𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫── ALLEN ALVAREZ¹

Frances' dirty little sceret

"Cathy are you ready to face your mom?" Jo asked. "Shel and I will be right behind you." I nodded.

"No." She said truthfully. "But yes."

"Do you have the letters?" Jo asked.

"Right here." She responded holding them up.

"Let's do this." Jo said grabbing Cathy and I's hands. We walked over to the table were her and my parents now sat.

"I need to talk to you." Cathy whispered to her mom.

"Hush, I'm trying to listen to the principal."

"Yeah, I bet you are." Her mother turned to her sharply.

"Excuse me miss." She hissed harshly. Cathy didn't say anything she just gave her mom the letters. "Where did you find these?"

"Does he know?" Cathy cut her off. "Do you?" She demanded. Cathy scoffed. "Doesn't matter, everyone's gonna know soon enough."

" what are you on about Catherine?" Her father now said.

"Mom cheated on you with principal Hurley. Then she killed his fiancé in the fire. I'm going to the police." My parents now turned to us there eyes widening.

"Shelley!" They exclaimed. "You stupid girl." Virginia nodded. She ripped up the letters.

"Go ahead destroy more evidence. Do you think we didn't make copies?" Cathy told her mother. "Welcome to the 20th Century." An uneasy feeling resided in my stomach.

"You three come with me right now" Her mother said standing up, my mother following.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Cathy shot back. Her dad stood up angrily demanding that we went.

"Cath maybe we should go." I whispered to her. Cathy glared at her father before leaving. As we passed Allen and Ray. Allen grabbed my wrist.

"Shelley what's going on." He asked worry laced in his voice.

"I don't know." I told him truthfully. "I gotta go."

"Be careful." He whispered before giving me a quick kiss. Ray gave him a disgusted face. I forced a smile before running after Cathy and Jo.

"I didn't have an affair with Frank Hurley, your mother did." My mouth opened wide when I stepped into the room.

"What!" Jo and I exclaimed.

"For once in your life just stop lying!" Cathy cried.

"She's not lying." My mother told Cathy.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you this Jo. I have tried to protect Frans secret all these years. She was my friend." Virginia said.

"Mine too." My mother piped up.

"What!" All three of us shouted.

"Thomas went away to Korea. You never told Fran he was enlisting Then he got deployed." I sat and listened intently. "She was angry and lonely. Alone with two small kids at home. Her and Frank were old friends from school and they Reconnected at the diner. Your mother never knew that your father was Injured until he came walking through your front door and she broke it off with Frank, right away but it was too late Jane already found out about the affair." She explained.

"From the letters." Jo mumbled.

"Yes, from the letters. She showed up at work that day to confront Frances. "

"She has a pistol." My mother said gently.

"But the shot missed your mutter and hit a gasoline. The whole place well it burst into flames. There was nothing we could do. Managed to get your mother out all right But well, she was a lot like you stubborn." Mr. Fitzroy explained. Jo shook her head.

"No, she was guilty." Jo was on the verge of tears. I wrapped my arms around her.

"There was no stopping her when she saw Jane Hovacks mother. She ran back in and then..." My mother sighed slightly.

"And then what, what happened in the factory." Cathy burst out.

"She died and know-one knows what happened." I muttered coming to the sudden realization.

"So as you can see there
was nothing we could do except morn with the rest of the town."

"Even if you are telling the truth and you didn't kill Frances how does Lenny fit into all of this?" Cathy thought aloud.

"That's easy, Lenny was drunk." My mom said.

"So I laid him off that morning."

"Lenny took the fall for the fire and they paid him off the keep quite." Mary Kate, my mom Said again.

"Okay but if It was all Janes fault, then why cover it up in the first place?" Jo shot.

"Like I Said, Frances was my friend." Virginia emphasize friend. "And we didn't do scandal following our families good name."

"Don't forget the Insurance company."Mary pointed out. My eyes widened.

"Guys there announcing the court!" I shouted to them rushing out of the room. I couldn't see their reactions. I was to focused on getting into the room.

"Your Phoenix Fest King And Queen are..." the suspension was in the air as I desperately tried to find Allen. "Junior Chambers And Shelley Tanner." I froze. All around me everyone was clapping. Principal Hurley was looking at me, motioning for me to come on stage. I looked back and still saw no sign of Allen. Sighing I headed to the stage. My stomach sank when they placed the crown on my head. Papers, the papers were everywhere and in everyone's hands. My eyes locked with Allen's, he knew he messed up and I didn't need to tell him because, Jo and Cathy came into the room.

"What's everybody reading?" Principal Hurley asked speaking into the microphone. "Can I Please." He stuttered grabbing one of the papers out of a kids hands. "No no no." He muttered. Rushed off the stage, feeling sick to my stomach. I hid myself in the corner of the room, trying to take deep breaths.

"Shel, are you okay?" Allen's panicked voice asked. For the millionth time this school year, I was having a panic attack. I shook my head, tears falling quickly down my cheeks. He picked me up wrapping his arms around me tightly. I hid my face in his chest. Suddenly the door opened. Allen quickly set me down next to Cathy and rushed up to his dad who opened the door.

"Dad, Dad, I didn't think you would come tonight."

"They're all liars son, you should go back with your mother." Allen looked to the ground. "A town of liars!" He shouted, "Celebrating this godforsaken day." Allen tried grabbing his fathers arm. He shoved him off causing him to almost fall to the ground.

"Allen!" I cried bitting down on my lip. I tried to run after him but Cathy gripped my shoulders.

"I'm tired of hiding, you." He said staring straight at Cathy's dad.

"Lenny, now pal." He tried to reason.

"You red scum, you deserve everything coming to ya." He pulled out a gun. Panic ran though the air and then a gun shot.

and that was the end of that horrible night.

A/n season one is done!