Out of all of us, Teto was the quiet one. He didn’t have plans like me, and he wasn’t loud like Jess. He was nice and always there for us. He was steady—the one who would just go with the flow. He would show up for you, no questions asked. That’s why it hurt so much when I started to see the signs.

He started showing up late to school and disappearing for hours when we made plans. His eyes were always bloodshot, and he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. I would brush it off. We were all stressed and exhausted. Every time we thought things were going well, something would happen.

But I never saw this coming. I caught him in the act.

After school, I was walking home through the alley near GP territory, heading to Jess and Teto’s apartment. I heard voices, and when I turned at the end of the alley, I saw a GP dealer holding Teto against the wall, saying, “You can’t get more until you pay what you owe.”

Teto sounded jittery, but he replied, “Yeah, I got your money. Just give me my stuff.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Teto handed him the money, then took the drug and stuffed it in his pocket.

I followed him to the apartment, my mind racing. I was so angry that, when we got there, I pushed him and started yelling. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” I said, slamming the door behind us.

He said, “You trippin', man. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I was still yelling. “I SAW YOU. I SAW YOU BUYING DRUGS FROM THE GP DEALER. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?”

He looked at me, tears falling from his eyes. “It’s not what you think,” he said.

“Then what is it?” I demanded.

“It just helps…” he whispered. “I don’t do it all the time—just sometimes. Everything is just so f***ed up—my mom, the neighborhood, school, life. This just helps me get away and feel better on the bad days.”

I shook my head. “I know things are tough, but you can’t use drugs to get by. It’s not helping. It makes things worse. You’ve got us. You don’t have to go through this alone. Jess and I got you.”

He looked up from wiping his eyes and nodded.

“Promise me you’ll stop. We’ll figure this out together,” I said.

He promised.

Over the next few weeks, I kept checking in on him, making sure he was staying out of GP territory and staying clean. But something still felt off.