Someone I Used to Know - By Blakney Francis Page 0,46

time?” I was deflecting, but the sustenance of my inquiry still held truth.

“She twisted her ankle, Davies,” her words chewed their way out through tense, stubborn lips. “If she’d broken her neck then I can assure you I would have gotten her to a hospital.”

I spread a tremendously fake grin on and ruffled her hair in a way that I knew would irritate her further. “There’s that humanity I love to see, ankle biter.”

“You’re a dick,” she said, capturing Adley’s superior briskness perfectly. She was a better actress than I gave her credit for. That was dead on.

“Like I’ve never heard that before.” I didn’t bother to stick around.

I heard her huff after me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I might have heard the distinctive sound of a foot stomp as well. “Where are you going now?”

“To drop my clothes off at wardrobe then I’m going to help Adley get to the car…See, I’ve got a little bit of that humanity in me too.”

Even as I walked away, I could feel Madeline’s suspicion marking me, making plans to keep a closer eye on me from here on out.

Getting Adley to the car was easier said than done. Apparently “give her something for the pain,” was a code for, “give her a handful of whatever pharmaceutical goodies were rolling around in the bottom of Marissa Little-Ashford’s purse.”

Adley was as high as a kite.

Once I’d managed to get her babbling ass into the car, she proceeded to slump over in my lap, facedown in my crotch. The visual was a little too tempting, and I quickly pushed her off. She pouted at me. Her hair had come loose from the messy ponytail she’d constructed that morning, and wild sandy waves fell in her face.

“You should be nicer to me.” Her voice almost escaped the tiniest slur that chased it.

I gave her a doubtful look.

“You’re living in my country now, buddy! Have some respect.” She even added a little salute to her sudden patriotic outburst. It would’ve been more effective had she not missed her forehead and almost gauged out an eye.

It was a struggle not to laugh.

“And what has America ever done for me?”

“Star Wars aaaaand…cheeseburgers! And Harry Potter – no wait, he’s British, right?” She didn’t even wait for me to respond as she launched into a spirited British accent. “Bloody hell, Ron Weasley! Fetch my unicorn, mate! We’ll have a bit of fish and chips! Oh bugger. Four leaf clovers! Big Ben!”

“Are you supposed to be European or having an epileptic fit? And four leaf clovers are Irish, by the way.”

But she ignored me, and instead turned her butchering of impressions Down Under, trying to mimic my accent. “Vegemite and…”

“Vegemite?” I scoffed, laughing loudly when she trailed off blankly. “Vegemite? That’s all you’ve got?”

She struggled for a moment, wiping her hair out of her eyes with a heavy hand, as her face sagged with sudden exhaustion. Frowning at me one last time, she finally gave in and closed her eyes, but not before whispering, “Kangaroos.”

I let her sleep the rest of the ride home.

“We’re here,” I informed her when the car arrived at Cam’s.

No response.

With a cautious hand I reached out to nudge her. We weren’t really on ‘touching’ terms. Besides, the night before, when I’d dressed her in my shirt, I didn’t think we’d actually touched at all. I felt an irrational spark of warmth rush through my fingertips as I made contact with her arm.

I was just about to check her pulse when she groaned and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut forcefully.

“Okay then, shall I ask our dear driver, Mr. Lazarus, if he minds you camping out in his backseat for the night?” I questioned using my most logical tone.

Her blue eyes opened into thin slits that glared at me. “Carry me, you whacker.”

I was almost positive ‘whacker’ wasn’t in the normal American vernacular. It was another way we Australians could call someone an idiot or an asshole. I stared at Adley in amazement, not that she could see having already drifted off into Never Never Land again.

I wanted to kiss that mouth that had just used my own slang against me. It was truly unfair how something so simple could get me so worked up. She was turning me into a fifteen year old boy who’d never had a good root in his life.

“Last chance to change your mind,” I told her hesitantly. I didn’t want her to freak out and give me a black