested in the opposite sex, well one female in particular.

My other interests are music, anything electrical, and my cars. I play a couple of instruments, mainly self-taught, although I get some lessons from a professional musician when I am stuck trying to improve my technique. Being alone for long periods gave me more than enough time to become an accomplished musician. I have got into the technology of music as well, beatboxes, synthesizers, and sound effects. I can create entire bands just by recording segments and looping. Much like Ed Sheeran does onstage but a lot more complex. My only regular interaction with anyone outside my family and people that look out for me is with my bandmates. I didn't start as a full band member, but I get asked along more regularly since they have risen in popularity. The band goes by the name of Charlotte's Web, and we got the name from the E.B. White book and the fact we live in or near the city of Charlotte. We have begun to get a bit of a following around the local clubs. We play quite a mix of manly covers but put our stamp on them.

There are reasons why I am this way. As I wrote before, I live with my Grandfather, who I call Paps. Both my parents were killed in a car crash just before my seventh birthday. I was pushed from pillar to post in the family. Nobody had time to deal with a child that needed to be wanted. In the end, my Grandparents, who were retired at the time, drove up and just took me home. I lived with them, being mainly looked after by my Grandmother, or Grammy as I called her. She was the most beautiful person ever, and for a while, gave me the stability that I was severely in need of at the time.

My stability lasted until the day she was taken to hospital, then after quite a long sickness she passed, and left me as well. At the time, I thought it was me that caused people to die and leave me. As I grew older, I realized with help from my psychologist that this was just my perception. It had nothing to do with me that my parents' or Grammy's passing. It took me two years and many sessions with my shrink just to say that sentence. The trouble is that my Grammy's death hit me the hardest. It was just before summer recess started. Once the funeral had passed, I disappeared for just over a year to be with Paps at the family ranch. He was devastated losing his wife of over forty years. The one thing I remember from this time was a comment my uncle made. This comment has caused me a lot of torment and now anger toward my uncle. To say, "Looks like we were right not to want to look after you," reaffirmed what had already crossed my mind. The fact that anyone I get close to or love dies and leaves me. That was a dark, bleak summer for me.

When I returned to Charlotte with Paps, I kept my distance from nearly everyone, including Emma. However, I did have support from four extraordinary ladies. Kim, Emma's mother, Susan Harper, Terri, Donna's mother, and Olivia Jackson, Olivia was my mother's best friend. These four ladies always seem to know when to get involved or keep a respectful distance. You will hear me sing their praises more than once. Olivia has become, over the years, my only personal member of staff. She is what you would call my PA, but she is so much more. She's also taken a bit of the pressure from Paps's shoulders.

Distancing myself from people was remarkably easy, with my absence of over a year and happening between two schools. I returned looking totally different with dark clothes, new tinted wrap-around glasses, and a beanie hat in place. In addition, I had a growth spurt growing another six inches. I was the new kid, and for some reason, nobody linked Michael with Mac. It also helps that the teachers never used my last name.

I slipped into living two different lives; the first is my home life, where I shed the hoodie, beanie hat, and glasses. The glasses are from a time where I suffered from photophobia or oversensitive eyes. Fortunately, the school allows me to wear my glasses in school. What they don't know is that my eyes have been fine for the last couple of years. My photophobia was the only lasting effect of the car crash that killed my parents. Yes, I was the sole survivor of the impact and consider myself lucky to be here today.

Away from school, I am known as Mac. Most of the people that are close to me call me Mac. My home life consists of doing my chores around the house, and I help Terri out when I can. Usually, this is when Donna is visiting her father. I also go around Sarah's place to help with anything she needs. That's where I catch up with Kim, Emma's mother. I am handy to have around the home and do most chores that don't need a license to fix. The band take up the odd Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

As for running the family business, as I said before, Paps is the one who makes decisions. I keep up to date with things happening through Olivia. She is singularly the most intelligent person I know. She is my link to the family business and what is happening. She gives me heads-ups when there's a possible problem. She has a law degree, as well as a degree in finance. So why is she with me? Her loyalty to me runs deep. She was my mother's best friend in West Virginia, where they lived. Around the time my mother passed, she was stuck at home and becoming a bored housewife. She had got pregnant at university and had to drop out. When grammy died, she was there, and when I moved back to Belmont, she kept in touch. She would keep me up to date with what was happening on the ranch at first and then started to tell me about different parts of the business. It was Paps that saw her potential and suggested that I employ her and put her through university. So that's what we did, and she passed her law degree and a degree in finance just over a year ago.

So here I am at 18 years old with an attachment to people problem. I am not a total loner, and people like me when I don't put them off with my school facade. When I talk, and people get to know me, they seem to like me and want to be my friend. The trouble is that it still makes me very uncomfortable, so I prefer solitude most of the time. Over the years, I have kept away from friendships at school and developed this persona, so people stay clear. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been horrible to anyone or caused fights. I work more on people's psyche; it's what people don't know or understand; that's what keeps them away.

Now back to today, my last year at school should be an easy one. It helps that I have already passed most of my classes with straight A's and a perfect GPA score. I have been accepted at MIT and start next fall. Originally I had the opportunity to start this year, but my psychologist at MIT was worried that I wouldn't cope. So I travel to MIT for a couple of weeks each term and work with some professors to get used to being there, and I can also get slightly ahead. I will be doing a double degree in Business studies and Electronics. The latter being my passion.

So with me disappearing periodically from school with no other information, you can guess the rumor mill is running overtime about me. I have heard some outstanding ones over the last year. I have been to Prison, Psychiatric Hospital, and Boot Camp. It's not surprising, I suppose, considering what I wear to school. Now, most of the kids think I listen to music, but the truth is that most of the time, I listen to lectures from MIT. Don't get me wrong; I take full advantage and listen to music from time to time. It is the only reason I get away with it, but my classmates think the teachers are scared of me. I often listen to both the classes and my lectures.

Apologies if I sound a little cocky or full of myself up to this point. It's hard explaining about myself without coming across as slightly arrogant. To most people that see me in the street, I am an everyday Joe.

Before I know it, the first class is over, and my second period is free. When the bell goes, I stay put. Miss Harper doesn't have a class to follow either, so she lets me stay behind. As Donna, Emma, and Mia pass Miss Harper, she stops them.

I pull out my earbud to hear what she says. "Emma, is there any chance you can come to see me just before you head home later?"

"Ah yeah, sure, Miss Harper." Em looks a little confused as she leaves. Her two friends try to see if she knows what Miss Harper might want with her as they all make their way out.

Miss Harper sees me looking and gets up. She walks over to where I am sat and sits down next to me.

She touches my arm, "Mac?" She only calls me Mac when we are alone.

"Yes, Miss Harper?"

"You know it's Susan when we are alone."

"At school, Susan, I would rather stay with Miss Harper just in case someone overhears," I tell her. Susan and I have always been straight with each other. "Is there a problem with Emma?"

"You heard that?"

"It was hard to miss."

"Mmmmmm, could you be here after school? Maybe we can try to break a couple of those walls down at the same time."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask before thinking. There's a moment of thought, and I take a deep breath. "You're not going to tell me what this is about, are you?" Then I look at her with a suspicious look in my eyes. "I don't trust you, SS... Miss Harper, you can be a bit underhanded sometimes."

"Oh, this from a man who wears his Photophobia glasses when he doesn't need them, a beanie hat, and his hoodie to avoid people."

I look at her straight in the eye, "Touché Miss."

After giving me a one-armed hug, Susan gets up and makes her way back to her desk. She has a satisfied smile on her face, which she always gets after getting one over on me. The problem I now have is to work out what Sarah has planned. I have seen that look before, and it's always just before she does something I don't like. She starts to get the textbooks for the next class out and prepares for her 9th graders with a little more enthusiasm than usual.

Five minutes before the bell, I pack up my things, say my goodbyes, and make my way to my locker. I avoid walking the halls when they are busy. I quickly grab my swimming stuff and make my way to the pool. The third period just before lunch on Monday is Phys-Ed class, but I do my own thing, and the swimming pool is my destination. Although Miss Harper seems to know, the school still seems to think I have problems being outside. I love to swim because it's not a team sport, I can wear dark goggles, and swimming helps me relax and focus. This time of year, the pool is empty, but I know only too well that gym class will eventually make its way here. Then I get Mr. Anders wanting me to join his swim team, as well as fifty noisy seniors. That includes the small group of girls that always seem to congregate where I am doing my lengths. Still, I enjoy my solitude while I have it, and if it gets too much, I can always go to the pool near home.

The day goes by very quickly, with me doing a total of three lessons Monday, not including math first thing. The rest of the day, I spend in the library looking up the things that I didn't quite understand in the lectures that I study. Although, I must admit that I will only need to look up one or two things on the internet out of every lecture.

So here I sit at the end of the day, waiting for Miss Harper and Emma to turn up. I was in the room early as per usual. I sit near the front, this time tapping the table nervously. Why the hell am I nervous? I shake my head but know that this will be the nearest I've been to Emma since........shit has it been that long?

The door opens, and Susan Harper walks in carrying a load of textbooks. She dumps them on her desk with a thud and sits down at her desk with an exaggerated sigh to wait. She looks over to me to see if I am okay and on the same planet as she is. I give her a nod, and a knowing smile creeps into the corners of her mouth. The door is pulled open, and Emma walks in looking worn from her first day back at school.

Emma sees me sat at the front for a change. She pauses and the question, "What is he doing here?" seems to be written on her face. She makes a beeline for a spare desk two away from me.

Miss Harper is pretending to read something at her desk. I smile to myself at her theatrics. I'm still wondering what game she is playing. Emma glances at me again, and she feels something familiar about me that she can't quite work out. She doesn't think she's ever been this close to me, but she can't deny something is calming about being sat close to me. She's shifting a little uneasily, trying to figure it out, and it's bugging her.

A silence falls before Miss Harper speaks. "Right, thank you for both coming." Emma takes a glance across at me, but I'm looking straight at Miss Harper, wondering why I was involved. "Emma, it has been brought to my attention by Mrs. Miller in careers that you would like to go to university and not the local college after this year. Is that right, Emma?"