After breakfast, we all hit the bathroom again and then headed out to the car. The diner was right off of the highway, and Two-Bit was surprised when, instead of getting back on the highway, Soda started to head into the nearest town.

"Where we goin'?" He asked. "I thought you were all gung-ho to get to Florida."

"We just have to make a stop," Soda said.

"Oh yeah? For what?"

"Scout forgot her toothbrush," Soda lied. I felt bad. Soda is definitely not, by nature, a liar. Two-Bit didn't seem to doubt him, though. I realized that it would be blatantly obvious that he had lied when I came out with a bag holding something considerably larger than a toothbrush, though. I had a pretty strong suspicion that, while I was inside, Soda would tell Two-Bit the real story anyway, so I just let it go.

Soda pulled up at a pharmacy in the center of the small town and I was relieved to see that they were open, considering how early we had started the day. Soda turned and handed me some money over the seat.

"You want me to come in?"

"No. Do you want anything?"

"I'll take a cold soda if they have one."

"I'll come in," Two-Bit said.

"No way," Soda nipped that idea in the bud. "I ain't lettin' you get arrested for stealin' this far from home. You get in trouble here, and I'll just leave you in Mississippi. I'm serious."

"Aw, c'mon Soda, I'll be good."

"Well, let's not play with fire, Two-Bit. You're stayin' here. Get us both sodas, 'kay Scout?"

"Okay. I'll be right back."

I was not thrilled to be doing it alone, but I walked into the pharmacy and picked out what I needed. While I waited in line to pay, I started thinking about my Mom, and how much I wished she were still alive to help me out with stuff like this. This was just one of many "firsts" that I knew I would have to get through all by myself. It wasn't fair, and thinking about it just about made me cry.

Of course, as soon as I had paid for my stuff, along with Soda and Two-Bit's drinks, I headed straight for the public bathroom in the back of the store. I took care of things in there, and headed back out to the car.

It was obvious as soon as I got in the car that Soda had told. Two-Bit was grinning like a little kid. And, if Soda had included the part about Darry threatening to kill them if they made fun of me, the temptation was just too much for Two-Bit. It probably helped that Darry was not actually there, at the time, to follow through on his threat.

"That's a pretty big toothbrush," he said as I climbed in and handed the bottles into the front seat. Soda punched him in the arm and shot him a glance that told him to shut up just as well as any words ever could.

I didn't say anything, but I knew my face was red. He didn't stop.

"Geez, Scout, I never knew anybody to look so embarrassed about a toothbrush before, even a giant one like you got. I mean, I know stuff gets bigger on girls when they grow up, but I didn't know their teeth got big, too," he said. He just kept right on going, and I was mortified to find that I was crying. Two-Bit's teasing had never bothered me before, in fact I had come to expect it - but thinking about my Mom had already put me on the verge of tears, and knowing I was stuck in an embarrassing situation that I couldn't get out of just served to send me over the edge.

When I didn't say anything again, Soda looked in the rear view mirror and saw me with tears running down my face. As soon as I saw him looking, I wiped them away, but I wasn't fast enough.

"Jesus Christ, Two-Bit," he said, opening his door and climbing out and into the backseat next to me.

"Don't cry, Scout. He's just being an asshole. I shouldn't have even said anything, obviously he ain't mature enough to handle it." He looked accusingly into the front seat.

"Shoot, Scooter... I'm sorry. I thought everything I said just bounced off you by this point." He seemed to truly regret saying anything, which was pretty rare for him. He usually teased relentlessly, with no apologies.

"It's not you," I said, trying in vain to stop the tears.

"What is it?" Soda asked, gently. "Is it because of… I mean… Is it scary for you or something?" I almost laughed. Female physiology is just so clearly a mystery to all males. He thought I was scared?

"No, I just…"

"What?" he asked.

"Do you want me to leave, so you can talk?" Two-Bit asked.

"No," I said. "I just … I wish I didn't have to go through this stuff all alone."

"You're not alone," Soda said.

"That's not what I mean, Soda. I miss Mom."

He pulled me in against him. "Me too."

"It's different for me, though. It's not fair, that I don't get to have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff. It's just… I'm surrounded by boys. I just really miss her. I mean…she was supposed to be around for all this stuff."

Soda didn't answer me right away, because I'm sure he knew that there was nothing he could say that would change things for me. Mom wasn't coming back.

"You're right, baby," he finally said. "It isn't fair. Then you got jerks like Two-Bit, here, givin' you a hard time on top of it."

"It wasn't his fault. I was already almost crying, in the store. I'm fine, though. I'll get over it. It's not like missing Mom and Dad is anything new. Go ahead back up front and drive. I know you want to get going, and we already got slowed down once 'cause of me."

"How 'bout I drive?" Two-Bit suggested. "As my punishment for being a jerk, which I was. I'm sorry, Scout. So can I chauffeur you two?"

"It's fine, Two-Bit. I know you weren't trying to be mean," I said. It really hadn't been him that upset me. But, if it would get him to lay off with the teasing, I was willing to let him feel a little guilty.

Soda handed him the keys, and Two-Bit slid over to the driver's seat.

"I miss her, too," Soda whispered, as Two-Bit started the car, "but I can see how it's harder for you."

Two-Bit drove the rest of the way, and, as we finally bade farewell to Mississippi and entered Alabama. I could see Soda getting more and more tense, the closer we got to our destination. As we crossed out of Alabama into Florida, I slid over closer to him and took his hand. It was less than an hour's drive into Florida to get to where she was.

"Do you know what you're going to say, when you see her?"

He shook his head no.

"So you're just gonna go up to the door and ring the doorbell, and see what happens?"

"Pretty much." I couldn't believe he hadn't been thinking about what he wanted to say, considering that was pretty much all I had been doing since Darry told me I could go.

"Am I crazy, for doing this?" he asked. "I mean, I don't know what else I could do. I have to talk to her. Even if it turns out she really doesn't want me, I can't leave things like they are, I mean, now that I know… God, I still can't believe that he did this to her…and you."

"And you, too, Soda. I think he hurt you almost as much as either of us."

He just shook his head.

"Will you come with me, to the door? Will you just stand there, with me?"

"You want me to?" I had figured this was something he wanted to handle alone- at first, anyway. Two-Bit and I were just backup, I had thought.

"I want you to. She might be nicer to me if you are there, too."

"Okay." I couldn't believe that he thought she was going to be mean to him after he had come all this way to see him. She'd better not.

As we finally turned down the street that we had been driving for almost fifteen hours to reach, I looked over at Soda. He looked terrified. I took his hand, again, and he looked over at me.

"Everything will be okay," I said, trying to sound convincing. Soda tried to smile.

"Don't park in front of the house," he told Two-Bit, and he pulled up in front of number seventeen. Sandy's grandmother's number was twenty-five.

"I just don't want them to get suspicious, hearing a car pull up and park there."

Two-Bit turned off the ignition, and we all sat in silence for a minute. I almost felt like I should be praying that things would go okay. Finally, Soda took a deep breath and turned to me.

"Ready?"

"Yes," I said. "Are you?"

"I hope so," he said, and he opened the door, pulling me out behind him. I wasn't surprised when he leaned up against the car and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one. I supposed it was sort of a testament to how much he cared about Sandy- I had never seen him smoke as much as he did when he was stressed out over her. I just stood there, waiting. Two-Bit motioned me over to his window.

I went over and leaned in.

"Sorry… about before."

"Forget it. I miss my Mom, that's all. I mean, you can tease your sister about all that girl stuff, but…she has your Mom. I don't."

"I know," he said. "So... that's why I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it," I said, good-naturedly slapping him on the cheek and heading back to stand with Soda.

After a few minutes, he threw down the cigarette, stomping it out with his heel. He leaned down and said, through the window, to Two-Bit,

"Wish me luck, man."

"Luck," Two-Bit said. "You deserve it, buddy."

He grabbed my hand, and we walked down the sidewalk to number twenty-five. It was hot out, and humid, and our hands were sweating, but he didn't let go. In fact, the closer we got, the tighter he held.

The house was small, but well-maintained. There was a flowerbed on each side of the stairs that led up to the front door. I noticed there was a car in the driveway, and hoped Sandy was home. I hadn't even thought about the fact that she might not be there anymore.

There was no doorbell, but there was a knocker on the door, a fancy brass one, with engraving. "Carson," it read, and I remembered from Soda's returned letter that her name was Sandy Carson. Must be her Dad's mother, I figured.

Soda looked at me and I looked back up at him, showing him my crossed fingers.

He lifted up the handle, and knocked, decisively.

....................................

A/N: You're the best, reader/reviewers!