near the beginning of season three
Ashleigh and Nate are in her room. She is lying on her bed, reading a book. He is sitting in her mushroom chair, looking restless.
Nate: (suddenly) Ashleigh.
Ashleigh: (turning a page in her book) Hmmm?
Nate: (gets up) Let's go somewhere.
Ashleigh: (looking up at him) Where?
Nate: (shrugs) I don't know. (he jumps in place a little) But let's go out.
Ashleigh: (shrugs and gets up, marking her place in her book) Okay. Nothing better to do.
Nate gets up and leaves the room. Ashleigh follows him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They are walking down the sidewalk.
Ashleigh: Thought of anywhere yet?
Nate: (shakes his head) No.
Ashleigh: (sighs, wistful) Isn't much we can do without a car.
Nate: (looks at her) Then hurry up and get your license.
Ashleigh: (looks back) Uh, how about you?
Nate: (shrugs) Nah. (they walk quietly for a moment) See, this is why we're dating people.
Ashleigh: (sarcastically) For their cars?
Nate: (nods his head seriously) Yes.
Ashleigh: Except maybe not.
Nate: You know I'm right.
Ashleigh: Okay, Nate. (they walk in silence) I think we're gonna end up at Starbucks again.
Nate: (grins) As long as you're paying. (Ashleigh rolls her eyes resignedly)
Nate: (drinking, making a face) Yeah, I just don't think I'm a coffee person.
Ashleigh: (drinking her mocha) Oh yeah, but you can drink nasty ass cheap beer every night.
Nate: (grins) It's all about the outcome.
Ashleigh: (sarcastically) Yeah, and that outcome ended up all over my new shoes.
Nate: (shrugs, looks at her slyly) Not like you can't afford a new pair.
Ashleigh: (sourly) Is that all I am to you? A walking bank?
Nate: (finishes his drink, makes a face at the taste) Yeah, that's about it.
Ashleigh: (drily) Oh, I am so glad that I'm going to be stuck with pretty much just you for the next nine months.
Nate: (grins) Come on, it'll be fun.
Ashleigh: (grumpily) Chris should've taken me with him.
Nate: (seriously) Oh yeah, I've heard it's very common to take your high-school-aged girlfriend to college with you.
Ashleigh: (nastily) Maybe I'll just start working with Joey instead. What then?
Nate: (laughs) Ashleigh, we both know that neither of us are getting jobs for a long time. (shrugs) ...legit ones, anyway.
Ashleigh: Yeah, drug dealer doesn't really look good on a housing application.
Nate: (shrugs) Keeps me going. At least I'm not relying on mom and dad. (he looks at her)
Ashleigh: (annoyed at his dig) At least I COULD get a job. If there was a drug test they'd probably end up just sending you to jail instead.
Nate: Jail's a lot nicer than you think.
Ashleigh: You would know.
Nate: (shrugs. looks around) I'm taking a break. (gets a cigarette out of his pocket) There's only so much of this hipster bullshit (indicates the Starbucks happenings around him) that I can take.
Ashleigh rolls her eyes. Nate gets up and walks outside. He looks around before going back behind the dumpsters. He sits down before glancing around. He puts the cigarette back in his pocket and pulls a necklace out from under his shirt. It has a small container at the end of it. He opens it and snorts a line. He signs in relief and hides the necklace again. He pulls out the cigarette and lights it. He starts to smoke and gets out his phone. The background is of him and Amy. He looks at it for a moment before texting her: "I miss you." He sighs and leans against the dumpster. He smokes for awhile. He keeps checking his phone.
~~~~
Inside, Ashleigh is waiting impatiently. She gets out her phone and texts Chris: "I miss you." She sits and drinks her coffee. A moment later, her phone vibrates; it's Chris. "I miss you more." She smiles.
~~~~
Back to Nate. He finishes his cigarette. He flicks it away and looks at his phone. Nothing. He puts it away and sighs. He puts his head in his hands. His eyes are getting dangerously close to teary. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, getting rid of the unspilled tears. He digs in his pockets [for more cocaine.] He can't find any. He pulls out a lighter and two empty dime bags. He breathes in hard and rubs his eyes. He pulls his necklace out again and tries to snort a line. The necklace is empty. He tries to dump it into his palm, but nothing comes out. He starts breathing hard and leans back against the dumpster, eyes closed.
Ashleigh is texting Chris when Nate comes back inside.
Ashleigh: You were gone awhile. (She finishes texting and looks up at him) Are you okay?
Nate: (nods quickly) Yeah. (He looks anxious and he's fidgeting a lot) Are you ready to go?
Ashleigh: (She looks like she doesn't believe him, but she nods) Yeah. (She gets up and follows him outside)
Nate: (texting quickly) Let's go this way. (He starts walking down the road)
Ashleigh: (hurrying to match his pace) Where are we going now?
Nate: (shrugs noncommittally) Nowhere.
She is still confused, but they keep walking. It's starting to get dark out. They walk for awhile, until they reach a bench. Nate sits, still texting. Ashleigh stops and looks at him, confused.
Ashleigh: What are you doing?
Nate: (texting, not looking at her) Resting,
Ashleigh: (wrinkles her forehead) What?
Nate: (closes his eyes) Ashleigh, please.
Ashleigh: (getting mad) Nate, what is going on--
A black car pulls up. Nate gets up. Ashleigh shrinks back behind him. The guy rolls down his window. He and Nate do the bro nod at each other.
Nate: Come on, Ashleigh. (he walks around the car and gets in the passenger seat.He keeps the door open. Ashleigh looks after Nate, and then all around her. She scurries around and squeezes in next to Nate up front. Nate closes the door. Ashleigh looks terrified.)
Ashleigh: (whispering) Nate... (He gives her a look and she falls silent)
Drug Dealer: (driving) You got my money?
Nate: (nods) Yeah. (He pulls out a wad of cash. Ashleigh looks from Nate to the money to the guy and back)
Nate: (quickly) She's nobody.
DD: (stops the car in a deserted parking lot. Night has really fallen now. Threateningly) If you brought a narc--
Nate: No. She's cool, I swear. (with the hint of a plea in his voice) I just want my fix.
DD: (meaningfully) Swear to God, Ryan, if you fuck me up, you're getting fucked up worse.
Nate: (shakes his head insistently) It's cool.
DD: (opens his jacket. Ashleigh sees his gun and her eyes are huge. He pulls out four dime bags. Nate sighs with relief. They make the exchange. He looks at Nate, then at Ashleigh, then back to Nate again) Swear to God, Ryan...
Nate: I know. (nudges Ashleigh) Get out. (Ashleigh looks outside and then back at Nate in disbelief. It is pitch black out. But the look he gives her tells her to get out fast. She opens the door, and they both get out. Nate slams the door behind them and the guy drives away.)
Ashleigh: (looks at Nate. He is stowing the drugs in his pocket. He has new life in his eyes.) Nate...
Nate: (grins) Yeah? (he starts walking. He puts his hand in his pocket and fingers the bags inside. Just feeling them calms him down.)
Ashleigh: (walks alongside him) What the hell was that?
Nate: (looks at her) What? I just got a new stash.
Ashleigh: (flabbergasted) Without even telling me? In the middle of the night? Nate, he could've murdered us.
Nate: (laughs a little) Nah, not really.
Ashleigh: (hotly) You don't think?
Nate: (shrugs) Maybe. If I made him really mad. (he sounds unconcerned)
Ashleigh: And that doesn't scare you?
Nate: (shrugs) He probably won't. I can't give him more money if I'm dead.
Ashleigh: I can't believe you.
Nate: (getting annoyed) Ashleigh, this is my game. I know how to play it. Not my fault that you don't.
Ashleigh: It's your fault when you take me with you.
Nate: What was I supposed to do? Let you walk home alone?
Ashleigh: That would have been preferable! Or maybe, instead, you could've just not done it all.
Nate: You don't understand.
Ashleigh: No, I really don't.
Nate: (he stops walking and turns to face her) This is my life. Okay? This is all I've got. Deal with it or get out.
Ashleigh: That's it? Just let it kill you?
Nate: If I'm not worried, there's no reason that you should be. (starts walking again)
Ashleigh: There's more reason I should be.
Ashleigh: Oh, no, I think we will. If you can drag me along on your suicide mission, I have the right to make you talk about it.
Nate: (stops walking again. Raises his voice) Fine. What do you want to talk about? The fact that it's my life? The fact that you've known that for a long time? So I bring you along, big deal. I knew what I was doing. You're not dead, are you? And it's not like I'm offering you any. (begins walking again, quickly and angrily) This is my life. I'll do what I want with it.
Ashleigh: (rushing to catch up) But you're not! You're doing what IT wants. What creeps like him want. (they've reached her house)
Nate: (not looking at her) Go home, Ashleigh. (She looks at him desperately)
Ashleigh: Just...just give me the coke, Nate. (she holds out her hand) You don't need it. I promise.
Nate: (laughs at her) Yeah, okay. Whatever you say. (He turns and starts walking away)
He shakes his head and keeps walking without turning to look at her. She looks after him, watching him get smaller and smaller.
Nate walks into his house. His mom is eating chips and sitting in her chair. The TV is on.
Mom: (carelessly) You're back late.
Nate shrugs and walks past her.
Mom: (looks around the room) You know, it wouldn't kill you to clean up around here.
Nate: (reaching his door) Would it kill you?
Mom: I work all day long. I don't go out and do whatever I want like your ungrateful ass.
Nate rolls his eyes in disgust and slams his door shut. He sits on his bed. He gets out all four bags of coke. He gets a razor and a small, rectangular mirror out of drawer in the night table by his bed. He pours out the first bag on the mirror and starts arranging lines with the razor. He grabs a dollar bill that is already furled tightly and starts snorting. He starts to smile. He grabs the second bag and pours it, too. He repeats the process. Then the third. After the third is finished, he's completely out of his mind. His breathing is too fast. His phone starts vibrating and he tries to focus on it. It's Ashleigh calling him. He manages to hit Ignore. He checks his messages. Still nothing from Amy. He grabs the fourth bag and uses the razor to make lines. Before he starts snorting, he looks at the razor. He looks at the lines of coke on the mirror, and at his face reflected underneath them. He can barely make it out. He looks at the razor again and brings it down, dragging it across his left wrist. Blood appears. He looks surprised, but ignores the blood and begins snorting the last lines. When he's done, he tries to grab another bag before he realizes that he's used all of them.
Nate: Shit. (He looks at all the used bags on the bed and he starts to laugh. He laughs until he cries. He looks at his still bleeding wrist and lays on his bed and cries some more. Then he feels his phone vibrate. It's from Amy. "I miss you, too <3" He smiles at his phone and tries to answer the text. He passes out instead.)
