Keegan127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpMkoPbN6S
“This is a story about love. And about hate.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSV0XTHztH
Rebecca Wolfe’s lush voice rises and falls as she looks into the camera; it almost sounds like she’s reciting a fairy tale. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMMid1J0N6
But it’s not a fairy tale. She’s talking about real people, real problems. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PkgY08rhM
“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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaTtw0KHbs
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1zHIE1K5O
She’s really piling it on thick. Blue, standing next to me and holding my hand, flinches at her words.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFGhl7iqZh
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI2nVftRVT
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxHdrwWlBu
Holmlund, standing a few feet away, fidgets at her words.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYnmjib42T
“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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvscHmPViS
Allie turns to glare at Holmlund, and he swells up like one of the scrappy roosters at the ranch.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVae6q6fTO6
“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.” 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQlZiWRzmD
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y0pFhdIsf
“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?”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4FOGuHtSB
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxo1IJSV0v
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYRlkbZzgM
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkGe2Vhi5d
After another moment of Holmlund’s ranting, Rebecca drops her microphone. “Cut! Goddammit, cut.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZ6KI0giha
She stomps over to Holmlund, her heels sinking into the brown grass. “What is the problem?” she snaps.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyy73iY1EE
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. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJmkqJVNKl
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3CJGvuqdd
Until she opens her mouth again.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBbH9gXqYp
“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—”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5AW3a9YZB
Holmlund and I start protesting at the same time, but Blue silences all of us with his quiet words. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRf9O0FiVm
“That’s right. You’re right. I grew up rich. And Monti, Hud, and Cunny all grew up without much money.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9nS0z3Wt8
All of us just stare at Blue for a moment.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ249TsMeqKu
“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…”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDCYEjBEer
His voice falters, and I loop an arm around him. Then I swing around to face Rebecca. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCmMlvGYaR
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEbZdtATgV
Brilliant. Insult one of the most powerful journalists in the country, Keegan. Very strategic.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSZSThPjwN
“I think we may have to cancel this interview,” Holmlund piles on, shaking his head and shooting me a look. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1Q03h276M
I guess I’m supposed to leave the verbal jousting to him. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UE9W9nFiA
“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.” 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIctoULD9b
“From a journalist of your stature, Ms. Wolfe, I expected an objective, open-minded approach. But this, this is the exact opposite of that.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5mqfD9R4i
Again the grave, theatrical shake of his head. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZ16GXwKrR
There’s no way he’s really canceling the interview. He’s just angling for better treatment. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVecG9g54Z
I can tell from the way Rebecca’s bright-red lips curve into a cynical smile that she’s not buying it either.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRz6urjZho
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqMbXMzQFD
She pauses dramatically, studying her bright red fingernails. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl3mjqkQCq
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6UduLyehc
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. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqb9eORFwL
It could even be the family members of the men who died. It’s inevitable some of them will give media interviews.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pTiONiC0V
But we were supposed to get our story out there first.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdZZC0tfzB
Rebecca turns back toward me and Blue. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWZ6fG4266
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NR8iDCxxD
No one says anything for a long, awkward moment.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjJYnV7idy
“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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCRqRxxZU9
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFQG7bLIpo
Holmlund makes some small, disagreeable sound, but we all know it’s just for show.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWefWpqAbIu
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBPHYdnJNh
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.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFQ31GhNW0
And Holmlund is probably right. That media storm may be the only thing that can save Blue.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElxaQ64S9I
“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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxtO7YJF7U
It’s like the three of us are frozen. We just stand there. Not even Holmlund says anything. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGFQj27e2N
“Still,” Rebecca sighs, turning on her heel, “if you’ve decided to cancel, that’s fine. That’s fine.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNBiIdbE4R
“Wait.” Blue tucks my hand into his arm as he says it and pulls me with him toward the camera. “We’ll do it.” 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMutpqX4JA
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.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBysWgLvbGG
~~~
Thanks for reading Tangled Up in Blue! More coming up soon. What do you think so far? Please like, share and follow this story!
ns18.218.131.147da2
