Free Tears of the Broken by A.M Hudson Page A

leaned back in his seat and held his
index fingers over each other—making a cross.
    “ Yes
way.” I sipped my choc-milk to wash down my last bite of lunch.
“It’s nothing like this place. A different world.”
    “ So
where did you go to school?” Alana finally spoke up.
    “ Really far away.” I smirked.
    “ How
far?” Ryan asked.
    “ Very far.” I wish they’d just drop it.
    “ Yeah, you have a bit of an accent there. What is that?
English?” Emily leaned in slightly, as did Ryan and Alana, and the
eager curiosity in their eyes made me want to smile—until I looked
at David. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t care, or if he
doesn’t want to know, but he sat still, with his fingers clasped
just in front of his chin and a simple smile on his
lips.
    “ Okay. Promise you won’t laugh.” I pointed my finger at
them.
    Ryan
crossed his heart, and Emily crossed her fingers, laughing already.
Alana and David waited patiently.
    “ Okay, I’m…from Australia.” Almost closing my eyes, I awaited
the onslaught of giggling—but they just gawked at me.
    “ No
way? You’re all the way from Oz? You’re totally like Dorothy,” Ryan
said.
    “ Yeah, and that makes David Toto.” Emily laughed.
    “ Yeah, um, Dorothy was from Kansas?” I corrected. “If
anything, I’d be the Cowardly Lion.” Since I’m so afraid to walk
out my own front door.
    “ No,
the Tin Man. Didn’t that Aussie guy play the Tin Man in that
movie?” Emily looked up at the ceiling as though her answer would
be there.
    “ No
way—Tin Man? Ara has too much heart,” Alana added. “You saw her
play the piano?” She nodded at David.
    Mockingly, I tilted my head and sighed. “Aw,
thanks.”
    When
Alana ditched a piece of lettuce at me, David’s hand shot out and
caught it—right in front of my face. My mouth dropped and everyone
else burst out laughing. “Nice catch, David.” I looked at him with
wide eyes.
    “ Yeah, he used to be on the baseball team,” Emily
said.
    “ Really?” I turned to look at David; his timid smile dented
one corner of his cheek.
    “ It
was,” he stood up and reached across the table to drop the lettuce
on Alana’s plate, “—a long time ago.” When he sat back down, he
winked at me and leaned his chin on his hand.
    “ So, all the way from Australia, hey? You
don’t sound Australian?” Emily said.
    “ Actually, I do. Just not so much anymore.” I smiled softly.
“I’ve spent the last month or so working on my accent, but you can
hear it when I get upset.”
    David shifted in his chair.
    “ Are
you ashamed of it?” Alana asked.
    “ No.” I shook my head. “I just didn’t wanna draw any extra
attention to myself.”
    “ So,
is it different over there to like, how school is here?” Emily
stabbed a carrot with her fork and held it up just in front of her
mouth.
    “ Well, we have our school year from January to December, and
we break over summer as well, except it’s over
Christmas.”
    “ Christmas in summer?” Ryan stared into the distance. “Weird.
But cool.”
    “ Actually, it’s not cool,” I said, “it’s really, bloody
hot.”
    Emily and Ryan stared at me blankly. Alana stifled a soft
giggle. “Summer is hot, Ryan?” She nudged his arm. “Not
cool?”
    I
looked at David, who shook his head, trying not to laugh at my
terrible joke. Emily and Ryan did the same, half smiling. “Okay,
that goes in the vault as the worst joke of the week.” Ryan pointed
at me again with his ketchup-covered chip.
    I
feigned insult.
    “ But
you did sound very Australian when you said bloody,” Emily
added.
    David chuckled beside me.
    “ Yeah, say it again?” Ryan leaned forward, turning his ear
toward me and holding his hand out like he had a funnel to listen
through.
    “ She’s not a circus freak, Ryan.” Emily pushed his hand
away.
    “ Thanks,” I mouthed. I really do not feel like being on
exhibition. “So where do you guys normally sit?” With my belly
full, all my