Passion Over Presley: Based on a True Story

by Rachel Martin

worry about her.

  After the holidays were over and Presley had finished signing all the paperwork from his most recent demo CD the popularity of his protégé was hitting the big lists. His music became so popular that he had to ban the distribution of his new releases from internet websites since so many people were downloading for free. That’s when the money really started rolling in, everyone wanted something they could get for free, but his business needed to make money somehow.

  Then the parties started happening, he was invited to the big clubs where the hottest musical celebrities crashed. He was invited to so many debuts and shows and private audience viewings that he couldn’t count. He tried to drag Michelle to every single event, but after the first round of drinks she would grow tired and check her watch, then she would tap her foot in desperation and Presley knew that meant it was time to leave.

  Presley started to make Michelle bring her own car, that way she would not have to feel bad about leaving to party alone. Honestly Presley didn’t want to party, it was just a way to spend time with her. Presley thought all women would love to be in the same room as the celebrities but Michelle did not value their presence.

  Michelle could hardly care who was famous and who was not because her only concern was spending time with Nancy every night. Presley was so consumed with furthering their relationship that he could not see Michelle’s constant disappearing acts were pulling her further away from his grasp.

  After the football game with the guys she answered his request and decided to date. She was elated to find out that day once it was discovered that Presley had every intention of making her happy in any way possible. Eventually the hype would ware off and Presley would lose her again, so instead of using money and fame to impress her, Presley tried my charm.

  Presley would take her back to the old spots they used to hang at and show her that there really isn’t such a thing as a “better life” he just wanted her to be happy. Maybe she was looking for a little suffrage in her life, it was the only thing missing from the game Presley threw at her and all that he already had just wasn’t enough. Presley was fighting an unwinnable battle, until one day she came to him with the truth, and Presley was not prepared for it.

  It had been almost 7 months since she moved into his home and she was looking more stunning than ever. Presley could tell she was back to smoking again, even though she did it sparingly at the home; she had been picking up the pace triple time recently. The smell was on her, and the look, the look that appeared as if she was forty-five years old, yet she was barely twenty-two.

  Michelle usually asks Presley to drop her home from the routine breakfast outing so she could grab her car and go to her friend’s house but today she did not. Instead she packed a little overnight bag of all her most precious items both new and old, an action similar from her past. She put the little bag in the backseat and directed Presley to a little house outside the projects of our home-town. When the car pulled up to the house Presley looked at her and waited for an explanation, and since he was so confused Presley decided that whatever explanation she was about to give me he would accept it.

  “Presley…I am leaving.” Michelle guiltily stared away from him. “I can’t stay with you anymore, I love you but I just can’t stay.” Presley wanted to tell her listen, not sure of what was going to exit his lips but Michelle stopped him saying not to bother.

  “Just take the car you gave me with the money and just go. I know I don’t deserve it from you, but I want your blessing to allow me to live my own life. We had a great relationship absolutely no one has shown greater kindness to me. But I am in love.” She turned to Presley who lowered his head away from her gaze. Presley couldn’t say that he was completely clueless because it was obvious. Especially with the way she had been acting these last few months. Presley nodded and looked at her lovingly for the last time.

  “Presley, I am so sorry if I hurt you. But this man, he does things to me that I can’t describe. He cherishes me and he makes me feel loved. He makes me feel special,” She said swinging in an imaginary field of bliss and Presley just had to ask.

  “Did you sleep with him?” Presley could hear the despair in his voice. She looked at him and blinked back sudden tears.

  “Presley…please don’t do this.” She spoke so low, it was a whisper that even in the car with his face so close to hers the words hardly made sense.

  “Did you sleep with him, while we were together? Did you tell him you were taken? Did you consider me at all Michelle? What about us? I want to treat you with respect and marry you! Did you sleep with him? Does he love you the way I do?” Presley was just so hurt, how could she betray them both like this. “I just don’t understand!”

  “Presley!” She screamed at him and began to cry clutching her face with her hands.

  “Michelle I love you! I would never hurt you instead I would give my life for you! Tell me you are still with me, for two years all I could think about was giving you a better life. Giving you all the things I could not give my mother. Making sure you wanted for nothing, not ever, everything was for you!” She just kept crying and Presley cried a little too. “Michelle does he care about you? Will he be there for you for the rest of your life? Can he take care of you and put you before himself! Will he treat you with respect? Would he die for you?” It wasn’t a question and Presley already knew the answer.

  “I’m pregnant!” She yelled and instantly Presley was taken aback; speechless. They sat there in silence staring at each other. No…it wasn’t true.

  “You’re lying to me.” Presley spat.

  “Presley.” She said his name staring into Presley’s eyes unmoving, with tears rolling down her face.

  “You’re saying that so I will let you go. But I can’t Michelle, I won’t. I don’t care about your shortcomings, I don’t care if you cheated, I don’t care that there is a possibility that you’re pregnant with another man’s baby.” Presley didn’t see any other solution; and the disparity of the situation called for the best decisions to be made. Presley was in doubt when she said it, but one thing he knew about Michelle was that she never lied with a straight face. She was pregnant. ”Marry me.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she stuttered out a reply. “Y-you’re joking!” Now it was Presley’s turn to look at her seriously in silence. She closed her eyes and looked away. I knew she couldn’t help it, I knew the shame of what she was doing was forcing her to turn against me and my faithfulness to her virtues.

  “I won’t marry anyone right now. I need time to think.” Michelle said rubbing her forehead in pain from the headache. “I can’t do this anymore Presley. Pretend like what you are giving me is what I want. I love you, and I appreciate all that you have done but I want to be with Jake. Don’t look for me and don’t bother talking to me unless it is to be my friend. If you want me and my baby in your life you will leave me and my decisions alone!”

  She jumped out of the car and took his heart with her. She yanked open the door to grab her bag and ran to the house steps and entered it. She then turned around expecting to see Presley following her into the dark house, explaining how his undying love for her was what she really wanted. Unfortunately, all she received was the sight of his car speeding down the highway and right out of her life.

  Michelle

  The frost on the ground outside was a totally new sight to Michelle. She had not seen cold winds blow like this in years. All she could do at this point was shake her head, soak in the imaginary warmth of her fabricated happy life and relive all the reasons why she shouldn’t have moved in with Jake those many months ago. Why is it that January was the coldest month of the year when everyone has their children under the impression that snow and unbelievably cold temperatures were for December and Christmas. Everything she did reminded her of a memory from her past.

  Michelle would wake up in the morning and her past would be on the floor beside her bed and she would wear the memories like house slippers and it wo
uld shadow her all day long. None of her memories were complete without thoughts of Presley and his kindness to her over the years.

  Even though she had recently left him, and removed her out of his life he still attempted to contact her in any way possible. He called, wrote a few letters, anything to get her attention so she would know he still cared. When she finally grabbed enough confidence to call him she expected him to beg her to return to him, instead the replies he gave were the replies she wanted to hear.

  At least that’s what she thought she wanted, she wanted him to be happy that she was making her own decisions. She wanted him gone so she could be with the man she truly loved. She wanted him to accept the facts, suck up his pride, and believe that she was a better person for making the right decision in a tough situation. That’s what I wanted right?

  Michelle rubbed her head and whimpered around the house like a weeping dog. She wanted to run out of this run-down joke of a cottage and go back to Presley’s humble abode. Michelle imagined stuffing Jake’s charming ways and sweet nothings and under his pillow case so he could sleep on them every night. That way he could constantly be reminded of how false they were and eventually stop saying such things.

  Jake was evil