Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All the characters are
borrowed for the purposes of this story. They belong to Aaron Spelling.
Title: A Question of Trust
Rating: PG
Summary: When Dylan and Kelly choose to rekindle their relationship whilst Dylan is still seeing Brenda, the scene is set for some dramatic revelations. Meanwhile on assignment for the 'Blaze' Brandon is hot on the heels of the 'Legacy Key trickster', little realising that the man in question is actually his best friend Steve Sanders.
This Story is set towards the end of season three just after 'The Back Story'. Although it stays true to some elements of the story as depicted on screen, some poetic licence has been taken. I have altered the chronology of some events, missed out some all together and changed various elements of the story. Basically this is how I would like to have seen the story play out. Since I am English and do not have access to sky, I have only seen the first four seasons of the show.
The gang are still at high school but about to make the leap to College. The SAT's have been taken but the results have not yet been revealed. Decisions are still being made regarding College choices. Brenda and Dylan are still together but Dylan and Kelly both wish that they could turn their summer fling in to something more. Brenda has come clean to Dylan about her 'relationship' with Rick in Paris. Dylan has confessed to a summer romance but has not admitted that it was with Kelly. Brandon has recently started seeing Nikki Witt a sophomore who has had a crush on him for some time. Steve has not yet received the legacy key.
1.1 Chapter One
Dylan McKay sighed heavily and put down the wrench that he had been futilely using to tighten the nuts on his motorcycle. He checked his watch, man it was later than he thought. Brenda had been gone for almost three hours and yet he was still angry. Leaning back against the wall, he ran his hands through his dark hair making it stand up even more than usual, and rubbed his tired eyes. Brenda, he'd never met anyone who could make him feel so annoyed and yet so alive at the same time.
His relationship with Brenda Walsh had always been complicated not least because she wasn't your typical Beverly Hills rich kid. Brenda had something that a lot of the Beverly Hills kids, including Dylan, didn't have. She had a close and loving family. Dylan thought that the Walsh family was pretty amazing. Jim and Cindy Walsh had been together for nearly twenty years, they cared about each other and they loved Brenda and her twin brother Brandon. They were definitely something of an oddity in Beverly Hills. Sometimes Dylan resented what Brandon and Brenda had but mostly he just envied them. His own father Jack McKay had been pretty short on love for his son, too busy with his floozies, his business and his expensive holidays to spare much time for Dylan. His mother Iris was just as bad, a flaky new age hippy currently residing in Hawaii. She was more interested in her crystals and her mantras than she was in her son. Now his dad was in jail and he hadn't had more than a postcard from his mother in years. Dylan had been on his own for over three years and he was dealing with it.
But that wasn't quite true; he wasn't alone, not anymore because he had Brenda. Since she had come in to his life things had changed for the better. Dylan was a loaner, he kept his distance from most people, didn't let anyone get close, was too afraid of getting hurt. But little by little Brenda had changed that, she'd brought Dylan back in to the world, helped him to connect with people again. Ok most of his friends would probably say that Dylan remained a mystery to them; they didn't really know what went on in his head. But Dylan knew that things were different now. Now he had friends, before he had merely had acquaintances, people to pass the time of day with but nothing more. Best of all, the Walshes had accepted him in to their family. He liked to think of his bond with the Walsh family as 'special' but it hadn't all been plain sailing. Dylan grimaced at some of the arguments he had had with Jim Walsh over his relationship with Brenda. But in the end Jim cared about his daughter and just wanted the best for her, and Dylan had to respect the guy for that.
He and Brenda hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms tonight. Perhaps he should call her, talk things out rather than let the sun go down on their argument. He reached for the phone but a glance at his watch made him rethink. It was late and his fragile relationship with Jim Walsh wouldn't be helped by a late night phone call that woke the entire house.
Still he was feeling edgy and irritated by the fight with Brenda. Usually when he was in this kind of mood working on the bike helped to calm him down. Focusing his mind and his energy on something constructive distracted him from whatever was troubling him. In the past he had found his distraction at the bottom of a bottle. Dylan had been a recovering alcoholic for two years now, something else Brenda had helped him to deal with. It was a constant battle, one that he would always have to fight. Most of the time he kept his addiction in check but sometimes it was more difficult. His friends were all aware of his problem but he hardly ever talked about it not even to Brenda. Perhaps he should go to a meeting. There were always meetings going on in LA no matter how late it was.
Dylan sighed; he and Brenda had been fighting a lot lately. Tonight it had been about the College issue again. Typical Brenda she was all fired up by the prospect of college. Her passion was one of the things that he loved most about her but right now it was driving him crazy. Why couldn't she understand that he didn't want college? She just wouldn't let it go. Dylan had never spent much time considering his future. With all that money waiting in the bank it had never been a pressing issue. His 12- step programme had taught him to take life one day at a time and he preferred to keep it that way.
But he knew that wasn't the real reason why he didn't want to talk about college. He didn't want to have these discussions with Brenda because although they were officially talking about college what they were really talking about was their relationship. In pushing him to apply for college, Brenda was asking him to commit to her. She couldn't understand why he didn't want the same thing that she did, for both of them to go to school together, to take their relationship to the next level. After everything they had been through in the last two years, escaping to college together seemed like the obvious next step. He could tell she was frustrated and upset but that didn't stop him arguing with her.
Tonight she had asked him what would happen if she went away to school and he stayed behind. It was a question that neither of them really wanted to answer, and he had stalled as best he could. But he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to give her some answers. How could he tell her the real reason he didn't want to deal with the college issue? He didn't even know if it was a reason, wasn't even sure himself what he felt. But it was enough to put doubt in his mind and to complicate his life. Suddenly the prospect of a drink seemed more inviting. Perhaps he should go to a meeting after all. No, he knew a much better cure for his current troubles. He reached for the phone.
2 Chapter Two
"Hey guys I'm home, anybody in?" Brandon Walsh greeted his family with slightly more exuberance than he felt as he shut the front door to Cassa Walsh. Usually he didn't mind his part time job as a waiter at the Peach Pit, a fifties style hamburger joint and the main hangout for Brandon and his friends. Nat, the owner was a great guy and had become a close friend. Brandon was good at his job and it provided the extra cash that he desperately needed. Compared to his friends Brandon's family were not exactly rich. Jim Walsh wanted his kids to know the value of money, which meant that Brandon's income from the peach pit was vital if he wanted to keep his car on the road and still be able to go out with his friends.
Usually the pit wasn't too busy and Brandon got a chance to hang out with his friends in between orders. Tonight there had been a rush on and he had hardly had chance to acknowledge his best friend Steve Sanders when he'd brought Steve's mega burger.
"In here honey" Cindy Walsh called from the kitchen. "So how was work?" "Greasy, hot, and incredibly busy. Man I'm beat, I've been fantasising about hitting the shower for the last two hours". Brandon didn't like the expression on his mom's face and he knew what was coming next. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait, Brenda's taking a bath".
"Again! Is she deliberately trying to drive me crazy?" Brandon asked in frustration. This was the third night in a row he'd gotten home from work and had to wait for his sister to get out of the bathroom.
"Well she's got a lot on her mind at the moment. You know how she likes to soak in the bath when she's upset". Cindy tried her best to placate her son.
Brandon did know, he'd lived with Brenda long enough to know what to expect. Much as he loved his sister she had a tendency to melodrama that could be infuriating. Brenda was always 'going through some stuff'. More often than not it was something to do with her relationship with Dylan McKay.
Brandon reflected on how different twins could be. Brenda had ambition as an actress and possessed an intensity that Brandon did not share. In his more cynical moments Brandon couldn't help but wonder if she invented these mini crises to satisfy her need for drama. Sometimes he tried to argue with her, to get her to rationalise the situation. Other times he refused to take her seriously, tried to tease her out of her mood. Mostly he just humoured her. Unlike his sister, Brandon preferred a quiet life, and he had long since learned that the best way to ensure that was to let Brenda get her way.
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Brenda Walsh lay back in the bath letting the bubbles come up to her chin but mindful to keep her long dark hair out of the water. She tried hard to ignore her brother's constant banging on the door. She knew that she should really let Brandon have his shower. She'd been in here for over an hour and her skin was starting to resemble a prune. But still, soaking in the tub was where she did her best thinking, especially when she was worried about something. She'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, and tonight was no different. She'd been going over and over her argument with Dylan and something about it troubled her.
Sure they'd had fights before, sometimes it seemed their entire relationship was just one long fight. But this time Brenda sensed something different. She had always been able to read Dylan, just as he had an uncanny knack of understanding her better than any of her friends did, better even than Brandon. Lately she'd got the feeling that he was hiding something from her. Brenda liked to confront her fears rather than let them eat away at her. That's why she'd asked Dylan what would happen if she went away to school. She'd hoped that the question would force him to reveal what was bothering him or at least reassure her that she was worried over nothing. Looking back she realised that he hadn't actually answered her, and that's what was bothering her the most.
"Come on Brenda, give me a break" Brandon's voice cut through her thoughts and gave her an idea. Her brother had spent some time with Dylan lately perhaps he knew what was going on. She needed to talk to someone and Brandon was a pretty good listener. Getting out of the bath she pulled on her bathrobe and opened the connecting door in to Brandon's room.
"Well it's about time. I was starting to think you'd taken up permanent residence in there". Brandon was obviously frustrated but Brenda chose to ignore it. "Brandon do you think I've changed since I've been to Paris?" Brandon had no idea where that had come from but he had a good idea where it was heading.
"It's just that ever since I've got back I haven't been able to connect with anyone. Donna's so wrapped up in David it's as if no one else exists. It's not that I'm not happy for her, I am it's just she never has time for me anymore. And Kelly's just so moody lately. I'm going through all this stuff, and I feel like nobody understands or even cares". Brandon sighed as he sat back down on his bed. He knew that he wouldn't get his shower until they'd talked this through. "What did Dylan do now?"
3 Chapter Three
Kelly Taylor was miserable. It was a beautiful LA morning, not a cloud in the sky. Yet it did nothing to lighten her bad mood. It would take a lot more than great weather to do that. She yawned; it had been the early hours of the morning when she finally got off the phone to Dylan. She'd been thrilled when he called, she always got that little shiver of excitement whenever Dylan looked at her, spoke to her, or lets face it was in her vicinity. But inevitably the conversation had turned to Brenda and the argument he'd had with her. As always that had provoked Kelly to question Dylan about his relationship with her or more accurately lack of relationship. She knew that forcing Dylan to admit his feelings for her was a mistake but she couldn't help herself. She just needed to hear him say it, convince herself that she wasn't going mad. But as usual they had spent hours going around in circles and covering the same ground without ever getting anywhere, and Kelly was getting pretty tired of the whole situation.
"Hurry up David, we're gonna be late." Kelly could feel her patience wearing thin. "You've got five minutes and then you'll be walking to school." She added for good measure. It wasn't really David that she was annoyed with but she couldn't help but take out her bad mood on him.
"Alright already". David Silver, Kelly's stepbrother appeared in the hallway still struggling in to a too loud Hawaiian shirt, his dark hair spiky and wet from the shower. "Sounds like somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning" David smirked.
"I'm just not in the mood to be kept waiting" Kelly snapped at him.
"Well I wouldn't have overslept if I hadn't been woken up by the phone at 1am. Who was that anyway?"
"Oh it was just Brenda, she'd had another fight with Dylan, needed a shoulder to cry on". Kelly was amazed how easy it was becoming to lie. David rolled his eyes; leave it to Brenda to interrupt everyone's sleep with one of her petty relationship problems.
He wondered idly what Kelly's problem was. Lately she seemed to be in a permanent bad mood and he had been bearing the brunt of it. He considered asking her but thought better of it. He didn't feel like getting his head bitten off. What ever was bugging her she knew she could talk to him if she needed to. They'd gotten pretty close since becoming a ready-made family.
At first he'd been upset when his father announced that he was going to marry Jackie Taylor, David had harboured hopes of his parents getting back together. But once it was obvious that that wasn't on the cards, he'd accepted the Taylor-Silver merger. He was an only child and most of the time it was nice to have Kelly as a big sister. The recent addition of their baby sister Erin served to reinforce the feeling of family.
Nope, whatever it was that was troubling Kelly, David wasn't going to waste any time worrying about it. Right now he had enough problems of his own to worry about. All anyone could talk about at the moment was college, and it was making him jittery. As a junior, David still had another year of high school to go. But in a few months time his friends and more importantly his girlfriend Donna Martin would be graduating from West Beverly High and heading off to new lives, leaving David behind. It was a prospect that he didn't like to think about too often. But David had a plan. Well actually it was the beginnings of a plan. He wasn't even sure if it was possible but it was a little ray hope that he was clinging on to. He hadn't mentioned it to Donna yet, he wanted to check things out first, make sure there was a chance.
David made a few attempts at conversation during the drive to school but it was pretty obvious that Kelly was in no mood for small talk. They quickly lapsed in to an uncomfortable silence. David gave up, and reached over to turn up the Baby Face CD. Settling back in his seat he closed his eyes. As he listened to the music images of himself up on stage playing keyboard in front of an admiring audience played in his mind, and all thoughts of college were forgotten.
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Donna Martin checked her watch for what must have been the tenth time in as many minutes. If Kelly didn't get here soon, she'd have to go without her. As it was she was cutting it a little fine. She hoped Kelly would be in a better mood today. Kelly had been in a serious funk for weeks now, and it was starting to rub off on Donna. Possessing a naturally sunny disposition and a bubbly personality, Donna preferred to look on the bright side of things. Today she was determined to remain in a good mood.
When Kelly and David finally appeared in the hallway a few minutes later, Donna breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi David" she greeted her boyfriend warmly. David smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek. It always thrilled him to see how her face lit up whenever she saw him. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to be dating her. For a long time Donna had stayed hidden in Kelly's shadow. Not as smart, or as popular, some people had cruelly dubbed her 'the poor man's Kelly Taylor'. David himself had initially been more attracted to Kelly but that was just superficial physical attraction. Once he'd gotten to know Donna he'd fallen in love. She'd shown real guts last year, a junior girl turning up to the prom with a sophomore guy. Ever since then she'd grown in confidence and seemed to blossom.
"Hey Kel, running a little late today?" Donna purposely kept her tone light and cheery.
"Blame it on your boyfriend" Kelly scowled, he's the one who couldn't get out of bed on time". Donna and David exchanged looks; it was going to be another one of those days.
"Never mind, you're here now," Donna said brightly, determined to retain her positive mood.
"Well I've gotta get going, I'm supposed to start the show in two minutes, I'll see you at lunch". David had acquired minor celebrity status as the school DJ. Donna loved listening to his voice broadcasting around the hallways but it meant that he spent most of his free time in the sound proof radio booth. Recently Donna had been spending much of her free time there too.
"Hi guys" Brenda, on her way to English class caught up with Kelly and Donna halfway down the hall. "Hey Bren", Donna was pleased to see Brenda. They'd gotten pretty close during their summer in Paris, and right now Brenda was much easier company than Kelly.
Brenda noticed that Kelly didn't look her usual radiant self this morning. Kelly Taylor was the undisputed glamour queen of West Beverly High. When she walked down the halls, guys openly drooled. With her long blonde hair, perfect figure and designer clothes Kelly certainly knew how to make an impression. Brenda had always been a little jealous although she would never admit it. But today Kelly seemed to have lost some of her sparkle.
"Are you OK Kel, you look a little tired?" Brenda knew that she was in danger of having her head bitten off but she was genuinely concerned.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Kelly admitted. "Erin was crying until the early hours".
"Well I spent most of last night lying awake wondering if I still have a relationship with Dylan." Brenda knew that would get their attention.
"Did you guys have another fight?" Donna was sympathetic but Kelly had heard all this already from Dylan and she was in no mood to hear it again.
"Come on Donna, we're gonna be late for art class. See you later Brenda". With that she marched off down the corridor. Donna gave Brenda an apologetic look and hurried after her.
4 Chapter Four
Brandon Walsh smiled to himself as he climbed the stairs to the newspaper office. Life was good. He'd just finished his latest assignment for the paper and was feeling pretty pleased with himself. Brandon was the sports reporter for the school newspaper 'The Blaze'. He was about to turn in a feature on the West Beverly basketball team. The team had been rumoured to be recruiting academically poor students and giving them a free pass through school because of their outstanding basketball abilities. It had been pretty heavy stuff and to his relief Brandon had been able to dispel the rumours. He'd gotten to know some of the guys on the team when he'd tried out a couple of years ago. He had felt uncomfortable broaching the allegations of underhand dealings, and things had gotten a little nasty there for a while. He was glad that there was no truth to it but he knew that feeling uncomfortable came with the territory. A good journalist had to get the story even if he didn't always like the way the story turned out.
He reached the office and paused for a moment. As expected, Andrea Zuckerman the editor of the 'Blaze' was sitting at her desk frowning with concentration as she wrestled with the final layout. Andrea was one of the smartest students at West Beverly, and one of Brandon's closest friends. At one point there had been a possibility that there might be something more between them but it had never happened. Sometimes Brandon wondered if he should have made a move when he'd had the chance. But he hadn't wanted to spoil a beautiful friendship, and the moment had passed. Now she was dating Jay, a freshman at Princeton. Brandon didn't really care for the guy but still if he made Andrea happy.
Andrea must have felt his gaze because she looked up from her work and rewarded Brandon with a smile.
"Hey chief how's the latest edition coming?"
Andrea attempted a serious tone "Well it would be a lot better if a certain sports reporter could get his assignments in on time".
"Hey, have I ever let you down?" Brandon pretended to be hurt whilst brandishing his latest article.
"No Brandon, I can safely say that you are the one person I can always rely on". Andrea sighed; Brandon Walsh was her knight in shinning armour. Of course they were just good friends, nothing had ever actually happened between them but that didn't mean that she didn't want it to.
"Good then perhaps you could tell me what's been bothering you for the last couple of days". Brandon got straight to the point.
"What makes you think something's bothering me?" Andrea was surprised, she thought she had kept her feelings well hidden.
"Mmm what indeed?" Brandon brought his face close to hers studying her intently for a moment, and then began to pace up and down in front of her desk in his best Columbo impression.
"OK lets consider the facts". He stopped abruptly and rested his chin in his hand. "I'd say that I know you pretty well by now wouldn't you agree?"
Andrea was intrigued now "You know me pretty well yes"
"Right" Brandon agreed. "And because I know you so well, I know that you only come in to the peach pit and eat pie when you're depressed. And you've been sitting in the peach pit eating pie for the last two nights. "So" he announced triumphantly "that must mean that you're depressed. C'mon Andrea what's the matter? I know there's something. You can tell me." Brandon was obviously pleased with himself.
Andrea couldn't help but smile "Ok you got me, brilliant deduction Sherlock".
"Sherlock? I was going for Columbo couldn't you tell?" Brandon was insulted. "C'mon Andrea quit stalling and fess up". Brandon pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable. It was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere.
"It's just all this College stuff" Andrea admitted.
Brandon couldn't believe it "Andrea you're one of the smartest kids in the school, I really don't think you need to worry".
Andrea sighed "It's not that easy Brandon".
"Sure, I know choosing the right college is a big decision" Brandon began.
"But that's just it" Andrea interrupted "deciding where to go is the easy part".
"It is?" Brandon was confused "So what's the hard part?"
"The hard part is figuring out how on earth I'm supposed to pay for it"
Brandon could see her problem. Although his parents weren't exactly rich, compared to Andrea he had it easy. Andrea's parents lived in the valley. The school she was supposed to go to couldn't even afford to run a school newspaper. The only reason she could attend West Beverly was because she lived at her grandmother's apartment, which happened to be on the edge of the school's district. When Brandon had first met Andrea she had been living out of district, using her grandmother's address, taking two buses to school everyday, and praying that no one would discover her secret.
Brandon had nearly blown it for her when he'd entered one of her articles in a national journalism competition. The press had wanted to interview Andrea at her house and even take pictures. Luckily her grandmother had gone along with the charade, and the gang had worked together to make it look convincing. Still it had been a close call, too close for Andrea. She'd thought about giving up, leaving West Beverly for good. Thank god they'd managed to talk her out of it. Now she lived with her grandmother permanently but just because she had the zipcode it didn't mean she had the bucks that usually went with it. Having friends with millions of dollars in trust funds and movie stars for parents couldn't exactly help either.
"Surely there must be dozens of schools offering you scholarship money" After forcing her to talk to him, Brandon wanted to say something helpful.
"There are but not any school that I actually want to go to".
"So what are you gonna do?"
Andrea sighed "Put the paper to bed, make a start on Meyers' reading list and keep applying for scholarships, what else can I do?"
Brandon smiled "So I'll have a piece of pie waiting for you tonight."
"I'm expecting it" Andrea laughed. Brandon Walsh had an uncanny knack of always knowing what to say to make her feel better.
Title: A Question of Trust
Rating: PG
Summary: When Dylan and Kelly choose to rekindle their relationship whilst Dylan is still seeing Brenda, the scene is set for some dramatic revelations. Meanwhile on assignment for the 'Blaze' Brandon is hot on the heels of the 'Legacy Key trickster', little realising that the man in question is actually his best friend Steve Sanders.
This Story is set towards the end of season three just after 'The Back Story'. Although it stays true to some elements of the story as depicted on screen, some poetic licence has been taken. I have altered the chronology of some events, missed out some all together and changed various elements of the story. Basically this is how I would like to have seen the story play out. Since I am English and do not have access to sky, I have only seen the first four seasons of the show.
The gang are still at high school but about to make the leap to College. The SAT's have been taken but the results have not yet been revealed. Decisions are still being made regarding College choices. Brenda and Dylan are still together but Dylan and Kelly both wish that they could turn their summer fling in to something more. Brenda has come clean to Dylan about her 'relationship' with Rick in Paris. Dylan has confessed to a summer romance but has not admitted that it was with Kelly. Brandon has recently started seeing Nikki Witt a sophomore who has had a crush on him for some time. Steve has not yet received the legacy key.
1.1 Chapter One
Dylan McKay sighed heavily and put down the wrench that he had been futilely using to tighten the nuts on his motorcycle. He checked his watch, man it was later than he thought. Brenda had been gone for almost three hours and yet he was still angry. Leaning back against the wall, he ran his hands through his dark hair making it stand up even more than usual, and rubbed his tired eyes. Brenda, he'd never met anyone who could make him feel so annoyed and yet so alive at the same time.
His relationship with Brenda Walsh had always been complicated not least because she wasn't your typical Beverly Hills rich kid. Brenda had something that a lot of the Beverly Hills kids, including Dylan, didn't have. She had a close and loving family. Dylan thought that the Walsh family was pretty amazing. Jim and Cindy Walsh had been together for nearly twenty years, they cared about each other and they loved Brenda and her twin brother Brandon. They were definitely something of an oddity in Beverly Hills. Sometimes Dylan resented what Brandon and Brenda had but mostly he just envied them. His own father Jack McKay had been pretty short on love for his son, too busy with his floozies, his business and his expensive holidays to spare much time for Dylan. His mother Iris was just as bad, a flaky new age hippy currently residing in Hawaii. She was more interested in her crystals and her mantras than she was in her son. Now his dad was in jail and he hadn't had more than a postcard from his mother in years. Dylan had been on his own for over three years and he was dealing with it.
But that wasn't quite true; he wasn't alone, not anymore because he had Brenda. Since she had come in to his life things had changed for the better. Dylan was a loaner, he kept his distance from most people, didn't let anyone get close, was too afraid of getting hurt. But little by little Brenda had changed that, she'd brought Dylan back in to the world, helped him to connect with people again. Ok most of his friends would probably say that Dylan remained a mystery to them; they didn't really know what went on in his head. But Dylan knew that things were different now. Now he had friends, before he had merely had acquaintances, people to pass the time of day with but nothing more. Best of all, the Walshes had accepted him in to their family. He liked to think of his bond with the Walsh family as 'special' but it hadn't all been plain sailing. Dylan grimaced at some of the arguments he had had with Jim Walsh over his relationship with Brenda. But in the end Jim cared about his daughter and just wanted the best for her, and Dylan had to respect the guy for that.
He and Brenda hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms tonight. Perhaps he should call her, talk things out rather than let the sun go down on their argument. He reached for the phone but a glance at his watch made him rethink. It was late and his fragile relationship with Jim Walsh wouldn't be helped by a late night phone call that woke the entire house.
Still he was feeling edgy and irritated by the fight with Brenda. Usually when he was in this kind of mood working on the bike helped to calm him down. Focusing his mind and his energy on something constructive distracted him from whatever was troubling him. In the past he had found his distraction at the bottom of a bottle. Dylan had been a recovering alcoholic for two years now, something else Brenda had helped him to deal with. It was a constant battle, one that he would always have to fight. Most of the time he kept his addiction in check but sometimes it was more difficult. His friends were all aware of his problem but he hardly ever talked about it not even to Brenda. Perhaps he should go to a meeting. There were always meetings going on in LA no matter how late it was.
Dylan sighed; he and Brenda had been fighting a lot lately. Tonight it had been about the College issue again. Typical Brenda she was all fired up by the prospect of college. Her passion was one of the things that he loved most about her but right now it was driving him crazy. Why couldn't she understand that he didn't want college? She just wouldn't let it go. Dylan had never spent much time considering his future. With all that money waiting in the bank it had never been a pressing issue. His 12- step programme had taught him to take life one day at a time and he preferred to keep it that way.
But he knew that wasn't the real reason why he didn't want to talk about college. He didn't want to have these discussions with Brenda because although they were officially talking about college what they were really talking about was their relationship. In pushing him to apply for college, Brenda was asking him to commit to her. She couldn't understand why he didn't want the same thing that she did, for both of them to go to school together, to take their relationship to the next level. After everything they had been through in the last two years, escaping to college together seemed like the obvious next step. He could tell she was frustrated and upset but that didn't stop him arguing with her.
Tonight she had asked him what would happen if she went away to school and he stayed behind. It was a question that neither of them really wanted to answer, and he had stalled as best he could. But he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to give her some answers. How could he tell her the real reason he didn't want to deal with the college issue? He didn't even know if it was a reason, wasn't even sure himself what he felt. But it was enough to put doubt in his mind and to complicate his life. Suddenly the prospect of a drink seemed more inviting. Perhaps he should go to a meeting after all. No, he knew a much better cure for his current troubles. He reached for the phone.
2 Chapter Two
"Hey guys I'm home, anybody in?" Brandon Walsh greeted his family with slightly more exuberance than he felt as he shut the front door to Cassa Walsh. Usually he didn't mind his part time job as a waiter at the Peach Pit, a fifties style hamburger joint and the main hangout for Brandon and his friends. Nat, the owner was a great guy and had become a close friend. Brandon was good at his job and it provided the extra cash that he desperately needed. Compared to his friends Brandon's family were not exactly rich. Jim Walsh wanted his kids to know the value of money, which meant that Brandon's income from the peach pit was vital if he wanted to keep his car on the road and still be able to go out with his friends.
Usually the pit wasn't too busy and Brandon got a chance to hang out with his friends in between orders. Tonight there had been a rush on and he had hardly had chance to acknowledge his best friend Steve Sanders when he'd brought Steve's mega burger.
"In here honey" Cindy Walsh called from the kitchen. "So how was work?" "Greasy, hot, and incredibly busy. Man I'm beat, I've been fantasising about hitting the shower for the last two hours". Brandon didn't like the expression on his mom's face and he knew what was coming next. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait, Brenda's taking a bath".
"Again! Is she deliberately trying to drive me crazy?" Brandon asked in frustration. This was the third night in a row he'd gotten home from work and had to wait for his sister to get out of the bathroom.
"Well she's got a lot on her mind at the moment. You know how she likes to soak in the bath when she's upset". Cindy tried her best to placate her son.
Brandon did know, he'd lived with Brenda long enough to know what to expect. Much as he loved his sister she had a tendency to melodrama that could be infuriating. Brenda was always 'going through some stuff'. More often than not it was something to do with her relationship with Dylan McKay.
Brandon reflected on how different twins could be. Brenda had ambition as an actress and possessed an intensity that Brandon did not share. In his more cynical moments Brandon couldn't help but wonder if she invented these mini crises to satisfy her need for drama. Sometimes he tried to argue with her, to get her to rationalise the situation. Other times he refused to take her seriously, tried to tease her out of her mood. Mostly he just humoured her. Unlike his sister, Brandon preferred a quiet life, and he had long since learned that the best way to ensure that was to let Brenda get her way.
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Brenda Walsh lay back in the bath letting the bubbles come up to her chin but mindful to keep her long dark hair out of the water. She tried hard to ignore her brother's constant banging on the door. She knew that she should really let Brandon have his shower. She'd been in here for over an hour and her skin was starting to resemble a prune. But still, soaking in the tub was where she did her best thinking, especially when she was worried about something. She'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, and tonight was no different. She'd been going over and over her argument with Dylan and something about it troubled her.
Sure they'd had fights before, sometimes it seemed their entire relationship was just one long fight. But this time Brenda sensed something different. She had always been able to read Dylan, just as he had an uncanny knack of understanding her better than any of her friends did, better even than Brandon. Lately she'd got the feeling that he was hiding something from her. Brenda liked to confront her fears rather than let them eat away at her. That's why she'd asked Dylan what would happen if she went away to school. She'd hoped that the question would force him to reveal what was bothering him or at least reassure her that she was worried over nothing. Looking back she realised that he hadn't actually answered her, and that's what was bothering her the most.
"Come on Brenda, give me a break" Brandon's voice cut through her thoughts and gave her an idea. Her brother had spent some time with Dylan lately perhaps he knew what was going on. She needed to talk to someone and Brandon was a pretty good listener. Getting out of the bath she pulled on her bathrobe and opened the connecting door in to Brandon's room.
"Well it's about time. I was starting to think you'd taken up permanent residence in there". Brandon was obviously frustrated but Brenda chose to ignore it. "Brandon do you think I've changed since I've been to Paris?" Brandon had no idea where that had come from but he had a good idea where it was heading.
"It's just that ever since I've got back I haven't been able to connect with anyone. Donna's so wrapped up in David it's as if no one else exists. It's not that I'm not happy for her, I am it's just she never has time for me anymore. And Kelly's just so moody lately. I'm going through all this stuff, and I feel like nobody understands or even cares". Brandon sighed as he sat back down on his bed. He knew that he wouldn't get his shower until they'd talked this through. "What did Dylan do now?"
3 Chapter Three
Kelly Taylor was miserable. It was a beautiful LA morning, not a cloud in the sky. Yet it did nothing to lighten her bad mood. It would take a lot more than great weather to do that. She yawned; it had been the early hours of the morning when she finally got off the phone to Dylan. She'd been thrilled when he called, she always got that little shiver of excitement whenever Dylan looked at her, spoke to her, or lets face it was in her vicinity. But inevitably the conversation had turned to Brenda and the argument he'd had with her. As always that had provoked Kelly to question Dylan about his relationship with her or more accurately lack of relationship. She knew that forcing Dylan to admit his feelings for her was a mistake but she couldn't help herself. She just needed to hear him say it, convince herself that she wasn't going mad. But as usual they had spent hours going around in circles and covering the same ground without ever getting anywhere, and Kelly was getting pretty tired of the whole situation.
"Hurry up David, we're gonna be late." Kelly could feel her patience wearing thin. "You've got five minutes and then you'll be walking to school." She added for good measure. It wasn't really David that she was annoyed with but she couldn't help but take out her bad mood on him.
"Alright already". David Silver, Kelly's stepbrother appeared in the hallway still struggling in to a too loud Hawaiian shirt, his dark hair spiky and wet from the shower. "Sounds like somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning" David smirked.
"I'm just not in the mood to be kept waiting" Kelly snapped at him.
"Well I wouldn't have overslept if I hadn't been woken up by the phone at 1am. Who was that anyway?"
"Oh it was just Brenda, she'd had another fight with Dylan, needed a shoulder to cry on". Kelly was amazed how easy it was becoming to lie. David rolled his eyes; leave it to Brenda to interrupt everyone's sleep with one of her petty relationship problems.
He wondered idly what Kelly's problem was. Lately she seemed to be in a permanent bad mood and he had been bearing the brunt of it. He considered asking her but thought better of it. He didn't feel like getting his head bitten off. What ever was bugging her she knew she could talk to him if she needed to. They'd gotten pretty close since becoming a ready-made family.
At first he'd been upset when his father announced that he was going to marry Jackie Taylor, David had harboured hopes of his parents getting back together. But once it was obvious that that wasn't on the cards, he'd accepted the Taylor-Silver merger. He was an only child and most of the time it was nice to have Kelly as a big sister. The recent addition of their baby sister Erin served to reinforce the feeling of family.
Nope, whatever it was that was troubling Kelly, David wasn't going to waste any time worrying about it. Right now he had enough problems of his own to worry about. All anyone could talk about at the moment was college, and it was making him jittery. As a junior, David still had another year of high school to go. But in a few months time his friends and more importantly his girlfriend Donna Martin would be graduating from West Beverly High and heading off to new lives, leaving David behind. It was a prospect that he didn't like to think about too often. But David had a plan. Well actually it was the beginnings of a plan. He wasn't even sure if it was possible but it was a little ray hope that he was clinging on to. He hadn't mentioned it to Donna yet, he wanted to check things out first, make sure there was a chance.
David made a few attempts at conversation during the drive to school but it was pretty obvious that Kelly was in no mood for small talk. They quickly lapsed in to an uncomfortable silence. David gave up, and reached over to turn up the Baby Face CD. Settling back in his seat he closed his eyes. As he listened to the music images of himself up on stage playing keyboard in front of an admiring audience played in his mind, and all thoughts of college were forgotten.
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Donna Martin checked her watch for what must have been the tenth time in as many minutes. If Kelly didn't get here soon, she'd have to go without her. As it was she was cutting it a little fine. She hoped Kelly would be in a better mood today. Kelly had been in a serious funk for weeks now, and it was starting to rub off on Donna. Possessing a naturally sunny disposition and a bubbly personality, Donna preferred to look on the bright side of things. Today she was determined to remain in a good mood.
When Kelly and David finally appeared in the hallway a few minutes later, Donna breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi David" she greeted her boyfriend warmly. David smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek. It always thrilled him to see how her face lit up whenever she saw him. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to be dating her. For a long time Donna had stayed hidden in Kelly's shadow. Not as smart, or as popular, some people had cruelly dubbed her 'the poor man's Kelly Taylor'. David himself had initially been more attracted to Kelly but that was just superficial physical attraction. Once he'd gotten to know Donna he'd fallen in love. She'd shown real guts last year, a junior girl turning up to the prom with a sophomore guy. Ever since then she'd grown in confidence and seemed to blossom.
"Hey Kel, running a little late today?" Donna purposely kept her tone light and cheery.
"Blame it on your boyfriend" Kelly scowled, he's the one who couldn't get out of bed on time". Donna and David exchanged looks; it was going to be another one of those days.
"Never mind, you're here now," Donna said brightly, determined to retain her positive mood.
"Well I've gotta get going, I'm supposed to start the show in two minutes, I'll see you at lunch". David had acquired minor celebrity status as the school DJ. Donna loved listening to his voice broadcasting around the hallways but it meant that he spent most of his free time in the sound proof radio booth. Recently Donna had been spending much of her free time there too.
"Hi guys" Brenda, on her way to English class caught up with Kelly and Donna halfway down the hall. "Hey Bren", Donna was pleased to see Brenda. They'd gotten pretty close during their summer in Paris, and right now Brenda was much easier company than Kelly.
Brenda noticed that Kelly didn't look her usual radiant self this morning. Kelly Taylor was the undisputed glamour queen of West Beverly High. When she walked down the halls, guys openly drooled. With her long blonde hair, perfect figure and designer clothes Kelly certainly knew how to make an impression. Brenda had always been a little jealous although she would never admit it. But today Kelly seemed to have lost some of her sparkle.
"Are you OK Kel, you look a little tired?" Brenda knew that she was in danger of having her head bitten off but she was genuinely concerned.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Kelly admitted. "Erin was crying until the early hours".
"Well I spent most of last night lying awake wondering if I still have a relationship with Dylan." Brenda knew that would get their attention.
"Did you guys have another fight?" Donna was sympathetic but Kelly had heard all this already from Dylan and she was in no mood to hear it again.
"Come on Donna, we're gonna be late for art class. See you later Brenda". With that she marched off down the corridor. Donna gave Brenda an apologetic look and hurried after her.
4 Chapter Four
Brandon Walsh smiled to himself as he climbed the stairs to the newspaper office. Life was good. He'd just finished his latest assignment for the paper and was feeling pretty pleased with himself. Brandon was the sports reporter for the school newspaper 'The Blaze'. He was about to turn in a feature on the West Beverly basketball team. The team had been rumoured to be recruiting academically poor students and giving them a free pass through school because of their outstanding basketball abilities. It had been pretty heavy stuff and to his relief Brandon had been able to dispel the rumours. He'd gotten to know some of the guys on the team when he'd tried out a couple of years ago. He had felt uncomfortable broaching the allegations of underhand dealings, and things had gotten a little nasty there for a while. He was glad that there was no truth to it but he knew that feeling uncomfortable came with the territory. A good journalist had to get the story even if he didn't always like the way the story turned out.
He reached the office and paused for a moment. As expected, Andrea Zuckerman the editor of the 'Blaze' was sitting at her desk frowning with concentration as she wrestled with the final layout. Andrea was one of the smartest students at West Beverly, and one of Brandon's closest friends. At one point there had been a possibility that there might be something more between them but it had never happened. Sometimes Brandon wondered if he should have made a move when he'd had the chance. But he hadn't wanted to spoil a beautiful friendship, and the moment had passed. Now she was dating Jay, a freshman at Princeton. Brandon didn't really care for the guy but still if he made Andrea happy.
Andrea must have felt his gaze because she looked up from her work and rewarded Brandon with a smile.
"Hey chief how's the latest edition coming?"
Andrea attempted a serious tone "Well it would be a lot better if a certain sports reporter could get his assignments in on time".
"Hey, have I ever let you down?" Brandon pretended to be hurt whilst brandishing his latest article.
"No Brandon, I can safely say that you are the one person I can always rely on". Andrea sighed; Brandon Walsh was her knight in shinning armour. Of course they were just good friends, nothing had ever actually happened between them but that didn't mean that she didn't want it to.
"Good then perhaps you could tell me what's been bothering you for the last couple of days". Brandon got straight to the point.
"What makes you think something's bothering me?" Andrea was surprised, she thought she had kept her feelings well hidden.
"Mmm what indeed?" Brandon brought his face close to hers studying her intently for a moment, and then began to pace up and down in front of her desk in his best Columbo impression.
"OK lets consider the facts". He stopped abruptly and rested his chin in his hand. "I'd say that I know you pretty well by now wouldn't you agree?"
Andrea was intrigued now "You know me pretty well yes"
"Right" Brandon agreed. "And because I know you so well, I know that you only come in to the peach pit and eat pie when you're depressed. And you've been sitting in the peach pit eating pie for the last two nights. "So" he announced triumphantly "that must mean that you're depressed. C'mon Andrea what's the matter? I know there's something. You can tell me." Brandon was obviously pleased with himself.
Andrea couldn't help but smile "Ok you got me, brilliant deduction Sherlock".
"Sherlock? I was going for Columbo couldn't you tell?" Brandon was insulted. "C'mon Andrea quit stalling and fess up". Brandon pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable. It was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere.
"It's just all this College stuff" Andrea admitted.
Brandon couldn't believe it "Andrea you're one of the smartest kids in the school, I really don't think you need to worry".
Andrea sighed "It's not that easy Brandon".
"Sure, I know choosing the right college is a big decision" Brandon began.
"But that's just it" Andrea interrupted "deciding where to go is the easy part".
"It is?" Brandon was confused "So what's the hard part?"
"The hard part is figuring out how on earth I'm supposed to pay for it"
Brandon could see her problem. Although his parents weren't exactly rich, compared to Andrea he had it easy. Andrea's parents lived in the valley. The school she was supposed to go to couldn't even afford to run a school newspaper. The only reason she could attend West Beverly was because she lived at her grandmother's apartment, which happened to be on the edge of the school's district. When Brandon had first met Andrea she had been living out of district, using her grandmother's address, taking two buses to school everyday, and praying that no one would discover her secret.
Brandon had nearly blown it for her when he'd entered one of her articles in a national journalism competition. The press had wanted to interview Andrea at her house and even take pictures. Luckily her grandmother had gone along with the charade, and the gang had worked together to make it look convincing. Still it had been a close call, too close for Andrea. She'd thought about giving up, leaving West Beverly for good. Thank god they'd managed to talk her out of it. Now she lived with her grandmother permanently but just because she had the zipcode it didn't mean she had the bucks that usually went with it. Having friends with millions of dollars in trust funds and movie stars for parents couldn't exactly help either.
"Surely there must be dozens of schools offering you scholarship money" After forcing her to talk to him, Brandon wanted to say something helpful.
"There are but not any school that I actually want to go to".
"So what are you gonna do?"
Andrea sighed "Put the paper to bed, make a start on Meyers' reading list and keep applying for scholarships, what else can I do?"
Brandon smiled "So I'll have a piece of pie waiting for you tonight."
"I'm expecting it" Andrea laughed. Brandon Walsh had an uncanny knack of always knowing what to say to make her feel better.