Keegan139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJ4Afzo66n
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqMmtj0Q4p
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD8VC7YoS0
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSIAiKkK5t
“This is a story about ambition and power,” Rebecca goes on, “heroism and heartbreak. It’s about two young lovers—rich college kids—just getting started in life. And about other young people who will never get a chance to live their lives, go to college.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E8vDuvMVG
“Young, brave men barely out of boyhood, men from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will never get married or have a child. Who will never grow old, never look back at all they’ve accomplished.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi55K2xsyf9
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunCj4PrHIA
We’re standing under a cloudy sky on the Oval, the center of campus. We’re just out of view of the camera trained on Rebecca, and we’ve been told to wait until she introduces us and then step into the shot together.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJstdYaD6ka
“This is also a story about friendship,” Rebecca intones. “And betrayal. Courage and cowardice. It’s an almost Shakespearean saga. It’s about telling the truth. And about a terrible lie.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWaYVs12BA
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQf9fXRi4c
“Un…fucking…believable,” he says loud enough to be heard by the producer, a woman named Allie, who is standing in front of Rebecca next to a burly, bearded cameraman.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdar7bdI55
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡll1OSgixxs
“This is not what we agreed to,” he says in a stage whisper, obviously wanting Rebecca to hear him. He slaps his palm against his forehead and walks a tight, angry circle before continuing. “This is absolutely not what we agreed to.” 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF5FTKCs0J
Allie moves toward Holmlund with her hands out, slowly lowering them as she tries to calm and quiet him. So, naturally, he raises his voice.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJ6CixedJn
“Allie,” he says, “what the hell is this about rich kids and disadvantaged backgrounds? What are you trying to do? Set up some kind of rich versus poor angle?”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBB6cecnxu
I look back and forth between Holmlund and Rebecca, who goes on speaking into the camera as her eyes shift ever so slightly toward her whispering producer, who is doing her best to contain our lawyer.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCpBfCkQjv
“Money has nothing to do with this story, and you know it,” Holmlund goes on. “I was promised an objective interview. And what’s stuff about a terrible lie? That’s editorializing.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTiANFlNgI
Blue’s eyes are fixed on Rebecca, but I’m not sure he’s really watching her. He has that look he sometimes gets when he is seeing something other than what’s in front of him.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS6lqKlyRo
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlgd1OI03h
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBx2pfJuJA
This close, I realize she’s older than I’d initially thought. Wrinkles brackets her eyes at the temples, and two heavy frown lines between her brows are in full force. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eVDbiA68e
At least she hasn’t botoxed her face into an emotionless mask. As a public figure, the pressure to do that is probably intense. I like her a little better for resisting.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqBc4qE5ew
Until she opens her mouth again.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxw1p8p6F9
“I told you up front that I would go where the facts take me in this story,” she says evenly, her gaze flickering over me and Blue before coming back to Holmlund’s contorted face. “And it’s a fact that these two had every possible advantage growing up and that the boys in Mr. Daniels’ unit, the boys who went out looking for him, who went out to save him from his own—”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRNBP7mP63
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rjrRX6l88
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwsGNXelMp
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0m2HDNBbzJ
“But what I did,” he goes on, “and what they did, had nothing to do with money. I enlisted in the Army. I didn’t have to do that. I wanted to. I wanted to serve my country. And those guys didn’t have to go out looking for me. They wanted to find me and bring me back. They were my brothers. They were…”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIiQ5OOx6c
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJp75E6pHS
“Are you even interested in hearing our story, hearing the truth?” I hiss. “Or are you just looking to sensationalize it, turn me and Blue into some kind of friggin’ media circus? That’s not journalism, that’s just…just… pathetic.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZBv5t70Qw
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcWnlirtvv
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioJ1JH8WOd
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUN7zkVy3Z
“It’s obvious,” he adds in the portentous tone I already recognize as part of his act, “that my clients are not going to be treated fairly.” 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgpdjsUHmU
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUIeLafeaK
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JvlDcKp2E
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8NQgLRpSt
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqbYMsXY44
“The stupidest thing you could do at this point,” she says calmly, looking only at me and Blue, “is to walk away. It’s too late to stop this story from getting out there.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxBDj3SeW6
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8R8S3SMxl
“Whether you go through with the interview or not,” Rebecca goes on, “I’m doing a whole hour on it. Tonight. I’ve got other sources I can put on camera. I’m pretty good at getting people to talk to me.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4ilPPr8Q8
I can’t help taking a sharp, audible breath, instantly think about Megz. Would she really break the NDA she signed and risk getting thrown out of OU to appear on TV? Or could it also be people from Fort Sill? Lots of people there now know what Blue did. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6E6yka3Le
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2xCUy5MUu
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixBnyAsMQo
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYggez2O8P1
“As for Keegan and Blue, I need a decision now on whether they’re continuing with the interview. We’re on a tight schedule here.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq8oIPQQqq
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40OQXZ4kmh
“This story is going to be big,” Rebecca continues, ramming home her point. “The rich, powerful families involved, the life-and-death drama of it all. The love story. The media and public are going to eat it up.” Her voice has softens just a little.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKk85uhZEu
“Your attorney knows this,” she adds, her eyes raking Holmlund. “That’s why he called me. That’s why he desperately wants you to do this interview with me.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLPAaXLCQb
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3OUAvp8Nn
“So let’s stop playing games,” Rebecca wraps up, her tone crisp, dismissive. “This is your chance to tell the world your story. After today, it’s not going to be a media circus like Keegan said. It’s going to be a media storm. I don’t think you two really understand what’s about to rain down on you.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhzGSXouIE
I’m a friggin’ journalism major. I’ve followed the news as long as I can remember. Especially in the internet age, I do understand. And it scares the shit out of me. But I don’t want Blue to know that.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KSBTbFn1z
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLE8TQorCHS
“You need to have the whole story—your side of it—out there from the beginning,” Rebecca says. “And there’s no one who can give you a bigger audience than me.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJVul6t6e0
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyIzzDTMDC
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVFVBmvWeg
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5Mrx9xbQX
He takes a deep breath, and then his whole body seems to deflate. “Of course we’re going to do it. I just. . .never mind. Let’s get it over with.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYxnsaEIVS
~~~
Thanks for reading Tangled Up in Blue! More coming up soon. What do you think so far? Please like, share and follow this story!
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