Page 12 of Outlier

“Tell Ollie.”

I’d looked out of the window and pressed my lips together.

I wouldn’t have told Ollie anything. I was aware that I was already a burden to my half-brother. I would not be adding to that by running to him every time I was scared or sad. I’d spent a lot of time scared and sad—it would be a full-time job sorting me out, and I was old enough to do it myself.

So, much to Abdul’s frustration, I didn’t report Darrell. My solution was simply to avoid him. The avoidance tactic did not involve or inconvenience anyone else, which is why I would never have gone to Mum’s house that day if I’d known he would be there.

I was on the other side of the kitchen from Darrell and the rest of my family. My heart was hammering in my chest as I forced my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. My eyes were still focused on Darrell. Fear had crawled its way up to my throat, and I couldn’t actually speak.

“Vicky, love,” Gareth’s gentle voice sounded from close by, and I startled when I realised he’d gotten up from the table and was now at my side.

I spared Gareth a glance, but then refocused on Darrell, who was trying to hide a small smirk. “You okay?”

If I could have spoken, I would have saidno, I was not okay. Because lying was not something I’d ever been able to master. But Icouldn’tspeak, so I just shook my head.

“Honestly, Gareth,” Mum snapped. “Don’t pander to her. It only makes it worse.”

I’d heard a lot of that growing up.Don’t pander to herwas one of Mum’s favourite sayings when it came to my meltdowns, my mutism, my fear of school when I was being relentlessly bullied, and to my teachers when they suggested assessments for autism spectrum disorder. I’d only been diagnosed in the last few years after Margot and Ollie talked me into having some therapy.

“Darrell,” Gareth said with an edge to his voice. “I think it’d be better if you leave now.”

“Daddy,” Rebecca whined. “That’s ridiculous. It’s just Vicky being crazy. She needs to get over herself.”

Gareth was staring at Darrell and ignoring his daughter. After a few moments, Darrell held his hands up again. “Of course. No problem, folks. I’ll go. Vicky, I’ll be seeing you.”

Once I heard the front door close behind him, I swallowed and fully straightened from the slight crouch I hadn’t even realised I’d dropped into.

“Come and sit down, cariad,” Gareth said in that gentle voice.

For a moment, I stared at the door Darrell had left through. Only when I was convinced that he wasn’t coming back did I move to the kitchen table.

“Cup of tea?” Gareth offered and I nodded, eyeing my sister and mother carefully as I slid into the vacant seat across from them.

“You need to stop being a crazy person about Darrell, Victoria,” Rebecca said. “It will look really fucking odd at the wedding if you go mental like that in front of everyone.”

Chapter 6

What’s there to be stressed about?

Vicky

“Wedding?”I managed to force out as my eyes went wide with horror.

Please don’t tell me Rebecca was going to marry Darrell.

“Yes, wedding,” Rebecca said with a fake smile. “You know, that ceremony people have in the course of anormal committed relationship?”

I wasn’t great at reading subtext in conversations, but evenIknew what Rebecca was getting at with that comment—that I’d never had anything even approaching a normal relationship, and likely never would.

Gareth put a steaming mug of tea in front of me. It was the incorrect strength for this time of day, but then, Gareth was not in possession of my tea colour chart, so I couldn’t realistically expect him to get it right.

I unclenched my fists enough to put my cold hands around it.

“I see,” was all I could manage to get out past my tight throat.

“And you’re my sister, so you’ll have to be a part of it all,” Rebecca told me begrudgingly.

“Yes, we’ll need you to be normal for a day if you can manage that small favour,” Mum said, and then we all jumped when Gareth’s chair scraped back in a sudden movement.