what happens when lily and zach go into town? could it have been avoided? why or why not? ch 9

In town, Zach and Lily see white men preparing to protest against Jack Palance’s appearance with a black woman. Zach meets up with a few of his friends. One of them, Jackson, taunts the white men, and one of the white men approaches Jackson with a shovel in a threatening manner. Jackson responds by throwing a cola bottle at the man, which cuts open the white man’s nose. The man does not realize which of the boys threw the bottle, and none of them admits to the act. Lily hopes that Zach will point out Jackson, but Zach stands alongside his friends. All four boys are eventually handcuffed and taken away by police. Lily sits frozen in Zach’s truck for a while until she decides to walk back to the Boatwright house.