Evan "Buck" Buckley-Nash

17. Junior Year

Harry was born when right around when Buck started his junior year. He was almost 17, May was 6 now and in the 1st grade. Buck had told his parents he was bisexual, and he evened up staying with Allen until late sophomore year, but the boy was forced into moving away when his Dad got a job in Vegas.

The summer was hard with his boyfriend and best friend gone, but he pushed through with the help of his parents and little sister.

Buck was sitting in the auditorium listening to the boring speech the principal was giving the junior class about attendance, grades, and college, although "listening" would be a stretch. He was present in the room, and he could hear the words, he was just more zoned into the paper on the floor that he could make an obnoxious noise with when he moved it around with his foot.

Eventually a teacher approached him and said to stop, so he did, for a minute before continuing.

~~

"How was school?" Athena asked as soon as Buck got home.

Buck sighed but turned around. "Fine, just the usual first day back."

Athena nodded with a sleeping Harry in her arms. "Make any new friends?"

"No Mom I'm 17, I didn't go to school and come home with new friends." He didn't mean for his words to have such attitude but they did. "Sorry." He said after. "I just wish Allen was still here."

Athena locked eyes with her son and nodded with a sad expression. "I know, and that's okay."

"I'm gonna join the football team. Alex is joining and asked me to do it too."

"Your junior year?" Athena didn't like the idea of his son being tackled.

Buck nodded. "I mean why not, it's not like I have something better to do on Friday nights."

~~

Turns out joining football was great for Friday night plans. Halfway through the season one of the benched kids threw a huge party after the team won the rival game.

He was high on something he snorted and drunk off beer and wine coolers. He was up and dancing without a care in the world. He was unburdened from his horrid thoughts.

There were girls dancing with him, cheerleaders. He was over the moon.

Once he noticed the blue lights it's was too late.

"LAPD open up." He recognized the voice as his Mom and froze as somebody got the door. "Are you a resident of this home?" The boy shook his head. "Then go get him. We've got a noise complaint and by the looks of it some serious underage drinking going on."

Buck was hiding in the kitchen when Athena found him. She shook her head and dragged him out of the house.

"What did you take?" She asked as he was sat on the bathroom counter Bobby checking his vitals and seeing his elevated heart rate and uneven pupils.

"I was drinking." He argued with a slight slur of his voice.

"We know that, but you took something else. Was there a pill? We need to know Buck." She said in a serious tone. "If you don't tell us you're going to the hospital for them to check you out."

Buck squinted and flinched at the hospital threat. "It was powder. I don't know what."

"Probably cocaine by the looks of this." Bobby said checking to see his low blood pressure.

"Buck, how long ago did you do this?" Athena was trying to stay calm.

"Who knows but it's going away."

"Probably less than an hour." Bobby butted in. "A high normally last for up to 20 minutes on that stuff. Are you feeling okay?"

"Sorta dizzy. My head felt fuzzy, it was nice."

"It was not." Athena said again seriously and Bobby was shaking his head.

"I think I was dancing with this girl. I hope she's okay. She left to throw up and then you came."

"How much did you have to drink?" Bucks eyes wandered and he struggled to focus. Athena grabbed his face and forced him to look into her eyes. "How much did you have to drink?"

Buck squinted his eyes. "There was beer and wine coolers."

"How much, 3, 4?"

"Prolly." He slurred giving a useless shrug.

"Let's just sit with him for an hour or so make sure the cocaine isn't effecting him more than it should and the high will be gone by then and maybe even if he's this drunk we can talk to him." Bobby said in a monotone voice but despite the calm emotionless work tone, his leg was bouncing as his forehead held a few beads of sweat.

Athena put her hand on her lovers shoulder. "Go check on the other kids and take some deep breaths. I've got this covered. Maybe see if Michael can come help."

Bobby anxiously nodded excusing himself, he hasn't thought about his addiction in almost a year.

Athena watched as Bucks high lowered and his pupils returned to the same size.

"Baby, why did you do this?" Buck just whined frustrated and tired.

Not soon after Athena was supporting him as he threw up his dinner and the alcohol in his system.

"I'm sorry." He slurred as his Mom flushed the toilet.

The following morning when Buck woke with a pounding headache he found a water bottle and pain meds on the desk by his bed. He was far to petrified to leave his room so he just tried to will himself back to sleep, but then his mother walked in.

"You're lucky your father had a shift this morning. I don't think I've seen him get like that before."

"I'm sorry."

Athena sat on the edge of his bed. "What were you thinking?"

Buck shrugged. "I didn't know there was going to be that kind of party. I had to take some sort of drink to fit in. Next thing I know some girl is begging me to do drugs with her. Then everything gets fuzzy."

"Evan you could have died. Cocaine is not the messed around with. You could have an addiction from one use." She tried to remain calm but it was hard to not just start yelling.

"I know that." He mumbled. "I'm sorry I put you and dad through that. He probably had to go a meeting because of me."

"There's nothing wrong with him going to meetings, but him going to extra ones because of personal issues at home are not the best thing for him."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one who needs the apology." She paused. "Have you ever done something like this before?" Buck quickly shook his head. "Okay. May's been worried you've slept all morning."

"I'm gonna shower and I'll be out and about." He said trying to act normal but he knows he messed up. "Are you mad at me?"

Athena tilted her head and took a deep breath. "I'm not sure. I am going to need a minute to process this, just like you Dad. We are very concerned and worried and it's making us tense."

Buck dropped his head, he always feels like a burden.