Chapter Text
When Buck was fifteen years old, everything in his life felt like it was falling apart .
Maddie was gone, and she hadn't called home in two weeks. His parents didn't give a shit about him, and his friends were all pissed at him, even though he was absolutely in the right. Tyler was a dick, and Buck had been justified in punching him in the face for the way he talked about Kate. The rest of the team didn't agree, though.
Now both of them were off the team —Tyler with a busted nose, and Buck with a week of detentions to be served after spring break.
He was angry.
He wanted to run, to scream, to race headfirst into something that would make him feel something other than this .
He needed Maddie. He didn't know if she'd even want to see him, but he didn't have anyone else.
He was just trying to do what was right, to stick up for Kate, but nobody else saw it that way.
He started to wonder if maybe he really did ruin everything he touched.
Maybe everything would be better if he just… left.
He grabbed his box of savings. He didn't have much, but it should be enough to get away from this fucking place. To get to Boston.
He just had to hope Doug wouldn't be home.
The bus journey was long, and he spent the majority of it with music blaring through his ipod headphones loud enough for the old lady next to him to hear, his head resting against the window, letting the vibrations rattle his skull.
He got to Maddie's address late in the evening, nothing but an overnight bag on his back and a couple of dollars left in his wallet.
Doug answered the door, a politely confused expression on his face when he saw Buck. It reeked of falseness, and it made Buck's stomach drop.
"Evan? What are you doing here?"
"I wanna see Maddie." He stood up straight, shoulders back. He'd grown taller since the last time he saw Doug, and he now stood almost eye to eye with him.
Doug's jaw tightened. "She's working overnight shifts this week. She's tired, doesn't have energy for guests. I'll tell her you came by, though."
Doug's voice was sickeningly polite, but Buck could tell even at his young age that he just didn't want Buck there.
He turned on his heel and ran, using most of the cash left in his wallet to get a bus to the hospital. If he could just get in, see Maddie just once, maybe he could talk to her, convince her to let him stay for a few days.
The nurse on duty at the desk told him Maddie wasn't working tonight.
She was at home. And if she was at home, she had heard Buck at the door, and let Doug send him away.
He started walking, no particular direction in mind until he couldn't keep going. He sat in a doorway outside of an apartment building, letting the tears he'd been holding back all day finally fall.
It had been a stupid fucking idea, in the end, to think there was anybody left out there who gave a shit about him. And what could he do next? He had no money, no way to get home or to even find somewhere to stay for the night.
"Hey, man, are you good?"
Buck looked up, defenses rising. Standing in front of him was a guy just a few years older than himself, maybe eighteen at most. He didn't look like he was going to pick a fight, more like he was genuinely concerned.
Buck sniffed and wiped away his tears with a rough hand. "I'm fine," he insisted.
The stranger didn't seem convinced. He looked behind him at the door he'd just left through, then sighed and sat next to Buck on the step.
"I'm sorry, but you're clearly not. What's your name?"
Buck considered lying, making up some dumb fake name, or even just telling the guy to fuck off and leave him alone.
"Evan," he grunted, deciding fuck it. At least it might be nice to talk to someone who doesn't know how much of a fuck-up he really is.
"I'm Eddie. It's a nice night out, huh?"
Buck shrugged, glancing over at Eddie. "I guess." He wiped his face again. "You live here?" Maybe if he played things right, he could score himself a place to spend the night. Eddie didn't seem like the kind of guy to take advantage, but even if he was…
Buck couldn't say he'd say no.
"Nah," Eddie said. "Visiting my sister, she's in college here."
Buck snorted. "Same, actually. Or, I mean… I was trying to visit her. She didn't wanna see me."
Eddie swore under his breath. "Shit, I'm sorry. What did she say?"
"Nothing. Just got her boyfriend to turn me away when I knocked on their door. I don't even have money to get home."
Buck hated himself for it, but he started crying again. Jesus, this Eddie guy must think he's a fucking loser.
Eddie handed him a Kleenex, and Buck accepted it. "Fuck, man, I'm sorry."
Silence stretched between them and Buck began shredding the Kleenex in his hands.
"Sorry I'm being such a bummer. You should go back to your sister, don't worry about me."
"My sister's studying, so she kicked me out to get some work done." Eddie rolled his eyes. "I was just gonna go get some food. There's a good spot around the corner, apparently."
"Yeah?"
Eddie stood up, and Buck felt the loss immediately. He prepared to say goodbye, to find somewhere else to go, but Eddie held out a hand. "C'mon, man. You hungry?"
Buck jumped up so fast, it was embarrassing. Eddie was already walking though, so he just put his head down and jogged to catch up. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket and fell into step next to Eddie.
Eddie paid for his food without even asking, and as they ate, Buck began to forget all the reasons he'd been so upset earlier — or at the very least, they stopped making him feel like he was worthless. Because Eddie was laughing at his jokes, commiserating with him and backing him up on what happened with Tyler.
"So, where are you from?" Eddie asked after a while. "You said you had no cash to get home."
Buck exhaled slowly. "Pennsylvania. Hershey."
"Like the chocolate?" Eddie asked. Buck laughed a little and nodded.
"Honestly, it's fucking shit. I can't wait until I'm old enough to leave for good."
Eddie nodded slowly. "You know — feel free to say no, because I am a total stranger, but… If you want a ride home, I can totally borrow my sister's car. She owes me a favor."
"Eddie, it's a twelve hour round trip."
Eddie shrugged, popping a fry into his mouth. "It's up to you," he said. "I just need to check with Adriana."
Buck thought about it. Six hours in a car with a virtual stranger was a reckless, dumb idea. He can imagine what his folks would say when they found out, the way Maddie would give him that look , making it clear she disapproved of how he was acting.
Except, if she'd just come out to talk to him, he wouldn't be in this position in the first place.
"Sure, why not," he finally agreed, and Buck was rewarded by Eddie's grin.
"Great! Meet you back here in like an hour?"
Eddie stood and walked out of the diner, and Buck sat back in the plastic chair to wait for him.
He wasn't sure he was ready to go home, but a few more hours with Eddie, with someone who didn't treat him like he was dumb or a burden, felt worth the prospect of facing his parents again.