DISCLAIMER: I do not own Beverly Hills 90210 or any of the characters involved in this story.

A/N: This chapter continues to take place during the time of the 3rd season episode 'Duke's Bad Boy.' We take a slight detour from our main story and deal with Brandon's gambling problem in this chapter. But have no fear, we will jump back into the whole Brenda/Scott/Dylan/Kelly drama in the next chapter.

Is the 18th episode of Season 3 of Beverly Hills, 90210. On a women's weekend away, Cindy fears 'mid-life crisis' might strike Jim, but it appears someone else has already. Games Movies TV Video. Explore Wikis. Jason Priestley as Brandon.

As always, thanks for the reviews and please keep writing them. They are what keeps me going and what encourages me to get the next chapter posted ASAP.

It seems like any normal weekday afternoon at the Peach Pit. The burgers are flipping, the cash register is ringing, and the juke box is playing. It seems like the perfect place to spend a relaxing and care-free afternoon of your youth. But if your name is Brandon Walsh, that is definitely not the case on this afternoon.

It's not the stress of his job that has him so wound up tight. After all, he's been working at the Peach Pit since he was a sophomore. What has Brandon wound up so tight is that, unbeknownst to anybody else, he made a last ditch desperation sports bet with school bookie, Jeff Stellar. If he wins the bet, and if Jeff pays him off, he'll have enough money to pay off Duke the money that he owes him. But if he loses, Brandon will be in more trouble than he knows what to do with.

'Hey Brandon, I'm just curious, do you still work here?' asks Nat to Brandon, who's ear is glued to the radio as the basketball game that he has bet on is being announced.

'Yeah, of course I do, Nat.' replies Brandon.

'Good, because we got orders backing up here and customers who are losing their patience. Now if you're not too busy, what do you say we get the food to the paying customers sometime before I retire.' says Nat, trying to keep a cheerful mood. Nat has much regret over giving Brandon Duke's phone number. It was this action that unleashed the gambling monster inside of Brandon, but not even Nat knows how bad it really is just yet.

Brandon rushes over to the booth where Scott and Brenda are sitting at with a tray of food. 'Okay kids, here we are. Grilled Chicken salad for you, Brenda. And Chicken Quesadillas for you, Scott.' he says.

Scott looks over at Brenda with a befuddled look on his face, not really knowing what to say.

'Brandon, this isn't what we ordered.' says Brenda with a look of disbelief on her face.

'It's not?' Brandon asks.

'No. We ordered the chilli cheese fries and two chocolate shakes, what's wrong with you?' asks Brenda.

Brandon looks at them with an embarrassing smile. 'Um, sorry about that.' he says. 'Your food will be right out.' He replies and goes back to the kitchen, leaving Scott and Brenda at their booth.

'Something is definitely wrong with my brother.' Brenda says to Scott.

'What makes you say that?' Scott asks.

'Scott, my brother has worked here for almost three years now. He can practically

do this job with his eyes closed. And now all of a sudden he's getting his orders mixed up?' says Brenda.

'Well, maybe he's got a lot on his mind.' suggests Scott.

Brenda shakes her head with a worried look on her face. 'No. It's more than that. Scott, when I came home last night I saw a look in my brother's eye, a look that I've never seen before. He kept telling me that nothing was wrong, but I know him better than that. I know he's in over his head.' says Brenda.

'So do you think you know what's bothering him?' asks Scott.

'Yes. And I'm almost positive of it.' says Brenda assertively. 'Scott, can you keep a secret? You have to swear this is just between you and me, alright? You can't tell another living soul.' she whispers

'Okay, I promise.' says Scott back.

'Brandon's been betting on basketball games. And a few weeks ago, he was spending money like he just hit the jackpot in Vegas, buying skis and a new stereo for his car. He even gave me $200 for helping him make a winning pick, that's when it really caught my eye. I tried to give the money back to him, but he wouldn't take it. That's actually what I used to buy the clothes we got you last night.' says Brenda.

At that moment Brandon shows up at their table with the right food, and puts 2 shakes and a basket of chilli cheese fries on their table. 'There you go guys. Enjoy.' he says obviously distracted as he hurries back to the kitchen to listen in on the game.

'But all that's changed in the last week. He's gotten really moody and irritable. He bites my head off when I ask him even the smallest of things. That may be normal to some people, but not my brother. Brandon's one of the easiest going guys you'll ever meet.' continues Brenda.

'Yeah, I know. I've always liked your brother, Brenda. He's always been cool to me, even when most kids weren't.' says Scott.

'Well not only that, but last night I caught him digging through his drawers and pulling out one of his prize possessions, a rookie Joe DiMaggio baseball card that our parents bought him on our 10th birthday.' says Brenda.

'A DiMaggio rookie card?' asks Scott in amazement. 'Wow, you're kidding. That's probably worth close to $500 if it's in mint condition.' he says.

'I know. And Brandon would never dream of parting with it unless he was in serious trouble.' says a worried Brenda as she eats a couple of fries. 'Scott, I don't know what to do. I don't even know if there is anything I can do.' she says.

'Why don't you tell your parents?' he suggests.

'I thought about that. But first of all, Dad has already questioned him about his bizarre behavior lately, and got nothing out of him. Secondly, even though I highly suspect it, I don't have any proof. And finally, Brandon and I have always had an unwritten rule between us that no matter how bad things get, we don't tell our parents. And he's always honored that for me. Like last year when I snuck down to Baja with Dylan, Brandon warned me about the trouble I could get into, but he promised not to say anything to Mom and Dad. And he didn't.' says Brenda.

Scott nods. 'I know how that is. Sue and I have the same thing. Our mom is ridiculously over protective, and when we were younger we made a pact to always tell each other our problems before going to mom. And to be honest, Brenda, I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean Sue looks out for me better than my mom ever could. Really, she's my best friend.'

'So you know why I can't tell my parents then?' asks Brenda.

'Yes, but if Brandon really does have a gambling problem, you have to do something.' says Scott as he takes a sip of his chocolate shake.

'I know.' says Brenda as she stares at her brother who has made his way back into the kitchen to listen to the closing seconds of the basketball game. Brandon lets out a big cheer when the team he bet on hits a buzzer beater in the closing seconds to win the game. In his mind, he's free and clear. But one problem remains, would Jeff Stellar actually be able to come up with the money that Brandon bet on? After all Stellar was no Duke. He was some kid from school who dressed flashy and took miniscule bets from the football players. Could he actually come up with fifteen hundred dollars? For Brandon, his future and his life all depended on whether or not this guy came through for him.

The following day, Brandon and Brenda ride to school together. The ride is total and complete silence all the way to school. Brandon's got one thing on his mind. For Brenda though, her thoughts are all over the place. From Brandon, to Scott, to Dylan, everything that is going on all seems to be more than she can handle.

When they get to school, Brandon parks his car and immediately hops out and begins to look for Jeff Stellar. Brenda just watches him walk off with a worried look in her eye. As she begins to walk into school, she keeps debating over and over in her head on whether or not she should tell her parents about Brandon's behavior. She's baffled by the fact that she could never do anything without it being under Jim and Cindy's radar. Yet here Brandon has probably been gambling for months and they just take him at his word that everything is alright.

As Brenda is walking, she hears a voice come up from behind her.

'Hey Brenda, wait up.' shouts Kelly who comes running up to Brenda from behind.

'Hey Kelly, what's up?' replies Brenda.

'Listen, I was wondering if we could talk about this Saturday.' Kelly says.

'Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you. What time would you like Scott and I to be there? Do you want us to meet at your house or Dylan's?' asks Brenda.

'Actually Brenda, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?' asks Kelly. 'See Dylan and I, well we've kind of been having our problems lately. Basically, it's been a lack of communication. And I was kind of hoping for some time alone with him.' says Kelly.

Brenda looks at Kelly and snickers as she knows exactly where this conversation is heading as they walk into the school and down the halls of West Beverly. 'So let me guess, you don't want Scott or I to come with you on Saturday?' suggests Brenda.

'In a nutshell, yeah.' says Kelly. 'Do you mind?' she asks.

'Mind what?' says Brenda, not knowing what Kelly is asking.

'Would you mind telling Dylan that you and Scott have other plans for Saturday?' asks Kelly with a look on her face that says that she really wants this.

Brenda shakes her head and lets out a small laugh out of disbelief. 'Look Kelly, if you don't want us to come, that's fine. But you're going to be the one to tell Dylan, not me.' she says.

'Oh come on, Brenda.' says Kelly as she stops dead in her tracks and turns Brenda around to look at her.

'Oh come on what?' replies Brenda aggressively as she shoots Kelly a look to let her know she's pissed.

'Brenda, if I tell Dylan that I don't want you two along, I'm going to appear like a total bitch.' says Kelly.

'Well Kelly, I got news for you. You are acting like a total bitch.' scolds Brenda.

'Why? Because I want to spend some time alone with my boyfriend?' replies Kelly.

'No. It's because you can't stop to think about anybody but yourself for two seconds' says Brenda.

'That is not true.' cries Kelly.

'Oh it's not? Well who was it who sulked all afternoon at Dylan's father's funeral, instead of thinking about Dylan?' says Brenda as Kelly breaks eye contact to look down at the ground. 'And let me ask you something. Do you want me to break our plans because you want to be alone with Dylan or is it because you don't want me along?'

'Brenda, it has nothing to do with you. Believe me.' says Kelly. 'Though I have to admit that I'm really not that crazy about having what's his face along.' says Kelly.

'If you're referring to Scott…' says Brenda who gets cut off.

'Brenda, he's so immature. Seriously, what do you like about him?' says Kelly.

Brenda folds her arms and shoots Kelly a look of disgust. 'Well, for one he's not gossipy. And unlike you, he isn't so wrapped up in himself to actually think of other people. And I have to say that he's been a damn sight better friend to me lately than you have this entire past year.'

At that moment Kelly and Brenda spot Dylan at the end of the hall as he comes walking up to them.

'Here he comes, Kelly. Go ahead and tell him how you feel.' says Brenda. Dylan comes walking up to them and leans over and gives Kelly a quick kiss on the lips and leans up against the wall. 'Hey beautiful.' he says. He looks over at Brenda. 'Hey Bren.' he replies

'Hi Dylan, I think Kelly has something she wants to tell you about Saturday.' says Brenda.

Dylan looks over at Kelly, who is shooting Brenda a death glare. She turns and looks at Dylan who is looking her right in the eye. 'What do you want to tell me about Saturday' he inquires.

'Well I was just telling Brenda…' she pauses and looks over at Brenda who is standing there with her arms folded and glaring at her. 'I was telling her how much fun we're going to have this Saturday with her and Scott.' she says to him.

Dylan looks puzzled for a second as what Kelly just said doesn't match the level of enthusiasm in her voice. But he brushes it off and looks cool at them both. 'Definitely.' he responds.

'So when and where do you guys want to meet us?' asks Brenda.

Dylan looks over at Kelly, whose facial expression is clearly showing unhappiness at the moment. 'Uhm, why don't you guys be at my place around one in the afternoon.' he says.

'All right, see you then.' says Brenda who smirks at Kelly, knowing that she's gotten the better of her. 'Later Kelly.' she says and walks off. Kelly just stands there with a scowl on her face. Dylan looks over at her suspiciously.

'So what was that all about?' he asks.

'What was what all about?' replies Kelly.

'Come on, Kel.' Dylan replies. 'I don't have to be a mind reader to know that something's bothering you.'

Kelly says nothing, but walks side by side down the hall with Dylan.

'You and Brenda still having problems?' he asks.

'No. It's not about Brenda. I just…' says Kelly, pausing as she takes deep breathes and turns to look at Dylan. 'I would just like to have a little time to spend with just you and not half of West Beverly.' she says.

Dylan rolls his eyes, looking off at the ceiling, and then back down at Kelly. 'Oh, I get it. You're having another one of your fits where you get mad at me because my entire attention isn't on you every second of the day, is that it?' inquires Dylan in a joking, yet condescending tone.

'Dylan, I don't need your attention all the time, but every once in a while would be nice. Just to let me know that I'm still part of your life.' says Kelly.

'You are a part of my life, Kel. I've just had a lot of distractions lately. But that still doesn't mean I don't think about you.' says Dylan with a warm and soft look in his eyes.

'So prove it to me then. Tonight, let me come over for a little while.'

'I don't know Kel, I kind of got a lot of studying to do.' replies Dylan.

'Oh come on, Dylan, just for a little while.' begs Kelly. 'Just you and me, and nobody else.' She says. 'No Brenda and definitely not that girl over there that keeps starring at you.' says Kelly as she points out a younger light brown haired girl in a cheerleader outfit down the hall who's been watching Dylan the entire time. She has on makeup, glitter, and has a very cutesy look to her. When Dylan turns to look at her, the girl quickly turns her head and pretends like she's looking at something else.

'Kel, I have no idea who that girl is.' says Dylan.

'Good.' replies Kelly. 'Keep it that way. In the mean time, I'll be over at eight tonight. If that alright with you?' she says.

Dylan looks back at the girl in the cheerleader outfit and briefly smiles at her, much to the displeasure of Kelly. In his time at West Beverly, Dylan has grown quite accustom to younger girls starring at him. He is quite the heartthrob. He knows it, but unfortunately so does Kelly, who is not happy at Dylan's reaction.

'Don't smile at her.' says Kelly coarsely. 'Dylan, tonight eight o'clock, your house, is that okay?' asks Kelly assertively.

Dylan turns back around and focuses on Kelly. 'Fine Kel, but we're just going to be studying, okay?' he says as he kisses Kelly on the forehead and walks off to his first class.

Kelly marches up to the light brown haired girl in the cheerleader outfit who has returned to staring at Dylan as he walks off down the hall.

Kelly coughs loudly to let her presence be known. 'Excuse me.' she says to the cheerleader in a tone to let her know she is pissed.

'Yes?' responds the girl.

'What's your name?' asks Kelly.

'Uh, Brittany James.' replies the girl hesitantly.

'Brittany, huh?' asks Kelly. 'Are you a freshman?'

'Uhm, sophomore.' replies Brittany.

Beverly Hills 90210 Episodes

'Well, any particular reason you keep starring at my boyfriend?' inquires Kelly as she glares at Brittany with her arms folded.

'Me? I wasn't starring at anybody.' says Brittany.

'Well Brittany, let me just give you one piece of advice.' says Kelly. 'Don't stare, it's not polite, especially at guys who have absolutely no interest in you.'

Brittany frowns and looks to the ground.

'I'd hate to see the cheerleading squad lose one of its cheerleaders. So keep your eyeballs in the back of your head and your nose to yourself before somebody slams it in their locker door.' snaps Kelly as she walks off angrily.

At lunch that day, Brandon is talking to Jeff Stellar in the courtyard. Steve is watching them chat from a distance, trying to read Brandon's expression to see if it's good or bad. Steve knows that Brandon bet a large amount of money with Jeff, and he feels certain that there is no way that Jeff can cover that bet. But Brandon's body language isn't showing any signs of anger. Jeff walks away and Brandon begins walking back toward Steve as he pats Jeff on the back.

Brandon walks up to Steve, as he waits anxiously to hear the jist of the conversation they just had.

'Well?' asks Steve as he inquires whether or not Jeff had the money for him.

'He says he has the money, and he'll bring it buy the Peach Pit later tonight.' replies Brandon.

At the exact moment that Brandon says that, he and Steve are standing to the side of the courtyard, just around at corner. Scott was walking around the corner just at that exact moment in time and over hears Brandon telling Steve that Jeff has the money. Rather than continue around the corner, Scott decides to stay out of sight and listen in on the conversation.

'So do you think he'll have it?' asks Steve.

'Steve, no bookie in their right mind would take a bet they can't cover. Not only can you get seriously hurt, but it's extremely un-ethical.' replies Brandon.

'Brandon, I hate to burst your bubble, but somehow I don't think that being ethical is exactly a very high priority to Jeff Stellar.' retorts Steve.

Brandon looks at Steve. 'Well, he better have it.' says Brandon with a serious look on his face.

'And what if he doesn't?' asks Steve.

Brandon takes a deep breathe and stares off into the bridge. 'I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' he says.

Scott hears this entire conversation and goes running off to find Brenda. He spots her walking across the courtyard and goes running up to her.

'Hey Brenda.' he says.

'Scott, what's up?' she replies.

'Listen, can we go some place private and talk.' says Scott with an anxious looks on his face.

'Sure.' replies Brenda who takes Scott by the arm and leads him over to a small corner of the courtyard that is secluded from the main area.

'Brenda.' whispers Scott in a quiet tone, looking around to make sure that nobody else can hear what he's saying. 'I wasn't spying or anything, but I overheard Brandon talking to Steve.' he says.

'And?' asks Brenda with a concerned look on her face.

'Well, I didn't hear the whole conversation. But the jist of it that I got is that Brandon is waiting for Jeff Stellar to pay him off on a bet he won.' says Scott. Brenda just looks at him. 'Jeff's suppose to meet him at the Peach Pit later.'

'Oh my god, so he is still gambling.' says Brenda as she bites her nails and looks worried. 'Did you hear anything else?'

Scott thinks for a moment. 'Not really.' He replies. 'Although, Steve did ask Brandon what he was going to do if Jeff didn't have the money.' he says.

'And what was Brandon's response?' asks Brenda.

'He said that he would cross that bridge when he comes to it.' replies Scott.

Brenda takes a deep breathe. 'Oh god, Brandon's really in trouble. I just know it' says Brenda.

'How do you know?' asks Scott.

'Scott, I know my brother. He's the eternal optimist. That's good in a lot of ways, but it does have its drawbacks. Brandon never wants to think of the worst possible scenario, even if he should. This is why he's gotten into gambling trouble. He never wanted to think about what would happen if he lost, only about how much money he could make winning.' says Brenda.

Scott just stands there with an unsure look on his face. 'So what are you going to do?' he asks.

'I don't know.' says Brenda as she begins to pace back and forth worriedly.

'Are you going to tell your parents?' asks Scott

'Scott, I don't know, alright.' says an agitated Brenda, raising her voice.

'Sorry. I know this has got to be hard.' replies Scott as he frowns and looks down on the ground. The tone of Brenda's voice has clearly upset him.

Brenda grabs her head with both of her hands like she has a stress headache. 'Scott, I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just stressed out right now. I don't know what to do. I mean if Brandon owes some bookie a lot of money that he can't pay back he could get seriously hurt. But if I tell my parents, he'll hate me and we'll lose that closeness that we have.' cries Brenda as she stresses.

Scott ponders for the right words to say to comfort Brenda. 'Well, maybe if this Jeff Stellar guy comes through and pays Brandon off, he'll be out of trouble and you won't have to tell your parents.' suggests Scott.

'Yeah, but what will he learn from it? How do I know he won't just go back out and bet again and again and again? I mean, where does this stop?' says Brenda as she stops to look at Scott.

'Look, Brandon's a smart guy. I'm sure he's learned his lesson.' says Scott.

Brenda takes another deep breathe. 'I have to find out what happens tonight. I need to know if Jeff pays him off. Then I can decide whether or not to tell mom and dad.' says Brenda.

'So how are you going to find out?' asks Scott. 'Are you going to the Peach Pit?'

'No. I can't go. I've been bugging Brandon for days asking him what's wrong. And he's losing patience with me. He'll make sure that I'm no where around when he talks to Jeff.' says Brenda.

Scott nods in agreement as Brenda ponders the situation.

'Unless….' says Brenda, then shakes her head no. 'Forget it.'

'What is it?' asks Scott.

'Well, do you think maybe you could go to the Peach Pit and keep an eye on Brandon for me?' asks Brenda.

'You want me to spy on your brother?' asks Scott.

Brenda, realizing what she's asking him to do, feels ashamed and shakes her head. 'No forget it. I'm sorry, it was a stupid thing to ask.' she says.

Scott hates the idea of spying on Brandon, as it makes him nervous and uncomfortable. But his feelings for Brenda are so strong that she can make him do things that he normally wouldn't' do on a dare, like go on a bungee swing or spy on her brother.

'I'll do it, Brenda.' says Scott.

Brenda turns to look at Scott, her face going from a look of concern to cracking a slight smile. 'Are you sure?' she asks.

'For you, I'll do it.' says Scott.

Brenda smiles. 'Oh thank you, Scott.' she says. 'Just hang around the Peach Pit until this Jeff Stellar guy comes in. When he does, see if you can listen in on what happens between him and Brandon. Once you find something out, give me a call, okay?'

Scott flashes Brenda a very awkward and non-confident grin. He wants to help her out and will do his best, but this whole thing is making him feel very uncomfortable. Still, he'll do it for Brenda. 'I'll try my best.' he tells her softly.

Brenda leans in and wraps her arms around Scott and squeezes tight, giving him a warm and friendly hug. 'Thank you.' She whispers to him. 'You are the best friend I could have.' she says to him.

Scott smile back at her, flattered by the compliment she just gave to him. 'You're the only friend I have right now, Brenda.' he says back to her.

'Well, we're going to change that. Just you wait and see. Once everyone finds out what a wonderful person you are, you'll have so many friends that they'll be lined up around the block to be your friend.' she says to him smiling.

'None of them will ever be as good to me as you've been.' he says to her. Brenda looks at him and smiles awkwardly. She's flattered by his compliment, but is concerned that Scott may be getting seriously attached to her emotionally. But for now, she had bigger problems to worry about.

Later that evening, Scott walks into a mostly empty Peach Pit. He sits at the counter and orders a Coke. At the other end of the counter is Dylan, who is reading an SAT study guide. Scott looks around and spots Dylan just as he looks up from his book and makes eye contact with him.

'Hey Dylan.' says Scott.

Beverly Hills 90210 Reboot

Dylan nods his head backwards in a cool and easy manner. 'How's it going?' he asks. Dylan returns to his book and at first chooses not to engage Scott in conversation, but after a couple of minutes, he closes his book and moves over to sit next to Scott.

'Is Brenda not with you tonight?' Dylan asks.

Scott, feeling uncomfortable and awkward as he keeps an eye on Brandon and wait for Jeff Stellar to come in, turns to Dylan. 'Oh. No, I think she said that she had some studying to do.' says Scott as he takes a sip of his soda.

Dylan's not really sure why he went over to sit next to Scott. Part of him wants to thank him for his generosity. Another part of him wants to ask him what the real scoop is between him and Brenda. But his pride would not allow him to come right out and be direct. Instead he dances around the subject.

'Listen Scott, if you ever want this back, all you have to do is ask. Believe me, man. I'll understand' says Dylan as he pulls out Jeremy's Indian head penny necklace that Scott gave to him.

'Thanks, Dylan.' replies a nervous Scott. 'But I really don't need it anymore. Besides I have my own.' he says as he reaches down beneath his shirt and pulls out his own necklace that he's wearing and shows it to Dylan.

Dylan looks forward for a moment trying to think of what to say next.

'Hey man, I hope you didn't take any of what I said at dinner the other night seriously. I didn't mean anything against you. I just….' says Dylan as he gets cut off in mid-sentence.

'Dylan, you don't need to apologize. Your father just died and the last thing you wanted was a geek like me poking his nose in your business. Trust me, I understand.' says Scott as his leg shakes from nervousness.

'Look dude, you're not a geek.' says Dylan. Scott just smiles nervously. 'In fact, I think its great what you and Brenda have going on.' continues Dylan.

'You do?' asks a surprised Scott.

'Yeah, she's needed a friend these past few weeks. And from what she's told me, you've been a damn good one to her.' says Dylan.

Scott smiles slightly, as he is taken in awe that Dylan paid him a compliment. 'Well, that goes both ways.' he replies.

Dylan flashes a frowning smile at Scott. 'I'm sure it does.' he says. 'I bet you're going to miss her next year.' Dylan adds.

Scott frowns slightly; as Dylan has brought up something he hasn't really wanted to think about. What's he going to do next year when Brenda's at college and he's still stuck at West Beverly for another year? She did mention that she plans to go to California University, which if she does means she'll be near by. But still, it just won't be the same. Without Brenda, he'll be a loner walking the halls of West Beverly again.

At that moment, the bells on the front of the Peach Pit door ring, and Jeff Stellar walks in. Dylan continues to talk to Scott, but Scott is no longer listening to the words he's saying. His focus totally zooms in on Jeff as he sits at the other end of the counter and Brandon comes out from the back to meet with him. Scott tries to make out what they're saying, and can see Brandon ask Jeff to step out back.

'Hey, are you alright, man?' Dylan asks to Scott as he sees Scott just looking ahead and can tell he's not paying attention to what he's saying.

'Will you excuse me for a moment?' asks Scott as he gets up and rushes to the bathroom. Scott tries to quickly think of a way to listen in on Brandon and Jeff without being seen. He sees a window up close toward the ceiling on a ledge. Scott jumps up, grabs the ledge and pulls himself up. He looks out the window and spots Brandon and Jeff talking. He quietly opens the window and listens in on the conversation they are having in the back alley.

'Look, Brandon. This is a little unusual. I mean, actually this is the first time this has happened. But I'm going to need a little more time.' Says Jeff.

'What?' asks Brandon in an angry tone.

'Brandon, I swear, I'm good for it. Really I am. But I mean lets face it, fifteen hundred dollars is a lot of money, and it's either you or the whole football team.' says Jeff.

Scott's face turns pale white as he hears Jeff say that he owes Brandon fifteen hundred dollars. What's he going to tell Brenda?

At that moment, Brandon completely loses his cool and grabs Jeff Stellar by the throat and pushes him up against the building. 'What the hell did you think you were doing taking a bet you couldn't cover?' says Brandon with rage in his voice.

'Brandon calm down, please, I'll get you the money. It's no big deal.' pleads Jeff.

'You're darn right you're going to get me the money. And you're going to have it for me by tomorrow morning, you understand? I don't care what you have to do to get it. I don't care if you have to sell your car, your clothes, I don't care if you have to rob a 7-eleven, but you're going to get me that money or I'm going to put you in the hospital so fast you won't know what hit you, you got that?' screams Brandon as Jeff looks back terrified.

At that moment, Steve comes pulling up in his corvette and rushes over to break it up. After pulling Brandon off, Jeff takes off running while Steve takes Brandon back inside. Scott just sits there on the window ledge in total shock over what he's just heard.

At that moment, Dylan comes into the bathroom and sees Scott sitting on the window ledge with a total look of fear and anxiety on his face. Scott jumps down from the ledge when he sees Dylan come in, but Dylan can instantly tell that something's up.

'What's going on, man?' asks Dylan.

'Nothing. Nothing at all.' replies Scott as he starts to hyperventilate in panic.

'Scott, calm down, man.' cries Dylan. 'Talk to me, what's wrong.'

'I….' Scott hesitates. 'I have to get out of here. I need to find Brenda.' he cries as he tries to rush out of the bathroom. Dylan comes up from behind and grabs his arm.

'Look Scott, tell me what it is, man. Is somebody trying to hurt you? Whatever it is, I can help.' says Dylan.

'I…I can't talk about it here.' says Scott.

'You want to go outside?' asks Dylan.

Trying to calm down and catch his breathe, Scott nods yes as he and Dylan exit the bathroom and the Peach Pit. A few seconds after they leave, Brandon and Steve enter from the back having not seen Scott and Dylan just leave. Scott walks around to the side of the building with Dylan.

'Alright, so what is it?' asks Dylan.

'I can't tell you.' says Scott.

'Yes you can, man.' says Dylan. 'You can trust me.'

'No. I promised Brenda, I wouldn't tell anybody.' says Scott.

Dylan takes a deep breathe. Now he's really concerned that the problem might not be with Scott, it might be with Brenda. He briefly remembers the scare Brenda had a few years earlier when she found a lump in her breast. He has to know.

'Look Scott, whatever it is, I promise it doesn't go any further than me. Now if something's wrong with Brenda, I really want to know.' says Dylan.

Scott, almost in tears cause he doesn't want to break his promise to Brenda, finally caves in as he looks down on the ground. 'No Dylan, it has nothing to do with Brenda or with me for that matter. It's about Brandon.'

'Brandon?' asks Dylan with a surprised look on his face. 'What's the matter with Brandon?' he repeats.

'Brenda has suspected that he's gotten himself into some trouble gambling. But he won't talk to anybody about it, including Brenda or his parents. So she asked me in school today if I could keep a close eye on him and find out what's going on. And I agreed.' says Scott.

Dylan shakes his head. 'Yes, and?' he asks

'Well just now, I overheard him talking with Jeff Stellar from school. And apparently, he owes Brandon fifteen hundred dollars from a bet that he made. When Jeff didn't have the money, Brandon went bezerk and was about ready to kill the guy.' says Scott.

Dylan shakes his head and sighs. 'Oh man. B's not one to go flying off the handle like that. He must really be in over his head to invoke that kind of reaction. Did you say fifteen hundred dollars?'

'Believe me, I heard it loud and clear.' says Scott.

'Damn. I bet he owes it to that Duke guy who comes around here and books bets for Nat. If Brandon doesn't get him that money, Duke knows guys who could hurt him bad.' says Dylan. 'I can't believe he didn't come and talk to me about it.'

With a worried and concerned look on his face, Scott looks up from the ground and at Dylan. 'Well please don't tell anybody I told you, especially Brenda or Brandon. Now, I really need to go tell Brenda. I promised her I'd tell her the second I found out something.'

'And what do you think she's going to do?' asks Dylan.

'Well, I highly doubt she has fifteen hundred dollars. She's probably going to wind up telling her parents.' says Scott.

'And then Jim will yell at Brandon, and he'll get mad at Brenda for asking you to spy on him and the whole thing will blow up. Believe me, man, I know how that family operates like the back of my hand.' replies Dylan.

'So what should we do?' asks Scott.

'I have an idea, but I'm going to need your help.' says Dylan.

'My help?' asks Scott. 'Why me?' asks Scott.

'Cause I'm going to pull Brandon's fat out of the fryer. That whole family has done me a lot of good turns, and Brandon especially has always there for me. And I wouldn't feel right if I just stood by and did nothing while Brandon got beat up by a bunch of goons hired by a sports bookie.' says Dylan.

'So what does this have to do with me?' asks Scott.

'I need to get Brandon the money. And I want to make sure that Brenda knows about it, but that his parents don't.' says Dylan as quickly walks over to his Porsche. 'Come on, get in.' he says to Scott.

Hesitant at first, Scott walks around to the passenger's side and gets in Dylan's Porsche and the two take off, headed for Dylan's house.

Dylan walks into his house, followed by Scott. Once inside, Scott takes a look around and finds himself envious. While he lives in a cluttered house, with a bunch of kids, and an overbearing mother, Dylan has this nice house with a gorgeous yard all to himself. He looks around real quick and sees Dylan's surf board along with some other personal mementos.

Dylan goes over to a shelf with books on it and reaches all the way up to the corner of the top shelf and pulls down a small wooden box. He opens it and takes out a roll of fifteen one hundred dollar bills and sticks it in his coat pocket. Scott looks on in awe.

'My old man use to say it was good to keep a little bit of cash on hand for a rainy day. It sounded like a good idea to me. I never thought I'd be using it to bail out a friend, especially not the Boy Scout from Minnesota.' says Dylan.

'So, you're just going to give Brandon fifteen hundred dollars to pay off his gambling debts?' asks Scott.

'No, I'm not giving Brandon fifteen hundred dollars.' says Dylan. 'I'm lending it to him. There's a big difference.'

'And you think he'll pay you back?' asks Scott.

'Oh B will pay me back as certain as the sun comes up. Believe me, his consciousness wouldn't let him do otherwise.' replies Dylan

'Right.' says Scott with an awkward smile.

Dylan grabs his car keys and notices that he has 1 message on his answering machine but decides to wait until later when Scott's not around to play it.

'So you remember what to do when we get there, right?' asks Dylan.

'You want me to get Brenda to get Brandon to come outside?' asks Scott.

'Yeah, I'll park around the corner so Jim and Cindy don't see me. You just get Brandon and Brenda to meet me out there without their parents knowing about it, and I'll take care of the rest.' says Dylan.

Dylan and Scott head outside and get in Dylan's Porsche and take off, headed for the Walsh house. At that exact moment Kelly is pulling up in her convertible. She sees Scott, and wonders what the hell he could possibly be doing over at Dylan's house. She stops her car and pulls over to the side so she won't be seen. As she watches Dylan and Scott take off together in Dylan's Porsche she shakes her head in total anger and disgust. She had come over to spend some quality time with her boyfriend tonight only to find him riding off with this total loser, in her mind. Dylan, having gotten caught up in the whole situation with Brandon's gambling problem, has completely forgotten about Kelly coming over tonight.

As Kelly watches Dylan's Porsche drive off into the distance, she reaches into her purse and pulls out a tablet of over the counter diet pills she's been taking and pops one in her mouth and drinks some bottled water to wash it down.

Night has fallen at Casa Walsh. Brenda paces around her room. She keeps looking at the phone waiting for it to ring. It's almost 9:00 and she doesn't know why Scott hasn't called her yet. Could it be that Jeff Stellar never showed to give Brandon his money? Or does Scott have bad news and he doesn't know how to break it to Brenda? All these thoughts go through her mind as she flops on her bed in anxiety.

At that moment, there is a soft knock on her door and Cindy comes in.

'Honey, Scott's here.' she says quietly.

At that moment, Brenda's heart fills like it has a flutter. Whatever has been happening, she's about to find out. 'Okay, I'll be down in a minute.' Brenda replies.

Brenda heads downstairs where Scott is waiting for her at the front door. She grabs her jacket and puts it on and walks outside. 'Come on, let's go for a walk.' she tells Scott.

As they walk outside, they wait until they get about half way down the drive way, so not to be overheard by anybody else

'So did you find out anything?' asks Brenda.

'Brenda, is Brandon home?' asks Scott.

'No, he hasn't gotten home from work yet? Why?' she asks with a look of fear on her face. 'Scott, what's going on?'

'Well, I really need to talk to him as well.' says Scott.

'What?' she says. 'Why do you need to talk to him? Scott, please tell me what it is that you know, I can't wait any longer to find out what's going on.' says an agitated Brenda.

At that moment, Brandon comes pulling up the driveway in his mustang. He sees Brenda and Scott in the drive way talking and stops his car, turning the engine off. As he gets out, he slams it shut. It is apparent that he is in a real lousy mood.

'Hey Brandon, I need to talk to you.' says Scott.

'Scott, I don't mean to be rude, but I've had a real lousy day and I'd kind of just like to go inside right now.' says Brandon.

'Scott, what's going on, please tell me.' replies Brenda. Brandon hears the tone of desperation and walks over to them.

'What's going on?' asks Brandon.

'Dylan's here.' replies Scott.

'What?' replies both Brandon and Brenda simultaneously.

'He's around the corner. He didn't want to come inside because he doesn't want your parents to know he's here, but he needs to talk to you both.' says Scott.

Brandon and Brenda look at each other in dismay and then walk up the block and around the corner where Dylan is standing by his Porsche waiting for them. Scott follows behind them.

'Hey bro, how's it going?' says Brandon who goes walking up to him.

'Dylan, what's going on? What are you doing here?' asks Brenda.

'Simple, B needs a guardian angel tonight. That's where I come in.' replies Dylan.

'What?' replies Brandon. 'What are you talking about?' asks Brandon.

'Brandon, I know about the gambling you've been doing. And I know about the $1500 bet you made with Jeff Stellar, and the fact that he couldn't furnish the green.' says Dylan.

'Fifteen hundred dollars, Brandon?' shrieks Brenda. 'Are you insane? You don't have that kind of money.' she shouts.

'A little louder, Brenda, I don't think the neighbors heard you.' retorts Brandon sarcastically.

'You're out of control, man. And if you don't chill on the gambling, you're going to go down in flames.' says Dylan to Brandon.

'Dylan, I just made a few lousy sports bets. That's all.' replies Brandon.

'Just a few lousy sports bets, Brandon?' replies Dylan. 'Is that why you nearly killed Stellar when he didn't have the money? What the hell made you think that some kid from school could come up with that kind of dough in 24 hours? And what if you would have lost the bet, huh? Did you stop to think about that?' says Dylan aggressively.

'No I didn't.' replies Brandon with a look of shame on his face.

Beverly Hills 90210 Brandon Gambling News

'Brandon, my dad had some friends with gambling problems. I've seen first hand how their thinking operates. They think they can get out of the hole by gambling over and over again. It doesn't work that way, man. If it did, everyone would be doing it.' says Dylan.

'Look, Dylan I get the point alright. I screwed up.' screams Brandon back. Scott and Brenda look on with worried looks on their faces.

'Brandon, I'm going to ask you this one time. How much do you owe and to whom?' says Dylan.

Brandon looks down at the ground. 'I owe Duke fifteen hundred dollars. And I have to have it by tomorrow.' he says.

'And if you don't?' asks Dylan.

'He's got this big guy that he rides around with. I don't know what he's going to do to me.' says Brandon.

'Well, I do. I've seen first hand what people like Duke do to guys who don't pay off their gambling debts.' says Dylan.

At that point, Dylan reaches into his pocket and pulls out the $1500 in cash that he took from his box at home and places it into Brandon's hand. Brandon looks at the money with a look of shock on his face and then looks up at Dylan.

'Dylan, I can't take this, man. This isn't your problem. It's mine. I didn't want to drag anybody else into it.' cries Brandon.

'Just stop right there, chief.' says Dylan. 'Do you know how many times you and your family have been there for me to bail me out when I've crashed and burned.' Dylan says.

'Yeah, I know, man. But this just wouldn't be right.' says Brandon.

'And what would be right? Sitting back and doing nothing while Duke has his hired goon break a few of your fingers or maybe even a couple of ribs?' asks Dylan.

'No, I guess not.' says Brandon.

'Why didn't you come and talk to me about this, man? How long have we been friends now? After all I've been through with you, your sister, and your whole family, it really bothers me that you don't feel like you can talk to me if you have a problem.' says Dylan.

Brandon just looks at the money and then looks up at Dylan, overwhelmed with emotions. 'Dylan, thank you. I'll never forget this, man.' he says and goes in and hugs him. Dylan hugs back.

Dylan releases from the hug. 'Just two things though. Number one, this isn't a gift. It's a loan. You're going to pay me back every dime of it.' he says.

'I will, man, I promise, every last cent.' says Brandon.

'And if I ever so much as hear about you placing another sports bet, I'm going straight to Jim and telling him everything. You got it?' says Dylan assertively.

Brandon nods his head in confirmation. 'Thanks bro, I don't know what I would have done without you.' says an emotional Brandon.

'Just one thing.' says Brenda. 'How did you find out about this, Dylan?'

'I was wondering the same thing myself.' says Brandon.

The two of them turn to look at Scott who is standing off to the side quietly and flashes a shy and non-confident grin.

Beverly Hills 90210 Brandon Gambling Center

'Scott here over heard your little talk with Stellar out back of the Peach Pit tonight.' says Dylan.

'Wait, you promised me you weren't going to tell anybody about this.' says Brenda to Scott.

'I know.' replies Scott. 'I'm sorry.' he says in an unsure and remorseful voice.

'Brenda, ease up on the kid. I came into the restroom as he was listening in on the conversation and knew something was up. He didn't want to tell me. In fact I had to practically twist his arm off to get it out of him. He was scared that you were going to be mad at him if he told me. But face it Bren, if he had come to you, you wouldn't have been able to do anything, would you?' says Dylan.

'No, I guess not.' replies Brenda.

'He was just doing what you asked him to do. And if it wasn't for him, I would never have found out. So I think you owe somebody else a thank you, Brandon.' says Dylan.

Brandon walks over to Scott. 'Thanks Scott. I owe you one, man.' he says as he shakes Scott's hand and pats him on the shoulder.

Brenda walks up and kisses Scott on the cheek. 'Thank you.' she whispers. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.'

Beverly Hills 90210 Brandon Gambling Show

'It's okay. Really.' replies Scott with a shy grin as Brenda wraps her arms around him and gives him a gentle hug.

Brenda then walks over to Dylan and takes both of his hands. As their hands meet, she can feel the electricity as he flashes a warm grin. He smiles at her, with a good feeling inside as he knows he was finally able to be there for the Walsh family in a time of potential crisis, rather than the other way around.

Brenda wraps her arms around Dylan and hugs him, he leans in hugging back. Scott looks on with a slight smile, feeling a tad jealous but likewise understanding. 'Thank you, Dylan.' she whispers to him.

'Don't sweat it.' Dylan replies back and releases from the hug. Dylan and Brenda look each other in the eye for the moment. The feeling is there, but they both know that this is not the time or the place and that circumstances right now dictate that it can't happen. Looking to break up the awkwardness of the moment, Dylan speaks up.

'Scott, we'd better take go, man.' says Dylan.

'Yeah, I guess we should. I still got homework I have to do.'

Beverly Hills 90210 Cast Members

'Uhm, right so I'll see you in school tomorrow?' asks Brenda to Scott as she squeezes his hand as she walks by him.

'Sure. I'll be there.' Scott replies.

'Thanks again, you guys.' says Brandon.

Dylan and Scott hop into Dylan's Porsche and take off down the road. Brandon and Brenda are left watching them as they turn the corner, both thinking that's a sight they never thought they would see.

Brandon turns around and gives Brenda a brotherly hug as the two walk back to their house.

As Dylan returns home, tired from the happenings and the drama, and still with studying to do, he sees that he now has two messages on his answering machine. He goes to his refrigerator to grab a soda and then hits the play button on the answering machine. A mechanical robot voice blurts out 'You have two unheard messages.'

There is a beep and the robotic voice says 'First unheard message' at it begins to play. 'Hi Dylan, this is Andrea. I was wondering how you are holding up. Also, I was thinking, I was wondering if you'd be interested in being the subject of this month's senior profile in the Blaze. Feel free to say no. There are absolutely no strings attached here. But I kind of think a piece on you and the relationship you had with your father would be a neat piece. Let me know what you think.' says the message as the robotic voice goes off 'End of message.'

Dylan just shakes his head. 'Do you ever quit being a journalist, Andrea?' he says to himself.

There is another beep and the robotic voice comes on again. 'Second unheard message.' as it begins to play.

'It's me, Kelly.' Dylan can tell right away by the tone of voice that she's pissed off as he just now remembers that she was suppose to be coming over tonight.

'So tell me something. When did Scott Scanlon become your new study buddy? Is that it or did you and him go cruise the town tonight to pick up girls? And don't try to deny it either, I pulled up to your house tonight just in time to see you and him drive off together. You blew me off to hang out with that dork? What is the matter with you? Why is it every time I suggest we spend time together, you always make an excuse or sound less than enthusiastic. But yet you jump at any chance to hang out with Brenda or her new geeky boyfriend. You didn't even want to be with me on Saturday until you invited those two to come along. What is wrong with me, Dylan? Why am I such a low priority in your life? Since you apparently don't enjoy my company at all, maybe the three of you should go out on Saturday without me. I bet you'd really like that, huh Dylan? Hope you got a lot of studying done tonight with your new best friend.'

'End of message.' says the robotic voice.

Dylan shakes his head and just laughs as he drinks his soda. As he sits on his couch, he is left with his thoughts of the choice he made. What bothers him the most is that part of what Kelly said is true. The truth is he hasn't enjoyed her company at all lately, and he actually does enjoy hanging out with Brenda and Scott more than he does her. Dylan sighs as he takes a drink out of his soda.

Brandon Beverly Hills 90210

He picks up his phone and starts to dial Kelly to try to ease things. As he gets half way through the number, he slams the phone down. 'To hell with it.' he mutters as he opens up a book and begins to study, deciding not to call Kelly.

TO BE CONTINUED