If you're the bird whenever we pretend it's summer

Then I'm the worm, I know the part, it's such a bummer

But fair is fair, if my segments get separated

I'll scream and you'll be there

Chapter 1 of The Bird and the Worm: Crash

"Are you afraid of me?"

My bottom lip quivered as I pressed my back against the wall. "Y-yes," I answered in a quiet whisper.

He smirked deviously as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. The sleek frames of his glasses caught the bright sunlight and glinted briefly through the shadows.

"Good."

"Shit, shit, shiiiittttt," I grumbled under my breath as I pedaled down the street with all my might. I could feel the cool air around me whip against my face and the stray strands of hair that escaped my ponytail kept getting in my eyes.

I was being reckless as I whizzed by houses and convenience stores. I knew that it was dangerous for me to speed across intersections without paying attention to the stop lights, but I couldn't afford to be late again. That would be third strike against me and then I would be fired. I couldn't afford to lose this job. There were bills to pay, school tuition to pay, and groceries to buy that my mother's salary alone wouldn't cover.

Such was the life of a "commoner". Hell, we even had to resort to food stamps and the neighborhood food pantry sometimes.

It hadn't always been like this though. Not too many years ago I had been attending one of the most prestigious schools in all of Japan and was the heiress to a multi-million dollar fortune, but things were different now. And for better or for worse, this was my life now.

It wasn't exactly ideal to live from paycheck to paycheck, but it certainly had humbled me from my spoiled roots.

I pedaled faster as I sped down the street, swerving occasionally to avoid hitting obstacles, such as cars, bushes, mailboxes, and poor unsuspecting pedestrians.

I stood up on my pedals as I descended down a small hill, my breathing had become ragged. My legs ached, but I kept pushing myself. I could feel beads of sweat sliding down my temple and neck. My clothes were damp from perspiration and stuck to my body.

As I skidded dangerously around a turn in the street, I saw a black car slowly pull out a few feet in front of me.

I tried to back pedal on my brakes to slow down and stop, but no dice.

I tried once again in a final attempt to prevent myself from colliding into the car, but it still didn't work.

"What the-"

I shut my eyes tight and braced for impact. This couldn't be happening. Why? Why? Why?

Before I could even process what was happening, the front tire of my bicycle hit the side of the car with such force that the impact sent me flying off of my bike seat and tumbling over the hood of the car.

It's rather amazing how slow time seems to go by when you think you're seconds away from your own death. It almost felt like flying. Almost being the keyword here. Or should I call it falling with style? The entire tumble unfolded in slow motion, but time quickly sped up again as soon as my body slammed into the pavement in the middle of the street.

I felt the side of my head crack against the asphalt. My forehead felt wet, a feeling which soon spread to the side of my face as if I lay in a pool of lukewarm liquid.

Must be blood, I thought hazily.

My eyelids felt heavy.

I heard a car door swing open and clenched my fists.

Through my blurred vision, I saw a middle-aged man wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses kneel down beside me.

I heard another car door open. "Is she alright, Tachibana?" A deep, but still slightly school-boyish voice asked. I couldn't see the speaker from where I lay, but I heard his footsteps as he walked towards me.

The last thing I remembered was the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

My eyelids slowly fluttered open and the surroundings around me gradually sharpened into focus. I was in a hospital bed with a bandage around my head. I was still wearing the same clothes I had been in during the morning so I knew I hadn't been out for too long. The room was dark except for the bits of sunlight that made its way through the little slits in the blinds over the window.

The sun was still out so it was probably mid-afternoon by now? I couldn't be too sure.

I lifted my hand up and gently touched the bandage around my head. The right side of my forehead felt tender to the touch. I figured I probably cracked my head against the road when I fell. I wondered how many stitches were there and how big the gash was. My head throbbed as if it were about to burst.

Just my luck. Getting into an accident was like rubbing salt into my already wounded pride. Not only was I late for work now, but my boss was probably furious and had no idea I was in the hospital with a head injury.

The door to the room clicked open and I heard someone come in and sit down in the chair beside the bed I was in. Even though the room was dark, I could make out his slim and lanky figure, but the details of his face were obscured by shadow.

"We're going to be covering your medical expenses even though you're really the one at fault," he informed me smoothly. I recognized the voice from earlier, but it sounded far more restrained and calm now.

"Damn right you're covering my bills," I said as I sat up straight. I doubt I would be able to pay for a fraction of the bills anyway with the chicken feed I was paid at my job. "And it was not my fault! Your car came out of nowhere!" I immediately regretted raising my voice because it made the pain in my head throb even more.

I knew how rich kids operated. The instant they got into a little accident they went running to mommy and daddy to cover up the evidence and save their sorry privileged asses. They would do anything they could to keep something like this out of the newspapers. They thought money could solve all their problems. The newspaper gossip columns would have a field day if they uncovered that one of the future leaders of the country or the next CEO of some famous corporation had nearly killed a poor, working class girl like myself. They probably would have an even bigger field day if they realized who I was, or rather, who I used to be.

"You can stay here at the hospital until you feel better," he offered half-heartedly.

"How generous of you." Summoning what little strength and pride I had left, I slid off the hospital bed and grabbed my jacket off the side table. I started slipping my arms through the sleeves.

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, but I really need to go-" I froze when my eyes finally landed on him for the first time, my left arm only halfway through the sleeve, my mouth slightly agape in horror.

Oh, crap.

The beams of sunlight that crept in through the blinds glinted off his metal rimmed glasses and not one strand of his short jet-black hair was out of place. Those features were something you never forget. Not in a thousand years. Especially that contemptuous insincere smile, which indicated in every way that he thought he was better than you and everyone else. The cuffs of his button up shirt were rolled up neatly to his elbows and there weren't any noticeable crinkles or creases in the fabric of the clothes he wore. To the untrained eye, I'm sure he looked suave and cool, but I had seen his true colors many times before. I was all too aware of the calculating mind that lay behind those cold grey eyes.

He sat in the chair with his hands in his lap, fingers intertwined. One of his legs was crossed over the other, his right foot rested on his left knee. The air of superiority that was wafting around him was almost suffocating me.

He smirked at me as he adjusted his glasses. "It's been a while, Michi."

A/N: Slowly editing/rewriting this story because I plan on continuing it.