Fall Again By Michael Jackson Novels & Stories

The feeling he gives me can only be described as butterflies, and I haven’t experienced anything like this in years. “Did I pass the test?” “Yes,” I tell him. “But things are about to get more intense. “What if ‘Shake it Off’ comes on next?” “I’m alone?” “Totally alone. On a country road.” “Hmmm.” His hands slide up and down my back. I shiver again, but not from the cold. “That song is catchy. I’ll be singing and dancing.” I laugh, throwing my head back so the wind doesn’t blow my hair into his face. “Do you even know the words?”

“ I can't just…. “ I think it'll be best if you take that part off,” Mateo interjected. “ I know it has been part of the policy for years, but just please take it off. Everyone is different!” “ You know….” “ Please” Mateo pleaded. “ Oh, okay, since that part should be removed, how about you replaced it with a sexy dance?” “ How?” Lena snapped. “ You’ve watched music videos right, the way the ladies act, and dance sexily with the singer.” The MC explained and the crowd cheered.

She reached over the sheets, still warm on his side, and sighed. The Fall Festival had felt like something out of a dream. Cornstalks. Candied apples. Spontaneous dancing under string lights. And that kiss—God, that kiss. It had started out staged. But somewhere between the hand on her lower back and the way he said her name like it was a promise, it became real. Real enough that when the camera crew cheered and their photo was posted on the retreat’s social media with the caption “True Love Wins!”, Ivy felt a bolt of panic she couldn’t explain.

The silence was unbearable. And she realized she might have lost him forever, not through choice or betrayal, but through her own sacrifice. Her phone vibrated. A message from her fiancé: Don’t forget tonight. People are watching. Be perfect. Maya’s hands trembled. She placed the phone down, staring at the reflection in the window. Her own eyes looked tired, hollow, haunted. She whispered into the empty room: “I still love him… and it’s killing me.” The night deepened. She curled on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. Her body shook with exhaustion, grief, and helplessness. Every memory of Ethan was a fresh wound. Every touch from her fiancé was a subtle, invisible lash.

Kael moved toward her instantly. “Nova.” “Don’t touch me,” she hissed through clenched teeth. But her body betrayed her immediately when her legs gave out. Kael caught her before she hit the floor again. This time she struggled harder. Panic crashed through her chest as she shoved against him weakly. “Let me go!” His arms tightened around her carefully, not enough to hurt, just enough to stop her from falling apart completely. “You need to stay still.” “I said let go of me!”

Maybe a little too easy since it was just around the corner of the hockey ring. Music was already spilling out into the street before I even stepped in, loud enough to feel it in my chest. Inside, it was crowded, warm, and full of people trying too hard to forget things. I scanned the room once before I spotted Philip at a table near the back, already waving like he owned the place. I walked over and sat down without saying much. Philip immediately leaned in like he had been waiting all night just to talk. “You missed it,” he said with a grin. “The Falcons are here too, and their sad faces are worth every dime you have.”