Previously on Midway Prep
Episode Sixty-One
Karen paused before approaching Tanner. Part of her told her to go and help him get through his tough time, but another part of her held her back for fear that she'd disrupt his situation even more. She had never expected to be in this kind of predicament with Tanner Reagan of all people.
Almost as if answering her question, Tanner looked back at her. His eyes were lonely, saddened, and hollow. He seemed to be beckoning to her, which put Karen more at ease. She made her way to him silently.
Karen sat down on the bench next to Tanner, but didn't look at him. Instead, she followed his gaze off into the tall trees that lined the woods neighboring the park. They seemed dark and ominous, a perfect contradiction to the beautiful weather of the sunny, mid-summer day. Karen placed her hands on her knees and looked at Tanner.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she attempted to spark a conversation.
"Not particularly."
The response was short and sharp, half-agitated yet half-pleading. Karen could tell that he was struggling with how he wanted to act towards her. To help him along, she changed the subject. "I'm guessing that since you're sitting here you haven't heard about who won the Miss Midway contest."
"No, I haven't."
"Well, I did."
Interest sparked in Tanner's dull, dark eyes for a brief moment. His left eyebrow moved as if to arch in curiosity, but he managed to still it and continue his stare into the woods. "Congratulations."
She could tell it was half-hearted and forced. Karen nodded slightly and looked down at the grass. "You know, Fish Camp is only a couple of days away. Do you think you'll be ready?"
"Maybe."
"It's supposed to be fun, so I really think you should go," Karen persisted, hoping that she'd finally get through to Tanner to bring him out of his silence.
"Who knows."
"Look, Tanner, you can't just sit around here and look at trees. You need to talk to someone about this. Why not talk to a counselor or a teacher or even Dr. Woodman, Brent's dad. He's a trained professional who knows how to deal with stuff like this."
"I ain't talking to any shrink. If that's what you came here to get me to do, you might as well leave. In fact, I think that'd be the best thing for you to do right now."
"Tanner..."
"Please...just...leave," Tanner's request was broken and choppy. His emotional struggle was more apparent than ever.
Karen rose sadly. "Fine, but just know that if you need someone to talk to, I'd be glad to listen. Don't hesitate to ask."
For the first time, Tanner looked at Karen. His eyes were filled with a longing and emptiness that nearly broke Karen's heart. He nodded and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "Yeah, I will."
Karen turned to walk away, feeling depressed from her high hopes of raising Tanner's spirits being dashed.
"Hey, Karen."
She turned around at his voice.
He hesitated briefly, then looked towards the grass. "Thank you."
Karen smiled her warmest smile. "Any time."
-Karen reeled in shock from her Miss Midway win
-Amber lashed out at Francesca when Francesca confronted her
-Trace, Brent, and Allan made plans to rebuild and move on in their lives
-Shannon noticed Becca acting strangely
-Christian exploded on the witness stand during his testimony
September 27, 2001