Michael or Mac Ep. 03

Hello and welcome to my third edition of Michael or Mac.

I need to thank Blue for your help with editing, and also I would like to thank Tony for your valuable advice to improve my writing.

Please, as always, enjoy, and leave a score. Your comments are always welcome as long as they are constructive.

As always, all sexually active characters are over the age of 18.

A quick recap: Michael/Mac is being pulled out of his double life by rekindling a friendship that he turned his back on five years previously. He feared that people her got close to die, so he did what any eleven-year-old would do and hide.

Michael/Mac has four guardian angels that keep watch over him as he struggles with his life. Susan Harper, who was his guardian at one time, saw it was time to push him back towards the one person everyone but Michael knows he belongs with.

Emma had been waiting patiently for Mac to come back into her life. She did not realize that the strange boy at the back of some of her classes who wears wrap-around glasses, a beanie, and a hoodie was her Mac. This comes to an abrupt shock revelation when Susan engineers Emma to need help with her schooling to improve her grades.

The reunion was never going to be smooth because of Michaels's/Mac's ongoing psychiatric problems. Losing both parents and his grandmother within a three-year period would devastate most children.

Now the two have been put back together, it becomes evident very quickly that their bond, when they were younger, is stronger, and they quickly fall back into their old routines.

Their relationship grows with their now more mature selves. Inevitably, Emma's sudden attached status doesn't go unnoticed. This causes a conflict between her and the school's quarterback Joshua White and Emma, which Michael stopped before it went too far.

Part two finished with Michael being taken away by the local Sheriff in front of the entire school.

******

Monday afternoon, I have been in the Sheriffs interview room for just over two hours. Sitting here in my glasses and beanie, gives me a little comfort. They have given me a cup of water, and for now it is a waiting game.

Two hours has given me time to think. I am pleased that the Sheriff turned up when he did. Who knows how long it would have taken for one football team to lose their cool.

My only concern at the moment is Emma. She looked distraught when I was taken away rather publically. The sight of her as I was driven off caused more pain than anything anyone could do to me. The voice inside my mind is asking what I am playing at. I'm not only opening myself up, but I am risking the most important person on this earth to me. Sorry Paps, but I see Emma as my future when it comes to choosing between you two.

The realization of what my head just said washes over me. I see Emma and I have a long future together. "Shit," I say out loud.

The door opens, and Sheriff White walks in, followed by a shorter man in a suit. The similarities between the two tell me that they are related. So I surmise that the man in the suit is Josh White's dad. The Sheriff, if you hadn't guessed, is Joshes uncle.

The Sheriff sits opposite me while Mr. White stands at the back. I sit quietly, waiting for them to start. I have made a decision to just be quiet and listen to what they have to say. I want to see what lies Josh has said to cause two prominent community members to act in this way. But, I will maintain my right to remain silent. Although I haven't been read my rights yet, so I know that I have not been arrested.

The Sheriff opens a folder that he has brought in with him. "So.......Michael." He looks at a large folder; I see that it is filled with a magazine and a load of what looks like blank sheets of paper. "your surname is Carter?" I don't answer. "Is that correct, Michael?" I nod my head as the Sheriff tries to hide the contents of the folder from me. "Okay, so we ran your name and got nothing back, not even a parking ticket."

"Hang on, that can't be right," Mr. White says. "Josh reckons this one is always getting into trouble."

The Sheriff turns, "not according to our records." He turns back, "he might be a bit of a loner, but his record is clean." I still stay quiet. "Now what I want to know, sunny, is why you attacked Josh White while he was having a conversation with his girlfriend?" He lifts a piece of paper, "a Miss Emma Johnson." He turns back to his brother, "that wouldn't be Ron Johnson's daughter?"

"I'm not sure; she's one of his new floozies." Mr. White says with a sneer. "I can't keep up with all the girls that boy goes through."

"Anyway, we are going off subject." The Sheriff interrupts. "So, during this horrific attack, Josh sustained a broken hand and many cuts and bruises."

"He may never play football again, thanks to you." Mr. White says, slightly agitated. I can see where his son gets it from now. "Do you realize this could affect his University selection?"

"Okay, calm down, Randy." The Sheriff says, trying to calm his brother. "He's right, though. You might not have any interest in going on to university or college. You will most probably end up in some drug house or trailer park working for minimum wage. But you could have ended any chance that Josh has of making something of his life. Do you realize you could go to prison for this?" He let the question hang for a second. I think this is what you call dramatic effect.

"And I will make sure you get the maximum sentence. You will be going to state prison, and they would love to get hold of a cute young boy like yourself." Mr. White says, taking a little too much pleasure. He even seems to drool a little. It crosses my mind that he must like that sort of thing.

Still, I stay quiet and look straight at the two men in front of me. There's a moment of silence as the Sheriff thinks of another tact.

"What is it with those glasses?" Mr. White asks.

"Yeah, I think we can have these off now if you don't mind."

I reach up and remove my hat, followed by my glasses. My blond hair plops down over my eyes, so I run my fingers up through so I can keep eye contact. There's a knock on the door, and the Sheriff gets up. He talks with someone at the door before disappearing through it.

"You people are all the same, you think the world owes you, and you ruin it for the good people." Mr. White, who is meant to be a prominent lawyer, is getting worked up with the lack of progress. "You go around bullying the kids at school, selling those drugs. I know a loser when I see one." He then walks up to the table and slams his fist down with a loud thud. "Goddamit, admit you attacked my boy."

The door opens, "Randy, out here now." Mr. White jumps and quickly exits the room.

I'm not sure if they realize it, but I can hear what they are saying on the other side. The Sheriff was hoping for some sort of confession, and Mr. White just told him to invent one. This is the first time I am a little concerned. It is becoming a bit of a joke, and I am getting bored of it.

They both walk back in and resume their positions. "Right, Michael, I think we have enough to charge you. We have a signed statement from both Josh and his girlfriend."

My phone chooses this moment to jump into life. The tune coming out is Aerosmith's, 'The Dood Looks Like a Lady.' a bit of a running joke between Olivia and me when she got all her hair cut off for charity. I smile and go to get up.

"Well, hang on, boy, you just can't do what you want."

"It's my lawyer, and as far as I know, Sheriff, I haven't been arrested." I stand, and the Sheriff stands with his hand on his gun. I pick up the backpack leaning against the wall behind me and pull my mobile out of the side pocket.

"Hi Olivia," I say as I put the phone on the table on speaker.

"Hi Mac, Paps just phoned me in a bit of distress. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine; I'm here with Sheriff White and His brother and solicitor Randy White. You are on the speaker at the moment."

"Now hang on, Son, I thought you said it was your lawyer, not your Mama."

"Excuse me, Sheriff, for one, I am his solicitor, and two Michaels parents died in a car crash when he was seven," Olivia says, getting a little angry.

"I'm sorry, Mam, I didn't mean no disrespect."

"Sheriff, all I've heard is disrespect, and I've had enough of this horse shit. Have you been arrested or charged yet, Mac?" Olivia says, sounding exasperated.

"No, they've just threatened me, insulted me, told me a load of crap, and now they are going to charge me with some bullshit charges," I reply.

"Now hang on, son," the Sheriff says, trying to get control of the situation. "I was going to read you your rights and charge you in a bit on the strength of the two witness statements from Josh and his girlfriend.." But, unfortunately, the Sheriff seems to have forgotten Emma's name.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, did you just lie again? The only two other witnesses are Josh and Emma. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Mam, I have statements from Josh and Emma, so what do you mean, bullshit charge?"

"Well, I know for a fact you have no statement from Emma because, for one, she wouldn't make a statement backing the guy who tried to assault her. And two, she's Michael's girlfriend. I don't give a crap what lies that idiot of a son has told your brother, but if you charge Michael, I promise you that I will bring the full weight of the law down on you both."

"Mam, I don't know who you think you are, but I am the law."

"Not when our solicitors have finished with you. Now you best let Michael go before you cross that line. And for your information, He is Michael Alexander Carter, owner of the C&W group. His Paps is Kyle Walker, who, as you will know, was a large contributor to your last election."

The look on the Sheriff's face is of shock and horror, but that is nothing compared to his brothers. The realization of who I am has hit him like a train. His face has lost all color, and he is just staring at me in disbelief.

"Sheriff, I'm waiting for a response." This shakes the Sheriff out of his daze.

"But what about the attack on my nephew?"

"I think you should ask your nephew to tell you the truth. He hurt himself because he punched the wall after missing Michael's head. All Michael did was push him through a fire exit after he interrupted your nephew, who was about to sexually assault Michael's girlfriend. I would appreciate it from now, Mr. White, if you move to the other side of the table."

"What, why's Randy got to move?" The Sheriff asks.

"Because my firm is Mr. Carter's legal representatives in the North and South Carolina states." Mr. White speaks from behind the Sheriff.

"You what?" The Sheriff turns to look at his brother. "Then decline his business."

"I can't; his company is our largest client by far."

"So, if this had gone to court, you would have been calling your own son a liar?"

"Yep, that's about it."

The Sheriff then turns back to me. "Son, you could have said something before we got this far."

"Sheriff, it shouldn't make a difference. I have done nothing wrong. The only reason I'm here is that Josh White lied, and you thought it would be an easy arrest. I keep my identity a secret for a reason, and not many people know who I am. I expect both of you to respect that. If my true identity leaves this room, I promise you, Mr. White, that you will lose your biggest client if you haven't already. As for you, Sheriff, well, I guess you will be looking for re-election next year."

"Well, there's no need to go that far. It's not as though any harm has been done."

"Sheriff, I don't think you realize that I heard what you two said just outside that door. If any of this has gotten out, it could jeopardize my place at MIT next year. So don't tell me that no harm has been done."

I pick my phone up, "I think we're done for now Olivia, as usual, you've been great. I'll call you later." Olivia accepts my gratitude in her usual modest way and says goodbye to the two gentlemen present. "Mac, it would be a lot easier if you show the Sheriff your video." With that, Olivia ended the call.

I take a deep breath, search for the downloaded video of Josh attacking Emma, and hand it to the Sheriff. Mr. White stands and watches it over his brother's shoulder. I hear a gasp when I presume Emma gets thrown. When the video finishes, both men look at each other and then at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Michael, that it came to this, and it looks like someone needs a lesson in how to treat a lady." The Sheriff gets up, "come on, I'll show you out." He then turns to his brother. "You best stay here; I haven't finished with you yet." Mr. White doesn't look best pleased with that and sits down on one of the chairs.

I am shown out through the front desk. "Mac!" I hear a familiar voice call as I come into view of the waiting room in front of the Sargent's desk. I look up and Emma, Paps and Susan are looking pleased to see me. Emma comes running over and launches herself at me as I'm let through the security gate.

"What happened?" Paps asks.

"I'll tell you in the car. Can we just get out of here?"

I explain what happened in the car as Paps drives us home. Emma doesn't let go of me the entire trip. I haven't seen Paps so angry before. The Sheriff, no doubt, will be getting a phone call first thing in the morning.

We thank Susan for bringing Emma to the Sheriff's office home, but Emma wants to spend time with me. I try to tell her that it was nothing, but she feels guilty about the whole saga. Susan had driven my car home from school just in case some of the football team used it for practice, so we were home by six.

"I think we deserve a KFC night tonight," Paps announces as the garage door closes behind us.

We get out, and I go towards the door, but Emma stops me. "Mac, will you show me your mother's car?"

I can see she is causing a distraction, and it might just improve my mood. "Hang on, I'll go get the key." I walk out of the garage and into the house.

Paps is on the phone, "what would Emma want?"

"Just get a larger bucket Paps," I say as I get the keys from the cabinet in the family room.

I walk back into the garage, and Emma is leaning against the Mustang. "Okay, Em, you will need to give me a hand with the cover." With that, we uncover the Lamborghini. It's not a difficult task. The cover doesn't touch any part of the car. The best way to describe the dust cover is like a tent made to fit within a couple of inches all-round the car. The light material is over a frame that makes it easy to remove. Each time the cover is taken off, it has to be taken outside to be shaken. Once the dust has been shaken off, it can then be put back.

Emma gives out a gasp as she sees the whole car for the first time. "Wow, she's beautiful. It looks in immaculate condition as well."

"I'll tell you what, I will take you out in her on Sunday. That's if you haven't got anything better to do."

"So come on, tell me the model and spec, so I can be really impressed." Emma is smiling at me. I didn't have her down as a petrol head.

I lift the driver's side door up and let Emma slide into the driver's seat. "Right Em, what we have here is a 2010 Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. It has a 6.5 Litre V12 Engine that makes around 670 HP and 486 lb-ft of torque coupled to the automaker's six-speed e-gear transmission. It has a carbon fiber shell and will do 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of a little over 200 miles per hour. At this moment in time, it has done a little over 7000 miles and is probably one of the best examples around."

Emma sits there open-mouthed, "I didn't understand a word of that, but it sounded good." But then, she laughs, "she's wonderful, though. Can you get HBO on any of these screens?"

I give her a are you kidding look and reach across to press the ignition button. "Wow," Emma says as the dash lights up and the end comes to life. "I thought it would be noisy."

"It's quieter because of the mufflers on the back."

After switching everything off, carefully put the cover back over after giving it a good shake in the garden.

We finally get into the house as Paps is coming out to call us. "Dinner has arrived," he says.

We sit and eat, talking about everything other than today. Emma is seated next to me and has both her feet trapping one of mine under the table. She has hardly stopped holding on to me since I walked out of the police station.

"You want to do any homework tonight?" I ask as I grab the last chicken piece.

"Not tonight Mac, we can catch up tomorrow and Wednesday if that's okay?"

"Yeah, I don't think my head would be focused anyway."

We finish up and take the trash outside. As we walk back toward the backdoor, I glance up at the evening sky. I stop in my tracks and pull Emma into a hug. Both of us are looking up. The air feels fresh, and the sky is painted with such vibrant colors.

"Is it me, or does the sky look even more beautiful tonight?" I say in a soft voice.

"Definitely more beautiful," Emma replies.

I pull her in tighter as we both take in the moment. I look down into those hazel eyes, and our lips touch. We are lost in the moment where time stops and the world around us ceases to exist.

I am brought back down when Emma shivers as the chill of the dusk becomes too much. "Em, shall we go in?" I whisper into her ear.

"Mmmmm," is all I get in reply as she buries her face into my shoulder. Reluctantly Emma relaxes her hold on me, and we turn together and make our way back into the house.

As we get up to my room, I turn to Emma. "Em, is everything okay? You seem...I don't know.....quiet."

"I'm just worried, Mac."

"There's not going to be a case to answer Em."

"It's not that Mac; I'm worried that this will make you not want to be with me. Plus, you still have to face the football team at school."

"You have a point about school." I pause, trying to work out what to say next. "Being this close to someone scares the hell out of me, but short of Armageddon, nothing will stop me from wanting to be with you." Emma can only smile at the Armageddon reference. It was one of our favorite films when we were first together. Then I have an idea, "how would it look if the video of how Josh hurt his hand leaked out?"

"There's a video of it?"

"Yes, I got it from the security cameras at school."

"How did you get access to that?"

"Oh, I installed it for them a couple of years ago."

"Can I see?" I get my phone out and start playing the video that I showed the Sheriff. I feel Emma flinch as she sees herself being thrown aside. I put a comforting arm around her. She then watches the short skirmish outside, where Josh clearly hits the wall with his fist, before I get back inside.

Emma finds my stumble and the unmistakable sound cracking bone a little amusing. "Em, you have a small streak of evil in you, I see."

"Well, he deserved that. He should have taken no as an answer," Emma says defiantly.

"So, do you mind if we put that out there?"

"I don't know Mac, can I think about it?"

"Sure, it will be your choice alone Em." I cup her cheek and gently kiss her.

She takes my hand and leads me into the bedroom. "Do you mind holding me for a while, baby?"

I don't feel the need to answer; I get on the bed and prop myself up with a couple of pillows. Emma walks across the bed on her knees and positions herself half on, half off me with her head on my chest. She gives out a relaxing sigh as our bodies melt together. I close my eyes and just feel the closeness of it all. I have to smile; there's no way I would want to give this up or be doing this with anyone other than this beautiful woman in my arms.

"It's strange," I say.

"What is?"

"When I'm with you, all my worries about life disappear. As soon as I'm alone, they all come flooding back."