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An idea for a show I've had for awhile about young adults that meet through rehab.

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Chris C.

-A Black truck drives down an empty street. It’s late at night. Fog settles across the roads and trees and a sliver of moonlight paves the way. Music can be heard blaring from the truck as embers from a lit cigarette bounce along the pavement. It’s Nathan, he’s driving the truck with a concerned look on his face, as if he is heading somewhere…

Nathan- [picks up phone and dials number, gets voicemail] Hey man it’s me! Pick Up, pick up! I know you’re there man! [Silence] [Dials number again] Look if you don’t wanna answer me that’s fine. I just have some really good green and was seeing if you wanted to toke with me. But I guess not. [Hangs up and sparks another cig]

-The car goes through a red light and takes an immediate left onto a random neighborhood street. Most of the houses are dark except for a few with their porch lights still on. He slowly prowls by each house as if he is looking for something. Then all of a sudden a look of pure surprise overcomes his face, followed by extreme anger. In his friend’s driveway sits his ex-girlfriend’s car. He stops the car and just sits there, paralyzed with disappointment. Cigarette ash falls on his seat burning a hole.-

- {Tom Petty, Only a Broken Heart} Cuts to him driving to the nearest grocery store. He whips his car into a parking space and slams the door as he gets out. Comes back out with a grocery bag full of cans. Montage of him driving hitting the can, and sitting in random parking lots half-passed out. He sparks a cig and cracks the tab off of a new can and takes a big hit and holds it in. Watching people pass by into a s****y bar, he exhales. Then he slouches back into his driver’s seat in false ecstasy.-

-Cuts to the daily group meeting at Chestnut Health Facilities. Everyone is sitting in the room waiting for the counselor to walk in. Nathan looks over at his friend Joe, Joe looks back and gives him a wave of acknowledgement, Nathan just looks forward with discontentment. Finally the counselor walks in.-

Perkins- So class today we are going to talk about dependency and how it affects those around you, and when I say affect, I mean emotionally, physically, any way possible. Okay. So does anyone want to start and give an example of how their dependency has affected those around them?

-Nathan raises his hand.-

Perkins- Yes, Mr. Jones!

Nathan- Well my drug use, I’m sorry, my dependency has made those around me, well not wanna be around me.

Perkins- What do you mean?

Nathan- I mean. The people I used to hang out with, like let’s say my friends or my girlfriend, stopped hanging around with me because I couldn’t stop hitting cans.

Perkins- You mean huffing?

Nathan- [pissed off look] Yes.

Perkins- That’s a good example. So you’re saying your friends, girlfriend, stopped hanging out with you because they disapproved of your use, or they didn’t like the way you acted while using?

Nathan- [looks over towards Joe] Well, I guess both…..maybe.

Perkins- Hmmm, that’s interesting. So obviously it’s had a negative effect on your personal life then?

Nathan- Obviously.

Perkins- Okay. Anyone else?

-Erin raises her hand-

Perkins- Ah yes, Erin?

Erin- Well maybe those people just didn’t like the fact that you changed.

Perkins- What do you mean?

Erin- Well maybe you became a different person whenever you were huffing and that drove those around you away.

Perkins- Now when you say a different person, what do you mean?

Erin- I mean. [Looks at Nathan] Whenever you would start huffing, you became this really irritable person. Mean for no reason. The only thing you seemed to care about, was getting another can. You were in your own little world. Never mind the fact that those around you tried to get close to you or were worried about you. You would change from a smart, caring person into an egotistical, one-track minded a*****e. You didn’t care about how others felt. I guess, that’s what I mean.

Perkins- Okay, okay. I can see we are getting a little too personal in here. Maybe we should switch topics, hmmm?

Author's Note

This is unfinished. Just the first part I managed to write out so far. I'll finish the rest of the episode later.