Dylan McKay sighed irritably, and put down the book that he had been trying to read for the last half hour, with little success. "I just don't see what the problem is."
"No you wouldn't" Kelly snapped. "I mean you have surfing, how could you possibly understand what I'm talking about."
Dylan frowned in irritation. His encounter with Brenda had left him feeling edgy, and he needed to work off some of that pent up energy. He hadn't planned on coming home and picking a fight with Kelly, but for some reason she seemed intent on picking a fight with him, and he was in exactly the kind of mood to oblige.
"Is this about this weekend again, because I said I wanted to go surfing?" He asked angrily. "Come on Kel we talked about that."
Kelly scowled, her irritation obvious. "It's not about that." She hadn't meant to take her bad mood out on Dylan, but she'd been brooding over Mrs Teasely's words all day, and the uneasy feeling of discontent had grown stronger. She was totally on edge, and couldn't help snapping at him.
"Then what is it?" Dylan asked, his patience wearing thin.
Kelly hesitated, trying to put in to words just exactly what was bothering her. "It's just that everyone else has something, something that they're good at, something that really interests them." She shrugged helplessly "You have your surfing, and your books, Donna has art, David has music, Brenda has acting and …"
"So that's what this is all about." Dylan interrupted tetchily. "Brenda". Why did everything always come back to Brenda? Ever since their encounter this afternoon, he had been trying to get her out of his head. Being so tantalisingly close to her, smelling her perfume, looking in to her eyes, the images had been tormenting him ever since.
Brenda had stopped loving him, and she refused to forgive him for what he had done. He had pushed her away, and now she no longer wanted him, and that hurt. He knew that it wasn't fair to blame Kelly, but right now it was easier than accepting responsibility himself.
"No" Kelly exploded in frustration "It's not about her, it's about me." She shook her head in dismay. "Why do we always have to talk about Brenda? Why can't we just talk about what's going on in my life?"
Dylan held his hands up in a gesture of submission. "Okay, okay, so it's not about Brenda."
"It's not." Kelly said defensively.
Dylan scowled, feeling his temper reach boiling point. "I know. You already said that. So if it's not about Brenda what is it about?" He demanded crossly, knowing that he was being unreasonable, but unable to stop himself.
Kelly opened her mouth to respond, and then changed her mind "You know what Dylan just forget it, forget I said anything". She badly needed to talk this through with someone, but she could see he wasn't in the mood to listen to her right now. She didn't know what had happened to put him in such a bad temper, but it was obvious that neither of them was in the right frame of mind for this kind of discussion. Abruptly she got up off the couch and started to gather her stuff together.
"Hey" Dylan complained. "You wanted me to listen, and now I'm listening, so come on, let's hear it."
Kelly shook her head "I don't think so. Look Dylan, it's been a rough day, we're both tired, let's just forget it okay." She retrieved her jacket, and fished in the pocket for her car keys. "I'm gonna go home, we can talk about this tomorrow, when we're both in a better mood."
Leaning over, she dropped a perfunctory kiss on his forehead. Dylan reached out, grabbed her arm. "Kel, I'm sorry, it's just been a long day that's all."
He'd acted like a real jerk; let Brenda affect his relationship with Kelly again. He had already lost Brenda, and if he wasn't careful he'd lose Kelly too, and he didn't want that.
He patted the couch next to him "Why don't we try again, you tell me what's bothering you, and this time I promise I'll listen."
Kelly raised a wry smile. It wasn't fair that he could be so infuriating and so adorable at the same time. She shook her head. "I still don't think now's the right time." She sighed heavily. "It's not that important, it can wait."
"Are you sure? It seemed pretty important a minute ago." Dylan regarded her suspiciously.
Kelly nodded "I'm sure". One more night wouldn't make any difference, and besides Dylan probably wasn't the best person to talk to about this. The future wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities, there was no way he'd understand what she was going through.
"Okay, so I'll see you tomorrow." She said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and beginning to move towards the door.
"You know you don't have to go" Dylan protested. A slow suggestive smile crossed his face "I'm sure we can find a way to make this day a whole lot better."
Kelly's face finally relaxed in to a smile. Making love to Dylan McKay was an infinitely more appealing proposition than fighting with him, and besides she really didn't feel like going home to an empty house right now. "Well when you put it like that."
***
"Brandon, do you remember just after we moved here and Dad got offered the chance of a promotion back in Minnesota?" Brenda asked casually.
Checking his rear view mirror before making the turn, Brandon nodded absently "Yeah sure Bren I remember".
Brenda sighed, and stared out of the window as though reliving the memory. "We all worked so hard to convince him to stay."
"Yeah we did" Brandon answered distractedly. They were on their way to the peach pit to meet the rest of the gang. They were running a little late, and he was on edge. He and Andrea had agreed not to say anything to David yet, why spoil everyone's night? Still he felt kind of funny about the whole thing, and he wasn't real comfortable with the prospect of spending an evening at the peach pit pretending that everything was just fine.
"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we had gone back? Ever think that maybe we made the wrong decision?" Brenda continued, unaware that Brandon wasn't giving her his full attention.
"No". Brandon answered automatically. Then finally realising the implications of her words, he risked taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at her "Do you?"
Brenda shrugged "I never have before, but now I'm not so sure."
"Okay, that's it". Brandon eased the car to a stop at the side of the road, cut the engine, and then turned to face his sister. "Just what exactly are you saying Bren?"
Brenda took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She hadn't really thought this through fully, was still trying to make sense of it in her own mind. "I'm saying that maybe Beverly Hills isn't right for me anymore. Maybe it's time I went home."
Brandon couldn't believe this. "I thought you said Beverly Hills was home?"
Brenda shifted uncomfortably under Brandon's penetrating stare. "I thought it was I'm just not so sure anymore" she said softly.
"Don't you think this is a little sudden?" Brandon demanded. "I mean I know you're still upset about what's happened with Dylan and Kelly, but running off to Minnesota, isn't that a bit dramatic even for you?"
"Look Brandon for the last few weeks all everyone's been telling me is that I have to get over Dylan and get on with my life" Brenda protested. "I can't do that here, but maybe I can in Minnesota".
Brandon sighed. What she was saying made sense it was just that he was convinced that she was making the wrong decision. "Maybe, but it sounds to me like you're running away."
Brenda shook her head "I'm not running away Brandon I'm making a clean break, there's a difference." She pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, and looked at him with a challenge in her eyes. "This morning weren't you the one that said I should make a fresh start meet new people?"
Brandon rubbed his eyes; suddenly feeling incredibly tired. He had said that, but running back to Minnesota wasn't what he'd had in mind. "I know that's what I said it's just that I think you're doing this for the wrong reason". Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he spoke more gently "If you're gonna go back to Minnesota it should be because you want to be there, not just because you don't want to be here".
Brenda remained silent, chewing nervously on her lower lip. Brandon decided to press his advantage "Be honest Bren, if this thing with Kelly and Dylan hadn't happened, you wouldn't have dreamt of going back to Minnesota and you know it."
Brenda sighed heavily, knowing he had a point, but compelled to argue her case. "Maybe you're right Brandon, maybe I wouldn't, but it has happened, and everything's different now." She swiped angrily at the tears that were threatening.
"Why now?" Brandon asked suspiciously "It's been over a month, what's happened to make you suddenly want to leave?"
Brenda took a deep breath, she hadn't even admitted it to herself yet, but the moment she spoke the words she knew that it was true "I still love him Brandon". She said it so quietly that Brandon had to strain to hear her.
"I still love Dylan, and I can't bear to stay here and watch him and Kelly be happy together, I can't do it. Maybe I am running away, but I don't know what else to do."
The last few words came out as a strangled sob, as the tears finally took over. Appalled Brandon reached out and pulled her to him, cursing his own insensitivity. For a while they just sat there, Brenda sobbing quietly, Brandon silent, desperately trying to figure out a way to help.
Eventually Brenda pulled away, began wiping her eyes. She put on a brave smile "Guess we'd better get going, we've got a party to get to and we're already late."
Brandon nodded, aware that the moment had passed, but not quite ready to let it go. "It's gonna be okay Bren. We're gonna work this out."
"Maybe" she replied. She wasn't convinced that she would ever work this out, but at least she had finally admitted her feelings for Dylan, and in a funny kind of way it gave her some closure.
"Just promise me one thing." Brandon said earnestly.
"What's that?" Brenda asked suspiciously.
"That you won't make any hasty decisions." He sighed. "Look Bren, I know I said that you should be forgetting about the past, moving on somewhere new, it's just well there's a lot to be said for keeping your options open."
Brenda smiled, grateful that she had his support. Sometimes she took Brandon for granted, but there were times when she was acutely aware of how much strength she took just from the knowledge that he would always be there for her.
"Okay" she relented "I promise."
"Good." Brandon turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life.
"Brandon?" Brenda put a hand on his arm to stop him.
He turned back to her, his eyes questioning.
"You won't tell anyone will you?" She asked, voice full of concern "You won't tell anyone what I said?"
He squeezed her hand reassuringly "Of course not."
Her face broke in to a smile "Okay, then lets get to that party."
Brandon revved the engine "You got it."
***
Brandon hesitated at the door to the peach pit, and took a deep breath. They were late, and the rest of the gang were already there. He wasn't sure if he could go through with this, but he knew that he had no choice.
"Come on Brandon, what are you waiting for?" Brenda pushed past him, heading towards the booth where their friends were already gathered. Brandon followed her more slowly. Before he reached their table he knew that something was wrong. The usual laughter and light banter was missing, instead the group was strangely quiet. With a sudden lurch of realisation it struck him that Andrea must have said something. He braced himself for the ugly scene that was likely to follow.
Brenda, a little ahead of Brandon had noticed it too. She stopped a few steps short of the table. "What's going on? What's wrong?" She asked hesitantly, her mind conjuring up all manner of dreadful events.
Donna turned to face her, and Brenda gasped in surprise. Donna's eyes were puffy and red rimmed from crying, and her cheeks were stained by recently shed tears. She looked such a picture of misery that Brenda couldn't begin to imagine what had happened.
"Oh Bren. What am I gonna do?" Donna begged. "Mrs Teasely thinks that David stole the finals paper, and she thinks that I helped him to do it." As Brenda stared at Donna in abject horror, Brandon's eyes slowly met Andrea's. What were they going to do now?