Shadows In Durango

*****Daryl's POV*****

"Still moody I see?" Reid is the first to call me out as we sit on the bleachers, Emma quickly approaching us from across the field.

I glare at him briefly, knowing that this was just his speciality - pissing people off - as Emma starts to climb the steps to reach us. "What's wrong, why are you out of class?" Reid questions her, as she takes a second to catch her breath.

"I'm not, I was sent to find Daryl." She explains, which catches me off guard as I straighten up and eye her oddly. Why would she need to find me?

"What is it?" I ask, seeming impatient and somewhat concerned.

"Well Mrs Mathews told me to find you since you got detention in her class this morning, she wants you to show the new kid around this afternoon instead of staying behind after the bell." Emma rambles the message, reminding me of the detention I had been given only hours ago.

Mrs Mathews was the drama teacher, and as you can probably imagine, I hated the class. Today, she wanted me to physically stand and act like a tree for the upcoming play (that by the way, I had already refused to be in).

You're probably wondering why I found myself taking such a dumb class, but let's just say that last year I wasn't exactly the most committed in school. I skipped so many classes with Vin that they forced me to take up shitty ones this year to make up for it...

"When? Isn't it a bit late for a tour? The day is nearly done." I retort, checking my wristwatch to find that there was only an hour left on the clock.

"Yeah she said something about the principal changing it, I don't really know but you've to go there now." Emma shrugs, as I nod once and grumble - pushing myself up to stand.

Reid follows our lead, deciding to tag along with nothing better to do as we make our way towards the main school building.

Since my fight with Vincent over him taking Sofia away, I had been fucking pissed off to say the least. It was now Wednesday, with a couple of cryptic texts from Vincent and absolutely nothing from Sofia all week, and I was close to being done with the both of them.

Why was I so set on winning Sofia over? Look at how many girls there are at this damn school! But I also knew that I couldn't stand back and watch Vin toss her aside like he has with every other girl he ever showed an interest in... It felt wrong this time, knowing everything she had been through already.

"Will you take a deep breath for fuck sake?! You've been frowning for three days straight!" Reid retorts loudly as we enter the school doors, closing in on the office.

"Piss off!" I spit my words back at him almost instantly, as he all but waves me off and ignores my hissy tone.

We reach the room, and Emma turns to glance up at me.

"I spoke to Sofia, I think she's coming home tonight." She informs me, as I find myself grumbling back in response.

At least someone knew how she was doing and what the plan was...

Vincent said he had ran into some trouble and would call me, but I was yet to hear from him. Sure I was worried, but I was also being a stubborn asshole since I did warn him that he shouldn't have taken Sofia with him on the trip. "I better get back to class." Emma sighs, as Reid immediately offers to walk her there with nothing better to do with his time.

Watching them walk off, I turn to find the office lady staring me down from inside the room as though she was becoming impatient with my loitering.

Reaching for the handle, I step inside, finding a regular looking guy seated on one of the chairs casually. He didn't look like the typical nervous newbie, he looked quite laid back.

"Daryl, you took your time." The office lady complains, as I fight the urge to roll my eyes at her.

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"You've been asked to show this young man around, he starts his classes tomorrow. I've given him everything he needs so just show him where to go... and nicely please!" She states firmly, as I clench my teeth and force a tight smile. What's gotten into her? You would think I had ran over her damn cat with that attitude!

I almost laugh out loud, seeing a framed picture of a cat on her desk, but disguise it with a cough instead.

She watches me, unamused, as I turn away from her and the new guy stands to match my height. He was pretty big, maybe a football player at his old school? Ashy blonde hair and some shaved neat stubble on his face. "Daryl." I hold my hand out to shake his, as he reaches his own forward - taking my grip casually.

"Ashton." He tells me his name, as I nod once and motion for him to follow me.

At least he's a normal guy and not somebody annoying that I'm having to show around... and if it gets me out of detention then so be it!

"So what's the deal with you? Moving school at this age... I'm guessing that you're what, eighteen?" I make small talk, as we step out into the hallway.

"Army kid, family moves around a lot." He all but states with a shrug as I nod in understanding.

That makes sense... he's probably been to numerous schools across the country his whole life, that's how they live.

"Well, welcome to this shit hole!" I release a dry laugh, as he smirks knowingly.

We walked down the long, familiar hallways, my eyes occasionally scanning the faces of passing students who glanced at Ashton curiously - some females giggling and whispering as they do.

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The day was winding down, the last hour before the final bell coming to an end, and I could already feel my frustration settling back in. Showing the new guy around was better than detention, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Sofia and what she was doing with Vincent.

Emma's words from earlier kept bouncing around in my head-"I think she's coming home tonight" - but until I heard it from Vincent, I couldn't be sure.

"So, what's this place like?" Ashton asked, breaking the silence and dragging me away from my thoughts. His tone was casual, but I could tell he wasn't the type to waste time with pointless small talk.

I shrugged. "Depends who you ask. Some people love it here, but most of us are just counting down the days until we can leave." I glanced at him. "But you're probably used to that now, right? Moving around all the time?" "Yep," he states quickly, his hands tucked into his pockets as we walked.

I nodded. I couldn't imagine what that was like having to start over, again and again, never really getting to settle in anywhere or know people properly.

"So, what classes you got tomorrow?" I asked, pulling the conversation back to the tour.

We passed by a few classrooms, and I made a mental note to stop being so checked out. Ashton seemed chill enough, and I figured the least I could do was help him get his bearings.

Ashton pulled out a folded schedule from his back pocket. "Math, English, History. All the fun stuff." He complained, as I smirked.

"Right," I muttered, taking a glance at the list. "You've got Mrs. Pearson for Math. She's strict, but if you don't piss her off, you'll be fine. And if you do? Well, good luck." I grinned slightly, hoping to lighten the mood. Ashton chuckled. "Noted."

"So," Ashton said after a moment of silence, "anything I should know about the people here?"

I gave him a sideways glance, wondering if he was asking about the usual high school drama or something deeper...

"Depends what you're looking for. People can be... complicated."

He raised an eyebrow. "Complicated, huh?"

"There's always some kind of drama going on, but it's easy enough to avoid if you don't get involved." I explain, pretending like it wasn't typically my own circle causing the trouble... Ashton nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Good to know."

We turned down another hallway, and I couldn't help but check my phone for the hundredth time, finding still no message from Vincent...

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The longer I went without hearing from him, the more uneasy I felt. He might've been a reckless idiot at times, but he wasn't usually this quiet. Especially not when Sofia was involved. "Everything alright?" Ashton asked, his eyes catching the brief flash of irritation on my face.

I blinked, realising I must've let my frustration show. "Yeah, just... personal stuff." I shook my head. "Anyway, this is the cafeteria. Food's crap, but it's edible on a good day. Just avoid the pizza on Wednesdays."

Ashton chuckled again, but I could tell he noticed the shift in my mood. The guy might have been new, but he had that easygoing, observant vibe. I bet he'd learned how to read people fast, probably a side effect of moving from place to place all the time.

We continued the tour, winding through the rest of the building, with me pointing out classrooms and teachers, giving him the rundown of who to avoid and where to hang out. It was almost like going through the motions- my mind was somewhere else.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall for a moment. "You should be set for tomorrow. The layout's pretty simple. If you get lost, just look for the gym. Everything kind of branches out from there."

He nodded, folding the schedule and tucking it back into his pocket. "Appreciate it, man."

"No problem." I pushed myself off the wall, my mind already drifting back to Vincent and Sofia. I needed to get out of here, clear my head. "Good luck tomorrow, if you see me around feel free to join." I tell him, walking us back towards the school doors.

I pulled out my phone again, My thumb hovering over Vincent's name, the urge to call him growing stronger...

Screw the cryptic texts.

I needed answers.

Now.

Just as I was about to hit the call button, a message popped up on my screen.

Vincent: 'Call me. Now.'

My heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. I could feel it.

Without thinking, I hit the dial and waited, with Ashton glancing at me occasionally knowing that something was going on but remaining silent nonetheless...

It barely rang twice before Vincent picked up.

"Vincent, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, the tension in my chest tightening as I spoke.

"You were right, I shouldn't have brought her here Daryl," Vincent's voice was low, tense, and that only made my gut churn.

"We've got a problem..."