Skins: Endgame

Chapter 8

Lucy Sketch felt like she had already been through her Last Chance Saloon. That, specifically, was Maxxie.

Since he left to go to London with Anwar, Sketch felt alone.

It wasn't meant to be this way. She accepted that she and Maxxie weren't going to be a thing after she gradually fell in love with Anwar. Despite using him against Maxxie at the start, she did, slowly but surely, fall for him. It seemed like a last resort at the time, after failing with Maxxie, but still, she at least seemed to have something at the end of it all.

Yet when it seemed that they would be the two left behind, Maxxie offered Anwar a chance to go to London with him.

When all was said and done, she was the only one left behind on the battlefield.

Bitter rage, hate and resentment followed: Emotions bottled up after she finally seemed to be getting lucky with Anwar, but now left to fester on the empty battlefield. She had gone to extreme lengths to stalk Maxxie.

All of this was exactly what Tony Stonem needed to concoct his perfect storm. For now, he thought, as he made his way towards her flat, she was aimless, but not for much longer.

Indeed,  Sketch paced around her room for a solid half an hour after Tony left. Her mind was full of shock, longing, and confused speculation. She could not pin down exactly what to think.

Tony had come that evening, casually turning up at her door unannounced ("Hey Sketch, remember me?"). She certainly remembered him all right. The good looking guy from the gang that Maxxie hung with: Third best looking after Maxxie and Anwar that is, in her opinion. But she knew after following Maxxie around just how much of a reputation used to have.

They went to speak in the living room after she let him in: her mother was asleep, so they could converse uninterrupted.

Tony spoke in a pleasant, but dedicated manner. He had an agenda, guessed Sketch, thought out and planned well before he came here... Which set her on edge. Knowing about Tony's reputation meant she knew about all the past trouble he had gotten others into.

But he still surprised her when he put forth his proposition.

"Your crazy," she said when he had finished, but a second later, reconsidered, mostly out of guilt, "although considering that's come from me, someone who stalked one of your best friends, I guess that isn't saying much."

Tony leaned back on her couch, a grin on his face.

"No comment on that. But I do have further comments on what we've been discussing. Now... This is very illegal. Dangerous for you, let alone for me and that prick. You won't be doing this for free-"

"I don't need money," said Sketch, "I won't do this for money."

Tony brought out his phone.

"Money is worthless compared to what I'm going to offer you."

He brought up Facebook on his phone and typed something in. He then showed it to her.

Money was worthless compared to this offer, thought Sketch, shaking in an out of control fashion.

It was Maxxie! At least, it was a drawing of him. But that style of drawing was Maxxie's, of that she had no doubt.

Maxxie was sitting on a bench, the sun shining over him. Anwar had shown her some of his art when they were dating, he had done far more complex drawings than this, far better ones. But even something as basic as this was like a nice snack for Sketch's imagination. But another thirty? Fourty? Fifty? A Hundred? She shivered in pleasure at the thought. Even one other, better, more explicit drawing (she knew he had done them, but she'd never seen one) would be like a three course meal.

She had enough time to notice that there were several hundred posts on the profile. Several hundred drawings of Maxxie, drawn by Maxxie himself, was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She had to see more.

No go. Tony made sure of that by retracting the phone.

Sketch went as red as a tomato, her face fuming with anger.

"I gave Maxxie head in Russia." Tony said bluntly, with his usual charming voice.

Sketch, about to unload several nasty words in Tony's direction, found herself completely defused.

So far so good. She had reacted exactly like he thought she would. Everything had been pre planned in advance. That remark about Maxxie: it bore on nothing he had said before and nothing he intended to say afterward. But he brought it up simply to stun her into silence. He didn't want her mum waking up if Sketch started shouting, getting involved, getting to know too much.

"Maxxie is incredible," said Tony, "A good friend. Better than that actually. So I don't do this lightly. But you deserve true payment if you agree to help me so..."

He got up and stood at the window to her flat, his hands clasped behind his back as he observed the city, continuing to talk to her, "You fulfil your side of the deal, I give you the link to that account. He's had it for months now, still updating it every once and a while. Search Maxxie Oliver all you want. You'll find nothing. It's a secret account he doesn't want many people knowing about. None of the people you or I know follow the page, so nobody from around here can find it."

"You mean me." Said Sketch. It was a statement, not a question. Tony nodded in response before continuing.

"Anwar told me about it. We keep in touch, not just as two, all of us, thought not as much as we'd like. I haven't spoken to Sid in ages now come to think of it... Anyway, you can get the link to the account. But there are conditions. Firstly: use a fake account. Secondly, make it convincing enough so he doesn't get suspicious. Third and most importantly: You do not contact him under any circumstances. I don't define that as not liking his pictures, you can do that every once in a while, I mean if anything it'll help you look like a legitimate follower, even if you aren't posting your own photos. But if you so much as get him suspicious about you by emailing him or anything, then I go to the police. It means I go down with you if I go forward, but I can handle that. The difference between you and me is our skin. Mine is thick. I could survive jail. But you couldn't."

He went to the door, pausing first to hand a piece of paper to Sketch, then made his way over. He turned around to address her before leaving.

"I will give you time to consider. You've got until 11pm tonight. My number is on there. If you want to help, phone me. If not, don't phone me. I'm flexible and can easily work out alternative arrangements without you. But I want you to think very carefully Sketch. This is a one time offer only. You don't help me, you get nothing."

Then he left. Sketch immediately went to her room and spent the next half hour pacing back and forth.

Maxxie. Maxxie, Maxxie, Maxxie... She knew that she could never have him literally, but this could be the compromise she was looking for.

But the price to pay? This wasn't just sneaking into somebody's room like she did with Maxxie, it was dangerous. Risky enough for her to face jail... For any other request he'd have made, she wouldn't have agreed to it.

But Maxxie... He struck gold there and she knew that he knew it. It was a one off opportunity. Too good a one off opportunity.

Five minutes later she was off the phone to Tony, having agreed to help him.

Tony, who was wandering down the street back to his mum's house, had told her he would be in contact soon. In his heart, he rejoiced. No turning back now.