Chapter Forty

I looked around at the quiet campus and it felt much different than the first day I had arrived. The place was now familiar and far less intimidating than it had originally been. It was almost as if I belonged there. I knew that even if I seemed to be fitting in, I didn't want to. I still would have preferred to be home in my rough, noisy, run down neighborhood.

Thinking about Tulsa made my mind drift off to the pictures in the Ashford Academy Journal. I walked over to the main hall, grabbed two extra copies of the newspaper, and retreated to the brief solace of my dorm room.

Once inside I grabbed the sharp scissors from Lacey's desk and carefully cut out the pictures of my family and friends. I arranged them on the cork board affixed to the wall on my side of the room, and after I was happy with their placement I eyed my suitcase.

I spent the rest of my quiet time unpacking. With each item I unpacked my heart grew heavier. I wanted nothing more than to get away from my loneliness and be back with my brothers. Just as I finished unpacking I heard the final school bell ring. I sighed heavy and knew Lacey and her minions would be waltzing through the door in a few minutes to continue their taunting of me for their own amusement.

I sat down on my bed and grabbed a school book so I could pretend to be reading when they arrived. When the wooden door to my room creaked open I buried my attention to the words on the page and didn't look up.

"Scout!" Maria's voice rang out, "it's good to have you back! I think Lacey was really missing you."

I looked up and my smile matched the sarcastic smile on my new friend's face.

Maria's friend Karen came up to me with her thumb hitched up to her lips as if she were doing an interview. "Tell us Scout Curtis, how do you manage to live in a house full of the finest looking boys in all of Tulsa?"

I laughed out loud with the other girls.

"Seriously, how do you do it?" Karen asked in amazement as she sat on the edge of my bed. "Your brother, Sodapop, is the sweetest looking thing I have seen in a long while."

"Just because he looks sweet doesn't mean he is sweet." I answered with a grin.

"What are you talking about?" Maria's friend with curly red hair questioned me as she leaned against the dresser at the end of my bed. "He rode all the way here to help move you back in."

"Yeah, that's more than my older brother would ever do for me." Maria said and her friends agreed with her.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, he is real sweet, but he's still my brother and he can be real sour when he wants to be."

"Awe hell girl, I bet at home you got it made." The red head, Heidi, drawled out. "It's no wonder you don't like it here."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Heidi stated, "From what I've read it sounds like those brothers of yours take extra good care of you."

"They probably spoil you like a baby." Maria said with a smile.

Her comment made me think of all the times Mom, Dad, and Darry had called me 'baby girl'.

"Yeah," Karen added, "I bet you are as spoiled with affection as Lacey McGovern is with money."

"I'd take affection over money any day." Maria said to the agreement of her friends.

I looked over at her. "Well, if you put it that way, I am spoiled rotten."

"Spoiled rotten and lucky!" Maria called out from where she was sitting at the end of my bed.

"Why lucky?" I asked

"How`bout this for starters," Heidi started her list. "You've escaped possible death at least twice, you're a bon a fide hero, your boyfriend is Owen Jasper, you have a scholarship to Ashford Academy, and you've got one of the best looking brothers in all the land!"

"And that Sodapop is as fine as they come!" Karen said while I blushed.

"Any chance of him coming back to visit soon?" Maria swooned.

I shook my head. "No time soon. Mr. Donaldsen told me I have to finish my punishment from sockin` Lacey in the face. I have ten more days with no phone calls and no visitors."

"He can come visit me!" Maria laughed and the other girls giggled with her.

"Come on, let's get out of here and go have some fun before dinner and study hour!" Karen said as she stood up and yanked at my sweater.

"Okay." I agreed and slipped on my shoes.

Before we left the room Lacey and Tucker strolled in with their arms full of schoolbooks. I watched Lacey's line of sight as she noticed the new pictures hanging on my board. I was surprised she didn't have an instant comment to share about how I probably couldn't afford the original pictures.

Instead she dumped her books on her bed and noticed the framed picture of her an Owen laying face down on her satin comforter.

"Were you looking at my picture?" Lacey demanded an answer.

I smiled easy and replied, "No, I never touched it. Sodapop did and that boy never does well at picking up after himself!"

My girlfriends giggled and headed out into the hallway.

With amusement I bid my roommate and her friend adieu, "good to see you again ladies!" Then I disappeared down the hall with my new set of friends.

My first day back to boarding school had proven to be more enjoyable than I had ever imagined it could be, but first night back was a different story.

Once Mrs. Lemon called for lights out I lay in my bed and the quiet calmness of the campus gave my mind too much time to wander. I listened to the tick tock of Lacey's bedside clock and became haunted by the horror of the lies James may say about me if his attorney's should choose to put him on the stand. My horror morphed into fear as the minutes ticked by and I thought about how James could win the court case and walk out of the courthouse a free man. Once free, he would be allowed to do whatever he wanted to anyone at anytime.

Trying to shake the idea from my head I rolled over and stared at my roommate in her peaceful slumber. Trying to gain the same results, I closed my eyes and told myself there was no way James would win. I told myself that the truth would prevail and James would find himself locked up tight in a jail cell somewhere with someone. Then I subconsciously tortured myself as I began to think that James Young and Duke Dobbins could end up in a jail cell together. My mind spun with crazy ideas of how the two of them could plot together to destroy me or my family. I knew I couldn't let that happen as I drifted off to sleep.

That night I dreamt I left my room at Covington House and walked to the mail room in the main building. I looked in my mailbox and found a document from the Tulsa County Courthouse. I was almost giddy thinking I had received a letter declaring James had been found guilty of all charges. I was sure he was headed to prison and I was headed back to live with my brothers. I opened the official letter and was stunned by what was written inside. In my hand I held an official letter from the office of the Honorable Judge Ralph Carlson declaring Darry unfit to care for me. I was officially an orphan and being listed as available for adoption. I was devastated! I couldn't imagine living with any other family in any other town, so with nothing to lose, I set off to find my way back to Tulsa to hide out in my own home.

Without packing a thing, I ran across campus and through the woods on the outskirts of Ashford. I jumped into the river and swam across to the other side just in time to hear the freight train and its steam engine rumbling towards me. I pushed my way through the prickles of the briar patch and hid behind an old oak tree close to the tracks. As a puddle of river water formed at my feet I waited for the steam engine to pass by and be out of sight before I attempted to hop into one of the empty boxcars.

'Clickity klack, Clicktiy klack', the train was passing by a little faster than I had anticipated. I pulled up the sleeves of my wet uniform sweater, and remembered what Dally had once taught me about how to jump on board a train. I could hear his voice say, "listen to the rhythm of the train to determine if it is slowing down, picking up speed, or maintaining its pace." I closed my eyes and determined the train speed. Next I remembered Dally telling me, "you've got to look way down the track and pick a specific point where you want to jump on." I looked down the track at the line of railcars and locked my vision onto one particular orange colored boxcar. It was at this moment that I remembered Dally's final instructions, "don't miss or the train will suck you under and grind you up into little hamburger sized pieces." I shook the morbid thought from my head and kept my gaze fixed on the target I had chosen. As the car grew near I began the difficult task of running alongside the train. Soon the orange metal ladder welded to the side of the boxcar that I had chosen was within my sights. I reached for it once and missed. Speeding my feet below me I reached up a second time. With a firm grasp on a metal rung I pulled my body from the ground and clung to the side of the train.

I had made it onto the train, but I knew I couldn't ride all the way to Tulsa clinging to the outside of the filthy metal boxcar. Now I needed to figure a way inside without falling off and making myself into ground beef! Carefully I reached for the edge of the open doorway. With one hand and foot on the metal ladder and the other hand and foot wrapped around the edge of the door I attempted to muster up enough guts to pull myself inside. I had resolved with myself that I would attempt the entrance on the count of three, but before I could finish my count a strong hand reached out of the door, grabbed me by the back and yanked me into the boxcar. The force of the person's pull threw me to the metal floor of the train car and before I could look up I heard that ever familiar laugh, "ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."

I lifted my line of sight to find Dallas Winston standing before me in his black leather jacket with a cocky smile.

"Christ almighty, Scout. Were you planning on hanging out there all the way to Tulsa?" Dally asked then he laughed again.

I though for a moment about how much I missed his laugh then I questioned his existence. "Dally? What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I was going to let you jump this train all alone, did ya?" Dally sauntered over to a stack of wooden crates in a darker area of the boxcar. "Me and Johnnycakes here just wanted to be sure you didn't have to travel alone."

I stood up and tried to keep my balance as the train car swayed back and forth. My eyes adjusted to the dim light in the boxcar and noticed Johnny Cade sitting on the boxes with his shy little grin.

"Come on, Scout. You know we wouldn't ever make you have to do this trip by yourself." Johnny assured me.

I released a huge sigh of relief and ran to my friends and hugged them both, Johnny first and then Dally.

"Whoa, whoa," Dally said gruffly, "you don't need to be slobbering and stuff all over us. Besides, you're soaking wet!"

I let go of the boy at his request.

"And you smell like a wet dog." Dallas finished his comment and laughed out loud at himself.

I ignored the dig, and took a step back to look at the two of them. They looked as rough as they did everyday of their lives. "I just can't believe my eyes!"

"Well, we can't believe the run of bad luck you've stumbled into." Johnny said with a sweet concern.

The train rocked me sideways. I stumbled a little then choose to sit down next to Johnny on the wooden crates.

"You aint a woofin!" I simply said.

"You don't need to worry about all that no more. Me and Johnny here are gonna take good care of you till you're old enough to take care of yourself." Dallas said as he struck a match on his Saint Christopher medal and lit another cigarette.

"I appreciate that." I said quickly as my mind processed what Dallas had said. "Whoa! Wait a minute. What do you mean, till I'm old enough?"

"You don't actually think you're gonna jump off this train in Tulsa and be able to stay with your brothers. Do you?" Dallas asked.

I opened my mouth, but my words were stuck inside.

"Yeah, Scout." Johnny said softly, "You know as soon as that school calls the fuzz they are gonna head straight over to your house and haul you back."

I looked at both of my friends in panic. "No, no, no! The Judge's letter said I was going to be put up for adoption, but Kathryn Ottavi said in a letter she sent me weeks ago that she may know someone back home who will adopt me. So it'll be okay. All I have to do is get back to Tulsa to be with my brothers and Owen and they'll…"

"Owen?" Dallas interrupted in disgust of my affection for the Soc. "We're sticking our necks out for you and all you care about is that damn Soc? What about the boys? I bet the boys are worried sick about you!"

"Dally," I argued, "I never thought the boys and Casey weren't worried. I'm sure they are worried."

"Yeah, well they aint going to worry no more because Johnny and I are going to look out for ya from now on."

Johnny reached over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry none, Scout. In a few years we'll head back to Tulsa and you can see Ponyboy and your other brothers again."

"Head back to Tulsa?" I yelled out and looked over at him. "This train is supposed to be headed to Tulsa! If it's not headed to Tulsa where are we going?"

"Any where we want," Dallas said with a grin, "but Tulsa."

Then the engine's train whistle blew a warning that held for a more than normal length. The train's brakes grabbed a hold of the rails beneath us and threw our bodies forward. When the inertia freed us we stood up together and ran to the open boxcar door just in time to see the large black engine around the bend strike the side of my parent's light blue car.

My body jumped from the mattress below me. I sat up in shock as I inhaled in fear. In a few seconds I realized it was all a dream and that I was still at Ashford in my dorm room with a roommate I despised even while she slept.

I caught my breath, laid my head back onto my pillow, and thought about the dream. Seeing Dallas and Johnny again felt so real. I missed them more than I ever imagined I would have.

Now that I was wide awake I found myself trying to analyze the dream. I wondered what it meant that the Judge would put me up for adoption, but Dallas wouldn't let that happen to me. I reminded myself that was exactly what Dally would have done for me if he was still alive.

Early the next morning I was the first one into the shower and the first one from Covington House ready to go to class, so I left to enjoy a stroll in the warm morning sun. As I ate breakfast I was joined by Maria and my new friends. In spite of of our giggles and chatter the dream weighed heavy on my mind as I headed off to class. I muscled through my classes, but as the day drew on I grew more and more anxious about what may have been going on in the courtroom. I hated not being able to know who was testifying and how the defense attorney may have been attempting to twist the truth.

In the evening I barely touched my dinner, in study hall I couldn't stop tapping my foot out of nervousness, and just before bed Maria let me know she had noticed.

"Scout, are you feeling okay?" She asked me in the hallway.

I smiled at her and appreciated her caring about me. "Yeah, I'm just worried about what is going on back home."

"Why don't you just call them and ask?"

"I can't, remember I'm still on punishment."

"Oh yeah," Maria said and seemed to drift off in thought. "What if we asked Ms. Lemon to call for you?" Maria grabbed me by the hand. "Let's go speak with Ms. Lemon and see if she will help."

Together Maria and I walked to the lady's office. I let my friend do all of the talking.

"Ms. Lemon?"

"Yes, my Dears, come in." The house mother replied from the chair she was relaxing in while reading a book.

"Ms. Lemon, the Covington House girls and I were talking about how miserable Scout is not being able to speak with her family in their time of crisis, and we were wondering if you could allow her to call home just for a few minutes to see how everything is."

Ms. Lemon smiled wide and put her hand over her heart. "Young ladies, I would love to do that, but I simply can't..."

Maria cried out in desperation, "but Ms. Lemon..."

Ms. Lemon instantly interrupted her, "Miss Kinsley, Please let me finish." Ms. Lemon paused to be sure the young lady intended to do so. "I can not make the phone call this evening, but I will approach Dean Donaldsen in the morning to ask for a special circumstance."

"Thank you, Ms. Lemon," Maria and I both said in unison with a smile.

The two of us climbed the stairs to find Maria's friends Heidi, and Karen in their room. We walked in and Maria tossed herself onto Heidi's bed in a huff.

Karen looked over at her, "What's shaking?"

Maria looked at her friend. "Nothing much, I was just trying to help Scout find a way to call home tonight so she could hear how the trial against that creep was coming along."

Heidi looked over at me, "too bad one of us couldn't make the call for you."

Maria sat up straight. "Wait a minute… that could work."

Heidi looked at her friend with a furrowed brow. "No it can't. You know the operator will only dial the people on our call list."

Maria continued with her idea. "That's what I mean. Why don't we all call our mothers, explain Scout's situation and have them write to Ashford and add Sodapop to our call list."

Karen laughed, "Maria, you are hopelessly in love aren't you."

Maria blushed and yelled out, "No!"

Heidi laughed too. "Maria, you are a liar, but your idea just might work. I am going to call my mom and see what she says. Scout, what's your home phone number?" Heidi handed me a pen and a composition notebook for me to write on before she skipped out into the hall to make the phone call.

One by one my new friends called home and tried to convince their parents for a letter to be sent to the school to give them permission to allow them to place and receive calls from an unknown boy named, Sodapop Curtis. Only Maria's mother agreed to do so, but it would take a few days for the letter of permission to arrive. Still, it was a step in the right direction to put me in contact with my family.

After their calls home the girls and I were sitting in Heidi and Karen's room trying to come up with a better solution to my problem when Karen loudly snapped her fingers and stood up.

"I've got it!" She declared.

"What have you got?" Maria looked up from the bed she was laying on and asked.

"Lacey and Owen!" Karen announced.

Maria looked to me and then back to Karen. "What do Lacey and Owen have to do with this?"

"No! Lacey has Owen on her calling list from when they attended that debutant ball this spring! She can call him for Scout!"

"She'll never do that" I said and looked at Karen with doubt.

"Oh yes she will!" Karen said with confidence "Her family and the Jaspers have known each other for years and there is no way she would want them to know that she refused to help."

Karen grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bed and out of the room with Heidi and Maria in tow.

The three of us found Lacey down the hall hanging out with her friends in Tucker's room. Karen barged in without knocking. "Lacey! You need to get up and call Owen Jasper to find out what's been going on in that court case Scout is worried about."

Lacey took a look at me and laughed. "No, I won't."

"Yes you will!" Karen demanded.

Lacey sat back and looked at Karen in disbelief. "You're crazy Karen. Crazy with a capital K!"

Karen folded her arms across her chest and looked down at Lacey with displeasure. "Scout Curtis has rescued young children from a burning building the least you could do for her is call Owen."

"She punched me in the face!" Lacey declared.

"You had it coming to you!" Karen sassed back as the tension in the room began to grow.

"Ladies, please!" Maria intervened to keep the girls from getting into a full blown argument that would grab the attention of other Covington House girls or Ms. Lemon. "The Jaspers and the McGoverns have vacationed together in the Carolinas for more than a decade. Mr. and Mrs. McGovern love Owen like he is one of their own. Imagine how upsetting it would be for Mrs. McGovern to hear from her darling Owen this summer that her little girl refused to help him be in contact with the girl he loves. Tragic!"

The room was silent as Lacey paused a moment to decide if Maria's story held any merit.

Karen sang out, "time to make that phone call!"

Lacey rolled her eyes in disgust. "Fine, let's get this over with." She hopped off the bed and went to the phone in the hallway.

My friends and I stepped into the hall to eavesdrop on the conversation.

I found myself becoming very envious of Lacey the she would soon be able to hear Owen's voice and I would not. I wondered if Lacey would consider allowing me to listen in or speak to my boyfriend, but even if she did the risk might lead to further trouble for both of us, so I didn't ask.

Lacey picked up the receiver and spoke to the operator on the other end. "This is Lacey McGovern at Covington House and I would like to be connected with Owen Jasper." During the connection pause Lacey looked my way.

From across the hall I could faintly hear the sound of ringing coming from the receiver. Lacey turned away from me, but I could still hear her side of the conversation. "Hello Mrs. Jasper, this is Lacey McGovern calling to speak with Owen... I'm doing very well, thank you for asking... Yes, mother and father are well too... Of course I look forward to seeing you in the Carolinas again this summer... No, no need to tell him I called..."

Karen realized Lacey wasn't fully holding to her agreement. Karen loudly cleared her throat to gain Lacey's attention.

Lacey grimaced with displeasure, but she followed through. "Mrs. Jasper, could you please tell Owen that Scout Curtis says hello...Yes she is... She is also wondering how the court case is proceeding... I see, okay I will let her know... She can not use the phone for another week, school rules... Yes, mam' that is a shame... I will let her know, have a nice evening."

As the phone call ended I began to realize that Lacey could be very sweet if she chose to be.

"Well?" Maria demanded a report as Lacey hung up the receiver.

Lacey looked over at me. "Owen wasn't home. He was downtown shopping with a girl named, Charlotte."

My stomach turned just a little sour at the sound of the girl's name, but I didn't let it show on my face.

Lacey continued with her report, "Owen began his testimony today. Mrs. Jasper said he should be done by tomorrow and then your older brother should testify before the jury goes into deliberations."

My stomach grew even sourer as I realized it was almost judgment time for James Young, and for me by proxy.

I looked at my roommate. "Thank you for making the call Lacey. I really appreciate it."

Lacey stared at me and for the first time since we met she was civil towards me as she responded, "I do hope that boy gets sent away to prison."

I smiled, "yeah, me too."

Lacey walked back down the hallway to her friend's room and I followed my friends to their room in the opposite direction. As night fell we chatted softly about how surprised we were with Lacey's small act of kindness.

At bedtime, I returned to my room where Lacey was reading in her bed. I noticed the feeling of tension seemed diminished and when I said 'good night' Lacey even said it in return.