"Mikey, where have you been all day?"

"Out," Michael replied, sounding rather bored.

Ramona took her reading glasses off of her face and set them aside as she stopped typing. She had been typing on her new laptop for a couple of hours when she had to stop, being interrupted by an argument outside the library. She didn't need to guess who Michael was arguing with.

"Out is all you can say? Michael Joseph, I need to know where you are!" Lisa yelled at him.

"All hours of the day? Come on Lisa, you're starting to sound like…well I wouldn't say my mother because she never yelled at me in such a hateful manner," he said plainly.

Lisa fumed. She put her hands on her hips and paced the room. "If you're going to marry me, then you need to inform me of certain things."

"What do you care?" he asked, becoming rather annoyed, which was very hard for him to do. However, Lisa knew just how to get on his last nerve. "You're hardly ever here when I'm actually home."

"So?" she snorted.

"So what if I asked you the same thing? What if I wanted to know exactly where you were 24 hours a day?"

"I would say forget it. An unmarried woman's life is full of secrets," she spat, not realizing how ridiculous she sounded.

Ramona was listening from the doorway and her eyebrow rose in fascination. She had been on her own for quite some time, and it was usually a rare thing for her to be around very many people, let alone sit and listen and talk with them. As a result of her being somewhat of a hermit, she had a hard time processing emotions and learning how to express her feelings. Sure, she could write emotions just fine, but when it came to writing about how her character felt when the one he loved became ill, she had a difficult time explaining his heartache.

"You keep secrets from me?" Michael said, sounding hurt.

Ramona couldn't help but peak around the corner. This absolutely fascinated her to witness an argument like this. She wanted to see the expressions on their faces. Michael had on a mask, or so she decided, and he faked a painful look on his face. To those who didn't know Michael, or wish to know him, that look could fool anyone. To those that spent time with him and truly cherished his friendship like Ramona did, she could tell he was more bored than hurt.

"I'm sure you keep secrets as well," she snorted. Just as Lisa said that, Ramona sneezed. Oops. Lisa spun around at the sound and immediately became enraged. She glared at Ramona as if she expected her to come out fully nude or something. She spun back around and gave Michael that same look. "What the hell is she doing here?"

Michael had to fight from rolling his eyes at her childish outburst. He didn't need to give her something else to complain about. "She is staying here until she gets back on her feet. I thought we already discussed this."

"You discussed it, I said to buy her clothes and send her on her merry way! This is not what I had in mind!" she stomped and Ramona looked over Lisa's shoulder at Michael and gave him a look that mocked Lisa behind her back. Michael's eyes traveled to Ramona and he giggled. "Is this really that funny to you?" she growled. Michael bit his lip and shook his head.

"Your behavior is rather amusing, butter bean," Michael shot back. He didn't know why, but he did love Lisa, and he also grew frustrated very quickly when she was around, so he had his way of pissing her off and getting rid of her.

"What did you call me?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

Ramona snickered. "Oh come on, Mike. Butter bean? You make her sound like an overweight heffer, which she clearly isn't. Why not try Jelly Bean? She sounds more colorful that way" she offered with a smile.

Lisa spun around again. "You stay out of this, freeloader! You shouldn't be here. I thought you were supposed to leave with Janet?"

Both Michael and Ramona paused. They had forgotten about that lie Ramona told in the very beginning. Before Ramona could lie again, the sound of an opening door slamming open caught everyone's attention.

"Helloooo!" Janet came waltzing in. Michael stood, clearly relieved for the interruption.

"Hey Dunk," Michael said as he hugged her.

"Hey Applehead! How are you?" she smiled and then spotted Lisa. "Lisa…" she nodded her head toward the cold woman.

"Excuse me? We were having a discussion here!" she snapped. Michael put his head down when Janet simply stared at Lisa. She couldn't stand that woman, but she tolerated her for Michael's sake.

"More like a bitching session," Ramona mumbled. Michael bit back a laugh and Lisa glared at her again.

"Why you…"

Janet jumped forward and hugged Ramona. "Hey Ray! It's been so long! I see my brother bought you some new clothes," she smiled and Michael let out a breath in relief. "Thanks for looking after her for me, Mike."

Michael bowed slightly. "Anything for you, Dunk."

Lisa bit her tongue. "Well, this is quite a surprise." She turned and put her arms around Michael and kissed him lightly. "And here I thought you were lying to me about her. You're such a good man," she cooed and he winced.

"Perhaps you should treat him like one, then," Ramona grumbled and Janet elbowed her. Lisa shot her a look and Janet grabbed Ramona's arm.

"Okay, I think it's time to go get something to eat and hit the clubs. You need to see how a pop star lives, girl!" she said excitedly.

"I'll follow you anywhere, Janet," Ramona smiled and then winked at Michael. He grinned as Janet pushed her out the door. "I owe you big time!" Ramona said when they reached Janet's car.

"Don't mention it. Michael told me all about it. I'm just glad I came in before Cruella decided to rip your face off," she laughed. Ramona smiled back as she buckled her seatbelt. "Honestly though, you should watch the snappy comebacks around her. She has a wicked temper."

"I didn't notice," Ramona said sarcastically.

Janet took Ramona everywhere in town. All of her favorite hang out spots such as clubs and restaurants. By the time Janet decided to take Ramona back, it was around 3 in the morning. As they pulled up to the gates, Derek stuck his head out of the guard window.

"Do you realize how late it is?" he asked with his arms folded.

"Sorry Derek, we were just having so much fun!" Ramona giggled from the passenger seat. Derek smiled and let them pass. Ramona climbed out and turned back to Janet when she shut the door. "Thanks again, Janet. We should do this more often."

"Anytime. We are after all, best friends," she giggled as she put her car in reverse. "I'll call you!"

Ramona waved her off and went inside and headed straight for bed. During that whole week, Ramona had done nothing but work on her story. Michael would come in every now and then and drag her out to the amusement park or to play with the tigers. A few times they went horseback riding and had a few races. They formed a tight bond with each other, and little by little, Ramona found herself opening up to Michael and letting him get to know her and understand her better.

By the end of the week, Michael had learned that her only flaw that he could find was her inability to express emotions. She had asked him for his help a few times with her story when she needed to write how someone felt.

One day, Michael came to her with the biggest smile on his face. Ramona took off her reading glasses when he sat down across from her and crossed his legs, laced his fingers and placed them in his lap, the whole time wiggling his foot in anticipation.

Ramona giggled. "Okay, what is it?"

"I have a surprise for you," he said, biting his lip in excitement.

"Will you ever stop?" she shook her head. "Seriously, Mike. Stop doing things for me. You've done enough."

"How can you say that?" he sported a sad look on his face and Ramona rolled her eyes. "I can't stand by and watch you sit here and do nothing else all day, every day. So I did something about it."

"I don't just sit here all the time. We do go out every now and then," she retorted, only to get a weird look from Michael. "Fine, I'll bite. What did you do?"

"I got you an interview with the LA times. 8 o' clock sharp tomorrow morning," he said so fast, Ramona almost missed it.

"I…what? You…Really?" she stuttered and he nodded his head, grinning widely. "Thank you!" she climbed over the desk and hugged him tightly.

The next morning, she had showered and was digging through her closet for the right outfit. She hadn't had an interview in several years and she had no idea what to wear. She decided on a white button up blouse, but she had a hard time deciding between a black pencil skirt or black slacks.

She stood in the mirror in her black boy shorts panties and her white blouse, holding up the skirt to her, and then the pants. "Why must this be so difficult?" she whined. "Michael!" she called. A few moments later, Michael poked his head in the door.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Can you help me for a minute?" she begged. He came fully inside the door and then froze. She didn't have any pants on. He blushed and turned his back. "What's your problem?" she asked, clearly unaffected.

"You're, um…that is to say, I…where are your…You're in your bloomers!" he stumbled over the right words to stay.

Ramona looked down and then shrugged. "So what? We're not lovers, Mike. You're my best friend. Please, help me!" she begged.

Michael nodded and took a deep breath before turning back around. "Okay, what do you need?"

"Does this look better with the skirt or the pants?" she asked while switching the hangers back and forth. Michael stood with one arm folded across his chest and the other hand under his chin.

He held up a finger and went into her closet. "Give me the shirt," he said. Ramona put her hand over her scar and shook her head. "Okay, fair enough," he said, holding up his hands. "Give me a second." She waited for about 2 minutes before he came back out. He took the pants from her and lay it out on the bed, he then put a black button up shirt down and a white tank top on top. "Try this."

Ramona raised an eyebrow. "You're dressing me up like you," she snickered. Michael folded his arms and quirked a brow in a serious fashion and she shrugged. "Okay okay, be right back."

She disappeared into the closet and then came out fully dressed. Michael whistled. "There you go. That's much better," he smiled proudly as she stood in front of the floor length mirror.

"Wow, I should let you dress me more often," Ramona smiled. Michael puffed his chest out proudly as Ramona hugged him. "Thank you." He nodded and she headed for the door before turning around one last time. "Oh, and bloomers? They're called panties, Mike."

Michael turned a bright red color before he flipped her off under his chin and shooed her away. He had one of his drivers take her to her interview and he had to go to rehearsals at the Staples Center.

A few hours later, Derek drove Ramona to the Staples Center. "Why are we here, Derek?" Ramona asked.

"Michael is here rehearsing. I figured you would want to tell him as soon as possible," he winked.

"You know me so well, Derek." She smiled widely. She had gotten the job and she couldn't be happier. She would be writing columns that God knows how many people read each day, and she would be making more money than she imagined. Now she could get her own place.

She stared out the window in deep thought. She needed to find her a place pretty soon too. Michael and Lisa had been fighting constantly whenever Lisa actually did come around, and Ramona decided her being there was only adding fuel to the fire. She couldn't just keep lying to Lisa about why she's there.

"Hey, we're here," Derek announced and Ramona literally jumped out of the car. He chuckled and followed her into the Staples Center toward the stage. "Slow down, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

As Ramona ran into the front entrance, she spotted Michael. He was rehearsing Black or White and he was dressed almost identically to her, except his over shirt was white. He stopped the music when he saw her and he smiled.

"Hey bestie," he waved. She giggled at his new nickname for her and she ran as fast as she could onto the stage, tackling him with a hug. He almost fell over. "I guess this means it went well?" he laughed as he hugged her back.

She stepped back and nodded. "I got the job!" they both jumped up and down a few times before Michael noticed everyone was watching. He cleared his throat and they all looked away. He took her hand and they sat on the edge of the stage.

"I knew you could do it, Ray."

She smiled widely and hugged him again. "I owe it all to you. And now, with this job, I can keep my promise and soon, the public will realize how great of a man you really are!" Michael looked into her eyes in appreciation. No one had ever worked that hard for his sake. It warmed his heart. "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you, Mike."

"The feeling is mutual, Ramona."

They both breathed in deeply as they began to lean toward each other very slowly. Both nearly inches apart, the drummer accidentally dropped one of his symbols and made everyone jump. Ramona jumped to her feet and cleared her throat.

"Well, I'd better let you get back to work," she said nervously. Michael nodded and stood to give her a hug when he noticed she had backed into the spotlight on the stage and was staring blankly at the huge number of empty seats. "It's been a while…" she whispered.

Michael looked out to the seats and then back at her. "A while since what?" he asked.

Ramona blinked a few times, placing her hand over her scar. That familiar stinging sensation came back full force. Michael reached out and touched her shoulder and she jumped and looked at him. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked.

"You said it's been a while…?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, I was referring to the concert, in Bucharest. It was one hell of a show," she said.

"Bucharest, yes. Wait, you were there?" he asked in surprise. 'That would mean she witnessed…'

"Okay, Mike. Do you want to run through that song again so we can get the fan going correctly?" the director interrupted.

"Uh, yeah. Let's do that," he told him. He turned back to Ramona. "Well, I'll see you at home?" he asked. She nodded shyly before heading back to the edge of the stage. Michael jumped down first and held his arms out for her. She blushed and he slid his hands around her waist and helped her down.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem," he winked before hopping back onto the stage.

A few weeks into her job, Ramona had grown quite popular. Her writing skills were undoubtedly impressive and her boss couldn't be happier. She wrote a column about so many different things that her boss recommended. When she had the chance, she had spoke to her boss about Michael and how normal he really was. He allowed her to write a few columns about Michael and of course, she had to ask Michael what was okay to share with the public and what wasn't. Within no time, she had captured the eyes of the public and changed the hearts of many who used to see Michael as a monster.

Michael was very excited to see her progress and what she had written about him. However he was very nervous when the media figured out who she was and followed her around. At one point, she was cornered and questioned by the media and Derek fought to get her through the crowd.

"Ramona, why do you write such columns about Michael Jackson?"

"Ramona, is there a romantic relationship between you and Michael?"

"Is he as wonderful as you say he is or is he paying you to write this stuff?"

Many ridiculous questions were called out and Ramona wasn't bothered one bit. She simply smiled at the people and said "Michael is my best friend and it is my wish and my wish alone to open the eyes of the public. He's not a monster. He's not perfect, but he's only human."

Michael was pleased with her answer, but wasn't happy about her being cornered. When she came home, he pestered her about it. "How can this not bother you?" he followed her around the house as she put her things away and changed clothes.

"It just doesn't. Michael, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, I can handle it," she smiled and touched under his chin like a child. He nodded but he didn't stop thinking about it. That night, Ramona couldn't help but think about the day they had gone to the mall and how nervous he was. She believed he deserved to see what its like to be out in the public without being pummeled. As she scanned the internet, she located an amusement park that was fairly new. It was full of people who co-existed with celebrities. The next morning, Ramona asked Derek to drive her to the park while Michael was out rehearsing. She spoke with the manager alongside Derek, who had promised to keep his mouth shut. "So, if I were to bring Michael here without a disguise, could you ensure that he will not get stared at or followed, or bothered at all for that matter?" she asked.

The short bald man with thick glasses nodded without hesitation. "Yes. When I opened this park, my dream was to have people here as guests that were already used to being around celebrities. We have already had a few people such as Jamie Foxx and Christina Aguilera pay a visit and no one ever second-glanced them. However, we do have a great deal of security, just in case."

"Could you possibly add more security on the outside and guarantee me that the media will not get any word that Michael would be here?" she asked him with a serious tone.

"I could, but I must ask you, what's in it for me?"

"I admire your honesty. If you do this for me, I will write a couple of columns for you in the LA times and I can guarantee your popularity will spike at least 60%."

The man thought for a moment before smiling. "You've got a deal. So you will bring him here tomorrow afternoon?"

Ramona nodded and shook his hand. The next morning, she could barely contain her excitement. She waited by the door for Michael to come home. She had a plan all figured out. When he finally walked in, he had an extra pep in his step.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called out playfully.

"Finally! I have a surprise for you!" Ramona grinned when he froze and looked at her strangely.

"That's what I was gonna say!" he put his hands on his hips and Ramona's mouth dropped.

"You didn't…" she folded her arms. He nodded shyly. "Ugh! Well this time, I have something for you too!"

Michael giggled. "Okay, but I go first. Come on!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. Before Ramona knew it, Michael had taken her down the road and she was now standing with him in front of a gorgeous 4 bedroom condo. He pulled out a key and opened the door and together, they walked around the fully furnished home. Ramona was drooling. It was so gorgeous. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It's beautiful. Did you design this?" she asked as she ran her fingers over a life-size golden statue of a guardian angel.

"I did design this, for you."

She froze and looked at him. "For me?" he nodded. "This house is…?"

"Yours. Now, I know what you're gonna say, but you don't owe me anything. In fact, I have one more surprise and I swear I won't buy you another thing unless you ask me to," he spoke quickly, thinking he was in trouble.

Ramona was speechless. She let a tear slip and hugged him tightly. "How did you know I was looking for a new place? It's so…me! I love it!" he grinned and then pulled her into the garage. He flipped on the light and there in front of her sat a brand new red camaro.

"You didn't!" she yelled.

"I did," Michael laughed as he covered his ears. She screamed and circled the vehicle a few times.

"You know I don't have a driver's license, right?" she asked after she caught her breath.

"Well, yeah. I'll take you for the test when you're ready. Until then, I'm ready for my surprise!" he announced like a child. Ramona looked up at him from her new car and laughed. He was holding his arms out expecting her to hand him something. She shook her head and then walked outside with him to his SUV. Derek stood waiting for them smiling. "You knew about this?" he asked him. Derek shrugged and Michael gave him a look before getting into the car.

Before they began to drive, Ramona reached over and put a blindfold on him. He tensed up immediately and Ramona pulled his hands to his sides. "Relax, Michael. No need to be afraid. Trust me."

"I do trust you," he said nervously.

When they finally arrived at the park, Ramona grinned widely. She led Michael out into the park near the gates. She placed him where he would be able to see the entire park. She glanced at the manager who stood nearby, simply wanting to witness the look on his face. Michael tensed when he heard the crowd of people around him.

"Um, Ramona…"

She took his blindfold off and his skin turned white. He began looking for a way to cover his face and Ramona stood behind him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Calm down. You don't have to hide here. Look around you." He did as she asked and noticed that the people walking by simply smiled at him and continued on their way as if they didn't know who he was.

"I don't understand. Don't they know who I am?" he asked in shock.

"They all know, believe me. This is a special park I discovered. These people co-exist with celebrities. You are just a normal person here. No one will bother you. So loosen up, let's have some fun!" Ramona pulled on his arm and he finally allowed his feet to carry him away. He was finally given the chance to live like a normal person.

'I am so glad I have a friend like Ray. What would I do without her?' he asked himself as he stared at her smiling face sitting next to him on a roller coaster.