Keegan75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrcd0YobZW
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu66wxByRw1
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8yJpYbcXO
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwzltyEC6q
“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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFYOKfVQXY
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBRSRyI0UA
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPv2BVkvil
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDiQ6v27rh
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6D1zohYCN
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFxBrQw34X
“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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdOVgRs6yG
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wNx5msdAm
“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.” 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD550YZw8n
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSI3hHJNPy
“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?”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6Tg1qXbey
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4KAc45kbL
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5cLb7GYe5
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHccTg9DP4y
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa64Nd20rDs
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr87lNR16VB
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. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVL22NUzGh
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17Ytts5u6H
Until she opens her mouth again.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorvrw9YXFv
“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—”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4f14rvJxfQ
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSdN59BjeR
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu50TxEmu9N
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobrxzfKnuu
“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…”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJyPpsJEui
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCpSeK7bEi
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaee31DvxZE
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcVMeWPu1i
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4tlofVXs2
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcvbvnDonB
“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.” 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRX6uXrUm6z
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSpKP3c8eR
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXtmcHPT4F
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgCqoQbBpe
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZqxyDMRbk
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVbIlfLQSJ
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTESBpkMw64
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76bxELwLG6
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. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuPDGhdggY
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡok6mIXmVau
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSprICpTpje
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cOP26AUSs
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFau0ba5ir
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NEfXZ2GQD
“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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZIZednj9p
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsyu8Poeg8
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx96FRqTAO
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkexTIeEDtP
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqLGu52aQ0
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL81upIw2WC
“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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1xVyZj4V2
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡActL0ARcaj
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDC6syrKpP
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gCbvRc1n1
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.”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFsWZ9TBtb
~~~
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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