thirty three
"I know I told you to try harder, reach out of your shell," Jack paused and sighed. "Michael, I don't know." He flipped through the pages one more, flagging a few with neon blue post-it notes. "This isn't going to get approved."
"I know Luke is going to approve it."
Jack leant back in his office chair, placing his head in his hands then letting his fingers run through his dark hair. "Don't let him use you."
"He's not," I defended, slightly offended.
"I don't care if he says the exact words I will approve this, I know for a fact that he will not." Jack's brown eyes were big and caring, I knew that he was trying to do what he thought was best.
"You don't know Luke."
"Do you, Michael?"
"Of course I do! Did you even read what I wrote?"
Jack rolled his eyes, getting aggravated with me. He flipped over to a random page of the 64 I sent him. He turned it over, showing his computer camera the color-coded notes. "Of course I fucking read it, Michael, that's my job."
"Then, you know that I know Luke."
Jack's head was running six marathons a minute, I could see it. There were thoughts yelling at each brain cell as he tried to form a coherent sentence. "You—You've always been a good soul, and I've seen people use you over and over and over again. They manipulate you because you're nice and caring. I think that's what Luke is doing."
"There's no reason for him to lie about some serious shit. He wouldn't lie about his family or his problems or anything else!" I was frustrated, my voice showing no sign of patience. I've never yelled at Jack, I've never wanted to yell at Jack.
"Because he likes attention and you give it to him!"
I leant back in the office chair of my hotel room, trying to process it all. "I really don't think he is. He's seems genuine when I see him."
"Mike...," Jack trailed off my name. I looked up as he raised up an eyebrow, his deep eyes telling me everything he was thinking.
"Maybe everything else is a lie," I say, "like, the side I see is real and everything else is fake."
"If you want to believe that, then that's fine. But, the chance of that getting approved is even less."
"Why?"
"Because it won't! His press team can't have him looking like a drunk, angry stoner who's filled with nothing but rage! They're not going to ever approve that! They are not ready, Michael!"
"But Luke is!" I defended once more, my loud voice suddenly matching his.
"It won't, I guarantee that." He clenched his jaw, taking a breath in through the nose and out through his mouth. "I love your writing, I think it's perfection. If half of the needed people don't approve it, though, then it's nothing."
I shrugged, afraid to speak. I didn't want to yell at the man that gave me everything. I owe him my life and, in the end, whatever he says is what goes.
"I'm not going to make you rewrite this, I'm not going to tell you to stop. Make sure that boy of yours is going to approve it, make sure he's going to fight for you when everyone else denies it, alright?"
I nodded, saying nothing more.
Coming close to the end........
also happy birthdya to jack i love u bro
