Wives with Knives

OH, DAD.

AN AMBITIOUS TEEN RISKS HER FUTURE

TO GET ATTENTION.

I SHOULD PROBABLY GET YOUR NUMBER.

AND SHE'S DRAWN TO OLDER MEN.

I DID NOT LIKE DATING GUYS MY AGE.

BUT OLDER MEN COME WITH GROWN-UP GAMES.

DO YOU TRUST ME?

SHE MASKS THE PRESSURE TO KEEP UP...

GET OFF OF ME!

AND IT BUILDS TO A FEVER PITCH.

YOU NEVER THOUGHT THAT WOULD ENDANGER

YOUR CHANCES OF GOING TO COLLEGE?

I GUESS I FELT LIKE I WAS INVINCIBLE.

YES.

UNTIL ANOTHER WOMAN SENDS HER

INTO A SPIRAL SHE CAN'T CONTROL.

HE WAS THE ONE THAT COULD SET ME OFF

TO THE POINT WHERE I WOULDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE MYSELF.

ALL YOU ARE IS A CRAZY PERSON.

SHE JUST KIND OF FLIPPED.

AND I REMEMBER SOMETHING HITTING ME.

NOT ALL FAIRY TALES HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS.

WHEN LOVES GOES WRONG, A WOMAN CAN DO THE UNTHINKABLE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WHAT'S THIS? DID YOU DRINK ALL OF THIS?

DRINKING, MISTRUST, AND ANGER...

LEAVE ME ALONE, FLORA.

...ARE CONSUMING FLORA WILLIAMS.

LOOK AT YOU. I GO OUT, AND I WORK ALL DAY TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

AND ONE NIGHT, SHE REACHES HER BREAKING POINT.

I HATE YOU!

FLORA'S TUMULTUOUS RELATIONSHIP IS A FAR CRY

FROM HER QUIET, PEACEFUL CHILDHOOD.

SHE GREW UP IN HOOVER, ALABAMA,

20 MINUTES OUTSIDE BIRMINGHAM.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO, YOU KNOW, GROW UP, REALLY AFFLUENT SUBURB.

AND I'M BLESSED THAT, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS WERE ABLE TO,

YOU KNOW, RAISE ME IN SUCH A GOOD PLACE

AND SEND ME TO GOOD SCHOOLS.

AT 15, FLORA IS A 10th GRADE HONOR STUDENT

WHO WANTS TO BE A PHARMACIST.

THAT'S MY SHIRT. NO, IT'S NOT.

SHE'S ALSO ONE OF FOUR GIRLS.

YES, IT IS. YOU ALWAYS DO THIS. STOP IT.

LOOKS BETTER ON ME ANYWAYS.

FOR MOST OF HER LIFE,

FLORA WAS THE BABY OF THE FAMILY...

WOULD YOU BE QUIET? YOUR SISTER'S NAPPING.

...UNTIL HER LITTLE SISTER CAME ALONG.

OBVIOUSLY, THE YOUNGEST ONE GOT THE MOST ATTENTION.

I FEEL LIKE I WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT GETTING THE ATTENTION

THAT I WAS IN THE PAST.

OH, DAD. OH. HEY, FLORA.

FLORA WANTS TO GET THAT ATTENTION BACK.

SHE KNOWS HER PARENTS PRIZE ACADEMICS.

SHE HOPES TO OUTSHINE HER SIBLINGS

BY DOING WELL IN SCHOOL.

I NEED HELP WITH A CHEMISTRY PROJECT THAT I HAVE COMING UP.

AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU MIGHT HAVE TIME TO HELP...

HER FATHER, DAVID, IS A RESPECTED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR.

FLORA'S FAVORITE SUBJECT IS CHEMISTRY.

IT'S ABOUT EXPOSING DIFFERENT METAL HYDROXIDES TO HEAT.

SHE WAS REALLY SMART.

SHE - SHE HAD SOME OF THE BEST GRADES IN THE CLASS.

BUT I THINK I CAN DO IT, BUT I NEED HELP.

DAD. DAD.

BUT HER OLDER SIBLINGS ARE EVEN BIGGER SUPERSTARS.

I JUST GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE PREMED PROGRAM.

OH. YOU'RE KID- THEY JUST CALLED ME.

I'M NOT KIDDING, NO. HONEY. HONEY.

MEGAN - MEGAN GOT IN, HONEY.

MEGAN GOT IN.

FLORA STILL FEELS LIKE THE ODD SISTER OUT.

WHAT GREAT NEWS. OH, MY GOSH.

I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU. ISN'T THAT GOOD NEWS?

YEAH.

I THINK I SHOULD MAKE US A SPECIAL DINNER.

YOU THINK? WE CAN ALL CELEBRATE?

WOULDN'T THAT BE GREAT? WILL YOU HELP ME SET THE TABLE?

YEAH. YEAH.

I DID BECOME REBELLIOUS.

CAN I BE EXCUSED, PLEASE?

SURE.

I JUST - I HAVE A CHEMISTRY TEST THAT I HAVE TO STUDY FOR.

FLORA FINDS NEW WAYS TO GET ATTENTION.

BY DAY, SHE'S PORING OVER HER BOOKS.

BUT AT NIGHT, SHE'S POURING INTO HER GLASS.

FLORA'S ALWAYS BEEN FUN.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF HER, OUT OF OUR GROUP OF,

LIKE, GOODIE-GOODIE SMART KIDS,

AS THE BAD ONE.

DR. CASEY JORDAN IS A CRIMINOLOGIST

WHO STUDIES VIOLENT BEHAVIOR.

THIS GOES WAY DEEPER THAN MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME.

FLORA HAS THESE TWO OLDER SISTERS

WHO ARE ACADEMIC SUPERSTARS

AND THEN A BABY SISTER WHO,

OF COURSE, GETS ALL THE ATTENTION.

SO WITH THIS COMPLICATED FAMILY DYNAMIC,

FLORA IS ABLE TO SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS

AND GET AWAY WITH THINGS THAT HER PARENTS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

WITH HER NEW FRIENDS, FLORA DIVES HEADFIRST

INTO DRINKING AND SMOKING.

I LIKED THE EXCITEMENT OF EXPERIMENTING WITH,

YOU KNOW, ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA.

I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IT FELT LIKE.

DESPITE ALL THE PARTYING,

FLORA STILL MANAGES TO KEEP HER GRADES UP.

HI, HONEY. HEY.

YOU SHOULDN'T BE UP SO LATE STUDYING.

AND HER PARENTS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE'S UP TO.

COULD I GO OUT WITH SOME FRIENDS TOMORROW NIGHT?

SURE. WHY NOT?

HEY, THEY SEE I'M DOING WELL IN SCHOOL...

OKAY. BYE.

...THEN WHY NOT LET ME GO OUT WITH FRIENDS?

DURING HER JUNIOR YEAR,

FLORA GETS A PART-TIME JOB AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT.

ON TOP OF THAT, SHE COMPETES WITH THE MATH CLUB,

JOINS THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY,

AND STARTS TAKING COLLEGE PREP COURSES.

ALL THE PRESSURE STARTS WEIGHING DOWN ON HER.

WHERE I WORKED,

THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I GOT INTRODUCED TO PILLS.

WHAT ARE THESE? XANAX.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD, TRUST ME.

YOU TAKE THESE AT WORK? YEAH.

I STARTED DOING LORTABS HERE AND THERE AND BENZODIAZEPINES.

AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD GET XANAX.

LORTABS ARE A PRESCRIPTION DRUG USED AS A PAINKILLER.

BUT THEY CAN ALSO CAUSE EUPHORIA.

AND BENZODIAZEPINES, ALSO KNOWN AS BENZO,

ARE PRESCRIBED FOR ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA.

BUT MANY PEOPLE USE THEM FOR SEDATION.

SO BY THEIR VERY NATURE, BOTH ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE.

THE PILLS IMMEDIATELY ELEVATE FLORA'S MOOD.

BUT THERE'S STILL SOMETHING MISSING IN HER LIFE.

BUT HE WON'T GIVE ME HIS NUMBER

BECAUSE HE SAYS HIS PHONE IS BUSTED OR SOMETHING.

FLORA'S NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN DATING BOYS HER AGE...

YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO ME?

...ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A GOOD-LOOKING MAN ON THE MENU.

YEAH. WE'RE TALKING HERE.

YEAH. SORRY. HIS PHONE IS NOT BROKEN.

HE'S LYING TO YOU.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? I JUST KNOW.

YOU MET A GUY NAMED PETER.

BUT HE DIDN'T GO TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL.

NO. HE DIDN'T GO TO MY HIGH SCHOOL.

I MEAN - AND ALSO, HE WAS LIKE 10 YEARS OLDER THAN ME.

CAN I JOIN YOU? YEAH.

HE WAS A GOOD-LOOKING GUY.

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

FLORA. THAT'S A VERY PRETTY NAME.

HE WAS ALSO VERY CHARMING.

AND HE ALSO HAD THIS MYSTERIOUS SIDE.

IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE HE WAS DIFFERENT.

AND I KIND OF WANTED TO KNOW, LIKE, WHAT HE WAS HIDING.

I SHOULD PROBABLY GET YOUR NUMBER.

MM. DON'T YOU THINK?

YOU'RE JUST GONNA GO FOR IT? YEAH. WHY WAIT?

DESPITE THEIR AGE DIFFERENCE,

FLORA AND PETER IMMEDIATELY HIT IT OFF.

HE TREATED ME WELL. YOU KNOW, TOOK ME OUT TO EAT.

HEY, MOM. IT'S ME.

I'M GONNA STAY LATE AT A STUDY GROUP TONIGHT.

SO I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW.

WE SPENT TIME AT HIS HOUSE WATCHING MOVIES.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL THEY DO.

THE RELATIONSHIP GETS HOT AND HEAVY.

THEN FLORA GETS A LESSON IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEMISTRY

AT HER NEW LOVER'S APARTMENT.

WANT TO DO SOMETHING FUN?

OKAY. YEAH?

HE COULD HAND YOU ANY KIND OF PILL OR POWDER

AND TELL YOU TO DO IT, AND YOU WOULD DO IT.

HE'D TELL ME IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL GREAT

AND IT WOULD JUST RELAX ME.

AND THEN...

FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS,

FLORA'S CONSUMED BY THE RELATIONSHIP.

THEN ONE NIGHT, EVERYTHING CHANGES.

PETER AND FLORA ARE ENJOYING

YET ANOTHER ROMANTIC EVENING TOGETHER

WHEN HE DECIDES SHE'S READY TO TRY SOMETHING NEW.

I GOT AN IDEA.

OKAY.

YOU TRUST ME?

YEAH.

HE OPENED IT UP,

AND IT WAS THIS STRANGE-LOOKING KNIFE IN A CASE.

AND HE STARTED ACTING CREEPY.

I GOT AN IDEA.

FLORA WILLIAMS' NEW RELATIONSHIP

HAS JUST TAKEN A TERRIFYING TURN.

WHAT'S THE FOR?

I DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WAS ABOUT TO THREATEN ME WITH IT?

HE THEN TOUCHED ME WITH THE KNIFE.