Shadows In Durango

Chapter 20

HRHRRSOfig's POVHHIRK

"So how was it? Chilled and calm compared to what your old class was?" Emma skips towardsgiddily, as |

exit the storage room looking and feeling somewhat disheveled.

"Whatever it was... it looks like you've been working hard!" Emma suddenly laughs, as | force out a smile - with

my mind doing overttrying to catch up with everything that had just happened. On that note, the door

opened from behind me, revealing Vincent as he emerged from the sroom causing Emma's eyes to grow the

size of saucers, instantly stepping out of his way. Vincent dusted off his large hands, squaring out his shoulders

from behind us, looking somewhat amused with himself as usual.

"Don't sweat it about bringinglunch Sofia, it seems that I'll be making you work hard in other ways now."

Vincent winks, as snearby girls begin to whisper and take notice of our exchange. Crap... that's all I need...

rumours aboutcoming out of the storage room with Vincent! As if people would believe it anyway right? He

wouldn't go near the likes of me...

"0-Ok..." | respond, licking at my drying lips as he laughs and shakes his head in amusement, tossing his black

jacket over his shoulder and beginning to walk off: causing every female in passing to almost collapse at his feet.

"No way! Was he seriously the only other student assigned to work in the storage room out of the whole school?!

What are the damn chances of that?! Are you ok? Was it torture?" Emma rambles the second he walks off out of

ear shot, as | finally feel as though | can catch my breath.

Taking a moment, | close my eyes over, exhaling slowly before opening them back up again to find a concerned

Emma staring back at me.

"| just don't know what to do when he's around me... he loves tormentingin every single way! At first he

seemed annoyed that | was even there and then he said that he doesn't wantto change to laundry when |

offered to switch! He even made comments about my ass at one point just to humiliate me!" | rant to my friend,

as we walked towards the lunch hall together in a hurry.

Emma was shocked but also engrossed in my experience, as | confided in her to hearout.

It took off a lot of anxiety and pressure, knowing now that | had someone to rant to when | so desperately

needed it.

"He's awful!" Emma shakes her head and grits, as | somewhat oddly feel bad at her words.

He wasn't all bad though...

Sure, he seemed to make my life a living nightmare at school, but he also gavea job when | desperately

needed it and defendedwhen the girl in my gym class attacked me...

"He can actually be ok sometimes... when he wants to be... | just can't predict him and it stressesout!" | huff,

as we join the queue for food.

"You have serious guts for even engaging with him in the first place! | would have bolted out of there the second

that | saw him! Even Daryl too, you approached him to ask him to switch seats as though it were nothing this

morning!" Emma states in disbelief, still struggling to understand my awkward relationship with the pair.

That was the key word: awkward. There was nothing else that suited. | seemed to always find myself stuck with

them both, particularly Vincent, ever since my first day here...

"What's the deal with them anyway? Why is everyone so on edge around them? | mean, | can understand

Vincent, but Daryl seems sort of... sweet?" | admit, feeling my cheeks blush ever so slightly when hearing the

word out loud.

We trudge forward as the queue shortens, as | glance over today's choices - grateful that | hadn't been reposted

as Vincent's private lunch service once again. | feared earlier that he was going to demand that | bring him lunch

again, tellingto ignore what Daryl had toldto do, but thankfully he never. Instead, he stated he would

‘makework in other ways'.

The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine... knowing that his evil little brain would be doing overtto

cup with a number of ways to tortureeither through the bar or in the storage room.

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But twould only tell and right now, it was useless to worry over...

"If they aren't busy running the school then they pretty much run the rest of town! I've heard rumours that

Vincent's parents are big tgangsters... but they are rarely ever in town which is a good thing. Vincent lives in

a huge house with Daryl and a couple of other guys. They've done sbad things you know?" Emma explains,

her voice hushed as I listen eagerly to find out more about the pair.

Vincent's family are gangsters?! Crap... if things weren't bad forbefore, then they were now!

That explains his arrogance... and explains why everybody seems to either cower or swoon before him!

But maybe it was just rumours? | know first hand how damaging a false rumour can be... being a 'gangster' isn't

a title | would wish upon anybody and for his sake, | hoped that it wasn't true.

"What sort of bad stuff?" | push further, as we approach the queue and are next in line to be served.

"People talk, and a lot of the tI'm just in the background listening, but | heard that they sell and beat people

up for not paying..." Emma nods as she informs me, causing an audible gasp to escape from my lips.

"Sell what? Drugs?!" | panic, as she hushesand looks around to ensure that nobody nearby had heard our

rambles.

"Yeah... well so I've heard anyway!" Emma confirms, as my heart begins to pound from inside of my chest.

"Not Daryl! He wouldn't be involved in something so dark!" | shake my head in disbelief of what she was telling

me, pushing back the sickening feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

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Vincent most definitely could pass for a major drug lord in town but not Daryl... he was different... too

approachable and kind.

But, they were best friends after all...

Therefore they must have something in common!

"That's just what I've heard, | don't know any of them personally and never have been around them in a close

way either. They always throw major parties but as you can probably guess I've never had an invite! I'm not sure

| would even want to go though if I'm honest..." Emma trails off, before the lunch lady greets her and asks what

she wants.

As Emma orders, | ponder over everything she had just said.

If Vincent's family are actually ‘gangsters’ like she claims, then Vincent could most definitely be involved with

drugs and could be even more dangerous than what | thought. That explains the masses of money they seem to

have and how everybody states they 'run the town’.

One thing was for certain, and that was that | had to stay on his good side for my own safety. | also have to keep

him at arms length, because now my life here was threatened in more ways than one.

| have to be cautious and clever if | plan to stay here, for it would be a shto move on once again when

things were starting to look up for me.

I have a job, a friend and | hate to admit it, but something about this place felt addicting.

| didn't want to leave anytsoon, | was eager to do anything it takes to stay.

To make a new home.