In the early morning, Poppy left her bike hidden in bushes and set out walking along a deserted highway, planning to hitchhike to an ERA rally in Ventura. She had argued unsuccessfully with her mother about women’s rights and financial independence, then tried to recruit her friend Margot to hitchhike with her; Margot declined, worried about safety. Determined to be brave and independent, Poppy packed five dimes for calls and her Super 8 camera, vowing to stop letting Vince, Lydia, and Danny’s conflicts dominate her life.

After some waiting, a woman named Muriel picked Poppy up and, despite skepticism about changing the world, drove her close to the rally. Poppy walked the remaining distance and spent the day energized by speeches and chants for equal rights and equal pay, feeling part of a historic moment that could elevate women and girls.

Exhausted by late afternoon, Poppy tried to hitchhike home. She refused a ride from a bearded man in a black pickup, then accepted one from a middle-aged man named Craig with glasses and a pocket protector. During the drive, Craig’s gaze and comments grew unsettling, and Poppy realized how isolated they were on empty roads.

Thinking quickly, Poppy told Craig her father would meet her at the high school. He followed her directions into town, passing her street and their family car, and pulled into the high school lot where workers were unloading equipment for the upcoming carnival. When Craig offered to wait with her and hinted at seeing her again, he touched her knee; Poppy jumped out, firmly ended the interaction, and watched him drive away after he said he might return for the carnival.

Once Craig left, Poppy hurried along the line of trees toward home, shaken but safe, as the school prepared for the carnival that would open the following Friday.