Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 2

Miami, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

"Okay, I want everyone to participate today!" My gym teacher, Mr. Foster shouted. My gym class was standing outside on the football field getting ready to play a game of soccer. He threw the ball onto the field, and then everyone was off and running. As I jogged towards the action, my thoughts drifted towards the events of the past few weeks since Michael had talked to me.

It had been a few weeks since Michael had told me about the burn notice stuff, and I hadn't seen much of him since. He had been very busy with new jobs, and figuring out what to do with the new things that were coming to light about why he was burned. He came to pick me up from school a few times, but other than that he wasn't around much. I wished Michael wasn't so busy though, because I really needed someone to talk to. My eyes drifted towards Kelsey, who was lagging on the sidelines trying to stay out of the way.

My best friend Kelsey, who I had known since third grade, had been very distant these past few weeks. At first I thought it was because she was upset with me, but when I asked her about it she just said she wasn't and everything was fine between us. I knew something was wrong though, and when I asked her again a few days later she said she couldn't talk to me about her problem because she didn't want to get me involved. When she said that, I got really nervous. What if there was something seriously wrong with her? I decided to let it go for the time being, and Kelsey continued to act strange.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by Mr. Foster. "Sizemore, you've been standing there for five minutes! Are you going to participate or would you rather run laps around the track?" Even though running on the track seemed to be a better option, I didn't want to get on Mr. Foster's bad side.

"Sorry, Mr. Foster." I grinned at him apologetically and ran down to the other end of the field. The rest of gym class went by without incident, except for right around the middle of class when some kid kicked my shin instead of the ball. When Mr. Foster blew the whistle, Kelsey and I quickly made our way to the locker room to change out of our gym clothes.

I had just finished changing and was taking my backpack out of my locker when I turned to Kelsey. "Hey, did you do the reading for English, because –" I paused. Kelsey hadn't pulled her shirt down, and I saw a nasty bruise on her back. She caught me looking and quickly pulled it down. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked. Maybe that had something to do with why she had been acting so strange lately.

"It's nothing, Lily." She replied shortly. I didn't believe that for a second.

I shook my head. "That's definitely not nothing, Kels! Just tell me what happened." I put my hand on her shoulder and she shook it off.

"I can't, he'll kill me!" Kelsey had a faraway look in her eyes. She looked terrified.

"So a 'he' did this? Just tell me, maybe I can help you!" She debated before she answered, and then she picked up her backpack.

"Fine, but not in here." I nodded and we walked out of the locker room. We stepped into the gym class equipment room where it was quieter. Kelsey looked so nervous, and I couldn't think of what to say to reassure her everything was going to be okay.

"It's going to be fine, I promise." I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable about telling me.

Kelsey wrung her hands together, and then she spoke. "It's my mom's boyfriend. She started dating him a couple months ago. At first it was all fine. My mom really likes him, and I was starting to warm up to him too. A couple weeks ago things started to get weird. My mom wanted to use these old dishes that her mother gave to her, so she sent me downstairs to look for them. We never go down there, so I didn't really know what I was looking for. I started to open some boxes, and one box I opened was filled with drugs. I had no idea where they came from, but I knew they weren't my mothers. I panicked and tried to put them back in the right place, but then I heard Jeff coming down the stairs…" Kelsey trailed off and took a deep breath.

I patted her on the back. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "It's fine. He saw me with the box and he got really upset. He grabbed me and asked what I was doing downstairs. I told him I was looking for the dishes, but I could tell he knew I had seen the drugs. He pushed me against the wall and said if I ever told my mom what I saw in that box he'd kill her, and then me. I promised I wouldn't say anything, and then he let me go. Ever since that day, he's been all over me. He won't let me leave the house, and he picks me up from school every day so I can't go anywhere. I think he's afraid I'll go to the police. I tried to leave the house the other day because I just had to get away, but he caught me. I struggled, trying to get out of his grasp and when I fell down he kicked me in the back. That's where that bruise came from."

She paused again and looked up at me. "I don't know what to do, I think he's a really bad person, and he'll kill me if I run away. And I don't know what to do about my mom; she doesn't know anything about it." Kelsey had tears in her eyes and I could tell she didn't want to continue. I immediately thought of Michael. He dealt with things like this all the time, right?

"I think I know someone who can help you. I'll talk to him before school is over to see if he can talk to you about this." Kelsey shook her head.

"No, we can't tell anyone. He'll know. He watches my every move." I thought about this for a second.

"He's very good with dealing with problems like this; trust me. We can go talk to him after school today. Just tell Jeff you're coming home with me to work on a school project. I'll be there with you the whole time to make sure he says yes." This had to work. I had to help Kelsey out.

"Well, he does pick me up from school every day, so he won't be able to say no if you come out with me." She seemed okay with my plan so I was happy.

"Okay sounds like a plan. I'll call him right now." With that, Kelsey agreed and then rushed off to her next class. I stayed behind and dialed Michael's cell phone.

He answered right away. "Lily? What's wrong, are you still at school?" Michael answered, clearly concerned. This was unusual because I never called him during school hours.

"Michael, I need a favor… Are you busy?" I asked, hesitantly. I hoped he wasn't too busy for this because Kelsey really needed help.

"What's up?" Michael replied. I smiled, relieved.

"My friend needs your help. I don't have time to tell you the specifics, but can we come to the loft after school today?" I knew I was being vague, but Kelsey would be able to explain much better than I could, later.

"Okay, sure. I'll be around then." Michael seemed skeptical.

"Great, see you in a few hours." I replied.

"Okay bye, Lil." Michael said and then hung up.

The rest of the day seemed to crawl by. I felt relieved that Kelsey had finally clued me in on what was going on with her, but worried about what Michael would say about her situation. I hoped he agreed to help her out, because I wanted her to be happy again. With Jeff lurking around, that would just never happen.

When the final bell rang, I rushed to my locker where Kelsey and I agreed to meet. She seemed nervous as we walked towards the exit. "What should I say?" She looked at me.

"Just say you have to work on a history project with me and we are going to my house." That sounded believable. She agreed and we walked out the exit. Jeff was waiting in the parking lot in a black Mercedes. He got out of the car when he saw us walking up.

"Who is your friend, Kels?" He had a New York accent, and he was dressed in a suit. He looked at us sharply.

"This is my friend, Lily. I probably should have called you, but we have to go to Lily's house to work on a project for history. I won't be needing a ride home today." Kelsey spoke with a shaky voice, and she kept looking down at her feet.

Jeff smiled at us, but I could tell it was forced. I shivered; this man reminded me strongly of Larry. "That's okay, can I at least give you guys a ride to your house?"

I spoke before Kelsey could respond. "No, that's okay. My house is close, and it's a nice day. I wouldn't want to trouble you." If Michael found out I got in a car with this man, he would probably kill me.

"Okay, suit yourself." He put his hand on Kelsey's shoulder. "Make sure you're home in time for dinner. You know how your mother worries." He then got back in his car and drove off. Kelsey was shaking as we walked away.

"He knows. I'm sure of it." She shook her head, clearly regretting telling me about Jeff.

"No he doesn't. We'll be fine." I replied calmly.

"So, who exactly is this guy we're going to see?" She asked. I paused momentarily, trying to figure out what to say.

"Well, he's my grandma's son. His name is Michael." I said vaguely.

"Oh, so he's your uncle?"

"Um, I guess you could say that." It was hard to describe my relationship with Michael. I mean, I couldn't just tell people he took me in when my dead father (who is now alive) abandoned me. Kelsey gave me a sideways look, but didn't say anything. I hesitated but then added, "He's kind of like my dad even though he really isn't." I was doing a poor job of explaining but it would have to do.

Kelsey nodded, and then asked, "You've never talked about your dad before. What happened to him?"

"Um, he's still around." I said evasively.

Kelsey looked at me skeptically, "It sounds like there's more to the story, Lily."

Yup, there sure was. I couldn't help but feel like my relationship with Larry was very similar to Kelsey's relationship with Jeff. Maybe if I told her what happened to me she would understand why I wanted Michael to help her. I had to leave out the spy part, but she would probably get the gist of what happened. I took a deep breath before I said, "Remember a couple months ago when I had those scrapes and bruises? I told you I fell when I was running…"

Kelsey narrowed her eyes, "Yeah, so what really happened?"

I didn't quite know where to begin, so I felt it best to start at the beginning. "I used to live with my father, but Michael took me in when I was five. A couple months ago my father came back and he wanted me to live with him. I, of course, didn't want to leave and things got a little physical. He made some threats, but in the end, Michael was able to save me. That's why I know he can fix your problem." I couldn't help but glance at the scar on my arm as I told the story that put it there.

Kelsey stopped walking to stare at me. "Lils, I can't believe that happened to you. I'm so sorry! Now I wish I would have told you about my problem sooner…"

I patted her shoulder, "It's ok, I'm fine now. And Michael's going to fix your problem just like he fixed mine, so don't worry." I really hoped Michael could deliver on all the promises I was making.

Kelsey just nodded and we started walking again. I made small talk about school to get her mind off of Jeff, and before I knew it we had arrived at the loft. Michael opened the door just as we were about to knock. I jumped back.

"Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I put my hand over my heart. Michael rolled his eyes at me, and I laughed.

"We wouldn't want that," he said, ruffling my hair. "I was just about to run to the Charger. I think I left my sunglasses in there." Michael paused, looking at Kelsey. He held out his hand, "I'm Michael." Kelsey shook it.

"I'm Kelsey. So you're Lily's uncle?" She asked. Michael looked at me curiously and turned back to Kelsey.

"Yep, I sure am. Why don't you girls come in and sit down. There's yogurt in the fridge if you're hungry. Fiona's already in there." He ran to the car while we went inside. Fiona was standing by the fridge selecting a yogurt.

"Hi, Lily. Who's your friend?" Fiona smiled.

"Fiona, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Fiona." I introduced them and they shook hands. Fiona sat on Michael's bed while Kelsey and I sat on the kitchen stools. Michael came back in shortly, sunglasses in hand, and he sat in his favorite green chair.

"So… What did you want to talk to me about?" Michael looked at me.

"Well, Kelsey is having some problems, but she can tell you the story." I gestured for Kelsey to begin, and she took a deep breath.

"It's my mom's boyfriend, Jeff. I think he sells drugs or something. I found a box of them in the basement at our house a couple weeks ago, and he caught me looking at them. He got really mad at me, and said if I told anyone about what I saw he would kill my mom, and then me. Ever since then, he's been crazy. He won't let me leave the house, and sometimes he gets so angry with me he hits me. I don't know what to do. Lily said you could help me." Kelsey looked up at Michael.

"Did you see anything else besides the drugs?" Michael asked.

Kelsey shook her head. "No, but I overheard him talking on the phone the other day. He was talking about only being the middle man. He said he ships it, he doesn't sell it. He caught me listening after that and he locked me in my room." Kelsey looked down at her hands, clearly ashamed and vigorously wiping the tears off her face. Michael sat for a little while, deep in thought, and then Fiona stood up.

"Kelsey, I'll show you to the bathroom so you can get a tissue." She pointed towards the bathroom, and Kelsey got up. As soon as they walked away, Michael turned towards me with a mad look.

"This sounds like a job for the police, Lily." I stood up, suddenly angry.

"She said he'll kill her if she goes to the police! I brought her here because I thought you would help her. I told her about how you helped me with Larry, isn't this the same type of thing?"

Michael looked even angrier. "What did you tell her, Lily?"

"Just the basics, Michael." I snapped back. "She doesn't know Larry's name or that you were a spy. I'm not an idiot, you know." I felt insulted that Michael would think I would just spill the beans about his secretive life.

Michael put his hands up, "Fine. I trust you, but I still don't know about this job –" Fiona walked back in, cutting him off.

"Oh, don't worry, Lily. We'll help Kelsey out. Isn't that right, Michael?" Fiona spoke in a threatening voice, and I could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Thank God for Fiona, I thought to myself.

Michael put his hands up, surrendering. "I'll see what I can do." Michael turned to Kelsey. "I'm going to try and help you, but I'll need to speak with Jeff."

Kelsey's eyes widened. "No, you can't talk to him. He'll know I said something." She looked terrified.

"It'll be fine. Fiona and I do this a lot. You're going to have to trust us." Michael smiled and Kelsey looked at me. I nodded at her in encouragement.

"Okay, do whatever you have to do." She replied.

"Is there a place I can talk to him?" Michael asked.

"Well, he picks me up from school every day. He drives a black Mercedes and he always wears a suit. Is that enough information? I don't have a picture or anything."

Michael nodded, "That's perfect, I'm sure I won't have any trouble."

Fiona added, "I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble for me to bring my baseball bat either." She smiled and Michael pretended like he didn't hear her.

He looked at me and said, "I'll pick you up from school tomorrow, and I'll talk to him while I'm waiting for you. Come outside when I call, okay? I don't want you two anymore in the middle of this than you already are."

"Okay, we can do that." I replied. We talked a little more about the plan for tomorrow, and then Michael drove us home. I asked him if Kelsey could stay overnight at grandma's house, but he said Jeff would get too suspicious.

Before she got out of the car, Michael gave Kelsey his cell phone number just in case. "Just do your best to stay away from Jeff. Call me if anything goes wrong, alright?"

Kelsey looked nervous, but she said, "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Lily. Thanks, Michael."

I felt terrible leaving Kelsey, but we had no other choice. When we pulled up to grandma's house, Michael turned to me. "Did Kelsey tell you anything else about this guy?"

I thought for a second. "Well, she said he has a really quick temper; the bruise on her back shows that. He dressed nice, and he spoke with a New York accent when I saw him earlier, but that's all I can tell you." I paused and then added, "He reminded me of Larry. The way he smiled reminded me of the way Larry does. All forced and crazed looking."

Michael clenched his fists. "We'll get him to go away. Remember, don't come out of the building until I text you tomorrow, okay? I need some time to convince Jeff I'm his kind of guy."

"Okay, Michael. Thanks so much for doing this. I'll see you tomorrow."