Where Does It Hurt

Daniel walked into his house quickly, hoping Katie-Lee wouldn’t notice.

“Daniel! What happened?!” she exclaimed.

Daniel had cuts and scrapes all over himself, a black eye, and a bloody gash on his left arm.

“I’m fine Mom,” he muttered.

“You’re bleeding! Let me fix that-” she began hastily.

“I…am…fine,” he hissed, drawing his words out slowly, before angrily stomping up the stairs.

This had become a normal occurrence for them. Every couple of weeks Daniel would come home, bruised and bloody. He would refuse all kinds of help and sometimes he’d yell at her. Katie-Lee, knew that he didn’t think much of it, but it hurt her. She missed the way he used to run to her, for the littlest things. The way he used to smile at her, before plunging into a recap of the day’s events. Katie-Lee sighed unhappily, as Daniel slammed the door to his room. When did it get like this?

Daniel tapped his fingers in the dim restaurant, annoyance in his eyes. Katie-Lee had invited him to watch a talent show, but she was nowhere to be found. He was considering leaving, when the stage darkened and Katie-Lee walked out onto the stage. She looked around the room nervously and smiled, tears in her eyes, when she spotted him. She opened her mouth, after a couple of anxious seconds, and began to sing.

Where does it hurt
Tell me 'cause I understand
The words of the heart
Beating like waves in my head
We can't hide
We'll never lie
I'll always see into you

There's nothing wrong
With coming up empty and cold
Staying too long
And trying to change rocks into gold
I've been there too
I've wasted myself
And you were there for me

Daniel stared up at the girl in front of him. The one who was begging him, with tears rolling down her cheeks, to open up to her. Her make-up was ruined, but Daniel didn’t care, he thought she looked beautiful.

So whenever you crash
Where ever you land
That’s where I’ll be
And for every endless midnight
There's a sky full of broken stars
And there'll always be a place for you
Inside my arms
Where does it hurt?

And suddenly Daniel couldn’t wait for the song to end, he wanted to hug her and tell her he was sorry. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened. About the drugs and fights and everything else.

Oh, where does it hurt
Where does it hurt

As Katie-Lee finished the last few words of the song, the audience sat in stunned silence. Daniel rose to his feet and began clapping enthusiastically. Slowly, the audience rose and began applauding. She smiled and bowed twice, before running off the stage. Katie-Lee walked up to him, a sad smile on her face, “The song is -”

“I’m sorry Katie,” he murmured, before pulling her into a hug.

“I just want to help,” she said quietly. They sat down at a table and Daniel took a deep breath, “I’ll start at the beginning. I have an addiction…