Walking the Line by Nicola Marsh

time. “I can’t thank your dad enough for this
opportunity.”
    “He’s the best.” The visible pride in Kye’s
eyes made me well up again. Wish I had parents who cared enough
about me to want to help my friends. “If you need anything while
you’re in Oz, don’t hesitate to ring him.”
    I nodded. “That’s what he told me when I
Skyped him to say thanks for doing all this.”
    “He’s a good guy.” Kye’s grin alerted me to
another of his typical teasing barbs. “Speaking of guys—”
    “Not interested.” I held up my hand. “Even if
you’re personally acquainted with Jesse Spencer, Josh Helman and
Ryan Kwanten, I don’t care.” I placed a hand over my heart. “I’m
swearing off guys, even hot Aussie ones, for the next six
months.”
    Mia gazed adoringly at Kye. “Never say never,
sweetie.” She pecked Kye on the cheek. “Trust me, there’s something
about Aussie guys that is irresistible.”
    “I’ll take your word for it,” I said, meaning
it.
    I’d spent the last three years hanging out
with the wrong guys, sleeping with some of them, getting wasted,
doing whatever it took to forget my fucked up life.
    The next six months in Australia? My own
personal detox program.
    No partying, no drinking, no drugs and no
men.
    Mia, ever perceptive, must’ve picked up on
something in my expression, because she turned to Kye and said,
“I’d love an orange soda.”
    “Coming right up.” He stood and glanced at
me. “Anything for you, Dani?”
    I shook my head. “No thanks, I’m fine.”
    Biggest lie ever.
    “No worries, back in a sec.” He strolled
toward the monstrous kitchen that included a breakfast nook
complete with the latest video game consoles my dad loved. Kye
would be a while. Last time he’d been here and volunteered to get
us sodas, we’d found him playing some warrior shoot-out game an
hour later.
    The moment he left the room, Mia fixed me
with a narrow-eyed stare. “You’re in a funk and it’s more than just
living overseas for six months.”
    I sighed, wishing I could fob her off, but so
tired of living a lie let alone telling another. “I’m terrified
that even after doing all this, nothing will change and I’ll still
be the same screwed-up little girl screaming for attention.”
    Voicing my greatest fear didn’t make me feel
better. It made me feel sick to my stomach.
    Because it was true. What if after all this I
couldn’t change? I couldn’t forget? I couldn’t learn to live with
the mistakes of my past?
    “Oh honey.” Mia leaped off the sofa to come
sit beside me on the floor. “You’re the bravest person I know.”
    She took both my hands and wouldn’t let go
when I tried to extricate them. “It takes real guts to do what
you’re doing. Moving halfway across the world, making a start on a
college degree, changing your lifestyle.”
    She squeezed my hands. “You’ve been through
hell and you’ve made it through. This is your chance. And I have no
doubt whatsoever you’ll make the most of every exciting new
minute.”
    “Will you be resurrecting your old pom-poms
to go with that cheerleading routine?”
    She laughed at my droll response. “You’re
going to be fine. Better than fine.” She released my hands to pull
me into a hug. “You’re going to kick some serious Aussie ass.”
    Wish I had half her confidence because the
way I was feeling now? Like I was standing on a precipice, about to
go over the edge, with no safety net in sight.

Chapter 2
     
    ASHTON
     
     
    I knew Mum was having a bad day the moment I
neared her room and heard her grunts of frustration.
    She’d always loved crossword puzzles but the
more her brain deteriorated, the harder it became for her to do the
simplest tasks, let alone find a three letter word for an
Australian native bird.
    I’d almost reached the end of the long
corridor when a nurse laid a hand on my shoulder.
    “Got a minute, Ashton?”
    I stopped, turned and held my breath.
Whenever one of the nurses