Keegan117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxLrPvMuac
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJU9Q4bmx2h
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPmhEzVL1C
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEAIcbBhm6
“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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuezSkxtF4
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZo1uCUkc2d
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LaI0y6qb1
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEv4oNjCKWx
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92Ivbdhufr
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRthI9Dm4PU
“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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdqg8vkj4C
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuT4LsjvXm
“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.” 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgYsW8Xlr6
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVo6YkbNCJ
“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?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjih1MI1oK
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtNqJDGxZH
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCR5Pl2Ltf
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTACNwGtXUm
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTR5WEF4Sb
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcdhOKf5Yt
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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlTRNdOetV
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHhW0vQnW7
Until she opens her mouth again.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Lzlxx9jRD
“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—”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cgRtVn4Rr
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOW9BCqRPC
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO5Kb6qHDQ
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNntA1zsAJ
“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…”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4glMHBOLx
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKD8cXEcn7m
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1JVqMuCNn
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbLXhWkK4O
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbovf79xx71
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2CvLkXxXj
“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.” 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCVM3cDmmc
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBD6dR9ICr
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMY3HXhi5N
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7L7BCNMYe
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsSQo8VZtQ
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fCIDYhqRO
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiNdhImy5G
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNO3Et7kFD
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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JISG56Uae
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBykFroVJw1
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2ojArWRnm
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CKFpxXrHp
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj4c6VlfCg
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qdYfPsuot
“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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAe9PFzWiyQ
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEjU5heT6s
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FpYWLdb0e
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYERv5hMbD
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNPCbXvNoL
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtxgHZuda2
“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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2hy6d6KU5
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pwdulO9uM
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6jAftHVka
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHTGdOPU35
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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehOTrTQFDO
~~~
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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