Look, I know it's been a while since I reached out to you
and I don't expect you to just drop everything for me anymore,
not like you used to.
I don't know why this is so damn hard for me.
We've been there a million times before.
I used to depend entirely on your guidance.
With that said, you wanna call me on something
and kick my ass in the process,
I guess I'm good with that too.
- Hey, officer, I'm actually glad... - Stay in the car.
Whoa, whoa, listen, officer.
- Come on, you're coming with me. - What are you doing?
Come on. Come on.
- Hold on a sec, I said... - Stay in the car.
I said stay in the car.
No, don't.
You know, you're probably asking yourself
why am I asking you for your guidance now
after all these years.
You a user?
No.
I'm not your sponsor anymore.
- I got other people I sponsor. - I understand that.
Then quit jacking off here
and tell me what I'm doing here at 2 in the morning.
Are you kidding me?
Nope. Seriously, 100 percent dead.
- And it's not the alternator? - It's not the alternator.
It's not the starter, not the fuel pump.
I already called the tow truck.
It'll be 300 bucks to get it over to Rudy's in the valley.
Unbelievable.
No wonder they charge so much for a hitch and yank.
- You Gail? - Yep.
- You William? - I am.
We need to take a drive.
Well, why don't we talk about the details first.
Here's 10,000 details.
He's been clean for several months,
so this might all just be some huge mistake.
You know, l...
I think it must be.
It must be a mistake.
So I got the call less than two hours ago.
He's being held on $50,000 bail, so...
Where is he being processed?
Riverside County.
Listen, Gail,
they wouldn't be holding your son on $50,000 bail
if he were just using meth.
So possession or production?
- Gail, possession or production? - Production.
When we get there, Swenton and me are gonna take the lead on this.
- I'm perfectly capable of paying the... - It's not a request, Gail.
- It's the way it's gotta be. - Okay.
How many times you come out to shithole towns like this to score, man?
Funny how you don't put as many miles on when you grow up.
Oh, my bad.
No, it's cool. Just wait here, I'll go get him.
No.
Bro, I've been processed here like six times, okay?
Hang tight. I'll go get him.
Why didn't he take the money with him?
He needs to see what the formal charges are first.
Well, they told me $50,000.
Well, sometimes there are more charges filed after the processing.
Well, that's just great.
Might be a good time to hear about those details.
Sure.
My neighbor, Tracy Drier, her daughter's been doing great.
Eighteen months clean.
She told me that you were the person to find.
That's nice of her.
I was actually referring to your son's details.
Right.
Okay, 13 months ago Travis was clean.
He was at SMC taking photography classes
and then, you know, he just...
He just wasn't.
Can't be his first bout.
Oh, God, no. Not even close.
When he was 6,
his teachers told him that he couldn't keep still in class,
you know, couldn't focus.
I mean, but come on, what 6 year old can, right?
Anyway, I listened to them.
I caved and put him on dextroamphetamine.
I know.
Dex turned into speed, speed turned into meth.
- And meth turned into his first rehab. - You got it.
- Officer Larkin, thank you very much. - No worries, Arnie.
I'm just glad he didn't blow his damn head off.
We don't have the clean-up resources for that anymore.
- Cutbacks. - Good to know.
- So, what's the what? - They're gonna let him go.
- What? - Yeah.
Fire burned down the lab.
No evidence means they have to let him go.
- Is he okay? Was he hurt? - Yeah, no, he's fine.
What does that mean? We can just take him back?
Well, if he'll agree to try to get clean, yeah, he can come back with us.
Travis.
Oh, baby. God.
How's my baby?
I came to get you back, honey.
Who's this guy?
Hey, listen, Travis.
We were great last year, right? We were.
I mean, everything was just... It was perfect, right?
Please, baby, we can have that again, you know.
We can, okay? Just let me take you home, okay?
Hey, Travis, I'm here with your mom to offer you a shot to get clean.
A shot at sobriety.
An intervention.
You came down here to do an intervention?
Well, if you say no, your mom has agreed to cut you off from this point on.
- No more money... - Is that true, Mom?
Yeah, Travis, it's true.
This is it.
This time I'm done.
Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute.
What's up, dude? Dude.
Whoa, I heard you blew your hand off.
Actually, I do have one finger left.
Stupid.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
You didn't go blow up that recipe, did you?
It's right here.
Jenny, this is my mom.
- Hi, I'm Gail. - Jenny.
And this is... Oh, forget it.
Excuse me, do you think I could...? Excuse me.
Could I get a glass of water or something? I'm just...
- Miles, show her. - Yeah.
Thank you.
I use the paper ones.
Oh, thank you. I'll just grab this one right here.
Thank you.
They scatter once the water comes on.
No, like, I totally get the gross factor.
Yeah. Okay.
- I'm Miles. - Hi, I'm Gail.
Hey, guys, if we're gonna miss traffic we should start heading back now.
- You should pack up what you'll need. - Where are you going?
- Travis, no way. - Travis, get your things.
- Travis, you're leaving? - Travis, now.
Hey, can I please just get a minute here?
William, can we get him out of here now?
Jenny, why don't you come with me
- Okay, listen to me. - To Los Angeles.
Say goodbye to your friends and pack up your stuff now.
We're going. Let's go.
Miles, Raleigh's here.
Oh, shit.
Arnie.
Arnie Swenton.
- What's up, Raleigh? - Yeah.
What are you doing back in town, man?
Doing more work at the rec center?
Yeah, I got a gig in town.
Oh, you got a gig in town.
Must beat that 4.50 an hour you're pulling down at the rec center, right?
It's time to go, buddy.
- There's my boy. - See you, Travis.
Oh, you got travel plans, Trav?
- Yeah, I was thinking about... - Come on, babe.
You're my MVP, Trav.
I hate to see you go anywhere.
Let's go. Get in the car.
Let's do it.
- Nice seeing you. - Good seeing you.
- Take care, take care. - All right.
You should really think about staying, Travis.
- I'll be right back. - Come on, Jenny, get in the car.
- Miles, let's go. - He's gonna be hitting.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
Let him get enough in him just to make him comfortable for the ride home.
- Okay. - What do you mean?
If he starts to kick now, he's not gonna want to come with us.
Hey, how does Raleigh know you?
So are you coming back to L.A. With us or not?
Say it.
- Say you're coming back to L.A. - Okay, I'm coming with you.
To get clean?
Yeah, to get clean.
All right, let's go. Let's go.
Some guy figures out
that once you dissolve the pure pseudoephedrine
from his cold medicine,
goes from clearing your head to blowing the back of it off.
And we lose a generation of our children to it.
Then some kid whose family can't afford the bills downloads the process
and within two days figures out a way to pay his parent's rent for a year.
Yeah, but my son never had to worry about that.
So listen, he's all chilled out in the back seat.
We should get going pretty soon, I think.
Great.
Hey. Hey!
- Travis. - Hey!
- Why'd you leave him alone? - What you talking about?
- Why'd you leave the keys? - Go get him.
- What am I supposed to do? - Go get him.
Okay. How am I supposed to do that?
This is on you.
Figure it out.
Go get him.
No, the car got stolen.
I'm not renting a car.
It's just a matter of time, Akani.
We'll find Travis and the car.
Look, just stop talking.
Take care of the Rudin job yourself, all right, Akani?
Trouble with your old lady?
No, just a little confusion at work, you know.
A little confusion can add up to a whole lot of bad shit
when you wander into the wrong place, my brother.
Thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind.
Absolutely.
Have a good night.
All right, you too.
Hey, Miles.
Hey.
You drink all of those
you're not gonna be able to sleep for a week.
Yeah, well, I might not anyhow.
- You gotta stick your arm up there. - No, I'll just go talk to the cashier.
No one's there.
No one's there, huh?
I just gotta stick my arm up?
Yeah, but your arm won't fit.
All right, how much do you want for one of those?
Oh, these aren't for sale.
Okay, so how much you want for one of these?
- Two dollars. - The machine says 75 cents.
Labor charge.
Two dollars.
Don't touch any of the buttons.
I have an undefeated season going.
So I just saw your father a minute ago over at the diner.
All aboard. Palm Springs.
Miles, I just...
So how are we doing?
You wanna party?
No.
Then get the hell out of my doorway.
Listen, your son just got on a bus to Palm Springs.
Good. That's real good for him.
What do you mean that's good?
Well, that's where his grandparents live.
He went to see them.
So you wanna party?
Travis!
Get out here now!
Give me the keys.
Give me the keys right now.
I just rode a bike all over town looking for your ass.
I swear to God, I am about ten seconds away from calling Larkin
and having them put you away for a long, long time.
It's his car now.
Come on.
Raleigh, give me the keys. It's a stolen car, bro.
Understand this.
One way or another, he's gotta give me back what he owes me.
How much?
Half a million bucks.
His lab blew up.
Who do you think foots the bill on that?
The car's his mom's, bro.
You don't think she's gonna drop a dime?
No, she's not gonna call the cops.
Shut up.
See?
Looks like I just got a new car.
Raleigh, you have no use for the car, all right?
Chopped up, it's not worth dick.
Okay.
Take it back.
You take the car, I'm gonna take Travis.
- No, no, no, Raleigh. - So long, kid.
Raleigh.
Understand. This kid here?
He's the Michael Jordan of meth manufacturing.
Look, Raleigh, I know the kid wants to get clean.
And I know that's it's time for you to go.
My bad.
Look, Gail, we'll...
We'll get him out of here, all right? We'll all get out of here.
Every time he didn't pick up last night,
I'm th...
I'm thinking he's...
You know, he's dead.
Just call him.
Yeah.
I'll call him.
William.
Where's Travis?
He's on the hook for a lot of money, bro, to that guy you met earlier.
- Who, Raleigh? - Yeah.
He's gonna stay to work it out.
So we should just call that cop...
No, see, Raleigh has kind of a symbiotic relationship
with the cops here in town.
I don't think anybody's gonna step up.
- Well, how much is he on the line for? - Half a million.
Oh, my God.
Didn't look like he wanted to come home either.
- He's kind of their star baker. - Well, I don't have that kind of money.
It's all gone.
Well, I got the car back.
Well, that's good because it's not mine. It's leased.
Well...
Look, Gail, I'm sorry.
But if he doesn't want to come with us, then we've gotta go home.
I'm not leaving him.
- Your son is their main producer. - My son is struggling.
Your son is a dealer, all right? He's a meth manufacturer.
- You understand that? - I'm not stupid and I'm not gullible.
I'm a mother whose son is sick, so don't tell me what my son is.
I know what he is.
I also know that he may never get better,
but I just can't turn it off and walk away.
Do you understand me?
If I can help him, if I can reach him, there is nothing I won't do.
Understood.
- Hey. - Hey.
You know, there are snapping turtles in this pool.
- Really? - Yeah.
Middle of the freaking desert and there are snapping turtles in this pool.
How do you think they got there?
Oh, someone dropped them in. Maybe a hawk dropped them in.
Their little legs flapping in the air.
Hey, I meant to ask, Miles.
As in Davis?
As in a long distance to travel.
Hey, Miles.
I was just wondering if you could tell us what's going on with Travis?
Anything?
You know, I watched this show a few months ago
about these turtles.
Every year, the mother and the baby,
they get separated from the father right after the baby's born.
They're in the middle of the desert.
No food, no water. No nothing.
They have to wait for the father to come back and find them,
because he's their only chance for survival.
Why is that? Does he bring them food or something?
Better.
He's got water.
How does he bring it to them? What, does he fill up his shell or something?
No. No.
All that he has,
all the water he's bringing to them is in one tear in his eye.
He knows how long it will take to get to them to give them that tear to drink.
But just as he's like three feet away from them,
this butterfly comes down and takes that tear.
This one freaking butterfly
takes the one thing that will hold them all together.
- Hey, Miles. - Hey, Miles, can...?
Hey, let's go.
Okay, boss, now what?
We're gonna wait.
Wait? What do you mean wait?
Look, I know this is brutal for you. I do.
- Just be patient. - Patient, okay.
This kid could tell me why my son won't come home.
Look, we squeeze this kid, he's just gonna shut down on us.
We're gonna wait.
I don't have time to wait. Sorry.
You guys want some?
You know, I'm really gonna miss your son.
He's like the one person around here who always made me laugh.
You know what he did for me last week?
- Tell me. - Okay.
So I've been looking for this Japanese video game, "Kojin."
But I've been reading about it for like a year.
"Kojin."
They don't even sell it here.
So he went online and he found it in Okinawa.
I mean, not even Tokyo, but Okinawa.
- How rad is that? - That's Travis.
Completely.
Hey, Miles, how long you?
How long you been using meth?
Like today?
No, like in general. The big picture.
Like a year.
Were you in the foster care system?
Miles? Miles?
- Miles? - Yeah.
For like a minute when I was 8.
- Then what? - Then I wasn't.
So how did you get out of the system?
My mom came and got me.
So "Kojin."
It's like this epic, basketball, warrior game.
Wait, is this the one where you make up the teams?
- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah.
You put together, like, the dream team.
- Right. - Do you?
Do you go to school?
I do.
I did.
You know, I even played soccer for like a year.
I was goalie.
Then my mom couldn't take me to practice so I just quit.
Man, I was a good goalie. No one could score on me.
You know, Travis was a sweeper.
I used to joke and call him...
- The vacuum. - Yeah.
- How did you know? - He told me.
He said that you said:
"Why would anybody wanna be a sweeper
when it's much easier to be a vacuum?"
Yeah.
That's a cool nickname.
You know, I'm pretty good at giving them out.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- What would mine be? - Oh, yours?
Oh, let's see.
Look at me.
Oh, it's easy.
What?
Jazz.
- As in Utah? - No.
I'm from Chicago, kid.
The Mailman can kiss my butt.
No, Jazz. You know, as in cool.
As in Miles.
- As in Davis. - Yeah.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
Look who I found.
How did you get out?
Bro.
I thought you were taking off, man. What happened?
I got a little sidetracked.
Yeah?
What's the other guy look like?
A lot better than me, buddy. Hell of a lot better than me.
What happened to you?
Oh, Travis, listen to me.
You can't do this anymore. We have to get you out of here.
Travis, can I talk to you a minute?
Alone?
You got a smoke?
So let me ask you something.
What's Miles doing in the middle of the night heading to Palm Springs?
Making about 1,200 a roll.
He's running meth?
Yeah.
And his mother puts him on the bus?
Jenny's not his mom.
Raleigh?
Not his dad.
I'm done asking questions, all right? Talk to me right now.
All right, when Miles was 9, he and his mom ended up here.
His mom was just a kid too.
She got twisted up with Raleigh, started working for him, using...
Using way more than she was earning.
She leaves Miles with Raleigh to pay off a debt?
The kid's got a perfect face too.
No one ever thinks he's running meth.
Let's go. Let's go.
- We're taking the kid with us. - What?
We're grabbing Miles and getting the hell out of here now.
Get your stuff together.
Put a step on it. Let's go.
Miles?
Baby, you in there?
I have your dinner.
- I should... - Stay here, don't say anything.
Miles?
Get away from the window, kid.
Miles?
Hey, hey, hey, what's up?
I'm looking for my kid. I have his dinner.
I ain't seen him.
Miles. Get out here, Miles, right now.
Get your stuff ready to go now.
What do you get? Cash or drugs for keeping him?
What are you gonna do when he's older?
It's none of your business.
- Let's go, get in the car. - You're dead to me.
You don't know what I can do. You don't know what I can do.
- I can turn this place upside down. - Let's go, Miles.
- Hey, hey, hey. - Get back, I'm gonna call Raleigh.
- Get in the car. - Travis, get back here.
- Don't get in that car, Miles, don't. - Travis, get in the car, get in.
- Stay here. - Miles, don't...
Swenton.
Travis, Miles. Get back here.
This can't be legal, William. We should call social services.
He's a 13-year-old drug addict running meth.
- Where's he gonna end up? - We just stole that kid, bro.
Travis. Travis, come back.
Travis.
- You sure you don't wanna play? - No.
We gotta hang in there together.
- Hey, Miles, can I ask you something? - Yeah.
How did you?
How did you get way out here?
Miles, come on, what happened?
I don't really know.
My mom and I, we came through here when I was little.
And she just stopped coming around for me.
And I just ended up wherever they needed me.
Hey, well, listen, I'm gonna get you the help you need.
All right? It's gonna be...
Well, it's gonna suck.
But I promise you everything will work out, okay?
- Okay? - Yeah.
Shit.
All right, keep cool. Everyone keep cool.
Hey, officer, I'm actually glad to see you.
- We need to get this kid help. - Give me the kid.
Hold on a second. Now, listen, Jenny, she's...
She's been giving him meth in exchange for cash using him as...
What were you saying about meth, Mr. Banks?
How does he know my name?
Stay in the car.
- You don't understand. - Come on.
- Let's go, come on. - Hey, hey.
- What? - Officer Larkin.
- Sir, sir. - Stay in the car.
- I said stay in the car. - We're trying to help this kid.
I see any one of you again for any reason,
and that's the end of your freedom.
- Understood? - Let go of me. Get off of me.
I don't wanna go.
Hold that.
Take that, it's a sedative. It's gonna knock the edge off.
That kid followed me everywhere.
Everywhere I went, there was Miles.
BP's 138/97.
Sometimes I would ride the bus with him to make sure he was safe.
But then he started hanging out in the cookhouse with me.
And that's when he started getting in with the drugs.
He saw me doing it. I was just so high.
I saw him take his first taste.
I just...
I just... I didn't stop him.
I let him get on those buses.
I let him...
I let him become me.
This is B12.
I'm gonna be injecting you every few hours.
It doesn't matter.
Hey, clean or not,
I'm not gonna get out from under what I owe Raleigh.
You know that.
Money or not, I'm the only one who knows how to make what he needs.
Hey, hey, Travis, come on.
Come on, what are you doing?
These people have put their lives on the line for you.
Do you understand that?
They didn't ask what they're gonna get out of this.
They're just offering to help you, that's all.
Oh, my God.
You're not ready to get clean, are you?
I got the kid twisted, Ma.
I got him started, I gotta help him. I gotta go back there.
How do you not want this?
How do you not wanna get better?
I don't get it.
Because I gotta help him.
You wanna go get high.
It's what I do, Ma. It's what I'm good at.
That's not what you're good at.
Travis, hold on a sec, hey.
William.
- What? - Let him go.
Let him go.
I don't know, man.
You got anything for me, huh? A little help.
Hey, PK, it's William.
Yeah, I know it's late.
I need to talk to you.
So, what you looking for? You want guidance?
- Yeah. - What's supposed to be easy ain't.
What's supposed to be a walk-away just knocks your world on its ass.
I'm on my ass now.
Come on, William.
You and I have been down this road together before.
We've seen enough shit that we'll never be able to shake out of the tree.
So if you're all twisted up about this kid, and I know you,
so I know you're twisted.
You need to get off your ass, and if you need me to ride shotgun with you,
I will.
Because I love you.
And whatever you need is okay with me.
Whatever you need me to do is okay with me.
Now, you need me to suit up?
No, I got it.
I'm good.
Hey, Travis, get in.
Hey, we've got company.
Thirteen months ago was the best time in my life.
And that's what I'm trying to wrap my head around.
Because being clean was beautiful, you know.
Yeah.
- You going in there strapped? - No.
A gun ain't part of my life, kid.
But then you walk in there, what do you got to negotiate with?
Hopefully, reason.
I don't know if reason is the word, but if it starts to go south,
can you give me some backup?
Come on, move your ass.
Well, aren't you the persistent son of a bitch?
Hey, Raleigh, I just want the kid.
All this commerce, I don't... I don't really give a shit, man.
You come in here, right?
And then you're like, "I don't give a shit."
So are you gonna turn around now, walk away?
I'm supposed to believe that?
To be honest with you, the cops don't care,
then I ain't gonna lose any sleep over it.
But if you got a kid,
a 13-year-old boy running meth for you, getting twisted,
then, yeah, I got a problem with that.
How do you solve your problems?
The truth?
I didn't really have a plan here, you know, I just can't shake the kid.
Hey, man.
Hey, Miles.
Come over here, son.
I'm gonna take you back with me, come on.
See, in times like these, it's better if you had a plan.
- You wanna buy him back? - Don't do that.
- What? - Not with him here, don't do that.
Man, he's so high, he won't remember any of this.
I don't have any money.
Well, then we got nothing else to talk about, chief.
You have me.
- You got me, Raleigh, I'll stay. - Travis, you're not staying here.
I got it, William. It's the only way Miles can go.
What'd you say?
What did you say, boy?
Unless you got some money for me, we ain't got no deal.
Hey, hey, Raleigh, stop.
- What? - Stop, please.
Okay, I'll work it off. I'll triple what I owe you.
Just please let Miles and William walk out of here.
I can't do that.
Please let them walk out of here.
You let them go and I will work for you forever.
- Travis, no. - Back it up.
I am your sole manufacturer.
Travis, don't do this. Travis, don't do this.
Yeah?
What if your mom comes back?
She's not going to.
Okay, not anymore.
Travis, you don't have to do this.
Take a step back.
You're coming with me. Let's go.
Hey, tell my mother...
Tell her
I'm so sorry.
Tell her it's gonna be okay.
Tell her I'm gonna be okay.
And tell her I love her.
That she found me.
You're the turtle.
Yeah.
I'm the turtle.
Travis, let's go.
Oh, God.
Gail, I'm sorry.
Hi.
How you doing?
- I've been better. - Yeah.
You're safe now.
You're safe.
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay.