Silver Lining

4. Collisions

47 days before

I couldn't help grinning as I drove home. The photoshoot had gone really well, I think, and we'd gotten some really good shots. As well as the red dress I wore for the magazine cover, there was a navy blue Chanel dress, and a lime green jumpsuit.

I exited off the highway. I was pretty sure there was a pizza place on a road somewhere around here, but I didn't really know because I didn't take notice of fast food places. I spotted the Dominos sign in the distance. Yes!

As I pulled into the parking lot for the Dominos, I saw a car in my rear vision mirror come out of nowhere. Sunlight glinted off the silver body of the car, and everything felt like it was happening in slow motion.

My car jolted, and my head flew forwards.

The airbag stopped me from hitting the steering wheel, but I went sideways and smashed into the window.

An alarm went off somewhere in the distance, but began fading out with the rest of the world.

***

Someone shook my shoulder, trying to get me to wake up. I was too tired for this. I moaned at the person. "Ma'am? Are you alright, Ma'am?" They asked. He sounded like a guy, maybe in his twenties or thirties.

I opened my eyes, squinting in the sunlight. The world was so blurry, out of focus.

"Are you okay?" The person asked again. I thought about this. I was pretty sure there was nothing wrong.

"Yeah," I mumbled, blinking a couple of times in an attempt to get the world to focus. It cleared, and I realised I was in a car. My car. The airbag was up, though, and there was blood on it.

I started to panic. Was there a car crash? Was I really hurt? Was the other person hurt? What if I had hurt someone? That's really ba-

"Calm down, it's okay." The guy standing outside the car door said. He lent through the window. "Are you hurt? Oh, there's a cut on your forehead." He saw my face. "Don't worry! it's not big. Tiny." He showed me how small, holding his fingers a couple centimeters apart. "I'll help you out." He opened the door, and leaning over me to unclip my seat belt. I probably could of managed my own seat belt, but I was still pretty dazed, so I was grateful for him helping me. He put his head under my arm, draping my arm around his neck. It took a while, but I got out of the car, leaning on him heavily.

"T-thanks," I said, stuttering slightly. "Where is- Is the other driver okay?" I gestured behind me to where the silver car was.

The guy laughed a little. "I am the other driver." He paused. "Sorry, by the way. For crashing into you. Entirely my fault." Oh. So he was the other driver. At least no one was hurt.

"That's okay." I said. I looked up, and winced a bit. Queen of all headaches.

"Here, we should probably swap details," the guy said, giving me a notebook and pen. "For insurance type stuff, and such. Wait, do you have insurance?"

"Yea," I told him, taking the pen and paper. I wrote Madison Shaw across the top in my loopy handwriting and then added my number, and address underneath. I handed him the notebook back, and he wrote something quickly, and teared out the paper and handed it to me. It was only when I read his name, Michael Harp, that I realised I didn't know his name yet. I tensed, but sternly told myself not to be stupid. Michael was a common name. And anyway, creepy Michael's last name was Woods, not Harp.

"Oh! Madison Shaw... like as in the famous one?" Michael asked me.

I nodded. "Yea, that's me."

"Right. I knew you looked familiar," he said, but it was drowned out slightly at the end by a police car arriving. A woman in a police uniform stepped out, and walked over to us.