The Kids Aren't Alright

“Welcome back.”

Houston. It was your home for most of your life. Seven years ago when you were a sophomore your uncle in another city told your parents he wanted to best for you. He offered to let you live with him, attend a good school, not that run down high school you were in that had a 1 on RateSchools.com he wanted you to have a real shot. Your parents agreed. You moved in with your uncle. Now seven years later you’re back.

Back to the house on the sad little cul-de-sac with weeds instead of grass, cracks in the street that never get patched, and the friends you left behind. The six of you were inseparable, until you left. the last seven years have been anything but kind to the friend group. The dreams of getting out of this shit hole street together, of being besties who were there for each other, of success, just a distant memory.

No one ever made it out after you, now everyone’s wondering why you are here. Why come back to the street that’s still sucking the life from them. Did you come back because you wanted to? Because you had to? Did you come back for them? Why are YOU here? That’s for you to decide.

The cast:

The Liar:

Jayne Casey, 23, single mom, esthetician

Sophomore year Jayne got asked out by a boy name Garrett, he didn’t live on your street, he just… tried to fit in. She hadn’t wanted to say yes, not really, but she did. They began dating a little before you left. She had a hard time saying goodbye to you, she was your next door neighbor. It was harder than she ever let on. Dumb teenagers from the poor part of town didn’t have access to a lot of things, like condoms. An ‘accident’ happened junior year with Garrett. She dropped out, had Billy, then two years later came Tina. She and Garrett never married, they just existed together.

When Jayne was pregnant with Billy, Garrett got into Oxy. Jayne hated it, she hid it from the kids. ‘Daddy’s just tired baby.’ The night of Tina’s first birthday he OD’d on fentanyl he got from a new dealer as the family slept. Billy found him in the morning, he wondered why daddy was still sleeping. Now Jayne does it all alone. Two kids, exhaustion, still stuck on that same old street. She fakes it until she makes it. She l