Over the Counter written by u/GamerGirl-07 @wavesofdelrey 30/3/25 INT. A FILTHY SCHOOL BATHROOM – MORNING A dimly lit, run-down school bathroom. The walls are stained, covered in graffiti and the floor is damp. A broken fluorescent bulb flickers like its having second thoughts. The bathroom stall door is cracked open. Aditi (16), in a crisp school uniform, examines her reflection in the mirror. She’s got an immaculate pixie cut, a perfectly winged eyeliner — the picture of discipline. A half-empty cough syrup bottle ( Corex T ) dangles from her fingers. ADITI (VO) Everyone thinks they know what a junky looks like - hollow eyes, shaking hands. Chasing cheap highs in piss - stained alleys. FLASH: A DESPERATE JUNKIE IN A TORN KURTA, HUNCHED IN A MUMBAI ALLEY, INHALING BROWN SUGAR OFF FOIL. THE FLAME FLICKERS AGAINST HIS HOLLOW CHEEKBONES. She unscrews the cap. The syrup clings to the edges. Sticky pink drips onto the sink. She stares at it, then at herself in the mirror. ADITI (VO) (CONT'D) But sometimes, addiction has a school ID and a strict curfew. FLASH: A WHATSAPP MESSAGE FROM MOM - BE HOME BY 6 PM. DON’T BE LATE. ADITI (VO) (CONT'D) A near perfect attendance record. FLASH: A REPORT CARD, 98% ATTENDANCE CIRCLED IN RED. ADITI (VO) (CONT'D) And parents who still think their daughter is just...tired. She takes a swig. Eyes flutter. The sweetness stings. The mirror reflects her, multiplied. Warped. She smiles faintly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. INT. ADITI’S HOME – AFTERNOON Aditi hesitates for a moment before walking in, high. Her heavy schoolbag slumps from her shoulder. The air is thick, humid. From the kitchen — muffled voices. Not her dad’s. The tone is sharper. MOM (OS) I swear to God, I’ll fuckin' stab you where it hurts! A BANG . A drawer slams. Then silence. Aditi freezes in her spot. ADITI (VO) Bold of her to assume he's worth the effort. Besides, she likes her knives clean. She listens closely. A man’s voice — hushed, pleading. It's her mom’s boyfriend. MOM (OS) You think I won’t? Another crash. Aditi still doesn’t move/ ADITI (VO) Once upon a time, I used to care. I used to listen. The yelling quiets. The sound of footsteps. A door slams. Aditi exhales, slumping against the wall. She stares at nothing. ADITI (VO) (CONT'D) Then I stopped. Now, it’s just another day. INT. PHARMACY - AFTERNOON A dusty counter. A bored pharmacist quietly slides a blister pack of Lonazep forward. ADITI (VO) No prescriptions. No questions. Just ₹ 50 and a dead - eyed nod by a guy who's seen way worse. She pockets it, completely unnoticed. 2. INT. COACHING CLASSROOM - LATE AFTERNOON The teacher drones on about a block slipping on a wedge. Aditi sits alone on the last bench with her eyes heavy. Her head almost droops...but she’s conscious enough to notice three kids nodding out on the second bench — eyes heavy, heads bobbing. One girl scratches at her skin absentmindedly. ADITI (VO) Some kids pop pills to pass out. Some chug cough syrup to stop caring. And some just...watch, pretending to not notice everything that's swallowing them whole. Her blinking slows. She’s slowly slipping into the haze too. Her best friend, ANANYA (15), sitting just one bench ahead of her, prevents her from nodding out. ANANYA Yo, you good? Aditi nods, too quickly. Ananya watches her, unconvinced ANANYA (CONT'D) You’re on that little white pill again, aren’t you? Aditi rolls her eyes and tries to change the subject. ADITI Didn’t you take some guy’s Waklert yesterday? ANANYA That's different. ADITI (VO) It’s always different when it’s someone else. ANANYA (referring to a boy nodding out on the second bench) Damn, he's in a whole other dimension. ADITI Bro's orbiting Jupiter. Jealous? 3. ANANYA A little. Bet space is pretty peaceful this time of the year. EXT. STREET MARKET – EVENING A crowded market. Vendors shout over each other. The air is thick with fried food, exhaust and sweat. Aditi and Ananya walk side by side, school bags slung low. Their eyes scan the crowd — not for bargains, but for opportunities. ANANYA (eyeing a vendor’s cash box) That guy’s slipping. Bet you could- Aditi is already moving. She "accidentally" bumps into a customer, knocking his bag of vegetables onto the ground. CUSTOMER Oh, careful! As the vendor helps the man, Ananya’s fingers slip into the cash box. Quick. Clean. A few hundred rupees disappear into her pocket. She turns back to Aditi, smirking. They walk away before anyone notices. ADITI (VO) Some kids babysit. Some tutor. We get by however we can. INT. ADITI’S HOME – NIGHT The overhead fan creaks loudly as it turns. The walls are thin - too thin. Through them, her mother’s voice slices like a blade. MOM (through the wall) I don’t care what the client said, just fix it! Her dad's in the living room, watching Netflix on his phone. She moves to her father’s wallet on the kitchen counter. She it checks for cash — only ₹ 300. Barely worth it. She takes it anyway. 4. ADITI (VO) You know what’s funny? I could probably fund a small startup with all the cash I’ve swiped, and they never notice. But if I score a 91 instead of a 95? Suddenly, I’m the family disgrace. EXT. ROOFTOP – NIGHT Aditi and Ananya sit under the city lights, legs dangling over the edge. Ananya lights a cigarette. Aditi just stares at the skyline. ANANYA How long d’you think we can keep this up? Aditi doesn’t answer since she doesn't wanna think about the potential consequences of their actions. Just watches a neon sign flicker in the distance. The city stretches below them - silent, indifferent, endless. She soon leans back, staring at the sky The lights blur. The night hums. The city swallows them whole ADITI (VO) They say addiction has a face. But sometimes, it just has a school uniform. FADE TO BLACK TEXT ONSCREEN: Substance abuse is not confined to the streets. From corner pharmacies to classroom desks, addiction has no boundaries. Footnotes: Corex T = a cough syrup with codeine and DXM as active ingredients (schedule H) Lonazep = clonazepam, a benzo (schedule H) Waklert = armodafinil, a mild stimulant, often abused by students as a study drug (schedule X) 5.