Obsession Starts with a V

Chapter 28

"So I take it you're moving back in with your mom?" Sam questioned.

"Yup!" Veronica gave him a genuine smile, which he had not seen in a long while. "I'm going to go give Michael a piece of cake. Want to come with me?"

"No, I'm good. I'll watch your slice so the fat asses don't eat it. By the way, what did you do to David? He's gone."

"I don't know where he went. He climbed out of the window when my mom showed up."

"He's a freak."

Veronica snorted and went down to the basement. "Hey Michael! You don't have to deal with me anymore! My mom kicked Kirby out of the house so I can move back in! Michael? I brought you some...cake. Michael?"

She stopped halfway across the basement. The normal ball of depression was not curled up on the bed anymore. A flash of fear struck her as she slowly scanned the whole basement for him.

"Michael? This isn't funny. Where are you? Michael!"

There was still no sight of him. She ran back upstairs, dropping the cake on the floor in her haste.

"Max! Max!"

He turned away from Lucy and Cameron with a worried expression. "What is it?"

"It's Michael! He's gone!"

                                                                               ()()()()

"Dwayne told me that you have completely lost it."

Michael, who looked more sickly than usual, approached Star. She had been standing ankle deep in the ocean, just staring at the moon with her arms clutching a silky shawl around herself. She did not respond or even look at him as he approached.

"I don't know how long I'll be able to talk to you. I smell all these people and I'm about to lose it, too. I haven't fed in a long time." He said.

"You smell like rotten food." She finally broke her silence, but did not stop looking at the moon.

"Yeah, I've gone on an eating binge. But you smell like you haven't showered in a really long time." This time there was no hint of the usual teasing that took place between them.

"I miss you Michael."

"I miss you too, Star."

"I want to come back home."

"You know that's not possible. Why don't you take Dwayne's advice and start over?"

"Because I'll go crazy. Hell Michael, I already have."

"You're not crazy, you're just hurt." He came up behind her, ignoring the water that was filling his shoes, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was hurt a lot more than you were, though. I saved you from David and you just run back to him like you never really wanted to leave him in the first place. Did you want to leave David?"

"Yes, he's bad for me. But I do love him. I'm always going to love him, Michael. He was my first true love."

"Star..."

"I'm sorry Michael, but it had to be said. We can't move on until I tell you."

"Alright, I'm listening." He leaned his forehead against the back of her head and fought back the tears of his pain.

"I never had a boyfriend in high school. Everyone picked on me because I was pretty, but didn't have any confidence. They were jealous, so they beat me up. And I let them. I grew up always thinking I was a worthless piece of trash. My parents were not of any help, either, since they were dead and I was living with a careless foster mom. At sixteen I dropped out of high school and ran away from home. I came here to Santa Carla. That's when I met Frankie."