Michael or Mac Ep. 08

As I step out the door towards the VIP area, I get a round of applause from the people around me. This grows in volume as people see who's being clapped.

"You kept that quiet, Mac," Donna says as I walk in with a water bottle. "But it was bloody brilliant."

"You're telling me," Emma says as she loops her arms around my neck and kisses me. "You realize that hundreds of people will download that on YouTube."

"Yeah, but it was worth it. I will never get the chance to do that again."

"Are you kidding? You'll get every act wanting you to do something with them. Especially when the song comes out!..... Crap, that reminds me, I need to have a word with Donna about that." Emma looks around for her friend.

Emma walks over to Donna and has a word. I see Donna gasp, and then nod her head. She looks disappointed she can't say anything when the tune hits the airwaves.

"You realize that you might have to give up being a billionaire and become a musician." Billy Ray says, standing next to me, looking at Emma and Donna talking.

"If my mom were alive, it wouldn't have even been a question." I turn towards Billy Ray. "I am happy with my chosen path. Don't get me wrong; I would love to do this, but not the famous bit."

Billy Ray laughs, "You an' me both, bud."

The lights in the arena dimmed once again, and people over the far side started cheering.

Then the rest of the crowd joins in when the band takes their places. Then it all begins with images displayed on the large screen at the back of the stage. Loads of pictures of Miley, the crowd screams as Miley comes on stage, and she goes straight into the first song, SMS. The pantomime and showmanship are incredible.

Miley goes through her songs with numerous costume changes, and when On My Own starts up, I see her glance over at me as I make my way to the door again.

One of the road crew is there waiting for me. "Mac, I need to get you under the stage and on the lift at the end of the walkway. Play the beginning of 'Nothing else matters,' normally, and I think Miley wants you to do the second verse and harmonize like you did before. We will raise you when the beginning guitar solo starts. Okay?" He pats me on the shoulder. "Miley will go through it again on your headset just before she comes back on stage. When you are down the other end, please stay quiet. Whisper only in response." Again I nod to let him know I get it. My adrenalin is now pumping.

I nod as we get to where we have to walk under the stage. Another stagehand is there to wire me back up and hand me my guitar.

We make our way under a long protruding part of the stage when we hear Miley say goodnight, and then everything goes dark. I hear Miley say through her mic, "I hope you're there Mac, or else this won't work."

"Yep," I whisper. Miley goes through again what she wants for both songs, and then I wait.

"Right, are we ready?" Miley asks, and I hear the crowd cheer as a single spotlight comes on.

It suddenly occurs to me that we've not practiced this, and anything could go wrong. I look at the stagehand with me, and he smiles and nods. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I hear the drummer tap me in, and I start to play. The crowd cheers when they hear the unmistakable opening chords, and I feel myself getting lost in the music.

It's pitch black, other than my spotlight, as I feel the platform lift me onto the very end of the stage. As the spotlight hits me, the crowd noise hits deafening levels then, strangely, it goes silent as they listen.

Miley starts to sing,

"So close, no matter how far

Couldn't be much more from the heart......"

I move around the area I'm in as she sings the first verse. Looking out over towards the VIP area, I see the gang all looking. I feel an arm around my shoulder, and it's time for my verse,

"Never opened myself this way

Life is ours, we live it our way....."

Then we get to the part we harmonize, and I look at Miley as we start to sing,

"Trust I seek and I find in you

Every day for us something new........."

As my guitar solo approaches, Miley walks away to give me room, and I just let go again as I hear my guitar sing in my hand and reverberate around the arena.

As Miley sings the last part, the arena goes dark except for the spotlight on me as I play the last delicate chords. As the final note fades, I start to strum the beginning of Wrecking Ball rhythmically. They usually do this on the keyboard, but Miley wants to copy the version I played on TikTok. The crowd all seem to know this, and clap along. Another roar of appreciation goes up.

When Miley starts to sing, the lights come up full, and the place comes alive with people singing the words. As the song progresses, I walk back onto the main stage.

As we get to the chorus, Miley comes up and puts her arm on my shoulder, and looking at me as though she's singing to me, she belts out,

"I came in like a wrecking ball

I never hit so hard in love......."

I turn my head and beam at her. As we go through the song, we get to a small guitar solo. I do a little improv and check to see if the rest of the musicians know what we are doing. They all seem happy, and we blend back in seamlessly. In the next chorus, I match each note with Miley's voice perfectly as the song nears the end.

Miley's voice fades out as she sings the last words. The stage lights go off and then the stadium lights come on. I walk up next to her, looking at the cheering sea of faces.

"ladies and gentlemen.......Mac." I bow, and Miley kisses my cheek before we walk off together. We get to the back of the stage, and Miley turns to me. "We've got one more song to do. Will you wait in the hospitality area?"

"Yeah, sure," I reply, still buzzing from being onstage.

She turns to her stage manager, "Will you show Mac to our room, please." She turns back to me. "I'll see you there, and thanks, Mac, you were incredible."

I'm shown into a large room with food and drinks at the back, for the band. I grab a sandwich and a bottle of water while waiting for the concert to finish.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opens, and the band walks in. Each one shakes my hand, hugs me, or pats me on the back. Finally, Miley walks in with a towel over her shoulders, and a massive smile on her face.

"Mac, that was incredible." She walks over and hugs me. "You made the atmosphere tonight. First, you warmed them up, and then what an encore. Shit, I wish you were at every gig." She walks over to get a water bottle and then disappears into a side room to change.

A couple of minutes later, the door opens, and Billy Ray walks in, followed closely by Emma and the gang.

"Hey, baby," Emma says as she comes up and hugs me.

I get a hit on the arm, "And why didn't I know that was going to happen?" Donna asks.

I shrug, as Mitch and Isaac come over, and shake my hand. "Christ mate, I'm blown away," Isaac says.

"Yeah, it was something else. Now I know what it was like in the first half of our gig," Mitch adds.

Mia is the last one to walk over. She hugs me and kisses my cheek. "Just when I thought you were done with the surprises."

"Miley," Donna shouts as she reappears back through the door.

"Hey, guys! What did you think?" Miley says, hugging Donna, then Mia.

"Incredible," Donna gushes. Mitch coughs from behind her. "Sorry, Miley, this is my boyfriend Mitch, and the reprobate next to him is Isaac, he's Mia's boyfriend." Both give a bit of an embarrassed wave, but stay rooted to the spot.

"Guys, if you want to grab something to eat, best do it before the rest of the VIP section arrives." One of the stagehands says from behind me.

That seems to break the ice, and everyone goes to grab something, while we stand around chatting, still buzzing from the concert.

With six of us, it only takes a couple of trips to get all my equipment into my truck, and we are on our way a little after midnight.

******

I'm sitting in Susan Harper's class awaiting the first lesson of the New Year to start up. I am worried about what reception I will get from the students after Donna's little slip on TikTok.

Susan walks in, closes the door, and smiles at me. She walks over, "Are you alright, Mac?"

"I'll let you know later, when I've seen what damage Donna's slip has done."

"In the long run, it should work out for the best."

"Yeah, but I hate having my hand forced. I hoped to do it on my terms and not this way."

"The problem with that, is that your way was always a maybe. Once the dust has settled, you can take your hat and glasses off and let that long hair down. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised by people's reactions. It's not every day they are told they share their school with someone famous."

"Doesn't stop me from being uncomfortable."

"Remember, you have at least four people you can count on in this classroom."

I can't help but smile. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Susan."

She leans in and gives me what has now come into a far too-common hug. Once again, I get a kiss on the cheek, and Susan then returns to the front, looking like the cat that got the cream.

The bell rings and, thirty seconds later, people start to walk in. I pretend to be busy but watch every person give me an angry look and take their seat. I wait for Emma to walk in, but the doorway remains empty. I see Susan look at the empty seats, her watch, and then the door.

She takes a deep breath. "Has anyone seen Emma, Donna, and Tia?"

One of the other girls speaks up. "Apparently, there was a bit of an argument in the parking lot."

"I see," Susan's eyes look at me.

I take a deep breath and pack my things away. I get up and walk straight out toward the Principal's office.

As I approach the lady on the desk outside the Principal's office, she looks at me over her glasses. "The Principal is busy."

"Is he busy with Emma Johnson?" I ask.

"I'm sorry, I can't divulge what he is doing?"

"Then maybe you can 'divulge' to me," Ron says from behind me.

I turn. "Hi, Ron. Do you know what's happened?"

"From what I gathered from Emma's text, Emma got into an argument with another girl about cheating in the Thanksgiving concert."

"Cheating? She didn't cheat." I shake my head. As we are talking, Principal Keller walks out, not looking best happy.

"Ah, Mr. Johnson. I'm not sure this is serious enough for you to be called, but you had best come in while you are here." Then he looks at me. "I'm glad you are here, Michael. It saves me sending for you."

We walk into the office. Emma is sitting next to Donna and Mia on one side. Sat opposite is Cassy Spencer and her best friend, Steff Pearce. Both girls are well known for stirring things up, and Emma looks like she's been crying. They have been one of a hand full who used to give me grief from time to time.

I walk behind Emma and lean against the window ledge while Ron takes the remaining chair.

"From what I gather," the Principal starts to explain. "Donna here made a comment on one of her live thing on some social media site."

"TikTok," Donna says, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway," the Principal says, annoyed he was interrupted. "Anyway, this has caused a heated argument, which I witnessed. Luckily I intervened before it became violent."

"Yeah, she was very lucky," Donna says, staring at Cassy. That girl still scares me even though we are good friends now.

"Well, it's not just me saying it," Cassy says, trying to defend themselves.

"What are people saying exactly?" I say, startling both Cassy and Steff.

"That her boyfriend Mac did the concert with her, not you." I raise my eyebrows, and Donna mouths 'Sorry' to me.

"And you think that's a good reason for upsetting Emma?" Ron says, wondering why he is here. I see Emma's bottom lip quiver.

"Well, someone had to say something," she retorts.

"But it always has to be your big mouth saying it," Donna says, getting more agitated.

"Hold on, girls, we are starting to go around in circles.....Now Michael, is there something you would like to share?"

"Not to those two, Principal Keller. Do you mind if I talk with Emma, and maybe we can come up with something?"

"Sure, but I want to nip this in the bud before anything else starts."

"I don't think it will take long, and I will let you know what's been decided before school tomorrow."

"That should be fine, and I would like you two girls," he continues pointing at Cassy and Steff, "to keep your opinions to yourself until you have heard the full story." Cassy blows out a breath of discontent as she walks out. She doesn't look happy. "Mr. Carter, I'm not sure what you are up to, but you don't have long left here. Please try to smooth things."

I nod. "Is it okay if I take Emma out until lunch? The conversation I want needs to be private."

"That should be fine. I will let Emma's teachers know.... what lesson's do you have this morning, Emma?"

He notes down Emma's other lessons, and we walk outside with Ron. He quickly disappears, and I escort Emma to my car. Everyone is still in the first lesson, so we drive off unnoticed. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Your place, please. I need a cuddle." Emma seems to be fighting to keep herself under control.

We pull up outside and make our way in, "Hey, you're home early," Paps says as he comes to see who's just walked through the back door.

"Hi, Paps. Yes, Emma had an issue at school, and we've come home to talk things through and see if we can find a solution," I say as Emma walks straight upstairs.

"Oh right, is this to do with Donna's slip?"

"Yes, Paps. Do you mind if we talk about this later? Emma's not taken this well."

Paps nods, and I race upstairs after Emma. When we get to my room, she sits on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing in particular. I kneel in front of her. "Hey Em...." I can feel her pain as her focus changes, and our eyes lock together.

Emma's bottom lip starts to wobble as she begins to lose control. I immediately pull her into my arms, and she buries her face into my neck as she falls apart. It takes Emma around an hour to calm down enough to talk and explain what happened in the car park. My heart breaks, and I know what needs to be done.

After lunch, we return to school. I haven't said anything to Emma about what I plan to do. After ensuring Emma is safe, I go straight to Principal Keller's office, before finishing the day with a swim.

******

Donna beeps her horn outside Emma's house.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad," Emma shouts after running down the stairs and towards the front door.

They didn't have time to answer as the front door bangs closed, and Emma makes her way towards her friend's car. "Hey, Em," Donna says.

"Morning Donna," Emma says back.

Donna pulls away from the sidewalk with a grin on her face. "So, has Mac said anything?" She asks as she stops at the end of the road.

"No, he was very quiet yesterday and only messaged last night. I didn't want to ask because he looked very angry yesterday."

"Yeah, I didn't ask because I'm feeling guilty...."

"Hang on, let me get my phone out. This must be a first. # OMG, Donna feels guilty." Emma says, pretending to put it in her phone.

"Stop; it's not the first time I've felt remorse."

"#OMFG, Donna used the word 'Remorse' in a sentence.'"

"Emma, stop, you'll make me crash," Donna says, laughing at her friend's antics.

They pull into the Starbucks, where Mia is waiting with the coffee ready. "Hey, Donna, Emma. Know what's happening today?"

"No, have you heard anything?"

"I don't know if it's true, but Principal Keller will have an emergency school assembly about bullying."

"Shit, no," Emma says. "It wasn't that long ago we had the respect lecture."

"Yeah, both your fault," Mia says. Emma gasps in fake shock. Mia laughs, "Has Mac said anything?"

"No, I'm a bit worried. He doesn't seem to be handling this at all well. Yesterday when we went out to talk, I was so worried about him that we went back to his for a cuddle."

"Oh, that's what they call it now, 'A cuddle,'" Donna says.

"None of that went on. We were both too stressed."

"You never give any details. If I hadn't heard you screaming your lungs out myself, I would have said you two were faking it."

"Oh, come on, Donna, I've never spoken much about my intimacy with Mac. Even before he came back." Both Donna and Mia both nearly spurt their mouth full of coffee out. "What?"

"How many times have we picked you off the floor when you were down," Donna says, a little annoyed at her friend.

"I know, but there's so much you didn't see."

"You do realize the number of people that thought you two were at it before he left, don't you?" Mia asks.

"What? Noooo........we were only young." Emma is staring from one friend to the other, looking for an answer.

"Come on," Donna says, getting up and interrupting the conversation. "We'll be late."

As they drive into school, Emma looks for my car. "Hell, Mac's car isn't here." She gets her phone out and messages me but get's no answer. "His phone must be off. My message didn't go through."

"Did you speak this morning?"

"We had our normal conversation and planned to meet after school."

"Well, there you go," Donna says, getting out of the driver's seat.

The girls head in, and as soon as they enter, they are instructed to go to the main basketball arena. Most of the school is already there as they take their seats. Emma stands and looks for me, but she can't see me.

"Come on, Emma, this is the last place Michael will want to be," Mia says, tugging on Emma's sleeve.

There's a lot of noise when Principal Keller walks onto the stage. "Here goes the most boring part of the week, "Donna says.

"Yeah, we need those glasses with open eyes on the front," Mia says to her two friends' amusement.

The lights in the room dim, and a spotlight lights up just the Principal. "Talk about dramatic and over the top," Emma says.

"Okay, okay, quiet." The room goes silent. Someone wolf whistles, and a murmured laughter goes around. "Quiet, please......thank you.....Yesterday I had the misfortune to witness an argument between several of our senior girls.....Now I'm not going to bore you with another lecture on respect..."

"Good," a voice shouts.

The Principal pauses for a second and gathers his thoughts while the latest ripple of laughter goes around. "I will tell you that behavior like this, and bullying at any level, will never have a place in this school." He again lets the murmur of voices die before he continues. Now, a young man here would like to have a word.

I step out of the shadows into the spotlight and wait for the noise to subside. "Hi," the mic gives a little feedback. "Most of you don't know me or have seen me quietly getting on with my day. I'm the weird one, you see, sitting at the back of the class or sitting on my own in the canteen." I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. "There is a reason for the goggles and hat, but this is not the time or the place. My name is Michael Carter, and I did a concert that most of you saw on Thanksgiving. There has been a rumor that I did not perform in the concert but was replaced by another."

"Yeah, we know it was Mac," someone shouts from somewhere.

I'm shaking now and starting to feel the pressure. "Yes, that's right, Mac." Again I take a moment to calm myself. "What I didn't tell you in my introduction is that my full name is Michael," I take my hat off. "Alexander," my glasses are removed. "Carter, better known as Mac." I swing the hidden guitar behind me and play a quick rift. There's a huge cheer, and I start the first loop of 'One'. As I start the second; Mrs. Ellis, the music teacher, lit up playing my keyboard, counts me in. The sound quality in the arena is horrendous, but nobody seems to care as Mrs. Ellis, and I go through a couple of songs. She seems to have a great time joining in and singing with me.