Keegan118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguHU2q8HwD
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnWuHhss5L
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohEwbx678R
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5C8pzuLLt
“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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwkSMNVgGS
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLptYSQUQXH
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NlXlPgmrN
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuDof9d5dr
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPPU8Dtyyr
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGFnTftcdL
“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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXET2Pr0MVz
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I4oRodld3
“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.” 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnygRZEpdPq
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwjnF3Ft6x
“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?”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZy6oaqMdw
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt6jRw7BLc
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbPSlMxRlR
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQaW3Ac0Ua
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SkPUYsCqt
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolAtk4Sagt
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. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9BUt1ojJM
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzB7IucA9e
Until she opens her mouth again.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQnUaSXNFe
“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—”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3BuQqqHyy
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx7EC5LcW1
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8EVNt77pN
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOkEQBaldD
“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…”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP515WfgxUm
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzM4OdOG7js
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnh8yRKypkl
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkHUflPurb
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAHkRsKMdw
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YsIo2hQ3q
“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.” 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMuhx5i2MV
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hyvGhSzSG
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ585TYddgnU
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uEgydaIW0
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡno2jxxAkms
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwyjJktNlY
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeD4KfCtN1
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IujmHnHpX
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. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OszrRc73H
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDj0fSGOac
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wBZF9YJx7
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqMn1OrsLG
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFE5JXM7pl
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjPlPes2u8
“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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS2aVfmll1
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqnVfQhlOj
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8ylcZYPav
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9GgRcF28w
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq9sAyb6xA
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqdcPH1a4f
“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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXLvEcM878
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZBjNZDLhr
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYYILRYHhQ
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX09uVoxxKu
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.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFyBxYe7qU
~~~
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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