Group 1

Treatment

The present, Noah, aged 17 has moved to a new town faced with the prospect of starting a new school and fitting in. Noah struggles with Aspergers Syndrome affecting his ability to make new friends and adjust to a new life and a new home. Noah starts a new school, his idiosyncrasies becoming furthermore apparent to him he makes a conscious effort to become what he considers to be normal. He observes boys his age and attempts to adapt to become more like them, however his attempts fail and his parents notice his solitary nature is driving him, and his family into social turmoil. Noahs father attempts to fix Noahs isolation by adopting him a dog Samson hoping Noahs mentality will improve.

Noah struggles with the responsibility of becoming a dog owner, on a particularly bad day Noah loses his dog in the park and meets Liv who returns Samson as well as providing him with a few tips on controlling his dog. An odd friendship is established, in which Noah and Liv meet to walk their dogs together. Noah is thrilled at having made a friend and willingly takes influence from her as to how he should act in order to fit in.

Liv becomes aware of Noahs odd habits and attempts to change him by removing his safety blanket of routine, instead introducing him to parties, alcohol and drugs in an attempt to help him make friends. Noah experiences what he assumes to be typically teenage activities yet feels increasingly isolated by those Liv surrounds him with. He attends a New Years Eve party Noah with Liv, and finds himself torn between his true nature and the person he is being forced into being. An argument then breaks out and Liv highlights Noahs inability to understand others and his dysfunctional nature, Noah lashes out and his aggression is forced onto Liv who finds out Noah was expelled from his past schools for causing grievous bodily harm as a result of bullying.

Noah cuts off all ties with Liv, regressing back into his old self, deciding that his coping mechanism is isolation. Time passes and both Noah and Liv are greatly affected by the loss of their friendship, Noah turns to academics, Liv turns to alcohol and drugs. It takes separation to make both realise how reliant they are on each other.

Noah calls Liv asking her to meet him where they first met, he plans to tell her the complete truth about his dark past and hopes to hear the same from her. On his way to meet her, a tradgic accident occurs and Liv is killed. Noah rips the word normal from the dictionary but finds hope in Livs lifestyle choice.