Is AUTHOR wrong in the post ? POST : This has been on my conscience ever since I feel really bad. This happened a few weeks ago and I need some opinions. I don’t want anyone close to actually know so that is why I am posting this here.

Backstory: My friend and I have been like best friends ever since middle school and I have seen his house and the conditions he lives in.  He is not living in a bad condition, but (I don’t feel comfortable saying this) lets say he is unfortunate (I don’t want to go into detail).

Ok so this is where it starts:  

There are these sophomores on the bus where my friend and I used to ride (until he got kicked off). We are freshmen. They were always up to no good (from what I have seen), but never really did anything in sight of the driver. Anyways, so they bring a cigarette and/or vape one day and use it secretly. Me being traumatized by my parents over the years that drugs are bad for you, I tell my friend that we should probably move up front. He insists that it is ok and that I should not be a “wuss.” I accept it, and just try to ignore them. I notice when they are vaping/smoking that they keep in the smoke in and just leave it be. My friend keeps on being obvious at staring at them, and they offer to him to try to vape. I’m thinking “he is obviously going to say no” but was I wrong. He tries it, and I feel infuriated.  I move down one seat (the juniors were in front of us) and stay there and ignore them all. When we get to school,  I let everyone get off (including them without being obvious by pretending to get something out of my backpack). I make no eye contact with my friend and he just passes by. I don’t know what else he did, but thats all I saw. Then, I talk to the bus driver to tell him what happened, and he asks for names. I tell him the names of the 3 juniors that were mainly involved, and with little hesitation, I tell him my friends name.

Fast forward to lunch the next day (he was not on the bus), I find out (by him telling me) that he has been kicked off the bus. He was called to the front office and they called his mom the day before. His mom is at work and no one can pick him up, and I start to feel really guilty. She is practically forced to come for her son while she is working. He is obviously really down when he tells me this (at lunch the next day) and the more I think about it, the more I feel guilty and hurt. I see him being brought to school by her mom while I know she should be at work since really early in the morning. She works really hard and it just hurts me the more I think about it. 

Sorry if this makes little sense. I’ll take any criticism.
Should I have approached the situation differently? Like talked to him about it? He obviously needs the bus to get to school and home. BTW I don’t know how he does not suspect me but I guess he believes I would never.
