Keegan
Max seems to know something’s wrong.
He lets out a long, shuddering sigh and rests his paw on my shoulder. I take my eyes off the highway for a moment to squint at him.
I’ve managed to lose my sunglasses somewhere; I shouldn’t even need them. The sun’s not that strong early on a winter’s day. But I can barely keep my eyes open.
Maybe it’s because I’ve barely slept since my boyfriend, the love of my short life, the man it feels like I can’t breathe without, rejected every effort made to save him.
To keep us together.
It’s fair to say I’m angry about it. In fact, I’m so fucking mad at Blue I want to scratch his eyes out.
And now I have to tell his sweet mother the whole heart-breaking story he has kept from her all this time.
How the hell could Blue put this on me?
I’m still reeling from the shock of everything that’s happened in less than a week, and I haven’t heard from Blue since he got back on that damn bus. He’s probably locked in a cell or something and can’t get in touch. I’d rather think it’s that than consider that he’s choosing not to call me.
Max lets his paw slide down my arm, and I wince as his sharp nails go right through my old sweatshirt—the black one with white lettering that says Life is a Circus and I’m Stuck in the Freak Tent.
I had the dog ride in the front with me because Blue’s guitar is in the back. I’m driving Blue’s car, bringing it and the guitar to his mother, as he asked. Kendra’s supposed to meet me at Maria’s house in a couple of hours and give me a ride back to campus.
I told Kendra everything last night and watched her jaw drop lower and lower, until she finally held up a hand to stop me, as if she couldn’t stand to hear another word. She’d slinked away to her room then, surprisingly silent and looking stricken.
She’ll probably have plenty to say on the ride home.
The dog whimpers, and I take my hand off the steering wheel to run it over his head. “It’s okay, buddy,” I mutter. “We’re okay.”
He lets out a yip that I interpret as “bullshit.” And he’s right, of course. We are nowhere near okay.
A blasting car horn makes me jerk the steering wheel to the side.
“Shit!” I straighten the Coupe, then glance at the vehicle filling my rear-view mirror, the bass from its stereo system so loud it’s making my ear drums vibrate. The driver is screaming at me.
“Asshole,” I snarl in response, checking the speedometer.
I’d been so lost in thought I allowed the car to fall into old-lady-driving territory, and the 18-wheeler next to me is preventing this impatient dick from going around.
Still, it’s no excuse for tailgating.
The truck pulls ahead, and the asshole swerves his sports car around me, shoving a middle finger in my direction as he passes, just in case I haven’t already gotten the message.
“Right back at ya, motherfucker,” I mutter, speeding up to 70 and setting the cruise control.
I’ve got less than an hour until I reach Tulsa, until I have to look into Maria’s soft eyes and tell her the harsh truth.
I called her last night and asked if I could come see her this morning. I told her I had something urgent to talk to her about.
She’d sounded confused and then alarmed. She asked if Blue was with me, if she could talk to him. Instead of answering directly, I’d brushed her off, told her I’d explain everything the next day.
She probably didn’t have a restful night.
Max, head slumped on his front paws, lets out another long sigh. Blue asked me to take care of the dog, and I’ve brought him along to see if maybe his mother wants to keep him.
“Not that I want to get rid of you,” I assure Max as he opens his brown eyes and pins me with a look. “It’s just that. . .I don’t really know what to do.”
I’m not just talking about what to do with Max, of course. I don’t know what to do about all of it.
I’m skipping my classes and making excuses not to come into the newsroom. I can barely hold myself together.
Any other time, I’d have unloaded everything I’m feeling into my journal. But I haven’t been able to write in it since I found Megz holding it in her lying, thieving fingers.
I should just throw the damn thing away.
My phone buzzes in the console, and I know somehow before I even pick it up that it’s a text from her. The bitch seems to know whenever I’m thinking about her.
So your grandma’s fancy lawyers told me not to contact you but fuck that. WTF is happening? Is she getting the charges dropped or not? You better not be playing games with me.
“Oh, you bitch.” I grip the steering wheel and grind my teeth until it hurts. A week ago, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for me to hate anybody as much as I hate Megz right now.
I’m still reeling from the emotional whiplash: I’ve gone from considering this girl to be my best friend to hating her enough to kill her. Like literally put my hands around her neck and choke the life out of her.
It takes me a moment to realize Megz doesn’t know what’s happened in the last few days. She doesn’t know Blue turned himself in. She doesn’t know the deal is off, that the shoplifting charges against her will not be dropped.
In fact, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure they throw the book at her. I’m going to enjoy watching her get kicked out of OU and treated like the criminal she is.
I decide to get off the highway and hit a McDonald’s. I could use some caffeine and a few minutes to pull myself together.
I park in an empty spot after I leave the drive-thru and take a big sip of coffee, tearing into one of the hash browns I ordered. I’ve barely been able to eat or sleep for days.
Max is sitting up now, looking around at the cars and people coming and going. I run my free hand over his back and feel a pang of remorse about bringing him along.
Maybe I should have asked Maria first if she wants him. Maybe I could just keep him at the house with me.
Or I could take him to the ranch. He seemed to really like it there. He got lots of attention from the ranch hands, and he had several other mutts to pal around with.
Once again, Max rests his paw on my shoulder, like I’ve finally hit on the right solution. It’s uncanny the way he seems to be able to read my mind. Just like his owner.
I finish the coffee and my breakfast; I’ve just crammed the trash back into the bag when my phone starts ringing.
I sit there a moment, staring at it. Would Megz really have the gall to call me?
Yeah, she probably would. But it’s not Megz; it’s my grandmother.
I haven’t talked to her since she called two days ago to tell me Blue had rejected her friend Robert’s entreaty at the bus station.
For a second after I answer the phone, I don’t hear anything. “Virginia?”
“Keegan.” Her voice is hoarse, remote. “I have an attorney for Blue.”
“What?” I don’t know why I sound surprised; of course Blue needs a lawyer. But I hadn’t even thought of it.
“It’s Dan Holmlund,” she says as if I should know who that is. “He’s the best, especially for this type of situation.”
“Um...” I swallow a couple of times; my throat is suddenly dry. “That’s great?” Not sure why I sound so hesitant.
Virginia sighs, and I get the familiar feeling that I’ve disappointed her. “Dan will be going to the base as soon as possible,” she goes on, crisply. “He’ll do everything he can for Blue.”
I start to thank her, but she cuts me off.
“Normally, Dan would never be available on such short notice.” She pauses, and I hear her coughing. “But he owes me a favor.”
Of course he does. Virginia’s been collecting IOUs her whole life, I’ll bet. That’s how the game is played, and she figured that out a long time ago.
Max whines in the seat next to me. Virginia’s coughing again.
“Sorry,” she mutters after a few moments as I wonder if I should ask how she’s doing.
“Blue’s mother will have to pay Dan’s fee,” my grandmother adds. “I cannot do that.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to,” I say. “I’m. . .um. . .I’m actually on my way to her house in Tulsa right now. I’ll tell her about the lawyer. I—”
“What?” Virginia’s tone has sharpened. “Why? We should wait for Dan to advise us on everything we do. You should stay put.”
Oh, shit. Virginia doesn’t know that Maria doesn’t know. “Um. . .” I lick my dry lips.
Just tell her.
“Well, Maria—Blue’s mom—doesn’t know about any of this. She—” I hear Virginia gasp. “Well, it’s complicated. See, Blue asked me to tell her the whole story. He—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” My mouth falls open as I try to remember if I’ve ever heard Virginia Cooke drop an F bomb before. “He didn’t tell his own mother, but he dragged my granddaughter into this? And then he wants you to tell her?”
It sounds like she’s trying to suppress another cough. “How. . .” she sputters, “how dare he?”
I may not have heard my grandma say the F word before, but I’ve heard the tone she’s using now. It’s a tone that makes junior legislators quake in their boots. But as usual, it just pisses me off. Even though I’d kind of been thinking the same thing earlier.
“I’m not going to argue with you about this right now,” I snap. “Blue asked me to tell Maria, and that’s what I’m about to do. I don’t need a lecture.”
There’s a long pause. I can hear Virginia’s wheezy breathing.
“I really do appreciate what you’re doing, how you’re trying to help,” I go on, softening my voice.“Thank you for getting the lawyer. I know Blue will appreciate it, too.”
She lets out a skeptical snort. “Fine, Keegan. I’ll let you know when I hear from Dan.”
I thank her again, then end the call and let my phone slip into the console. Max is giving me his concerned expression.
“Maybe this lawyer can do something,” I assure him, allowing myself to feel a bit more hopeful. “Maybe he can save Blue after all.”
The sun is stronger now, and I smile as I squint at the buildings of downtown Tulsa I can see on the horizon. “Maybe it’ll all be okay.”
~~~
Thanks for reading Tangled Up in Blue! The next chapter --Friends in High Places--will be posted soon!
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