“Walgreens, other pharmacy chains sue doctors in opioid crisis”

Alex hurt her back hiking hiking with her boyfriend, Stefano in Cuyahoga Park. She had studied botany for years. Alex bent down to look closer and a flower she did not recognize and felt a slight twinge in her lower back. She did not really think anything of it, but she did not want to risk anything because auditions were coming up. Alex visited her doctor six months ago.
…
Alex stuck her hand between her mattress and bedframe until she found the little orange bottle she was looking for. Yesterday it was one, but last night’s wine left her head throbbing, so today she ate two for breakfast. The real trick was hiding it. Hiding it from her staff, her friends, her family, James. Hiding it from everyone. If anyone found out, they might think Alex had a problem, which she didn’t. She knew she had no problem. The only reason she was even hiding it in the first place is because she didn’t want anyone to worry. She lied and told everyone her back had healed. Truthfully, for some reason her back pain had gotten even worse since the muscle pull, not that this was any of their business. It wasn’t even that big of a big deal, anyway. She knew people couldn’t even tell that she took them. It’s not like they made her act any different, they just made her back hurt less…
Anyways, she was late for work. That was six months ago.
…
Alex sat with her head in her hands as pedestrians passed her without any acknowledgement, when she heard a familiar voice.
“Can you believe that worked?”
Alex peaked up to see Stefano shouting at his cell phone about some big win for him and his company. As he walked past, she mustered up the courage to reach out to the former life she once had.
“Sorry, I don’t have any change.”

Process Notes:
I decided this week to try a different topic from climate change/environmental stuff because Prof. Scappettone had mentioned something about trying to personalize and relate to the writing exercises. To be honest, this switch proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. I tried to create a linear story, but also take large leaps in time in order to allow for a change in voice and simply to keep it short. To be honest, I am not super thrilled with how well the three parts work together, but I am happy that each has a unique voice. This was done in an attempt to show the reader that there was a kind of mental shift in the way Alex was thinking.