Having a brain fart. Read a story recently and the only thing I can remember is that the teen boy mentions Richard Jackson as a real person in the recent past. Jackson was placed in the 50s/60s while this story is more 70s/80s (maybe later).
It is a coming of age story by one of the very good authors on here.
I don't remember reading this story before, but also was not a new story. More of reading another story that the author wrote.