Part 4 – Make Believe
When Madison woke up, the sun was high in the sky, although the effect was somewhat lessened by the dense foliage of the trees. She managed to stretch slightly and yawn before the pain in her head became apparent. Groaning under the tremendous pressure pounding her skull, Madison reached over to her glove compartment. After rummaging around for a moment, she found what she was looking for. She took the aspirin bottle and dumped out three little pills before chucking it back into the compartment and slamming it closed.
Madison looked around for something to take them with. Looking down, she saw the whiskey bottle lying on its side, most of its contents on the floor next to her feet. Leaning over, she picked up the bottle. There was just a little left; enough to take three lousy aspirins with at any rate. She swallowed them quickly before opening her door and throwing the bottle out. When it crashed and shattered against a fallen log, she winced; it sounded so loud. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one had seen or heard her, Madison closed the car door.
She turned the car on and listened to the odd humming of the engine for a moment, reflecting on what she could remember of the night before. She exhaled heavily, smacking her lips several times, trying to lessen the sourness of whiskey and morning breath so potent in her mouth. She tried to forget the bitterness that had been so present, so near last night, hoping that maybe this was the last time this would happen. But she knew she would not.
Fighting the tears threatening to fall, Madison took a deep breath and fastened her seatbelt. Putting her foot on the gas petal, she got back on the main road, unsure of where she was going. Ignoring the picture of Ephram in her mind, along with the other jumbled images of her past and present, Madison tried to smile. It came out terribly disfigured, a sad imitation of her real, vibrant smile. Trying one more time to clear her head, she sighed and thought a moment.
"Everyone has secrets."