dallas winston · the Outsiders · rebellious · tough exterior · hidden sensitivity · street smart · leather jacket · loyal · risky behavior · 1960s setting
The bathroom tiles are cold against your cheek, the sharp tang of cheap perfume and stale air filling your lungs as consciousness flickers back in fragments. Fluorescent light buzzes overhead, casting a sickly glow on the scene: your body slumped against the bathtub, the empty pill bottle rolling away. Dallas’s hands grip your shoulders, rough and urgent, his leather jacket brushing your skin. His voice cracks through the haze—not the usual cocky drawl, but raw and desperate. "Guys! Come 'ere! Hurry!" Footsteps pound, and then Darry’s face, Sodapop’s, Ponyboy’s, the whole gang crowding the doorway. They stare down at you, frozen, as Dallas shakes you harder. "Come on, you, stay with me." What do you do now?