ooooo

"You and Michael have been friends for a very long time, go to the same school and study in the same class. Your group of friends often spend time together." "Today, as always, you decided to hang out together. Everyone was just having fun, but you notice Michael going somewhere. Some time passes and you decide to go and find him. It was evening, so it was getting dark outside and a cool breeze was blowing. You go outside and see him standing and smoking leaning against the car."

"[Michael takes a drag from his cigarette]" "Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some fresh air." "[He blows the smoke out and leans against the car]" "What's up? Why did you come looking for me?"

"[Michael smirks]" "Well, I appreciate the concern. You always know how to make me feel special, Jer." "[He takes another drag from his cigarette and looks at Jeremy]" "Wanna join me?"

"[Michael exhales his smoke]" "I gotta be honest, man. Today's been pretty rough. I got into a fight with my dad again last night." "[He takes another drag from his cigarette]" "It's just always the same thing, you know? He never listens to me."

"[Michael shrugs]" "Just the usual stuff. He wants me to work for him, but I don't want to. It's not what I want to do with my life." "[He takes another drag from his cigarette]" "But he just doesn't get it. And then he starts talking about how I'm wasting my potential and all that crap."

"[Michael lets out a sigh and stubs out his cigarette]" "Honestly, yeah. Let's go grab some food or something. My treat." "[He stands up and stretches]" "I could use a distraction."

"[Michael puts his hands in his pockets]" "Hmm, how about we hit up that new burger place that opened downtown? I heard they have really great shakes." "[He starts walking towards his car]" "You coming, Jer?"

"[Michael chuckles]" "You always know how to make me laugh, Jer." "[He unlocks the car and gets in]" "Get in. Let's go grab some burgers and shakes!"

"[Michael stumbles out of the car and leans against it]" "Thanks, man. You're a real lifesaver." "[He giggles]" "I think I may have had a bit too much to drink."

"[Michael nods and lets Jeremy help him inside]" "Thanks, Jer. I owe you one." "[He leans against the wall as he takes off his shoes]" "Ah, feels good to take these off. I don't think my feet have ever hurt this much before."

"[Michael nods and follows Jeremy upstairs]" "Man, you have a nice house. Do you think your dad would adopt me?" "[He laughs]" "I think I could use a change of scenery."

"[Michael chuckles]" "Hey, we may not be brothers by blood, but we're still brothers, right?" "[He grins]" "And you've always been there for me. I just wanted to show you some love, man."

"[Michael laughs]" "Maybe just a bit." "[He releases his grip and steps back]" "I'm sorry, Jer. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"[Michael grins]" "That's good to hear." "[He yawns]" "Anyway, I think I'm gonna head on to bed now. Thanks for everything. You're the best." "[He gives Jeremy a small hug and then goes into the guest room to sleep off his drunkenness]"

"[Michael grins before slowly walking up to Jeremy's door]" "Thanks, man. You're a real bro." "[He opens the door and stumbles inside]" "I owe you one."

"[Michael wraps his arms around Jeremy]" "Goodnight, Jer." "[He yawns]" "Thanks for taking care of me tonight. I know I can always count on you."

"[Michael wakes up slowly and yawns before sitting up and stretching]" "Good morning, Sue. Sorry to have caused any trouble last night." "[He rubs his eyes]" "I hope it wasn't too much."

"[Michael smiles at Suzie and gives her a small hug back]" "Thanks, Sue. You always know how to make me feel better." "[He turns to Jeremy and grins]" "And thanks for the translation, Jer. I appreciate it."

"[Michael listens to Jeremy's rant and nods]" "I feel you, man. That's tough on you. But you know what they say, blood is thicker than water. Maybe one day he'll come around." "[He pats Jeremy on the shoulder]" "But in the meantime, you're doing an awesome job taking care of your sister. And I'm always here for you, whether you need to vent or just hang out."

"[Michael grins]" "Yeah, they're doing okay. Evan's still a crybaby as usual, but he's my little brother so I can't help but tease him. And Liz is definitely still interested in that 'Circus Baby' animatronic my dad made. She's always been fascinated with it for some reason." "[He yawns and rubs his eyes]" "But I'm just glad I don't live with them anymore."

"[Michael nods]" "Yeah, definitely. Living with Ms. Schmidt is great. She's nice, caring, and she doesn't treat me like total crap like my dad does. And my mom, well...she's doing okay, I guess. I don't see her as much as I used to, but it's still nice to catch up with her every now and then." "[He smiles]" "Plus, I get to have sleepovers with my best buddy and eat delicious pancakes like this, so that's always a plus."

"[Michael raises an eyebrow]" "Sure, what's up?"

"[Michael's eyes widen with alarm]" "What? Are you serious?" "[He stands up]" "Dude, that's "not" good. You need to stay away from that thing." "[He rubs his forehead in frustration]" "I think I know what that is. That doll with the camera inside, it sounds like my dad's animatronic creation, Mangle. And if it's torn up like that, then that means...it's probably not safe to be around."

"[Michael frowns]" "I don't know, man. It's possible, but I doubt it. Callie's not really the digging type." "[He sighs]" "We can try calling out to her, or maybe going out in the backyard to look for her."

"[Michael puts a hand on Jeremy's shoulder comfortingly]" "I know, man. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now." "[He looks despondent]" "It's just...it's so messed up. I can't believe this happened to Suzie." "[He takes a deep breath]" "You know we're here for you, right? Me and all our friends. Whatever you need, just tell us."

"[Michael pulls Jeremy into a hug]" "It's not your fault, man. None of this is your fault. You couldn't have known what was going to happen." "[He rubs Jeremy's back soothingly]" "I know it doesn't make it easier, but...just try to remember that."

"[Michael rubs Jeremy's back soothingly]" "I know, I know. We'll find whoever did this, I promise. But let's not do anything that might make things worse, okay?" "[He looks up and sees William watching them]" "And...let's try to stay cool around my dad. I know he's...not the best, but he's still an authority figure."

"[Michael stands up as well, trying to calm Jeremy down]" "I know, I know, man. And I don't blame you for being angry. But we need to keep our heads on straight if we want to do something about this." "[He puts a hand on Jeremy's shoulder]" "Whatever we do, it needs to be strategic. We can't just lash out blindly and risk getting hurt ourselves."

"[Michael kneels down next to Jeremy, putting his arms around him]" "I know, I know. And I can't even imagine what you're going through." "[He continues rubbing Jeremy's back]" "But you have us, okay? You have me, and our friends. We'll be here for you, no matter what."

"[Michael's voice is soft and comforting]" "I know, man. It's not fair. It's not right." "[He continues to hold Jeremy]" "We'll do whatever we can to make sure she gets justice. I promise."

"[Michael sees Jeremy's state and rushes over to him, gently taking the whiskey bottle out of his hand]" "Jeremy, man...what are you doing?" "[He sets the bottle down somewhere safe]" "You can't just...drown your sorrows like this. It's not going to make anything better."

"[Michael shakes his head, but also smiles a little]" "Me? I'm doing fine, man. But...what about you? You can't keep doing this to yourself." "[He brushes Jeremy's hair out of his face]" "You need to talk to someone about what happened, Jer. You can't just keep everything bottled up."

"[Michael looks at Jeremy with concern]" "I know, man. And I'm sorry about that. But you don't have to go to a therapist if you don't want to." "[He takes a deep breath]" "But...maybe talking to me could help? Or one of our friends? You don't have to be alone in this."

"[Michael nods and stands up]" "Alright, man. I'll be right back." "[He heads to the kitchen to fill up a glass of water for Jeremy]"

"[Michael sits down next to Jeremy, putting a hand on his back]" "I know, man. I can't even imagine how scary that must have been for you." "[He pauses]" "But...you didn't do anything wrong. You couldn't have saved her, no matter how hard you tried."

"[Michael's voice softens as he listens]" "I know, Jer. I can't even imagine how much you're hurting right now. But...you can still remember her. And you can keep her memory alive." "[He rubs Jeremy's back]" "She'll always be with you, man. In your heart."

"[Michael looks at the picture of Jeremy and Suzie, his heart heavy]" "I know, man. And...we'll figure out who did this to her. I promise." "[He puts his hand on Jeremy's shoulder]" "And until then...she knows you love her, Jer. She always knew that."

"[Michael looks at Jeremy with a serious expression]" "Yeah. He was." "[He hesitates for a moment before continuing]" "But that's...that's not important right now, Jer. We need to focus on you and helping you feel better."

"[Michael's face goes pale as Jeremy speaks]" "Jer...what are you saying?" "[He swallows hard]" "You can't possibly be suggesting that my dad...that he had something to do with Suzie's death?"

"[Michael's eyes dart around as he processes Jeremy's words]" "That...that's a really serious accusation, Jer. You can't just say something like that without any proof." "[He stands up]" "And besides, what would my dad have to gain from something like this?"

"[Michael rubs his forehead]" "Jer...I don't know what to say. I mean, I don't want to believe it, but...you might be right." "[He looks down at the ground]" "I never really realized how strange my dad's behavior was until you pointed it out just now."

"[Michael feels his own eyes welling up with tears]" "I am so sorry, Jer. I had no idea...I never would have imagined that my dad could do something like that." "[He kneels down beside Jeremy, putting a hand on his shoulder]" "I'll do whatever it takes to help you get justice for Suzie, man."