Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 77

Theo sat on his bed staring at his phone. Vivian said she’d talk to her family about going to the park with him tomorrow and send him a text once she had their answer. It was almost seven and he hadn’t heard anything from her yet. Had they told her she couldn’t go? Vivian hadn’t been worried about being told no; she’d been pretty certain there wouldn’t be an issue with it and yet…

Shaking his head, Theo threw his phone on the bed before falling back so he was lying down, legs dangling off the edge. His mind was a mess. He’d never experienced anything like this before and wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.

At school he played the part of the cheerful flirt who was willing to date anyone and everyone, but the truth wasn’t quite so simple. Theo was known for always being in a good mood, always wearing his signature smile but he kept everyone at arm’s length, to the point no-one knew he was actually from a middle-class, working family. The wealth that allowed him to attend such an expensive school came from the insurance payout and settlement of the lawsuit in his father’s wrongful death fifteenth years ago.

Even when he was a child he instinctively understood his wealthy peers would never accept him if he didn’t act like them. It didn’t take long for his bright smile and charismatic personality to win people over to the point they rarely asked about his background; you couldn’t just act like one of them if you weren’t, after all.

He’d hated himself for years because the facade he’d created was everything he wanted to be — everything he felt he’d never be in truth. It was why he never had close friends even to this day.

When girls first started asking Theo on dates he’d agreed because he thought maybe — just maybe — they saw something in him that he didn’t. Maybe one of them wouldn’t be shallow, wouldn’t care about his wealth. It didn’t take long for disappointment to bloom as time after time, girl after girl, it always ended the same. They expected a fancy restaurant, gifts, to be spoiled and he just didn’t want to deal with any of that. Why couldn’t they be happy with a nice dinner and a movie, or going to a museum or gallery or something normal people did?

Not once had he ever felt anything for those girls, but dates with someone new every other week had become a regular part of his life over the years. It was a way to pass the time, to make things a bit more bearable when he felt like a complete fraud.

Then Vivian appeared.

Theo wasn’t blind, finding her attractive at first glance, but he’d quickly labeled her as just another spoiled rich kid to deal with. Like all the others, it wouldn’t be long before she found her spot in the school’s social hierarchy and used it to her advantage.

When he’d accidentally bumped into her that day Theo couldn’t understand her reaction. He expected to be yelled at but instead she’d brushed it off like it was nothing. It was only after he’d asked around he’d learned no-one actually knew much about her. She hadn’t tried to fit in with anyone yet, and people weren’t sure how to deal with someone who showed no interest in them. She’d even shared the cake with Miriam, the school’s social outcast without batting an eye, teasing him in the same breath before offering him some, too.

It was in that moment this feeling had begun to grow in his chest. It made him want to spend more time with her, to learn who this new girl was and how she had the courage to speak her mind to the people who could ruin her life in the blink of an eye. Watching her tell Abby to go away had been the highlight of his high school career, after all.

Unlike other girls, who actively sought him out, Vivian looked perplexed when he showed up time and again to eat lunch with them.Not once did she ask anything of him, never wanted anything from him; To her, Theodore McCullough was just some guy who showed up to eat lunch with them, pestering her with conversation.

He’d thought he was interested in her because she was an anomaly, ignoring the social protocol of rich society and just doing whatever she wanted. Every so often he’d throw a flirty comment her way, to see if she’d take the bait, but every time she either ignore it or simply didn’t catch the intent behind the words.

Wednesday evening Vivian had suddenly appeared on social media. Theo had seen as much since she’d added what looked like the entire school to her friends list… except him.

Not being included — actually, he was being intentionally excluded since when he sent a friend request it had been rejected — left a sour taste in his mouth. The account was set up so only friends could message, too, so he was stuck wondering what he’d done to deserve being cut out like that.

It irritated him to think she was so forthright with everyone but him. She told Abby to get lost, but said nothing to Theo, letting him believe they were friends only to ice him out!

The next day everything had come to light and he’d been beyond relieved to find out it wasn’t Vivian behind the account, only to realize that meant someone was intentionally doing it to paint a specific picture of the girl for everyone to see.

When Laurent had come to talk to Vivian, taking her somewhere they could speak privately, and how angry Theo became at the thought of that Devreaux asshole somehow getting her that it clicked; it was then Theo understood *he* was the one crushing on *her*.

It was insane to think about. Theo had never needed to go after girls; they’d always come to him, asking him to go out or what-have-you. He’d never needed to chase any of them, to learn what they liked in order to win their favour.

Now he suddenly found himself in unknown water.

Then it was revealed she was a Devreaux. They were wealthy, incredibly so, but she had never used any of that to her advantage; instead she actively worked to keep it secret.

It was crazy to think about. He couldn’t wrap his head around any of it.

Then came the worry that her family wouldn’t approve of him, as he hadn’t been born into money and lived a frugal life compared to the Devreauxs, but Vivian was so different from everyone else… how could he not at least try to win her over? Even if they told him to get lost Theo knew he’d regret never having tried.

Even if she never returned his feelings or ended up hating his guts for being middle-class he was determined to give it his all.

His phone buzzed, causing him to abruptly sit up while simultaneously lunging for the device to the point he ended up sprawled on the floor as he saw Vivian’s name flash over his screen. She’d finally texted.