"I would like to understand how such a thing could have happened!" Dylan couldn't sit down.
"Mr. Mckay, we're trying to figure out too, who made that CD and how it ended up on the CDs scheduled for the evening"
"Dylan sit down, please" Brenda told him sadly.
"My daughter was humiliated..." Dylan replied, he couldn't bear to see Blanca locked in her room for days without eating.
"Blanca is welcome when she will get back to school. Students quickly forget. We are available to give all the psychological support your daughter needs. It was ten seconds of footage that few noticed, the topic of the day is already another."
Brenda sighed. She knew they wouldn't find a culprit. The West Bev had two thousand students. It could have been any of them. Someone who by chance had seen the thing between Nate and Blanca and filmed it.
Dylan had not satisfaction and Brenda knew him very well. If he could, Dylan would have gone to search and check on every single student.
"My door is always open for Blanca," said Mrs. Miller, "it's more the fear of the first day than anything else."
Brenda and Dylan shook hands with Miller and walked out of the office.
"Dylan you can't react that way to people."
"I don't understand why you're not upset, our daughter has been locked in the room for a week, she refuses to talk to us, she refuses to talk to anyone, and she doesn't eat, and she was humiliated":
"We can only open our hearts Dylan, if Blanca sees you angry she will think she did something wrong and she did nothing wrong."
"You knew she had a thing with Nate and you didn't tell me anything, you allowed him to come to our house every day."
"That's not the point Dylan, it's a thing born suddenly and Blanca wanted to clarify her ideas first before talking to you about it."
'Why?' Dylan said
"Because when it comes to her or our family you are rigid and protective and was afraid to disappoint you".
"This is absurd..." Dylan whispered.
Brenda stroked his cheek with love "our problem now is to help Blanca then we'll think about the rest of the world."
In the parking lot Dylan and Brenda saw Brandon's SUV and Kelly's car.
They waited for Brandon and Kelly to get out of their cars, they both had dark faces.
They were all adults but they couldn't do anything the embarrassment was taking over.
"Hei" they hugged softly.
"We have a date at Miller's because of the beatings Nate and Samuel gave each other on Spring Dance night," Brandon said.
Kelly didn't say a word, she hated that whole situation and although reasonable, she subconsciously blamed Blanca for her son's transformation. Samuel was a good guy but suddenly she couldn't recognise him anymore. Precisely since he started that thing with Blanca.
Brenda knew exactly what Kelly was thinking but decided to ignore her. It would not have started the Third World War.
"How is Samuel?" Brenda asked sincerely worried.
"He's fine," Brandon replied but he couldn't hide the imbalance of that moment "and Blanca?"
"She's not well," Dylan replied harshly, "these assholes have humiliated her in front of everyone. Maybe it was someone who was mad at her or Nate, someone, who had an interest in hurting her."
Dylan's gaze swudge between Brandon and Kelly and it was Kelly who got nervous almost immediately.
"Don't you think it was Samuel?" She said with a stern look.
"I don't know who was," Dylan replied with his arms folded.
'Okay' tried to intervene Brenda 'I think we should all calm down'
"Yes, I think so too," Brandon replied, "maybe it's better to postpone this conversation to another time... we have to go," he said, addressing Kelly.
The two couples coldly greeted each other with their own worries and troubles.
Joe and Samuel were also in Professor Miller's Office.
The boy was with his head down, he hadn't talked to anyone for days, he showed up at classes but thought about his own business, the only one he was talking to was Jake. A constant presence, with his world apart, his joints , his beer and his world on the roof of the school.
Samuel no longer wanted to see the faces and those rooms that once belonged to him, every morning Emma waited for him for training but he had never showed up, yet Emma waited with the hope of seeing him arrive and Samuel watched her from the window. Five, ten minutes, then Emma would activate the stopwatch and leave and Samuel would retire to his room.
At school he avoided anyone.
He didn't know exactly what had hurt him the most, he couldn't give him a name, if Blanca, if Nate, if those images, if the feeling to be betrayed and even his parents' attempts to talk to him had been useless and in vain.
Mrs. Miller cleared her voice.
"We don't tolerate violence Samuel, never, and we don't even want to know why you threw yourself that way at Nate, I thought you were fraternal friends," Mrs Miller continued.
"You are grounded for the next 15 days, you have an obligation to attend classes. You will have to show up here every morning at 07.00 and help the coach in the arrangement of the camp and changing rooms. You will not be able to participate in any sporting activity."
Samuel kept his head just under the gaze of Brandon and Kelly. This was his punishment but he would not rebel.
"The same punishment was imposed on Nate, so you will be forced to live together and if you are smart enough you will also be forced to solve your problems."
The idea of spending time with Nate made Samuel's anger mount who clenched his fists in silence, he didn't want to talk to Nate, he didn't want to do anything with Nate, Nate didn't exist for him, they had nothing, he didn't want to have anything with him.
When Miller had finished she said goodbye to Brandon and Kelly and Samuel went back to class.
"I don't understand how you stay so calm" Kelly was evidently angry and had pointed Brandon as an outlet.
Brandon turned to her "don't try to blame me Kelly, we're both responsible for his upbringing, maybe we spoiled him too much, protected him too much".
"Would you like to say that it's my fault?" Kelly replied she was evidently leading to the most uncontrolled anger and could say things against her husband that she would regret.
"I'm not saying this Kelly but I'm saying exactly the opposite, that is, that we are both responsible"
"So what do we do?" She asked with a bewildered look.
"I think we could ask Valerie to take him to work at the Pit after school, I think working can do him good"
Kelly was not enthusiastic about the idea but perhaps having some daily endeavours that required sacrifice could have helped Samuel distract him, be resilient.
"So your solution is to get him to the Pit .. "
"Do you have any better ideas at the moment Kelly? Do you want to talk about it here on the street in this parking lot?"
"I want to talk to you about it. Because it looks like you don't want to see," she replied.
"What do you want from me Kelly?"
"I want you to say that..."
"Say what? What do you want me to say?"
"That Samuel is a failure for you ... and that you can't stand failure, you don't want to see it"
Brandon was hurt by the words of a Kelly and Kelly regretted it immediately afterwards.
He stared at her for a long time.
Kelly quickly looked at her watch "I have to go to class" she said without waving to her husband. Not even a kiss as she usually gave him.
She turned her back and got in the car with all her word debts.
XX
Blanca's cell phone lit up. She pulled down the screen to see the advance of the message. It was Nate's "can we talk? I miss you."
Blanca opened the message and watched it for a long time, decided not to answer and placed the phone next to her.
She saw from the window her parents parking the car in the driveway, saw Luke and Lee Ann come down as cheerful as ever, and the cheerfulness of her siblings made her smile.
After a few minutes Brenda and Dylan knocked on her door.
"Hi honey"
Blanca smiled faintly.
Dylan cleared his voice "we've been talking to Mrs Miller. We got what happened to you, believe me, believe me, we understand it, but we think it's time for you to go back to school, you need to go back to your life, to your friends."
Blanca looked down, she knew she should come back but didn't feel like seeing anyone again. A few tears began to wet her face.
Brenda was moved and stared to tell:
"They once gave me an interview in high school. I thought I was good, I had spoken honestly, certain of some flaws but above all of the merits of my friends. When the interview was aired they had cut and glued and I turned out to be a horrible one, it seemed like I had talked about anyone and the whole school was angry with me. I wanted to move abroad for fear of having to deal with the whole thing with others but in the end I went back to school and realised that it was more the fear of returning than walking in those corridors.
You didn't do anything wrong Blanca it wasn't you who got it wrong."
Dylan approached his daughter and hugged her tightly "don't you want to start talking to anyone? Why don't we call Emma and invite her to dinner, she's always been your friend, let us help you."
Blanca was aware that sooner or later she would have to deal with the whole thing and she didn't want to disappoint her parents and not even Xavier and Isabel waiting to hear from her, she didn't even know what she was doing locked in that room, the days were slipping under her fingers and the more passed the worse it would be, it was a chain that wan't necessary.
Blanca looked up, her tears had almost crystalised in her eyes, she looked at Dylan, let herself be pampered by her father's embrace.
"Yeah" she said "it would be nice if Emma could come to dinner tonight"
Dylan kissed his daughter's forehead and Brenda smiled.
Finally some light filtrered from the windows of Blanca's life.
XX
After the training, Joe stayed in his office. He had some things to deal with urgently. From the window he could see both Nate and Samuel. Both in two opposite sides of the field. He shook his head because Joe noticed that a deep crack had been created between the two, a crack that even if healed would certainly leave a deep scar between the two boys. A keloid they would touch every time they touched each other. The practical problem for Joe is that Samuel was the team's quaterback and Nate his first defender. How could they ever play together if they didn't trust each other, if it was difficult for them to even look each other in the face, or address the word.
Nate looked at Samuel from time to time who instead seemed determined to turn his back and not give him the grace of a look. He took the bag with the balls and approached him fearing his reaction. The fact was that Nate really loved Samuel, they had met when they were still children and had never broken up.
"Samuel, can we talk?"
Sam didn't answer and he didn't turn around.
"Come on Sam.. we've been friends for a lifetime, you're my brother"
He saw Samuel stop his movements, suspend all his thoughts for a few seconds.
"We are nothing Nate, it seems quite obvious to me, now leave me alone, we have to live together in this punishment for 15 days, ignore me and I will ignore you. That's all I have to tell you, I swear you'll never hear my voice again for life."
"Nate," Samuel sighed, trying to grab his arm.
"What?" Samuel turned around "what do you expect me to tell you. I was your brother, you said it, and it never occurred to you to tell me that you were fucking Blanca."
"Nothing like that happened between me and Blanca"
Samuel pressed Nate "and tell me how it is ... she was well?"
"Samuel stop it. don't be mean. I'm in love with her, as much as you are, and for a long time, it's precisely because you're my brother I've never made a single move towards her."
"In love.." Samuel sighed.
"In love," Nate repeated.
"I wished you a lot of happiness," Samuel said sarcastically, "you two no longer exist."
Samuel threw the balls on the ground and walked away under the eyes of Nate and Joe who had heard the whole scene.
Joe sighed but didn't try to stop Samuel, everyone needs their own time, everyone has their own reaction to the wounds of life.
XX
Samuel ran to look for Jake, he knew exactly where he would find him.
"Hey Walsh, it's been a long time since you're seen"
Samuel didn't say a single word, grabbed a can of beer and swallowed enterely.
"Wow Walsh, you're in a bad mood"
Samuel said nothing and sat on the ground with his back to the wall.
"They told me that your beautiful one fucked by your friend, Walsh"
Samuel closed his eyes. Jake was a disgusting friend but at least he was direct.
Samuel pulled out twenty dollars and took Jake's joint and another beer.
"Slow down Walsh, classes aren't finished yet, if you walk around drunk it might be a problem."
They heard the screams of Sanchez coming from the athletics field. Samuel got up a little bit to take a look.
Emma was running eight hundred metres, she could keep up with the others, but you could see that she was still struggling to take her breath at those speeds. Sanchez kept yelling at her, actually yelling at all of them, but especially at her, at Emma. Samuel was seized with hatred. He thought of going down and taking him by the lapel or drowning his face in the toilet. Stop shouting he thought. Stop shouting.
His malaise had never really bled down, he had always been there inside him, Blanca and Nate were just the straw they had blown the camel's back, he actually knew he had lost Blanca long before Nate's arrival, but the idea of abandonment shocked him from the inside.
When he believed Dylan was his father, there were more days when he saw him leave than he was with him, his fragile mother who was always alone, even Brandon once left because he, Sammy, had lied.
Samuel sissed the beer again. He closed his eyes. His head hurt.
XX
Dylan was in his studio. He was working on the centre chapters of his new book.
"Hey handsome boy," Brenda told him as she approached.
Dylan smiled.
"It looks like you're pretty concentrated "
"Maybe I found a way to make the story even more interested"
Brenda put a hand through his hair.
"Yes me too" and raised her eyebrow with a mischievous look "you know I was thinking"
"To what?"
"That since I'm sixteen I've never stopped wanting you, all of a sudden"
"That's why you came here?"
"Yes," Brenda nodded, "the fact that Blanca decided to go back to school makes me feel much better, and I was wondering if by any chance, you wanted to satisfy your wife."
"Baby, you drive me crazy every time I see you."
"you better" Brenda replied with a mischievous smile.
Dylan ran his hands over her hips, lifting the soft dress Brenda was wearing. He lifted her up and made her sit on the desk. He began to kiss her neck by totally unbuttoning her dress and uncovering her naked hers. He touched with his lips every inch of that white skin that was a vital source for him, sucked the hard nipples of Brenda who loved to look at Dylan's mouth on her, he easily found the elastic of her briefs , and slid the lace to the ground as he slipped his fingers in her hot gole and began to give her pleasure. One, two, three, sank faster and faster. Brenda had her orgasm on his hands. She tried to calm her breath and unbuttoned his pants.
"Turn around," Dylan told him, "I want ti Fuck you from behind."
Brenda went down barefoot. She took off her dress which was now a tenuous Defence. She rested her hands on the desk as Dylan gave her quick thrusts by sinking his face over her back and neck.
Brenda wanted to beg him to go even faster, her entire body moving with his thrusts as Dylan held her by the hips and felt him enjoy.
XX
"Mr. Walsh, I am Mrs. Miller"
Brandon had just finished his team meeting and was returning to the Office.
"I tried to call your wife but she doesn't answer me," Miller continued, keeping a worried tone.
"Yes" Brandon said looking at the clock "at this time she has two hours of class"
"I understand," said Miller, "Mr. Walsh, I think it is the case that you come here immediately, we surprised Samuel drunk and in the company of another student with some joints."
The news was a hole in Brandon's heart.
'Mr. Walsh?'
"Yes," Brandon said, recovering "the time to get out of the office and come, please Mrs. Miller don't call my wife, I prefer to warn her."
Brandon took his jacket, alerted Betty that he was taking a few hours of leave and ran to her car. The distance between CBS and school was a smave of dark thoughts. Maybe Kelly was right, maybe he never realised who his son was and the discomfort he felt. Several times he looked for Kelly's number on the column. If he had called she would certainly have answered him, but he didn't even know what exactly he could tell her.
He preferred to get to school and realise Samuel's condition.
When he arrived Samuel was in the infirmary.
He had a red face and shiny eyes consumed by alcohol and God knows what else. He stood up.
Samuel looked at his father with a grin mixed with the shame and brazenness of his years.
Brandon didn't say a word in front of Miller.
"Let's go home"
For Mrs Miller, of course, the appointment was only postponed to another day.
Samuel and Brandon got in the car.
"I'm not drunk dad, that..."
"Shut up Samuel.. I have no desire to talk to you about it right now."
He had a vinous breath, it was clear that he had drunk and probably even smoked some Marijuana.
"I can't believe Samuel.. look at you"
"You're disappointed huh? But of course the great Brandon Walsh with a son that a failure, for you it must be a nice shame"
Brandon looked at his son with shocked eyes "is that what you think Sam? That I am perfect? That I was never wrong?"
"oh no, you are not, For starters, you didn't deign to be seen for the first five years of my life... "
"This is unfair and you know it.."
"Do you know what, dad?" Sam whispered "I hate you"
"What did you say Sam?"
Samuel looked his father straight in the eye.
"That I hate you... I hate you all," cried Samuel as he reached out his hand on the steering wheel.
"Jesus Christ Samuel keep your hands off the steering wheel" Brandon was trying to take his son's hands off, now at the mercy of alcohol and overwhelmed by the confrontation with his own father, Brandon tried to brake desperately, but they were going too fast and the impact with the guardrail was devastating".
The last thing Sammy saw was his father's face.
Then a long whistle.
Then dark.
