Beautiful Boy

The arrest is a result of Nic’s failure to appear in court after being cited for marijuana possession. David bails him out, assuring himself that this is the only time he will bail Nic out and hoping that the arrest will teach him a lesson. Afterward, Nic is moody, but he gets a job as a barista and dotes on Jasper and Daisy. As they play together, David is baffled at how Nic is acting as if nothing is wrong.

That fall, Nic decides to attend Berkeley. Jasper, Daisy, Karen, and David all drive with Nic to drop him off. A few days later, Nic seems engaged by his courses, but he complains about his classes in subsequent phone calls. Gradually, he stops returning David’s calls. David suggests that Nic meet with the school counselors or his therapist. A week later, Nic’s roommates call David because they are worried that Nic hasn’t shown up for a few days. David is distraught.

Two days later, Nic calls, admitting that college just isn’t working. David suspects drugs, but Nic says that he’s simply been feeling depressed and that he wasn’t ready for college. This makes sense to David, as there is evidence that children use drugs to self-medicate for mental health disorders. Many symptoms of those disorders appear identical to the symptoms of drug abuse. David’s research on teenagers and drug abuse illustrates that teenagers’ brains are particularly malleable, and that drug use can have deep, problematic effects on brain chemistry.

When Nic says he may be depressed, David is eager to believe that drugs are the symptom rather than the cause of Nic’s problems. Nic moves home and decides to apply to another college, Hampshire College in Western Massachusetts, because he wants a smaller college experience. In the meantime, he will go to therapy, honor curfews, help around the  house,  and work. Nic agrees, and a few months later he is accepted to Hampshire College.

One night, David goes to bed early and wakes with a  start in the middle of the night. Sensing that something is wrong, he knocks on Nic’s door and discovers that he is not there. David relays that he is becoming used to constantly feeling angry and worried. By three in the morning, Nic is still not home. By seven, David starts calling Nic’s friends and his  therapist, but no one has seen him. Every time the phone rings, David gets anxious with grisly thoughts. He starts calling jails and hospitals. When Jasper and Daisy wake, they sense that something is wrong, and  when David tells them that he doesn’t know where Nic is, they start to cry.

Four days later, Nic finally calls, saying that he’s in trouble. David drives to meet Nic, who is in an alleyway behind a bookstore. Nic is “bruised, sallow,  skin and bone.” In the car, David insists that Nic must go to rehab, and Nic agrees. He spends the next three  days feverish and rambling, curled up in bed. The morning of the appointment at the rehab center, however, Nic refuses to go, insisting that he doesn’t need rehab. He says that he learned how dangerous meth is and will never use it again. David is horrified that Nic has used meth, as David had his own experience with the drug.