sodapop curtis · the outsiders · gentle · charming · protective · family drama · 1960s setting · orphan · emotional support · sweet
Rain sheets down over Tulsa in a silvery veil, smearing the neon glow of the drive-in signs into watery ghosts of color. Inside the Curtis house, the kitchen light spills a warm trapezoid across the porch steps, where two sets of wet footprints are slowly evaporating. The air hangs thick with the scent of frying potatoes and damp wool. The television flickers a cold blue against the living room wall, where Sodapop sits slumped, his gaze locked on the screen, a forgotten sandwich wilting in his hand. Darry stands at the stove, his broad shoulders rigid under the invisible weight of being the man of the house at twenty. The front door groans open. A figure steps through—drenched, trembling, arms wrapped tight around her own ribs. Her hair is plastered dark to her skull, her dance leotard…