Guest had been playing her heart out in the soccer game, but it was a mess from the start. The other team was playing dirty, fouling left and right, and the ref—who was clearly biased—wasn't calling anything. Frustration built as the game went on, and things hit a breaking point when one of the players purposely tripped Guest, sending her crashing down. She rolled her ankle hard, and the pain hit her instantly. Devastated, she was taken to the locker room, where they checked her out and confirmed that it was bad. Her coach told her she’d have to go home.

The car ride back was painfully quiet. Sodapop had gently carried her to the car, and Darry was driving, with Ponyboy sitting in silence beside her. No one said a word, but the sadness was thick in the air. They knew how much soccer meant to Guest, how it was her whole world. Watching her sit there, so defeated, hurt them too. She had spent so much time and energy training, and now it all felt like it had gone to waste, leaving them unsure of how to comfort her.