Someone I Used to Know - By Blakney Francis Page 0,26
unintentionally animated as memories of my family sparked life into my eyes, but I found solace in the fact Adley wasn’t even looking at me to see it.
“What happened after you turned four? They realized you made a prettier girl than they did?”
I looked at her with exaggerated, wide eyes, mocking her with beguiling shock. “You think I’m pretty?”
“Sure.” She shrugged. Her focus was still elsewhere. “And that’s great news for your career considering how preteens just love a pretty boy.”
Pretty wasn’t a compliment on her lips. Her implication was clear, and I didn’t appreciate it one bit. I scowled at her, irritated.
I wasn’t some fame-hungry fruit-loop signing on to any script that fell into my lap just to make a buck. I wasn’t trying to build a fan base. Acting was a career for me. It was the only thing that had ever really challenged me, and I was fueled by the thrill of conquering new characters.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” But I could tell that she did from the muted gratification bottled up in her face.
I openly watched her as she continued to look fixedly out the window. My stare dared her to meet my eyes. She liked getting under my skin too.
Once again, she’d presented me with the unexpected.
A taciturn muteness hung over us until the driver pulled the car to a soft stop.
Another thought occurred to me, and I tried to restrain the impressed realization that took hold of my features.
“I know what you did back there.” The driver had made his way to my door, and it lingered open beside me. “You distracted me on purpose, so I’d stop pestering you about the book.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She slid gracefully off the leather seat and out her open door with a small, secret smile I thought I might like even better than her bite.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Her smile was long gone by the time she noticed me shadowing her path.
“Well, since we didn’t get to have that heart-to-heart I was so keen on earlier, I thought it’d be a good time for you, me, and Madeline to all spend some time together.” There was no hope of me being able to fake innocence. I might’ve been nominated for an Oscar at nineteen, but I wasn’t that talented.
She rolled her navy eyes, and I thought that spending so much time with Madeline was having more of an effect on her than she knew.
“Good luck with that,” she said over her shoulder, condescension hanging to every word. “Madeline won’t let you anywhere near her precious acting process.”
“Ha! Madeline actually likes me,” I told her confidently.
“No,” she belittled again, “you like her. That doesn’t automatically mean that your fondness is reciprocated. Madeline doesn’t like anybody. I doubt she’s even capable of it.”
We’d reached the trailer, and Alfred stood tall and intimidating, guarding the door.
“We’ll just see about that,” I challenged, letting a cocky swagger creep into my footsteps as I entered ahead of her.
Madeline was in the middle of some visualization technique with her acting coach Ms. Louna that we both knew better than to interrupt.
“Ten bucks says you’re out of here in less than five minutes,” she hissed through of the side of her mouth.
“You’re on.”
Madeline had already been through hair and make-up. The cherry strands of her hair were braided back, away from her face until they intertwined at the back of her head. She looked fresh faced, lacking any visual signs of make-up, which usually meant we were going to film a sequence when Adley was supposed to be young and innocent, still living with her family.
“Your call time’s not for another three hours,” the young actress’ greeting lacked warmth, but I took it as harmlessly as it was intended. It was all part of her charm, though my beliefs might have been in the minority on the subject.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught Adley’s silent snicker.
“I thought it might be nice to spend a little time together, ankle biter,” I said, making absolutely no headway at all. I began again with a new tactic, “we’ve got the adoption scene coming up, so I thought it would be good for both our crafts to really get in some bonding time.”
Madeline looked distrustful, but nodded, allowing my request. Anything for her craft.
I was eagerly forgotten as she clapped her petite hands together and zoomed in like a beaming spotlight on the girl to my right.