Weekends around my house were unusually stressful for me – I didn't have the structure of school and practice to keep me occupied, and I struggled to keep busy, to not just sit around the house and feel the huge hole left by my parents not being there. Usually Ben and I would hang out, watch TV or play basketball – We had an old hoop on the back of our garage that Dad had long ago set up for the boys. Now that I was on a team, Ben was thinking about playing – he would have never been able to make the high school team as a seventh grader, but might be able to play on the junior high team in eighth grade if he kept practicing. The sport was way more competitive for boys. It was a new enough sport for girls that there was only starting to be some competition to get on the team.

One Saturday in November Ben and I were outside shooting around. Darry had gone in to work early that morning and had come home around 3, so he was inside taking a nap. He worked part-time doing roofing jobs on the days he didn't have classes or football. Soda had just started working weekends at the DX gas station a few blocks from our house where Steve had worked for a while. Besides the fact that Soda loved cars and the girls who came in cars to the gas station, I think the little scene I had made with him about us helping Darry out had motivated him to go out and get a part-time job. I was actually wondering where he was; he had said he was only working until 4:30 and it was almost 5. He was usually pretty eager to get home and shower after working with greasy cars all day. Pony was expected back any time, as well; he had taken off around one to see a movie with Johnny. He invited me but I hate the movies; I just can't sit still in a seat that long, and I get mad when people talk when I'm trying to listen. I was waiting for everyone to get back home before starting supper – since I wasn't very good at guessing how long to cook things, I usually waited to start until everyone was around since it could be ready at pretty much any time.

Ben, who had a lot of room for improvement in the aim department, took a completely wild shot from an impossible angle, and the basketball soared past the garage and hit the side of Darry's truck, rolling toward the street. I ran after it, checking for any damage on the truck as I ran by. Nothing. I had to run out into the middle of the street before I caught up with the ball. I glanced down toward the lot and saw Pony coming home. He looked to be running from something, so I stopped and looked closer. I saw a red car turn the corner behind him and some Soc guys jump out and knock him to the ground. It looked like one of them had a knife and Pony started yelling. I started to run toward him, but Ben, who I had not even realized was standing next to me, grabbed me and yelled.

"No, Scout. You get Darry. I'll go," and he was off.

He was right; in any case we needed Darry. Pony, Ben and I sure weren't going to fend off a car full of high school Socs by ourselves. I ran in the house screaming his name and before I even reached the kitchen Darry was running out of his bedroom toward me.

"What, Scout? What's the matter?"

"Pony! He's getting jumped, down the street! Ben went…"

Darry was past me and out the door before I could finish. I ran after him. Soda and Steve must have just gotten back, and they must have had Two-Bit with them, because Steve's car was parked in front of the house and I saw the three of them heading towards Pony, a few steps ahead of Darry.

"Scout, you stay in the house!" Darry yelled over his shoulder. I completely ignored him and ran right after him, the door not even closing between us exiting. By the time I reached where Pony lay on the ground, the rest of the guys were chasing the Socs, now back in their car, around the corner and down the street. I skidded to the ground next to Pony and saw that he was lying on the ground, his face down toward the pavement. I was afraid to touch him or turn him over.

This was not the first time that within the past few months that someone in our gang had been jumped. Just a few months back, Johnny had gotten jumped in the lot and beaten within inches of his life. I had not been there to find him but I had been at Ben's house when Darry and my mom brought him over there to have Ben's mom stitch him up. She worked as a nurse in a hospital Emergency Room, so she was always helping out when one of us got hurt. Johnny had looked more hurt that day than anyone I had ever seen, and even more scared. I was petrified that I would turn Pony over and he would look like Johnny had that day. I knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder.

"Pony?" He didn't look up.

Before I knew it Darry was back and hauling Pony up by his underarms. I was immensely relieved to see that he looked nothing like Johnny; in fact, he looked mostly OK except for a cut under his chin.

"They pull a blade on you?" Soda asked him.

"Yeah," Pony said and I could see he was shaking and starting to cry. I knew it would only make him more upset for me to stand there and stare at him while he cried, so I got up and walked over to Ben. Kevin had heard the commotion and come running too.

"Did you get hit?" Kevin was asking him.

"No. I'm fine. Soda and Steve pulled the guys off me and Pony."

"You know, Ben, you don't just go running towards a fight with no backup."

"I didn't even think you were home, Kevin. I sent Scout in for Darry. What was I supposed to do, just stand there and let them beat Pony to a pulp?"

It was interesting, listening to two big brothers berate their kid brothers just feet apart. I guess Pony had been at the movies by himself, not with Johnny, and Darry was all over him about walking home alone. Soda was doing his best to run interference between Darry and Pony, but unfortunately Ben was on his own, so I spoke up for him.

"I was going to go, Kevin, but Ben wouldn't let me." I figured he would appreciate that his brother at least refused to let me get involved in it.

Kevin looked at Ben like he still wanted to kill him but maybe was a little proud too. Darry was still going at it with Pony as we all walked back to the house, but we were all stopped short when we saw Dallas come around the corner. Last we had heard, he was in jail for two weeks for waving a switchblade at a cop the Tuesday prior. But, in typical Dallas fashion, he strolled up the street, cigarette hanging from his mouth as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Most of the gang ran up to talk to him, but Darry and Kevin stayed back for a second. Ben and I looked at each other, feeling a lecture coming on.

"Listen, you two," Darry said to Ben and me, "Things aren't safe enough around here for the two of you to be out in the neighborhood alone."

"You two don't leave our yards without one of us guys," Kevin said.

I almost laughed. Where did they think we were gonna go? We weren't allowed to go anywhere anyway. Ben spoke my thoughts.

"We don't leave the yards anyway. Where would we even go?"

"Well, all the same," Darry said, "You two use some common sense. Next time one of us might not be around to rescue you." I could see Ben cringe at the thought of Kevin having to rescue him. I knew that it was a fairly crucial part of Darry's ego to feel like he was always rescuing us, so I stayed quiet.

"Just, no walking anywhere alone, OK? Either of you." Kevin waited for a response.

"OK," Ben said.

"I won't." I promised.