at the end of the day, no, theo doesn’t care about kevin. their friendship is competitive, rooted in sour feelings that he can hide with smiles and playful banter. but especially now, he doesn’t truly like the other. with the attention kevin is receiving over being the sole survivor, theo is beginning to DESPISE him. through all of that, he began to realize there might be more to that night than meets the eye. maggie being back is the perfect way to explore that and gives him even more ammo against kevin. she responds to his question too quickly. he notes that with a raise of his brows. ❝ you needed to leave town to let it blow over? you couldn’t just lay low? ❞ the whole situation seems ODD. but he ensures that his words aren’t accusatory; it’s framed as FRIENDLY curiosity. a slow sigh leaves him and he nods his head, glancing down from her. ❝ makes sense. ❞ shoulders shrug and he forces the edges of his mouth to curve up into a grin. ❝ the rest of the town might not be that welcoming, but for what it’s worth —– i’m glad you came back. i’ve missed seeing you around. ❞ he’s missed having something CERTAIN to be able to use against kevin in so many ways. theo intends to pick that up where he left off. theo shakes his head at her and lets out a slow breath. ❝ i don’t think normalcy is going to happen around here anymore. everything feels… a little different. or maybe that’s just me, i don’t know. ❞ maybe it’s his DOUBT of what really happened the night of the murders. brows raise on his forehead, her comment intriguing him. ❝ well… we all have answers, don’t we? we know what happened that night. ❞ but something in his voice hints that he might be second guessing that. ( it’s faint; it’s barely noticeable, only able to be detected if she were LOOKING for it. ) shoulders shrug again and he shakes his head. ❝ i think so. we’re not talking as much right now. ❞ because kevin’s in the limelight. theo is preoccupied looking for ways to change that. he instantly perks up at her comment and he feels a rush of SATISFACTION wash through him. something is going on; he intends to find out what. ❝ oh? why wouldn’t he want to see you? ❞
lips part, eyes looking back up at him as she shrugs her shoulders. ❝ well, if it were up to me, i would have, ❞ she notes. and that was the truth. she’s not ashamed of having her name tied to brandon’s, but she knows where it could lead. she knows that it could taint her future. she knows that she would be dragged through the mud, despite her belief that brandon wasn’t actually the bad guy. and —— she knows that the truth she has, the ones hidden from everyone else, might come up too ( the fact that she saw brandon after the was shot, that she HELPED him. it could be dangerous for her. ) she’s only keeping this a secret because it’s what her parents have asked of her. she can’t cause any more trouble for her or her family; she has to be silent, even if she doesn’t want to be. ❝ my parents thought it was for the best. all my friends are dead, ❞ she reminds him, her voice quiet, eyes looking away. ❝ my mom, she was worried it would be hard for me - —- people asking me about all of them, wondering where i was if i wasn’t with them . . . ❞ her head shakes. ❝ sometimes i think it would have been easier to face all of that than to be isolated from it all. ❞ there’s a different. she was PREGNANT, with brandon james’s baby. that isolation was necessary in her parents’ eyes. ❝ —- except you. it’s nice to still have you, theo. you have no idea what that means to me. ❞ they had never been entirely CLOSE, but she has a feeling they might be now. she needs someone to lean on; he seems like the best option. a soft smile forms on her lips, his words making her feel warm and welcome, just as she needs. ❝ thanks, theo. i thought about you while i was away, ❞ she notes, eyes locking with his again. ❝ i’m really glad you weren’t there. i’m glad you weren’t . . a victim. ❞ words chosen carefully, not saying she’s glad BRANDON didn’t attack him because she doesn’t believe he attacked anyone. ❝ this town will never be the same. but it’s still home. i didn’t want to run away forever —— it didn’t feel right. ❞ because part of her wants to believe that brandon will return someday, and she has to be here for him ( she has to APOLOGIZE for accidentally setting him up. she has to show him that she doesn’t believe he’s a monster. ) her brows furrow at his words, wanting so badly to scream and say NO, but she knows she can’t. still, she entertains the thought. ❝ i guess —— no, we don’t. only one person lived that. only one person really knows what happened. kevin, ❞ she notes. she wasn’t there, she can’t say for certain what happened. all she can do is speculate, but it’s different than everyone else’s conclusions that have been made. lips part again, a small sigh falling from her lips before shaking her head. ❝ well —— you know what happened between us. you know where we were before all of that . . . ❞ kevin had cheated on her. maggie broke up with him. things went south quickly. theo knew that, at least, but he doesn’t know that maggie found comfort in someone else afterwards. he doesn’t know that she had been with brandon, unless it was something kevin told him. it makes her curious, head tilting to the side. ❝ —— did kevin ever say anything about me? about . . what happened when we broke up? ❞ she asks. ❝ i don’t think any of that should matter now. we have bigger things to worry about that our break up. but —— i don’t know. i think he still resents me, even if . . . even if he’s the one who cheated on me. ❞ but she slept with the guy who had allegedly tried to murder kevin. and that’s where she’s sure he won’t ever be able to look at her the same.