Shadows In Durango

*****Sofia's POV*****

I sat at the back of my English class, tapping my pen absentmindedly on the desk.

Mr. Thompson's voice droned on about Shakespeare, but my mind was elsewhere. Tonight would be my first night of training at Intensity, and I couldn't shake the nervous excitement coursing through me - grateful to have finally landed a job. What would it be like? Would Tito be patient with me or a nightmare boss? I had never worked in a bar before, let alone one with the kind of reputation Intensity seemed to have. He even mentioned something about me working upstairs in the VIP lounge whatever that meant...

Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the hum of chatter from the other students whispering around me. The classroom, with its faded posters and rows of wooden desks, seemed distant.

I was so engrossed in imagining what the bar would look like in full swing that I almost missed the scrunched-up piece of paper that landed squarely on my desk in a swift motion.

Startled, I glanced around and saw Vincent smirking at me from across the room. He gestured for me to open the note, his eyes twinkling with mischief as I opened and closed my mouth dreading whatever was on it.

My heart sank. The last thing I wanted was more attention, especially from Vincent, who already seemed to enjoy making me the center of unwanted jokes.

I was hoping that he would have meant to pass it to someone else, but judging by his thrilled expression I had guessed wrong...

With nervous fingers, I unfolded the paper, aware of the curious stares from the other girls in the class, some of which not looking so pleased with the interaction.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I smoothed out the crumpled sheet. Inside, I found a quick comic-like sketch that Vincent had drawn. The first panel showed a girl, clearly meant to be me, carrying a lunch tray towards two guy characters.

The second panel featured one of the guys with a speech bubble that read, "Meh" as the character seemed to judge the lunch with a disgusted look on its face - evidently representing Vincent again.

The final panel depicted the girl tripping over a foot and falling flat on her face, a comical shriek emanating from her open mouth, reenacting the way his friend had tripped me up yesterday.

My face turned an even deeper shade of red as I realised the sketch was a cruel parody of my encounter during lunch yesterday. Embarrassed and hurt, I quickly scrunched the paper back up and tucked my head down, hoping to hide my blushing cheeks from the many stares I was receiving.

That was good enough for Vincent though, as I glanced over at him briefly to see his smug arrogant look plastered across his facial features like a rash.

Why me?

The room seemed to close in on me, and I could hear a few stifled giggles from nearby - clearly having peaked at the paper as I was inspecting it. Vincent chuckled softly, clearly pleased with himself, as I checked the clock on the wall and prayed for time to speed up.

I clenched my teeth, determined not to let him see how much his mockery had affected me. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on Mr. Thompson's lecture, but the words seemed to blur together once again - feeling Vincent's unwavering gaze settling down on me.

All I could think about was the note and how foolish I must have looked to everyone as I fumbled to open it. He evidently put a lot of time in to it too with the details and what was worse was that he actually seemed to be pretty good at drawing...

Just as I was about to sink further into my seat, Daryl, a guy I only knew thanks to the register at the beginning of class, leaned over and whispered, "Ignore him, he's just being an ass to get a reaction. You're his new play thing it seems." He explains, seeming openly comfortable to talk about Vincent which I found to be odd.

Why wasn't he mousy like the other guys in the class?

"I wish I wasn't... but thanks." I reply softly, allowing myself to melt in to Daryl's kind sky blue eyes as he offered me a lazy smile.

His hair was blonde and messy, yet the style suited him well. He was another guy at this school with an athletic build and great height on his side. Maybe that's why he wasn't so scared? I reckon he could match Vincent in a fight if he really tried just by the size of him.

"Don't sweat it, he likes toying with females... in a fucked up way, it basically means he's fascinated by you!" Daryl laughs loudly at his own statement, earning a harsh 'shush' from the teacher which causes him to roll his eyes. He didn't seem bothered by anything this one...

"You seem to know him well?" I test, feeling Vincent's hot gaze landing on us both every once in a while which causes me to squirm and shift in my chair. "Yeah I guess you could say that, I do live with him sweetheart!" Daryl suddenly breaks the news, as my jaw practically hits the floor below.

"What?!" I gasp slightly, disbelief that Daryl lived under the same roof as the guy who seemed to be making my time here at school a living nightmare. Daryl leaned back in his chair casually with a meek nod and a shrug, seeming unbothered by the fact as I blinked profusely to comprehend the information.

Were they friends? Maybe cousins? It made no sense... Daryl at least seemed somewhat decent compared to his evil house mate across the room.

As the class continued, I forced myself to concentrate on the lesson, knowing that dwelling on Vincent's antics and his relationship to Daryl would only make things worse.

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I couldn't wait for the day to be over so I could focus on my new job since that was all that truly mattered to me right now. Despite my nervousness, the thought of earning my own money and gaining some independence was thrilling. Maybe I could even get out of my dreadful apartment!

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class as I gathered my things up quickly, eager to escape the classroom environment.

I hurried out of my seat, trying to avoid any more interactions with Vincent, but as I made my way towards the door, I heard his mocking voice call out to me from behind.

"Hey, Sofia!" Vincent's tone was dripping with sarcasm as I turned back to glance over my shoulder reluctantly.

"You better bring me something better than yesterday for lunch today," he jeered, a smirk playing on his lips. "Wouldn't want another 'meh' performance now, would we?" He concludes, earning some snarky giggles from two nearby hovering females.

The laughter from his entourage echoed around, making my cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and anger. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my composure knowing that it was no use against someone like him...

"Come on Vin, what sort of kick do you get from this? The poor thing is shaking like a leaf whenever you interact with her!" I turn to hear Daryl's bored tone, as Vincent scoffs and waves him off.

"Fuck off and go find your sense of humour! Besides, she likes it!" Vincent grins wickedly, flashing his perfect smile as I sigh at his comment.

I certainly don't enjoy it one bit... but what else could I do? This

was Vincent's school... and I was only an outsider.