Graceland: Family Affair

Chapter Seven

I slip my shoes on and head towards the top of the stairs with Paul. This is going to be interesting to say the least. He is going to have a lot of questions to answer and blanks to fill.

            "Just a 'bit' of explaining to do?!" I fold my arms as we go downstairs. "You have a lot of explaining to do!" I finally feel like all the frustration that I've been trying to keep a lid on since the Director told me that I'd been transferred is about to come pouring out – and Paul can tell it is. He firmly takes me arm and talks in a low volume into my ear.

            "Sit on it for another few minutes...just until we get somewhere private...okay?" He says almost inaudibly. I'm predicting it's going to be World War Three when we get somewhere private. We exit out through the double door that lead from the kitchen/lounge area and out onto the beach. The beach isn't as crowded as before – in fact, it's almost empty on the beach area surrounding the Graceland house. We walk until we're out of earshot of the house and towards the campfire spot that I know Paul and the other guys like to sit by most nights. Paul stops walking and I'm stood with my back to him looking at the ocean.

            "Okay...you can let it out now!" He says snidely, folding his arms.

            "What?" I slowly turn around to face him.

            "I figured that you probably have some kind of opinion that you'd want to get off your chest!" He replies, facing me, but not looking directly at me. He's lucky that the unlit campfire is between us.

            "Oh!" I exclaim, throwing my arms in the air. "So I'm allowed an opinion now, Paul?! Well, thank you! Thank you so much!" I yell. "I wasn't sure if I was allowed one anymore seeing as you didn't actually ask me whether I wanted to come here or not – you just demanded it instead! Is that how you get what you want?! By just demanding things?! You snap your fingers and you get things your way! Exactly how superstar Agent Paul Briggs wants it!" I can feel my face burning up, and my hands are shaking with anger.

            "That's not true", he says, trying to shrug of my comment as he shakes his head at me.

            "Well then how come I'm not in D.C. right now?! Huh, Paul?! Where is the D.C. desk job that I wanted?! You knew...you knew how much I wanted to go to D.C. – I worked so hard to get there! I graduated top of my class, Paul!"

            "I know...I'm proud of you!" He smiles. He's not taking me seriously at all, and this makes me scream in frustration.

            "What is wrong with you?! Do you not see how wrong this is?! But you've made a habit of that, haven't you?!"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "Mike!" I shout. "Mike told me that he didn't get to go to D.C. because of you! I mean, how did that even happen?! Did you request for him to come here too?! Do you have a thing for Agents that graduate top of the class?!" My arms are flying around in rage again, and I can't stand still.

            "I didn't request it...That wasn't why he came here..." He says quietly, making me stop in my tracks.

            "Then why is he here? Last minute change of heart?" I scoff sarcastically. Paul looks at me, the most serious look I've ever seen wiped across his face – a remorseful look...a haunted look. There's a moment of silence. And then he hits me with the bombshell news. This is the moment I've been dreading...the moment when everything would come into the light...when the things that Johnny had told me would finally make some kind of sense.