So glad that you guys like it so far. And hearing from you silent readers was the icing on the cake. Thank you guys a ton! Much love! Oh, and there is actually some Caryl in this second chapter. Lol Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Two

The rest of the day didn't drag by like it normally did. Only three classes followed lunch and one of the boys that Piper had been sitting with were in two of them. Sophia didn't even know his name but he sat next to her in History. He didn't say much but it was nice just to look over and see a friendly face. Well, it wasn't exactly friendly. The boy looked a little dangerous, but he flashed her a grin, making her feel like she wasn't completely alone. She wanted to get a better look at him but it seemed like every time she glanced over, he was watching her with a half smirk on his face. He was tall, muscular, dark eyed. His hair was dark and long, well past his shoulders. He was gorgeous and she was Sophia so she didn't even flirt with the idea of talking to him.

To her surprise the same boy was in her Science class. She had been here five days and hadn't noticed him at all. She really must have been out of it. When the teacher, who seemed to hate her, told them that today they would need to pair up with someone she slumped in her chair.

She nearly fell out of her seat when she heard the teachers voice call her out.

"Miss Peletier, I said to choose a partner. That doesn't mean you get to sit there and not even try to participate."

Sophia heard the snickers from the rest of the class and felt her face flush. She cried out in surprise when the boy grabbed her desk and yanked it over so quickly that it slammed into his own. The teacher, Mr. Davis, scowled at them both.

"There. She's got a partner now," the boy said in a gruff voice.

Sophia just stared at him wide eyed for a second but his eyes were locked on the teacher's, a clear challenge there. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on but she felt uneasy when Mr. Davis looked away. Those kids at lunch hadn't put up much of fight when Piper challenged them either. It wasn't the way these high school dynamics were suppose to play out. There was a certain order to things. It was clear that this school was different. Somehow, Piper and her group seemed to be the ones that called the shots. The popular kids were a level below them and that wasn't normal at all.

"You think about it any harder and you're gonna bust a vessel," the boy whispered.

She glanced over and he was watching her, his brown eyes cool as he waited for her to speak. She risked a moment to take in his face and was more impressed now than she had been before. He had chiseled features but his face still held enough boyish roundness to it to make him cute. She remembered Piper saying something about people thinking she was a mute so she cleared her throat. "What's your name?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound like a complete idiot.

The slow smile he gave her told her that he didn't think she was an idiot at all and she felt herself flushing deeper. "Damon."

She nodded and opened the book in front of her to the page that Mr. Davis told them to turn to. She glanced up when Damon leaned further into her space.

"If you wanna pass this then you gotta share your book," he said in a low voice.

"You don't have a Science book?" She asked, feeling the beginning of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

He shook his head. "Lost it."

"Lost it?" Sophia asked.

He nodded and then met her eyes. "Actually me and Piper blew it up. Same difference. It ain't here and now you're stuck sharing."

Sophia shook her head, no longer feeling the need to question anything he said. She didn't mind sharing her book. It was better than being stuck getting a zero for not being able to find a person willing to pair up with her.

~H~

Daryl pulled up to the curb and let the bike idle. He would have taken the truck but when he had came out this morning to head to the garage the damn thing had a flat tire. He hadn't had time to change it yet so he was stuck picking up his niece on the damn bike. He ignored the stares he was getting from the parents picking up their kids. The urge to flip off one woman in particular was hard to resist but he managed. After shooting her a glare that had her attention going back to her phone he watched the doors to the school, more than ready to get the hell out of there.

When Piper finally emerged, one of the last ones of course, he breathed out a sigh of relief. This meant she had managed to stay the whole day. He had wondered after the fit she had thrown about going back in the first place. She had just gotten home the night before and they weren't about to let her miss school. Daryl assumed she would ditch.

He gave a slight nod to the boys that were walking with her and then he realized that there was a new face among them. He was a little surprised to see Piper walking next to a coppery haired girl. Piper, as a rule, stuck to her own kind. Those were her words. This girl was obviously not one of Piper's kind. The girl looked like any other girl at the school.

"Why the hell didn't you fix the tire?" Piper called as she veered off from the boys as she headed his way. She pulled the taller girl along with her.

"No time," he grumbled.

She stopped on the sidewalk and motioned to the girl. "This is Sophia. Sophia, this is my uncle."

Daryl gave the girl a stiff nod.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Sophia said, shifting on her feet.

He felt his eyes widen. What the hell was Piper doing hanging around a kid that actually had manners. "Uh... you too, kid."

Piper grinned. "She's a total trip, right?"

"Yeah, maybe you'll learn a thing or two," he said dryly.

Piper laughed at this. "In your dreams, old man."

Sophia glanced over then, a frown creasing her brow. "Crap," she muttered. "That's my mom over there. I need to go see if I can help her. I'll see you Monday Piper and... Thanks for everything."

Piper nodded and then plucked the cell phone from Sophia's hand, fiddling with it for a few moments before handing it back. "Give me a call if you get bored. Maybe you can come over to the wrong side of the tracks and get into some... fun." She winked.

Sophia glanced at the number, smiling widely. Daryl decided to not mention the fact that Piper's ass was still on lock down. She wasn't going anywhere unless him or Merle was with her. Meaning, she would likely be hanging out in a garage all weekend if she wasn't at home. Sophia waved and walked away. Daryl eyed Piper. "So what the fuck is that all about?"

Piper shrugged and took the helmet he handed to her. "The guys said she's been getting shit all week. She seems like a decent person so I figured I would help her out."

"You're gonna get her ass in trouble is what you're gonna do. You should just leave the girl alone."

Piper was staring off in the direction of the retreating girl. "She said she needed to go help her mom. Looks like a job for super Daryl," she muttered as she pointed.

Daryl glanced over and sure enough Sophia was standing there in front of a car with the hood up. There was someone bent over, looking under the hood.

"Stop staring at her mom's ass and go do something. She's holding up traffic back there," Piper kicked him in the side of the leg.

Daryl shook his head and grudgingly tore his gaze away from the woman's ass. "None of my damn business. Now get on so we can get the fuck home."

Piper narrowed her eyes. "You're such a dick. This is why my dad gets more women than you," she grumbled as she stalked off towards the car.

"Goddamn it," he hissed as he killed the engine and climbed off the bike. He had no choice but to follow her. Why couldn't the kid ever listen? She was worse than Merle. "And your dad don't get half the ass he pretends to get. He's all talk."

"Should I call dad?" He heard Sophia asked once they were within earshot.

The woman raised up, her arms braced on the car as she stared inside. She ran a hand through her curly auburn hair. "No. Surely I can figure it out."

"Mom, you don't know what you're doing," Sophia said, peering over the woman's shoulder.

"And you think he does?" The woman snorted.

"Stand back and let this dude do his magic," Piper called, causing Daryl's ears to turn red. Why the hell did her and her dad always put him in these situations?

The woman turned sharply. He expected her to look at him and Piper both with suspicion but she simply blinked, taking him in with a quick sweep of her wide blue eyes. He wasn't one for staring. He had little to say to most people and avoided making eye contact because that usually led to conversation and there wasn't a damn thing he needed to say to people that he didn't know. With that said, he found himself staring right at the woman, noting that her eyes were the exact same shade of blue as the sky at the moment and then he shook the sentimental thought from his mind.

"It's okay, I don't want to trouble you," she said quickly.

Piper spoke before he could open his mouth to say anything. "He don't mind. He lives for this kind of shi- thing." She elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Ain't that right, Daryl?"

He sighed. "I can take a look at it." He waited for her to step away before he looked down. Instantly he saw the problem. He quickly took the battery cables off, knocked off some of the corrosion and then motioned for someone to give it a try once the cables were back on.

The woman got in and turned it over, a relieved laugh escaping her before she got back out and made her way over to where he was standing. He shut the hood and took a step back. "I can't believe you fixed it in fifteen seconds. I would have called a tow truck. Thank you so much."

"It ain't fixed exactly. You need to replace those cables. Maybe even the battery but that'll do you for now."

"Well, thank you," she said again, holding out her hand. "I'm Carol."

He looked at the hand for a second but before Piper could elbow him again he clasped it in his own and gave it a quick shake. "Daryl."

She dropped his hand and grinned at Sophia. "Well, before the people behind us start honking, we should go. It was nice meeting you, Daryl."

He stood there like a dumb ass as they got into the car.

"Shoulda got her number," Piper said as she waved at Sophia as they pulled away.

"No, I shouldn't have. Let's get the fuck outta here."

Piper didn't argue, which he took as a good sign. The last damn thing that he needed was for her crazy ass to try to set him up with some married woman.