Two weeks later, the day before Thanksgiving break, I waited in the gym lobby after practice for Darry to come by to pick me up. I had told him that I had late practice, and he said he would come get me, and Soda could get a ride home with Steve. Our practices sometimes were later than usual, depending on when the boys' team was using the gym, since we had to share. If they had an away game or scrimmage, we practiced right after school. But if they didn't, they got the gym right after school. All us girls sat around and did homework until they were done and it was our turn.

Darry was late, which was not at all like him. Anna had offered a ride when her dad had come to pick her up, but I had no way to let Darry know where I had gone, so I had to refuse. A few of my friends from the team were still there waiting for rides but one by one they left until eventually it was just me. I stared out the door and watched. I heard a noise behind me and turned to see the custodian staring at me.

"I gotta lock this place up," he said. "You got a ride coming?"

"I thought I did," I said. "Can I use the phone?"

He let me into the office and I dialed home on the phone. I let it ring seven, eight, nine times. No answer.

The custodian was still staring at me. It made me kind of uncomfortable, so I pretended someone answered, finally.

"Hey, Darry? Did you forget?" A pause. "OK, I'll be waiting outside."

I looked at the custodian as I hung up.

"My brother's coming." I said. He didn't seem to care. He just wanted me out.

I walked out and heard him turn the key in the door behind me. I walked to the edge of the school lot and considered my options. The most direct routes home required me to either cut across town by the freight yard or cut through the toughest part of town, a neighborhood that made our street look like Beverly Hills. I knew if I didn't get killed walking through there, Darry would kill me afterward just for having been there. I wasn't supposed to be down by the train tracks either.

The other option was to stay on the "safe" streets, which would be far less risky but would easily double the time it would take to get home. It was not what I wanted to do, carrying my full bag of books and clothes, stuck in my practice uniform, but I knew it was the only way to avoid catching hell when I got home, so I started walking. It seemed pretty backwards to me, going out of my way to avoid Darry getting mad when I was the one who should be mad for being stranded. I had been walking for almost half an hour, and had just turned into the edge of the South side when I heard a car slowing down behind me. I glanced around and didn't recognize the car. I started to walk faster. Great, I thought, now I got strangers following me, too? Fantastic. I could feel the fear rising in me as I remembered seeing the Socs jump on Pony, and how Johnny had looked after they got to him. God only knows what they would have in store for me.

I heard the car pull over to the curb and felt my heart start beating faster. I was about to drop my bags and run for it when I heard someone call out.

"Hey, little Curtis?"

I turned. I was surprised to see Tim Shepard looking out his passenger window at me. He was a friend of Dally's, and just as tough as him, from what I heard.

"Tim?" I was surprised he even recognized me. Our paths occasionally crossed, but he really had no need for someone like me in his world. He and Darry got along OK, and Pony and his little brother Curly were around the same age, but I was nobody to him.

"What the hell you doin' out here by yourself in the dark?"

I was asking myself the same thing.

"Get in, I'll drive you home."

I wasn't sure how Darry was gonna feel about this, but I realized it was his own fault I was in this situation to begin with. He was supposed to pick me up an hour ago. I turned and walked to the car.

Tim pushed open the door and slid back over to the driver's seat. I tossed my bag on the floor, climbed in and pulled the door shut.

"Thanks, Tim," I said.

"I can't believe your brothers are letting you walk all over town by your lonesome, in the dark."

I didn't respond. I couldn't believe it, either.

"How old are you, anyway, kid? Ten?"

I'm used to people thinking that, since I am small. "Twelve," I said.

"So you're playing basketball, huh? That's tuff!"

"Thanks. We're not that good though."

"Uniform's kinda big on you, ain't it?"

I had to laugh. "You think?" Everything about me in my uniform was comical. The girl's team had inherited the outdated boy's team uniforms and they were ridiculously large on all of us, even the tall girls. I had done the best I could with my actual game uniform, actually trying to adapt it to someone my size with a needle and thread to make sure it stayed on, but my practice uniform I was less concerned about, and it was largely held together with safety pins.

What I knew of Tim was that he was the biggest hood around, with a reputation of being tougher than a pack of bulldogs in a meat factory. But he seemed nothing like that with me. I was staring out the window as he drove me home, and shivering slightly in just my uniform. "You cold?" He asked, and turned up the heat for me.

He pulled up in front of the house and turned off the ignition. I could see that Darry's truck was gone. I didn't move.

Tim turned to face me and I was surprised at what he said.

"You know, kid, I'm really sorry about your folks. They were great people and they took real good care of Dally."

I had no idea that tough numbers like Dally and Tim cared about who took care of their kind. Then I remembered seeing Tim at my parents' funeral, and talking to Dally afterward.

I looked up at him, surprised. "Thanks."

"C'mon kid, I'll walk you in," he said. I knew there wouldn't be anyone there to walk me in to.

I opened the door and we walked in. "Nobody's home," I said.

"Where's everyone at?" He asked.

I figured there was no point in lying. "Probably looking for me," I said. And as little as I knew Tim Shepard, I found myself venting to him about getting stranded at school, trying to get myself home while still following Darry's rules about where I was allowed to be, walking home scared to death of getting jumped. Tim laughed when I told him I thought he was gonna jump me, and how I was about two seconds from heading for the hills before he called to me and I recognized his voice.

"That's rough, kid," he said when I was done. "I can vouch for you taking the safe way home."

"I laughed. "I doubt it'll matter," I said.

"It'll matter." He assured me. "You got a pen, kid?" he asked.

I walked over and grabbed one from inside the kitchen and handed it to him. He ripped a piece of paper off a magazine and scribbled something on it.

"You keep this," he said. "It's my number. This happens again, you call me and I guarantee someone will show up to get you home safe."

I took it. "Thanks." I was dumbfounded. Tim Shepard was offering me a chauffeur service? What was that all about? I realized Tim's image as a tough hood might be true but that clearly wasn't all there was to it. I was still thinking about it when I heard Darry's truck pull up. A second later Darry and Ben burst through the door.

"Jesus, Scout, where the hell were you?" I saw them take note of Tim on the couch.

I was not gonna be made to feel bad here.

"I was exactly where I was supposed to be, waiting for my ride, 'til I got kicked out when they were locking up the school!" I was pretty aggravated. I realized then how scared I actually had been to have to walk home alone.

"You walked? Alone?" Ben looked shocked.

"Most of the way, the LONG way," I said. "I had no choice! Then Tim found me and gave me a ride."

Darry looked at Tim. " Found her on the far side of our neighborhood. She ain't lyin', Darry; she took the long way," he said.

Pony and Soda burst through the door, looking relieved when they saw me, but slightly confused to see Tim on the couch.

"I have homework," I announced, and stormed off. Pony trailed after me.

"Darry, can I talk to you outside?" I heard Tim ask. I was hoping he would give Darry holy hell about leaving me, because I couldn't.

I went into my room, Pony following me. Ben was not far behind.

I threw my bag on my bed and sat down next to it. I unzipped it and took out my homework. In truth, I didn't have much that I hadn't already finished at school before practice.

Pony was staring at me. "Jesus, Scout, we were scared as all hell about you."

I stared at him, trying not to show how scared I had been for myself.

"Yeah, well how do you think I felt when I realized you all forgot about me?" I asked. "You think I wanted to walk home? What do you expect me to do, apologize for getting left there?"

They didn't even try to answer.

"Just get out," I said. "I have homework. Shut the door."

They left, for lack of a better response. I felt bad that I had snapped at Ben, he had nothing to do with it. I suppose Pony really hadn't either.

I worked on my homework and eventually heard Soda at my door.

"Scout, dinner," he knocked.

"I'm not hungry," I said. "I got homework."

"Scout," he started…

"No, Soda." I was adamant. "I'm busy. I got a late start." I was rubbing it in.

I could hear him sigh outside the door.

I finished my homework and fumed for a while. I could hear the TV on and really didn't want to face anyone but there was no getting around it, I had to pee. I had already changed into my pajamas and I walked out through the living room, ignored anything that was said to me, and walked into the bathroom. When I came out, I was met with a full compliment of brothers in my face. I just plowed through them and put myself in bed. They followed and I felt them sit on my bed. I kept my eyes decisively shut. They didn't leave.

I decided I was mad enough to be the one to break the silence. I spoke up with my eyes still closed.

"You know, if you insist I can't be walking alone, you can't be leaving me stranded miles from home without a ride!" I had actually planned on saying something meaner.

"We didn't mean to. It was a mix-up, Scout. Darry and I both thought the other one was getting you," Soda said.

"And nobody even noticed when I wasn't home?"

"Of course we noticed. That's why we went looking for you! We were scared as hell about you. Why didn't you call?" Figures, Darry assumed I had neglected the obvious.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I called, Darry. Nobody answered."

They looked at each other. "I must have been in the shower," Soda said. "Pony was outside with Johnny and Darry got home a little late."

"Look, I'm trying," I said. "I'm trying as hard as I can to follow the rules you make. I try to do everything I get asked to do around here. I told you guys I wouldn't keep playing after they died, because I knew it was a pain to pick me up, and everyone insisted I keep playing."

"We want you to play," Darry said.

"I can't believe you forgot about me!" That was truly the bottom line. More than being angry, I was hurt. I gave in to it, and allowed myself to cry, just a little. "I count on you guys to not leave me stranded somewhere! I wish I didn't have to, but I do! I was scared to death walking, that I was gonna get jumped like Pony or more likely like Johnny since nobody would have come running to help me. God, you guys, I doubt Mom and Dad ever forgot about picking any of you up!"

I knew they felt bad about it, and I was only trying to make them feel worse by bringing Mom and Dad into it. I was probably being unfair. I wasn't quite sure about whether I was more angry, hurt, or scared at the fact that they had forgotten me.

"Scout, it won't happen again. We promise." I think Darry was starting to realize that I might have been more scared for myself than they had been about me.

"No, it won't, because Mr. Knight in shining armor Tim Shepard gave me his phone number to call if it does!"

"So what, he can kick our asses for forgetting you?"

"No, he'll come pick me up so I'm not out walking the streets of Tulsa alone in the dark!" I wondered what he'd said to Darry.

"We really are sorry Scout. We should have been more careful about making sure we knew who was doing what. You can't really think we forgot about you. We freaked out when we realized nobody had picked you up."

I knew they probably had. I was starting to feel bad about having been so mean. "Well, did I at least do what you would have wanted me to do?" I asked. "I knew you would kill me if I cut down by the tracks or took Eastern Ave. I had to walk, I mean what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just stay there, there are always kids hanging out around the school looking for trouble."

"No, you did everything you should have. We shouldn't have been yelling at you when we found you – we weren't mad, we were relieved. Christ, when I pulled in and saw Shepard's car outside, I was afraid he was here with some kind of bad news about you. I guess we could have handled things better." Darry seemed heartfelt.

"I guess I could have too," I said.

"I guess we're all just still learning how to deal with everything," Soda said. "Darry's right, we weren't mad at you. We were worried."

"Did Tim get upset at you?" I asked Darry.

"Not really upset. Just wanted to make sure this doesn't happen again. I guess Curly got jumped the day after Ponyboy, and roughed up pretty good. Things are getting out of hand around here. I assure you, Scout, this won't happen again. None of us want you walking around town alone."

I sighed. I knew they hadn't meant it. I just hoped we had all scared each other enough that I wouldn't slip their minds again.