One Day at a Time

The camera tracks along a stretch of road, slowly coming upon a teen girl as she lays twitching on the pavement. She is dirty and frothing slightly from the mouth, as the whites of her eyes roll back and she mutters incoherently. Lying beside her is a kit with needles, a spoon, and some unmarked powder. An unmarked cop car pulls up in the distance, its lights flashing. From a dutch angle, we see two officers step out and walk over to the girl. They feel her pulse and root through her pockets to find her wallet. An officer pulls out her ID and notes that she is over 18 years old. Shaking their heads, pick her up and put her in the back seat. As they drive, she slumps over in the back seat. Off camera, you can hear the officers discuss what to do with her. One suggests she spend another night in county to teach her a lesson. The other cuts in, saying it won't work. She'll be back on the streets doing the same shit again. She needs rehab. they should take her over to the sober living house so she can detox. The guy who runs it always has a way with dealing with the lost girls. Maybe he can fix her. They drive off towards the house. Scene cuts to several days later. It's morning. The teen, a small fragile girl named Angie, opens her eyes. The brightness of the room is shocking and she pulls up the covers to block it out. She is naked under the sheets. The door opens and a man enters. He is clean and handsome, carrying a covered tray of food. Angie peeks out and stares at him nervously, slowly realizing that she doesn't know where she is. The man sets the food down and introduces himself as Eric. He runs a sober living house. She looks down and realizes she is naked. She quickly covers herself, asking how she got here and where her clothes are. Eric replies that she had overdosed and the cops who found her had brought her here. She's lucky they didn't put lock her up. She's been in and out for almost 3 days. Angie remembers nothing and seems very confused. Eric sits down beside her and gently takes her hand. It's ok, he says. I know what you're going through. I've been there too. He goes on to describe his own experiences with substances and shows her a 1-year recovery medallion. Sober living worked for me, he reassures her. I've turned my life around. It's all about taking one day at a time. I can help you do the same ... if you trust me. Angie covers her head in her hands, reeling from her symptoms. She asks Eric if he can simply let her go. She doesn't need to be here. Eric reminds her that the cops specifically asked him to take care of her. He doesn't know when they'll be back to check up. He tries to get Angie to open up about her own experience. She confides in him that she is a good girl, with good parents. She just parties a little too much. If he will just let her go, she promises to go home and not do this again. Eric reiterates that the cops are watching him closely and that he has an obligation to rehabilitate the girls who enter his house. Angie starts to cry, as she scrunches the sheets around herself. She begs and pleads with him ... saying she'll do anything to just go home. Eric stares at her for a long time, his eyes occasionally darting back to the covered food tray. I suppose I could make something up if the cops came back ... He says slowly. Angie perks up and continues to beg and thank him. Eric continues to stare, lost in thought. He watches as the sheets scrunched up around Angie start to slouch, exposing her nipples. But if I were to let you go, he continues. You need to make it worth my while. She asks him what he means. Eric edges closer to her on the bed and tells her to drop the sheets. Stunned, she leaps off the bed and makes for the door. It's locked. She tells him to stay back. Calmly, Eric reiterates the situation. Look, I'm not here to do any harm. I'm here to help you. But if you aren't willing to stay here and you want me to cover it up, you are going to need to treat me with a little more respect. I'm simply asking for an exchange. A deal. You're familiar with dealing, right? This descends into a negotiation between Eric and Angie. After protesting, Angie ultimately decides it is worth it to fuck with the counselor in exchange for her early exit. She gives her full, lucid consent.