Suffocation.

I am excited that it is Friday. I survived an entire week of school without dying. The students and even some of the teachers have stopped looking and talking about me when they thought I wasn't listening. I even made some friends.

"Hey, Alabama," I lifted my head to see the girl with the wig that I sat next to in biology coming towards me. She is changed into her gym uniform, but unlike everyone else she isn't running the track around the room for the daily warm up.

"Hey Lola," I smile as she comes to sit on the bleachers next to me, as she fixes her wig that was lopsided. "Why do you wear that?" I ask, setting down the packet on indoor hockey rules and regulations that I was working on.

"You really think that an uptight school like this would let me walk their prestigious halls with blue and purple hair?"

"True, they can't allow you to damage their image," I laugh lightly. "Why aren't you running?"

"I told Mr. Rhodes that I was on my period and the battle in my body was enough of a work out for one day. He bought it so that shows his level of intelligence," she joked.

"Yeah, Graham isn't the wisest person but he's a good guy."

"Graham?"

"Oh, I mean Mr. Rhodes. He and my step brother are best friends and he has been part of my brother and my welcoming committee."

"Lucky, the only person at my welcoming committee was my parole officer."

"Where were you originally from?"

"I tell you that I had a parole officer and all you're interested in is where I lived before here. You're a weird one. But I was New York City; my mom wanted a slower pace of life but still wanted to be able to get to the city. Plus I got kicked out of school, and needed another one."

"Why'd you a parole officer?" I ask.

"Stole some jewelry. I didn't have to go to jail or anything; I was just order to one hundred hours of community service and Hank, my PO."

"I thought you weren't allowed to move while you were on parole."

"Yeah, I got permission from the state cause I got accepted to go here. Believe it or not, I'm freakishly smart."

"I never would have guessed," I joked.

"Me either, my biological mom is a stripper and I guess my biological dad blew himself up trying to make meth in his double wide on his parents property."

I laughed loudly until my sides were sore, Lola smiled and waits for me to finish my fit of laughter. "You're a perfect example of nature versus nurture."

"Hey Freckles!" I heard Graham calling me from across the room. "Get back to work."

"Yes sir!" I shout back, picking up the packet.

"He calls you Freckles? That's adorable," Lola smiles.

I wrinkle my nose, showing off my freckles, before getting back to work.

*

Daphne didn't have anything after school so we were home earlier than normal, she did have a piano recital early tomorrow morning so as I sat in the kitchen eating cookies and doing my homework, she was in the formal living room practicing.

The front door opened and Toby and Melanie came in from the cold. I watched as they slipped their shoes off and carry them through the rest of the house to make sure they didn't leave shoe prints.

"Hey guys, how was school?"

"I got an 'A' on my group project on the solar system," Melanie said as she took one of my cookies and popped it in her mouth.

"I tripped and busted my chin today, there was blood everywhere. It was so cool," Toby lifts his chin and I see the Band-Aid.

"Everyone laughed," Melanie said.

"Cause it was funny," Toby said, he was never one to be embarrassed.

The kids sat down in the living room and got started working on their homework while turning the television to Spongebob. Just as I finished my last French paper when Denise came through the door with a worried look on her face.

"Hey Denise, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Uh, Daphne can you come here please?" she calls out. I heard the piano stop and Daphne appeared beside me.

"What's wrong?" she asks the same question as me.

"Okay well, your father got a call today, Lennon."

"And?" I urge her to go on.

"It was the police department in Huntsville," my breath catches in my throat and my entire body goes numb. "They have two people in custody and they would like for you to come down and see if you recognize any voices, or some of the stuff that they took from the house."

I blink a few times; take a couple deep breaths before saying, "Okay."

"Only your father can't go with you, he's in the middle of some Wall Street crisis, so Daphne will you be able to get yourself and the kids to your recital?"

"What? No, you can't miss Daphne's recital. She's been working a long time for this. I'll ask Bobby or Frankie to come with me," I say.

Denise shakes her head. "Bobby is in the same boat as your dad and the hospital is already understaffed as it is and Frankie has been working two shifts. I'm the only one."

"Graham will go with me. Seriously, this could be the rest of Daphne's life, you need to be there."

"Graham?" She questions.

I nodded and pulled my cell phone out of my backpack. "Graham," I said once he answered. "Cancel your plans and pack an overnight bag. We're going to Huntsville."

While I packed a simple carryon bag and changed out of my uniform and into a pair of jeans and a The Ramones tee shirt, Denise booked two tickets from Westchester County Airport to Huntsville International Airport. She made sure that a car would be waiting for us and made arrangements with a hotel that wasn't too far from the police station.

Graham arrived within ten minutes of my brief phone call that didn't give him any explanation onto why he had to drop all plans and travel out of state with me on a moment’s notice, with a bag packed.

"I don't want you driving that car all the way to the airport so you can take my car, I'll drive Daphne's until you two return on Sunday," Denise told Graham. "When you get to the airport, check in and give the person who is doing the security checks your papers that Doctor Kirby gave you when you flew here. Be careful and call us when you land, I love you," she kisses my head and we're off.

*

Graham puts his hand on my knee to stop it from bouncing. I give him an apologizing smile before clutching his hand in mine. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked you to come."

"You didn't really ask me, you kind of enforced it," Graham laughed.

I shake my head in worry. "You're right, I'm so sorry. You have no business being here, I can go alone. Ma'am," I get the flight attendant's attention. "He needs to get off the plane."

"No I don't," Graham tells her quickly. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm here for you? And if that means going to Huntsville, then so be it."

I give him a small, sad smile before facing forward as the plane started ascending into the air.

We had one layover in Atlanta before flying into the Huntsville International Airport. There, a taxi took us to the place Denise rented our car from.

We got to the hotel just after eleven at night. The receptionist smiled as she gave us separate room keys and directed us to go. My room is on the main floor; Graham's is on the third.

Graham carried my overnight into my room and set it on my bed. "We should probably get some sleep. It'll be a big day tomorrow."

"Thanks," I murmur before bringing Graham into a tight hug.

Graham kisses the top of my head before heading off to his own room. I change into a Marvel tee shirt and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants before climbing into bed.

Ten minutes went by of me staring up at the dark ceiling, thinking about what might happen tomorrow. Twenty minutes went by before I decided to turn on the television to see if that would take my mind off of it all. I rummaged through my bag until I found the orange bottle of little white pills and popped two into my mouth, in hopes that drugs would put me to sleep; but it didn't.

I tossed and turned until finally I couldn't handle it. No matter how bad my body ached for sleep, my brain refused to stop. I slid out of bed, grabbed my crutches and headed out into the hallway. Once I was in the elevator I pressed the round button with the number three on it and waited for it to take me up to the third floor.

I knocked quietly on room number 312. Just as I was about to knock again Graham opened the door.

"Did I wake you?" I ask seeing that he was dressed in only his boxers.

Graham shakes his head. "No, I was just watching some TV," he opened the door wider to allow me in.

"I'm sorry, I can't sleep," I say as I take a seat at the edge of the bed.

Graham puts on the tee shirt he was wearing earlier today then sits on the bed behind me with his back against the headboard. "Want to watch some TV with me?"

"Sure," I slide back onto the bed as he flips through the channels before settling on an old episode of Friends.

Even with the distraction coming from the television and Graham sitting beside me, it's not enough to keep my mind off of tomorrow. I could possibly have a face and a name to the sinister man who laughed at my would have been death.

"I'm so scared," I whispered.

Graham pressed mute on the remote and turned towards me. "What are you scared about?"

"I'll never forget that man’s voice, never. It's burned into all of my memories and it haunts me every time I close my eyes, but what if I can't tell if it's him?"

"You'll be able to. You said it yourself; you'll never forget his voice."

"But what if I can't and what if they are released because I have nothing to identify then by other than the voice of one man? What if they kill other people once they're released? Those deaths will be on me!"

"Even if you can't be sure if it's him, they have found other evidence, and they found some things that match the description that you told the police that were taken from your house. They aren't going to get away with this and they aren't going to be killing anymore people," Graham reassures me.

"Do you think I'll have to see their faces?"

Graham puts an arm around me and pulls me close until I am resting my head on his chest. "Not if you don't want to."

"I don't think I do. I think it'll bring up too many unhappy memories that I've tried really hard to forget."

"I understand," he murmurs against my hair.

I wrap my arm around Graham's torso and we return to watching Friends. Eventually I began to relax and soon, my medicine takes affect and I'm fast asleep.

*

I woke up the next morning to the sun poking through the dark curtains. Graham is sprawled out beside me, snoring lightly. The digital alarm clock read that it is only half past six but my body is no longer tired. I got up and tiptoe quietly out the door, making sure I don't wake Graham, and headed towards the elevators to go back to my room.

There was really no point in lying back down. I decided that I would get ready early, and then head down to the continental breakfast that the hotel was going to start serving shortly.

After I showered I put on jeans and a tank top, followed by Daphne's cashmere cardigan that I stole from her. I slipped on a pair of shoes and headed out of my room, meeting Graham in the hallway.

"Hey I was just seeing if you wanted to get some food," he said awkwardly. I figured it was due to us falling asleep together.

"Uh yeah, I was just on my way to get some."

Two pieces of toast and a container of strawberry yogurt sat in front of me on a paper plate. My nerves were back, making it impossible to eat. Graham had no problem, however. He is currently on his third and hopefully final waffle.

"What do you want to do?" he asks after swallowing his last bite of cooked batter.

"I could show you around, we don't have to be at the police station until noon."

"Let's do it," he says producing the rental keys from his jacket pocket.

"I want to drive," I snatch the keys out of his hands.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"It's fine, besides I know this place like it's the back of my hand."

I showed Graham Toby's school first. It was where I went to school and where I figured my children would eventually go to school. My favorite teacher taught here; Mrs. Berry. She retired the year I left, but Toby got the teacher she was replaced with and that teacher turned out to be one of Toby's favorite teachers.

I showed him the high school next. It wasn't anything like Saint Joseph, nothing special at all. We didn't have to wear a uniform and you didn't have to be accepted first, or a special case like myself, to go there. But it was special, special to me. I had my first kiss right outside Mr. Wright's technology room, I met some of my best friends under this roof, and I shed multiple tears in the guidance counselor’s office.

We stopped outside of an ice cream shop that my mom would take Toby and I to if we got A's on our report cards. It wasn't open this early in the morning but it was still nice to see.

We drove around my old neighborhood for a while, I didn't mean to go there but I let my subconscious guide me all the way to the old brick house that had gone abandoned. I stopped the car right outside and turned off the ignition.

"This is my home," I whisper.

"Can we go inside?" Graham asked.

I didn't answer him but I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car. The front door is locked but I was on a mission to get inside, so I started trying the windows until eventually I found one that wasn't unlocked.

"Give me a boost up," I told Graham, who finally joined me in the small backyard.

Graham laced his fingers together to allow me to use his hands as a step to shimmy through the window opening. Once I was inside I waited until Graham lifted himself up and into the room.

We stood together in what was once my parent's bedroom, then it became just my mom's. Her mattress sat against the furthermost wall, and her old dresser is still next to the window that we just climbed through.

"Well this was her room, my mom's," I say like it is no big deal before walking out of the room and into the hallway which led to my room and Toby's.

We walk slowly into my room and the first thing I do is sink into the bed and I am comforted by the familiar squeaks. I shut my eyes and for a moment I forget everything. I pretend that I am just waking up from an awful dream that I just had and soon my mom would take me in her arms and tell me everything was okay, and that she would never leave me, not for a million years. But then I open my eyes and reality sets back in and I once again have to face the hardship all over again.

My breathing shakes but I refuse to let myself cry, especially in front of Graham again. I walk into Toby's room and notice that the carpet has been ripped up right where I was laying. "I was right there," I point out. "Toby was getting Christmas decorations out of the attic while my mom and I cleaned up from dinner. Someone knocked on the door and when she answered, they shot her. I went to see what happened and saw her lying in the doorway. That's when I ran in here and locked the door and told Toby to go back into the attic and call the police."

I look at the lock on the door, the whole door turned out to be replaced. "When I turned around the door was kicked open and time stopped the moment it happened. I watched as the man who shot me pull the trigger four times. Then when I thought I was just about to die another man stood over me and laughed."

Graham wrapped his arms around me from behind, allowing me to survey the room while still holding me close to him. "The only thing I could think about in those last few minutes was if they would find Toby or not and what they would do it him if they did. They so easily killed my mom and tried to kill me, what's the difference between two defenseless women and a little boy who still held his mom's hand when crossing the street?"

"Those men are monsters, Lennon. They deserve the very worst."

I turn to leave the room and eventually we make it to the living room. I didn't want to spend any time there; I just want to leave through the front door. Without shedding a tear, I unlock the door and head out of the front door and back to the car with Graham close behind me.

I let him drive this time, and I don't give him any directions on where to go. I just look out the window and watch the trees zoom by. So we drive around for a good part of an hour until Graham breaks the silence.

"Where is your mom buried?"

"Maple Hill Cemetery."

"Can I meet her?" he asks.

I nod my head, not knowing exactly what to say, because my mom is dead, he couldn't meet her. Graham doesn't ask for directions, he types it into the GPS in his phone before taking off again.

We stopped at a florist where Graham asked me what kind of flowers my mom liked best. I told him it was a sun flower, which they didn't have, so we settle for her favorite color of dahlias.

We didn't have to walk far into the cemetery before reaching the headstone that had Carol Abrams; loving mother engraved into the cool stone.

Graham set the bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the headstone before speaking, "Hello Mrs. Abrams, my name is Graham Rhodes; I'm friends with your daughter. I just wanted to say that you raised a great son, Toby's so cool, but there aren't words to explain how amazing your daughter is. I know you're watching over her and that you're proud how brave she is being. I wouldn't be able to go through everything she's been through lately, but I promise that if things get too hard for her, I'll be there for her until things get easier. It's sad that Lennon and I met under difficult circumstances but I'm glad I got the chance to meet her. We have to go put the guys who did this to you in jail but it was a honor meeting you."

"You're talking to a piece of rock," I tell him.

"I'm sure you'd feel better if you just talked to her. Give it a try."

I'm hesitant at first. I didn't know what to say or where to begin. "Hi mom," I say as my voice breaks and I try to keep the tears from flooding out of my eyes. "Toby and I really miss you. Life is really hard, I'm living with Dad and his new perfect family and I'm trying really hard, but they aren't you. I mean it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I actually like Bobby, Daphne, Melanie, and Denise isn't bad either. Dad isn't the monster I made him out to be either. Bobby's fiancée is super cool, you'd love her hair. But Graham's my favorite. He's made things easier, I don't know why but I'm not afraid to cry in front of him," I say as I wipe a tear away. "I love you, mama."

"Come on," Graham takes my crutches and drags them behind us while I wrap my arms around him for support as we make our way to the car.

We traveled back into the city, towards the police station. We parked in an empty visitor’s parking space and headed inside the brick building. The receptionist smiled at us from behind glass. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm Lennon Abrams; I'm here to see Officer Cole."

"He's expecting you, I'll send him right out."

We take a seat and within a few moments a heavyset, older officer came through a large wooden door.

"Miss. Abrams thank you for coming on such a short notice," he said. I had first met him while I was in the hospital.

I smile, "This is my friend Graham Rhodes."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Rhodes, now if you two will follow me."

We walked down one hallway that led to an elevator which we took to the basement, and then we walked down another long hallway.

"We got a confession out of the younger one, that didn't have any prior convictions; he agreed to testify against his buddy. But we'd like you to listen to the tape we have so we can nail them with another crime."

I nod my head as we enter a small room with a table and an audio recorder. Officer Cole pushed play and voices came out of the speakers. My hands moved over my mouth as soon as I heard the older one they were interviewing speak, the one that killed my mother, the one that laughed at me as I lay dying.

"That's him. No doubt in my mind," I tell Officer Cole.

"And he was the one that shot your mother?"

"Yes, the other one shot me."

"You'd you be willing to testify if it came down to it?"

"If that means getting them into prison then yes, I'll testify."

"Good. The last thing to do is see if any of the items we confiscated from their vehicle. I'm surprised that some of the stuff hadn't been pawned."

Officer Cole brings in a cardboard box and allows me to sift through it. Almost immediately I see it. In an evidence bag is my mom's engagement ring and wedding band from her marriage to my dad. This was something I didn't expect to see.

"I can't believe they kept this. It's my mom’s; it was the only thing she kept in her jewelry box. Can I have it or do you need it for further evidence?"

"You can keep it. Do you want to see the assholes that put you through this?" I shake my head no to his question. I would see them in trial and that would be enough. "Well then take a good day Miss. Abrams, thank you for your help."

When Graham and I got back into the car, I took the ring out of the bag and slipped it onto my left ring finger, it is a perfect fit. "What do you want to do now?" Graham asked.

I didn't have to think about what I wanted to do; I wanted to forget about most of today. "Let's order room service and get drunk."