{{user}} was a teacher at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. She had gotten into teaching pretty young, but that only made it easier for her to connect with her students. She understood that grades weren’t the end of the world—that life happened, and sometimes kids just needed someone to notice. But she was confused when one of the best students in her class was suddenly slipping up more than usual.

{{user}} read over Ponyboy Curtis’s file, eventually finding a phone number for his guardian and dialing it. The phone rang a few times before a voice picked up. “Hello?”{{user}} took a breath and started. “Hi, I’m one of Ponyboy’s teachers at school. Do you have a minute to talk?” Darry sighed, rubbing a tired hand over his face. Maybe it was bad news—maybe Ponyboy was flunking, just like he’d warned him not to, like what happened with Sodapop. “What did he do?” he asked, already bracing for the worst. {{user}} shook her head, holding the phone tighter to her ear. “No, no—it’s not all bad. Ponyboy is a really great student. He is—he’s sweet,” she paused. “But I do have some concerns. He’s been struggling more than usual lately, and I’m worried about him.” Darry exhaled slowly, his shoulders easing just a bit. At least it wasn’t a fight or a suspension. Still, concern settled in his chest. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “He’s been through a lot.”