A Place Only We Know -Completed-

All there was...

Lee got happier with her mom being single. She hadn't seen or heard from Demetrius in a while. Her mom seemed to finally be getting used to the idea that he wasn't coming back. Lee certainly loved the idea. It opened up room for a new boyfriend but with SangMin around, she knew she'd be safe.

 Lee sat across from her mom at the dinner table. Her mother looked like she had finally been sleeping. Lee would wake up when she would hear her mom crying at night. She would just roll over and fall asleep. “Serves her right.” she'd say to herself.

Lee looked at her mother and folded her arms. Without missing a beat, her mother acknowledged her.

“What Lee?” She said, flipping through her clipboard.

  “I want to ask you a question, but I can't. You'll get mad.” Lee said, provoking her mother.

“I'll get mad if you don't ask me. Spit it out.” Her mother said with a quick temper.

“Who's Steve?” She asked. Slightly rocking back and forth.

Her mother stopped flipping through her papers and looked up at her daughter.

“You have his eyes. I hated those stupid eyes. Could talk you out of your sanity quicker than a junkie could shoot up. He was better than Demetrius. Then he left and joined the service.” She said as if she was daydreaming.

  “I heard he was a cop in Hawaii.” Lee said.

Her mother looked at her. For once, she didn't look like a monster.

“Don't ask me about him again Lee.”

Lee rose from her seat as her mother went back to her work. She was in her room finishing up some lyrics as she heard the front door get banged on. She heard her mother light a cigarette and she heard the pop to the top of a can of beer. She wasn't getting up. It had to be Demetrius. She was ignoring him. She wanted to know why.

 Lee sent a text to Lenny's daughter Sara that worked in Planned Parenthood. She asked her if her mom came by the clinic for any reason.

Sara responded with one word.

“Herp.”

Lee burst out laughing. Demetrius had Herpes and gave it to her mother, and he only got it because he cheated. It was the funniest thing that happened that week. Lee didn't respond. She was too busy trying to not pee her pants. Her mother burst into her room, glaring at her.

“Sorry mom. I...heard something funny. It was on YouTube.” Lee quickly lied. Her mom groaned and slammed her door shut. Lee continued to giggle. She let herself drift off to sleep. She dreamed about good things, starting a band, being a singer, making music people actually liked. She hoped her mom would get her a acoustic guitar for her 16th birthday. She doubted her mother would remember though. Her mother always forgot her. Now with Demetrius out of the picture, she hoped she would.

  Lee awoke to the hands around her throat. She was forced awake by the shortness of breath. Demetrius was squeezing her neck so hard she could hear her skin trying to tear. She struggled to breathe. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. Faster and faster. Her room started to spin. Her vision started to darken. Until she heard a very loud bang. She watched as Demetrius’s blood sprayed her clothes. Another bang and his arms fell from her neck. She coughed and sputtered.

 SangMin pulled her from her bed and she hugged him, trying to breathe. She could barely focus, she sobbed as she looked at Demetrius and his blood that was soaking her carpet. She heard her mother wailing, she sounded like a mad woman as she came after SangMin with a knife. Yelling about how he killed her boyfriend.