Remedy

Rehab

"So when do I leave?" Scarlett asked as soon as Amelia caught her eye.
"This afternoon," Amelia told her and felt bad about how soon it was.
Scarlett just nodded her head and turned to Zola and said,
"Don't worry. I'll be home soon."

Once everyone left, Amelia started to prep Scarlett for rehab and explained some things to her. Scarlett listened and was silent the whole time. Then after some lunch, Scarlett was checked on and given the okay to go. Amelia and her made their way out to the car and headed straight to the rehab facility.

As soon as they pulled up, Amelia got Scarlett's suitcase out of the back and handed it to her. Then they both walked into the building and someone was there to greet them.

As soon as they walked in, Scarlett felt like throwing up and she wanted to run away. She looked around at this new place she would have to call home for the next month. As Amelia was checking her in, Scarlett noticed another girl walk in with her mom. This girl had long dark hair and even darker eyes. Her skin contrasted her hair and she was quite pale. However, she was very pretty and instantly caught Scarlett's attention. The girl turned her head and caught Scarlett's eye.

"Scar," Amelia snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Hmmm?" Scarlett asked and turned her attention to her mom.
"Ready to go to your room?" Amelia asked. Scarlett nodded and then followed Amelia and a worker down a hallway.

They walked into a room. There were two beds, dressers, and a tv. One side of the room was already occupied. The bed had personal sheets and there was stuff on the dresser. Scarlett's roommate must've already moved in. The person who worked there opened a side door in the room that led to a bathroom and he said,
"You have your own shower, toilet and sink."
Scarlett put her bag on the open bed and then asked,
"Who's my roommate?"
"I don't remember off the top of my head. I thought this room was empty but I must've been mistaken. Anyways, there is a group meeting in about ten minutes though so you will meet her after that, I'm sure," he replied.
"Oh, okay," Scarlett said with a nod.
"I will be back in ten minutes to get you for the group meeting," the worker said and then left.

As soon as the door shut, Scarlett took a seat on her bed and felt it to see how comfy it was. It wasn't too bad, but her bed at home was softer. Amelia walked over and sat down next to her.
"So how does this work?" Scarlett asked.
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.
"Like do I get to have contact with you still or-"
"Yeah, I will visit when I can and if there's an emergency you can call me. They try to limit contact with the outside world," Amelia explained.
"Great, so I'm isolated and lonely," Scarlett said and rolled her eyes.
"Maybe you'll make some new friends," Amelia told her.
"I doubt it," Scarlett replied and sighed.
"You should at least try," Amelia added.

Amelia figured it was time to go and that she should give Scarlett some time to herself. She stood up and said,
"I'm going to let you settle in before your meeting."
"You're leaving already?" Scarlett asked.
"Would you like me to stay?" Amelia asked.
Yes, Scarlett thought.
"No," her words betrayed her.
Amelia nodded and held her arms open for a hug. Scarlett got up and hugged her mom.
"Please be good, Scar," Amelia said in her ear. Scarlett pulled back and said,
"What you don't trust me?" with a small smile playing on her lips. Amelia matched her smile and then kissed her head and said,
"I love you."
"See you soon," Scarlett replied.
Amelia gave her one last look and then let go and started to walk to the door.

Once she left, Scarlett made her bed and then laid down until the worker returned and got her for the meeting.

Scarlett was lead into another room where all the chairs were next to each other forming a circle. There were about fifteen people in the circle of chairs and there were still some open.

The girl with dark brown hair, who Scarlett saw before when she first arrived, was sitting next to an open seat. Scarlett decided to sit next to her and maybe try taking Amelia's advice and make a new friend. The girl looked to be about Scarlett's age but she didn't look up or move at all so Scarlett just looked down at the floor.

Suddenly, Scarlett heard someone say,
"Well well. Look who's back," as another girl walked in.
"Nice to see you too, Amanda," the new girl said sarcastically as she took a seat across from Scarlett. The girl looked to be a few years older than Scarlett. She had jet black hair and pale green eyes.
"I think that's a new record for you, Sage. They didn't even have time to clean your room out," Amanda said to the girl.
"I brought something for you," the girl, Sage, replied with and flipped her off. Scarlett tried to hide her smile but she could tell that girl was going to be entertaining. Amanda just rolled her eyes.

Then, introductions began and people started to talk about themselves. Scarlett was still mad at Amelia for leaving her there so she wasn't fully paying attention.

"Hi, I'm Leah. I was an addict for six years before I got clean. My drug of choice was cocaine and eventually heroin. I am fifteen years clean and I am 42 years old. I have three kids and I am happily married with a great job. I run this program because I know what it's like to feel stuck and like you want to change but at the same time you feel like you just can't. I'm here to help you. Whatever you need. I am here for you and want to support you in anyway I can," Leah said with a genuine look at the end. Then she looked around and said,
"I see some new faces so why don't we all introduce ourselves again. Starting with someone new... how about you, Sophia," and gestured towards someone.

Then the girl next to Scarlett started to talk.
"Hi, I'm Sophia. I'm fourteen years old," the girl said.
Scarlett looked over to the girl and listened.
"I started using a couple months ago, and my mom totally freaked when she found out so yeah. She sent me here."
"Nice to meet you, Sophia. We look forward to getting to know you more. And where are you from, dear?" Leah asked.
"Ohh. I was born in Chicago but I've lived in Washington D.C. my whole life," Sophia explained.
"What brings you here?" Leah wondered.
"My mom's work makes her travel a lot and she's here for a bit so it kind of worked out," Sophia explained after taking a moment to think about her answer.
"Well it's nice to meet you," Leah said with a smile and Sophia smiled back.

Then Leah nodded to Scarlett so the girl figured it was her turn.
"I'm Scarlett. I'm fifteen and I'm from Seattle," she said and then looked at the ground.
There was a moment of silence and then when Leah figured that's all that Scarlett was planning on saying she said,
"Thank you, Scarlett. It is nice to meet you."
Then the person on the other side of Scarlett began to talk and introduce themselves.

Scarlett didn't pay attention until she heard the girl Sage speak.
"I'm Sage and I'm twenty one-"
"We know," Amanda from before blurted out.
"Well, there are some new faces I don't recognize so I figured I'd introduce myself," Sage said and she nodded to Scarlett and Sophia.
"Lay off the drugs, kids. Or you'll end up like me, stuck in this revolving door of rehab and therapy."
Scarlett and Sophia just turned to each other and then looked away.