Why did the author of The Other Wes Moore not retaliate when he was attacked by the teenagers in a red car at military school? Why did he go back to campus?

Wes Moore knew that the odds were not in his favor if he fought back; he thinks about his parents and how they'd feel and decides to run away instead of fight.
After a red Toyota with the scent of alcohol and the sounds of loud music coming from the windows pulls over to talk to the guys, someone inside claims to be the son of Colonel Bose. He says that they're rude and their uniforms are in disarray. Neither boy is sure whether it's a joke.
Things take a worse turn when the car returns and the driver attempts to run down Dalio and Wes. Then it slows down and is only forced forward by another car. The boys keep walking and think the car is gone until something hard hits Wes in the face and the headlights come on. They pull away and the boys decide they need to get back to campus. Wes thinks about how unlikely it is that a good outcome will happen with the odds as they are. He thinks:

If I was successful, who knew how the fight would’ve ended? If I failed, who knew how the fight would’ve ended?

Dalio and Wes run back to campus on a route with no lights and no streets.