Title: Masterpiece Theatre

Rating: R for strong language, and graphic drug use

Summary: Josh Ramsay is a troubled teen. At seventeen, he ran away with a young girl, getting involved in the world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. How far will he get in before realizing he can't get out?

Chapter 1: Say Anything

[Disclaimer: I own absolutley nothing! The darker things mentioned in this story are not know from experience, only research. This is based loosley on Josh Ramsay's battle with addiction with my fictional story behind it. Enjoy!]

From the minute I entered the doors, I knew I wasn't getting out. The wash white wlls and tiles contained me and my emotions from day one. The police guy is nudging me and asking me a question. I blink my grey blue eyes a couple times.

"Huh?" I snap out of my daze to see what feels like a thousand faces.

"Are you high, kid?" He asks again, getting impatient.

"No." I answer, hoping my honesty shines through my terrible reputation.

"When did this start?" My mom wipes away tears, that feel so unreal. Your parents aren't supposed to cry, they're invincible. I think for a moment and it surprisingly all comes back to me.

I walked out of my house for, about, the eighth time that night alone. It was so ridiculously hot that night that I desperatley wanted to open the windows but I was so scared the rest of the neighborhood would hear. Pushing my black bangs into the rest of my hair, I sat down outside the boring pale yellow house on the steps. I took a couple of deep breaths and considered running away. My parents were screaming at each other. Again. What a shocking turn of events. It was at this time I realized, it wouldn't have mattered if I had the windows opened or not. The whole block could hear the threats and deratogory slurs. From my fingers covering my face, I could see Bill from across the street turned his hose off and back away and into his house. He left the silver Volkswagen Rabbit sudsy just to get away from the awkwardness of…well…me.

"You know, I'd leave too," A small girls voice sounded from the deck next door. I looked up slowly. She was tall, dressed in black jeans, cut into shorts, a black tanktop with a long sleeved one over top. She was almost as white as paper, like me. Her eyes were slathered in black eyeliner and eyeshadow, making her green eyes appear evil, almost beady. Her pursed lips were also covered in the same black stuff. I was left speechless. "I hate myself too."

"Really?" I replied with a sarcastic eyeroll.

"Yup, wanna get out of here?" She climbed down a small vine and jumped in front of me.

"Like I care." I stood up and she started walking without me. I rolled my eyes but followed her anyway. Her long black hair was tied up into a ponytail revealing the nape of her neck to me. Now, I definatley had no choice but to stay with her. She was beautiful.

"My name's Devi. Devi Harkin."

"I like Devi."

"So do I. I made it." She snorted.

"I'm Josh. Josh Ramsay."

"Gnarly. I just moved here."

"Great. Why are we talking?" I asked partly because I wanted to know and I felt like being a smartass back.

"Mother says I need to make friends." She pulled out a packet of ciggarettes and offered me one. I took it even though, I've never smoked in my life.

"I see. Why me?"

"You look like someone I could get numb with."

"What?"

"Do you want to feel anything right now?" She turned to face me, raising a heavily pierced eyebrow. I thought carefully about my answer and turned to see a plate fly out one of the windows of my house.

"Let's go."

*****************

Flash forward.

Devi and I are waiting outside a window attached to a boarded up house. It's started to rain in East Hastings.

Flash forward.

We're sitting in some guys basement that Devi knows. There are spoons, a camping stove, little baggies of powder and other of small hand rolled ciggarettes, and lots of needles. Devi starts by turning on the stove and then taking out a ciggarette. She lights in before drawing in a large breath and blowing out smoke that doesn't smell like the smoke we shared earlier. She then passes it to her friend who takes a large puff as well before passing it to me. I don't know what to do.

"See Jack. Told you I could get us more income." She smiles at me. I grin back and try to follow what they did. The paper touches my lips and I suck out the smoke. It fills my mouth and lungs making me cough intensly. I drop the 'ciggarette', grasping at my throat trying to open it up to breath. It burned every fibre of my being and I heard 'Jack' and Devi laugh loudly. She touched my arm, sending tingles through my veins, and picked up the ciggarette.

"Doing okay there, buddy?" Jack's laugh was throaty. His safety pinned jean jacket barely fit over his incredibly thin body.

"Can you feel it still?" Devi looked deep into my eyes. The pain was there still and I wanted it to stop.

"No," I coughed. "It's still here. What was that?"

"Is this your first time dude? That was the cleanest Mary Jane this side of Vancouver!" Jack smiled, re-lighting it. My mind immediatley went to health class. Mary Jane was marijuana. I just inhaled weed. I was getting high. Holy shit, I just had a joint. A blunt. Cannabis. My heart started to race and my muscles started to tense.

"John. You alright?" Devi asked, her green eyes softening.

"Josh. My name is Josh." I stated.

"Of course, Josh. What did I say?"

"I can't remember…oh…oh my god. There's…something…there's something in my skin." I looked down at my fingers and saw little spiders crawling underneath my fingernails and up to my palms. Suddenly, Devi wrapped her arms around me, pulling my head under her chin.

"Shhh, honey. It'll all be over soon," She kissed the top of my head and my eyes started to water. "Jack, turn off the stove. We'll cook it later. We have all night," Jack did as she said and I gripped her arms around me before starting to sob heavily. "And when it's over," She whispered and kissed my forehead again. "You won't feel the pain anymore, I promise."

Flash forward.

I'm laying on the floor feeling the soft, soft carpet. The stove is back on and Jack is sucking up the liquid in the spoon, from the stove. Devi is preparing another packet.

"It's just…it's just gone. Woah. What are we doing next? Is it going to do the opposite?" I'm rambling again.

Flash forward.

Jack tied the rubber band around my arm making all the little blue veigns pop out. I giggle nervously. The few minutes blurred together fantasically. Someone stuck a needle in my arm and my body rejected it. I started feeling sick and they know. Devi and Jack did the same think and we sat there, shaking, twitching, and laughing and soon, I had to run to the bathroom to retch the horrible things in my body. It doesn't want the drugs but I didn't care. It'll help with the pain. I want them. At least for now.

I curled around the toilet and the world blured as I vomit up what feels like all my internal organs. I was hot, sweaty, shaky, and numb. Most of all I felt numb. And that was a good thing. I cleaned myself up and returned to Devi and Jack who were just mumbling nonsense back and forth. The world started to turn and I leaned my head back against the wall. Closing my eyes, I breathed in a heavy iron scent, like someone melted too many pennys.

*********

When I finally came to, Jack and Devi were rifiling through my wallet. I sat up, smalling vomit, melted pennys, and smoke. I wiped at my mouth, realizing I threw up again. I felt awful. I groaned and they noticed I awakened.

"Hey man, that wasn't too bad for your first time!" Jack laughed, handing my wallet back.

"Yeah? Thanks," I took it and checked inside. "I guess." My twenty dollar bill was missing.

"You look like such a user, I totally thought you'd done it before." Devi grined.

"Where's my twenty?" I hardly heard the answer, my wallet had shifted in my hands and strange things started crawling out of it. I shook my head numbly and they went away…for a little while.

Flash forward.

Jack and Devi led me home. My parents stopped fighting. At least what I thought. Devi left with Jack and I entered my house. My father was hitting my mother in slow motion. I calmly walked down to my room and layed down, closing my eyes. That one stings a little, but I won't say anything at all.