Stealthily she crept back into the bedroom, picking up her scattered clothing as she went. She came down a short hall into a living room/kitchen, found her purse lying on a cherry wood coffee table and silently dressed. Grabbing her purse she lit out of the door of the apartmant and down two flights of stairs, hoping she recognized her surroundings when she exited the building.

     Out  on the street Simone looked around to get her bearings. She didn’t recognize any the streets signs but saw a taxi parked down the street. The neighborhood didn’t l ook to be in a disreputable part of town but Simone was sure she’d never been to this street in the ten years she lived in Knoxville.

     Simone walked quickly to the cab and opened the rear door. With a relieved sigh she gave her home address to the driver and leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Soon she would be home and she dreaded the confrontation that awaited her when her parents saw her dragging in at the early hours of the morning once again.

     “This is it.” a rough voice rasped.

     Startled, Simone opened her eyes wide having forgotten where she was for a moment. She gave a bitter grimace then opened her purse and extracted the driver’s fee. She walked slowly, feet dragging and went up the three steps and stood on the porch of the two storied brick townhouse. The house she had lived in since she was ten years old. Memories assaulted her as she thought back to a better time when a drug didn’t rule her world. Then the door was flung open and her father stood there. She could see the anger aparent but underneath that the disappointment and worry but far deeper than that, the fear and love.

     He stood aside for her to enter, not saying anything and her mother appeared  in the foyer with the same look of disappointment in her eyes. Together they walked towards the kitchen and as Simone veered toward the staircase her mother linked her arm in Simone’s and tugged her forward.

     “In here,” she said huskily.

     Simone started to protest but her father gave her a quelling look. “Now!”, he insisted.

     Simone didn’t argue she was coming down and knew that in just a little while the gnawing agony would start. Better to get this over with as soon as possible. Her father was the one to speak.

     “We’re not even going to ask where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing. I will say, though, that this has got to stop. Before you kill yourself.” Mr. Cooper held up his hand as Simone started to interrupt him heatedly. She clamped her lips together in a rebellious frown.

     “Your mother and I love you, Simone and we’ve watched you turn from a well adjusted, happy girl into… this,” he threw his hand out and gestured towards her. “For months now you’ve been slowly and systematically killing yourself and I’m telling you, it stops here, today.”

     That’s where her mother picked up the conversation. “Your father and I have decided you need some time away from this town and the bad elements you’ve been hanging out with lately. Don’t get me wrong we don’t want you to go anywhere but we can’t sit idly by while you kill yourself like your friend Bryce did.”