Keegan114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsN1cB09xq
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxW1s2OQ9p
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xhMdAm8Ah
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVTPntAWER
“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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hCWVa8nPv
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpVZ8FrFUf
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9evdWwTDyL
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLE19Lzl1Sj
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OIclRvKyW
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiqsu12rkE
“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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBVpi2rUE0
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0q8JA5uKV
“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.” 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42E3fnAv7r
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuOLumru60
“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?”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkVpChpE38
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡun7Z7OuHSb
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWMDe26akE
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIrBASVG1u
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpK2VsHUEr
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISWNqxKYES
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. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wQ7ahFYHc
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn78Pqchbz2
Until she opens her mouth again.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99Bpz9ijpg
“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—”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5n6OhfeKA
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIetswfy2P
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nY5OUhW3u
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVUY0I0Y3g
“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…”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZEDzvzvJM
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg3BCsFqK2
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfoHmB8pw7
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ANgMPh903
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIsmJsvht4
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2gMCPfCGB
“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.” 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfkFLsIoPZ
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIliTR56wXB
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljxc2cMzwT
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqbYlnD8v8
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuAzKBgSEY
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI98lxNVgZI
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHOfQdclMV
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpAu97K8as
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. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTGyYBw1oP
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKKoz2A1SN
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoDYHoSmz0
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYIdcMEAIv
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOBuT1Bqs7
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbKUk7BHs2
“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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LwAOyKl83
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBku3dDfj7L
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61lTbH4LLN
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfqI9hoeKM
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.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrFjnJUMX5
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhAVimHzMr
“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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQF0xLjAM65
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OHStTBG6C
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C1legHkOY
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr32S1eH8Gq
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.”114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxKc2AscCr
~~~
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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