Keegan76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEgOYCo0GR
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF7R4rNuW2
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFsEp5joOg
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArCuu0MhkQ
“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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6vD2ttbWx
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr3h07aPdb
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTSJ4J1JDE
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtGFACx14P
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq78NEpt6hj
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzacfb149u
“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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysflSHcrDW
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXv7lj70tvL
“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.” 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpM2oFZZ1D
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB59w1PQ9OZ
“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?”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4JYM1ED3Y
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBDKyKYLnp
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktHlqDIFrE
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWfnMbGQbl
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXSgXX4LHf
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Wk1D1dzlA
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. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslqoXL0AQ6
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1gVZbXJsQ
Until she opens her mouth again.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBe2rqN61K
“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—”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUtkrkpUue
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEu3zWRfEZz
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWKUViCqS4
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBlmny3Eyb
“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…”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lUgW6yfBi
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8N9EZqnye
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJANuXxSrH
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnonRCCD8d8
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwceDb5Nb0
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01I8qLAx70
“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.” 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoxf0oGwJu
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5mhHTB8GN
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7AHcYeZZf
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fP2CPfWsF
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡog2vGTRegV
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dqTy968Cr
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVwil8kcbI
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5voSyPq1Fa
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. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOd01MocKL
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09xfmMKRQQ
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AMCmBy2Do
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk5ZCGB9pt
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrstpxKD9on
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6iy7SMp3Q
“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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzCszBfMin
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Y73LJoLny
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWK8U4rMgcr
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkceUKETMEA
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwydTrweYC
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxVudyVdlL
“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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqIEXABYoW
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnaeJrYrVb
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2viDLfEBOd
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBPIIOj8PR
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.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAQkQH9Crg
~~~
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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