The timing of having to read Beautiful Boy could not be more ominous. My best friend’s little brother has always been a mixed up kid. He’s a senior in high school failing all his classes with no motivation to do anything other than smoke pot and hang out with his friends. I had taken Steve’s senior pictures for his yearbook so I dropped them off last Sunday when I was in town. When I saw him he looked about forty pounds lighter than the month before, when I had taken the pictures. He ran in and out of the house, not acknowledging anyone, just running into his room to grab some clothes and money and he was off. His hair was disgusting, he looked like he hadn’t showered in a week, he was gaunt, pale, dark circles under his eyes. Then my best friend broke down and told me the whole story.

Steve hasn’t gone to school in weeks, he’s been suspended and hasn’t bothered to come back. He doesn’t sleep at home, he doesn’t eat at home, he lives with his friend. The last time he came home he stole a credit card and four hundred dollars from his parents. The last time I saw him was when I was taking his senior pictures. None of this had happened yet. This downward spiral snowballed out of control in a month. It’s obvious that he’s doing some type of drugs, how else could you explain his rapid weight loss and stealing money? When my friend told me this I was halfway through reading Beautiful Boy.

I was terrified for Steve. Because I was reading this book I was learning all this information and seeing it through a parent’s point of view. I felt horrible for my friend and her family. I didn’t want them to go through what I was reading about in this book. I told my friend about the book and suggested maybe he should go to rehab before he turns 18, remembering what David Sheff wished he could do to Nic. I couldn’t believe something like this could happen to a sweet boy like Steve. I couldn’t believe that this could happen in Granby, CT, to someone from a small upper-middle class town, someone from a close family and good upbringing.

As of this weekend Steve is in the hospital. He was forced to go after his parents called the police. After this weekend he will move to an outpatient facility for 10 days but from reading this book I don’t think that will be enough time. I fear he will revert back to his old ways and continue to hurt himself and others. Everytime I read I get so depressed. I want to keep reading, hoping to learn more and more, but at the same time I feel twice the pain because I can witness it first hand destroying my best friend’s brother. I just hope that his story ends up like Nic’s, a happy ending.