At 2 AM
For some reason, I couldn't sleep. I looked at the schedule and saw that we didn't have rehearsals today. I sighed in relief, then thought back to when Michael had dropped me off.
"What did he mean by 'see you tomorrow'?" I muttered.
Soon, I heard pebbles being thrown at my window. I raised my eyebrow and moved my curtain and opened my window. I looked everywhere, but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, I heard a whisper.
"Psst. Rebecca. Down here." Someone said.
I looked below my window and saw Michael standing there. He chuckled nervously and smiled a little.
"Oh my gosh, Michael. What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"You haven't been able to sleep, have you?"
"Not really, no. What about you?"
"Same. Wanna...I don't know...go for a night stroll through the park?"
I thought about it. 'It would give me a chance to get to know more about him.' I looked at him. "Sure. Just hold on for a few minutes."
He nodded and I closed my window and curtain and changed. I left a note, just in case anyone needs or wants to find me, on my bed and opened my window again. I zipped up my long sleeve shirt and climbed out the window and slid down the drain pipe. Michael looked at me in shock.
"Doesn't that hurt your hands?"
I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, I'm used to it. I've been climbing up and sliding down that drain pipe for years."
He giggled and we walked, side-by-side, to the park.
Once In The Park
I looked at what he was wearing and finally realized that he was wearing his outfit for Smooth Criminal. He saw me looking and giggled.
"I'm getting use to wearing it. For the song tomorrow." He said.
I blushed a little and giggled. "W-Well...it l-looks..." I started.
"It looks what?"
I tried to say it, but I just couldn't. So, I tried a diversion.
"Oh look! The swings!"
He saw me run towards the swings and giggled. He ran behind me and grabbed the chains from behind me and pulled back then let go. I giggled as he pushed me on the swings. I really felt like a child again. Once I swung on my own, he got on the other swing and swung himself. I looked over at him and giggled. He looked at me and giggled while he swung.
After A Few Minutes
We stopped swinging and walked around the park. The wind picked up slightly and blew my hat off my head. I turned and saw it flying on the ground.
"Oh my gosh! Come back here!" I said, giggling.
Soon enough, I ran after it with Michael following. I tried to grab it, but no luck. Michael tried to grab it as well, only to have his white fedora fly off his head.
"Not my fedora, too!" He said, giggling. "Evil wind!"
He grabbed my hat and I chased after his fedora. I managed to grab it before it got into the fountain. I dusted it off and went back over to Michael. He put my hat on my head and I put his fedora back on his head.
"Thanks, Rebecca." He giggled, gripping his fedora.
"No problem, Michael." I told him. "Thanks for catching my hat, though."
He giggled again. "Don't mention it."
We continued going around the park. Eventually, we climbed a tree and looked at the stars. Michael leaned against the trunk on the wide branch we were on. I just sat normally on the branch. Then something occurred to me. His skin. I wasn't one to be nosy, but I was just curious.
"Um, Michael? You wouldn't mind if I asked about your skin, would you?"
He chuckled. "You're wondering why my skin is lighter, huh?"
"Yeah. How did you know I was gonna ask that?"
"I had a feeling."
"Well, if you don't mind, could you tell me?"
"It's not that long of a story. Short and to the point, it's what made my skin lighter. I have vitiligo universa."
"Oh my gosh."
"It's nothing dangerous. Everyone gets it. Even my brother, Jermaine, has a vitiligo spot on his leg."
I looked down at the grass and sighed. Michael looked at me with an eyebrow raised.
"Something wrong, Rebecca?"
I sighed again and looked at him. "I have it, too."
Michael looked at me in shock. "You do?"
I nodded. "Nobody knew it...except my mother...and the doctors."
"Wow. That's another thing we have in common."
I giggled a little. That wasn't all of it, though. I didn't wanna tell him how 2 of my brothers thought he bleached his skin. It would make me feel bad to even bring it up. Soon, I started dozing off. Michael noticed and pulled me over to him, sat me between his legs, had me lean back and wrapped his arms around me protectively. I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep on him. He kissed the top of my head and soon fell asleep himself.