Beautiful summer

twenty-one

'you call it hope-that fire of fire! it is but an agony of desire' ~Edgar Allan Poe

Skylar knew it was better to go home than risk going to JJ's to get his arse beat even more for having her round. Everyone must have already left for the Midsummers by the time she got there because the house was in silence and when she walked up to her room her dress was laid out on her bed, a note beside it.

'Tell the cops nothing'

She immediately knew who had written it by the hand writing and her hand started to shake as she threw it into the bin realising that Shoupe's accusation about her dad was true. Her eyes shut as she tried to keep herself composed, turning on the iron to curl her hair with.

The noise of someone braying at her front door made her jump slightly, her eyes widening. She knew it wouldn't be JJ because he wouldn't risk knocking at the front door in case everyone was in.

She grabbed the scissors from her night stand sliding them into the back of her shorts as she walked down the stairs towards the door. She opened the front door, her brows piecing together when she noticed a grown man stood on her door step, one who was drunk and she didn't know.

"Who are you" she cried as he pushed her out the side making his way into the house screaming out Harpers name. That was when it hit her. The man she'd cheated on Tyler with. She'd heard about her talking about him to Evelyn and Andrew and she'd seen some things Tyler had hinted about him, nothing that was good.

"She's not here" she choked out making her way into the kitchen, sneakily brushing her hand over to where the knives were kept, grabbing one while he wasn't looking. "The bitch owes me 30 grand" he cursed slamming his hand down on the counter raiding through the drawers and cupboards.

"She's not here" Skylar repeated herself, her breathing hitched in her throat as she expected the worst from the man who rounded the table until he was towering over her. "Don't fucking lie to me" he spat Skylar jumping as he stepped even more closer to her.

"I'm not I swear" she exclaimed cautiously moving her hand round her back grabbing for the knife. She stepped back slightly which caused him to step toward his fists clenching. He grabbed for her arm but missed as the knife stabbed into his stomach before she realised what she was actually doing.

She pulled the knife back out covering her mouth as she looked down at the blood covered knife before looking at the man who stared down at his stomach, putting a hand over it, then removing it his hands covering with blood.

His knees collapsed and his whole body was brought down to the floor as the blood poured out. "Oh my god" Skylar muttered to herself throwing the knife into the sink, immediately washing the blood from it. She didn't know what to do. She knew if she called the cops she'd be arrested for however long. There was no way out of this she thought.

Her legs carried her up the stairs and she grabbed for her phone contemplating calling the cops before her finger landed on Rafe's contact. She didn't know what possessed her to do it but she did it anyway. "Rafe, I need you to come over" she cried into the phone waiting for his response before hanging up.

***********

Rafe didn't even knock he just walked straight into the house his eyes landing on the body and then Skylar who was knelt down beside it. "I didn't know what to do, he just came at me and..." she stared down at her hands and the white floor that was covered red, the white shirt the man had on covered.

"Go upstairs, get ready for midsummers" he ordered pointing the girl out the room. He walked over to the sink taking the knife she must of used out of it stuffing it into the inside of his jacket to dispose of later.

He'd heard about the search for Andrew Conley and decided it would've been a some sort of good plan to put the blame on the man. Skylar walked down the stairs in a yellow satin dress that cross tied at the back. Rafe's eyes ran over her body as he admired the girl who was now stood in front of him trying to put on a brave face.

"Wow" Rafe gulped forgetting about the body that was behind him at that moment. "You have a girlfriend" she reminded the boy about Hannah as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "Doesn't stop me from admiring beautiful people" he smiled running his hand down her arm gently which sent cold chills down her spine.

"And you're wearing the necklace I got you last year" he smiled reaching his hand out to admire the necklace she had on round her neck. She hadn't even noticed it was his necklace, she just grabbed one from her jewellery box and put it on. "We should go" Skylar smiled wryly walking towards the front door with Rafe following her.

"I'm your alibi for when the cops interrogate you so make sure to tell them you were out with me" he ordered the girl as he opened the car door to let her into the passenger seat of his car. "You really don't have to do this Rafe" she told the boy not wanting him to get in anymore trouble than he already was.

"For you" he shrugged. Skylar knew the boy was besotted by her, she knew he'd do anything for her and she felt guilty. She felt nothing for the Cameron boy, she wasn't even sure why she called him in the first place.

She knew she should have just handed herself in or called one of the Pogues but for some reason she'll never be aware of Rafe's contact was drawn to her.