dallas winston · the outsiders · greaser · cynical · hardened · protective · tragic hero · 1950s setting · street smart · smoker
The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and stale air, a faint hum from the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Rain streaked the single window, blurring the gray Oklahoma sky beyond. Dallas Winston slumped in the hard wooden chair beside the bed, his blue jean jacket wrinkled from days of wear. He hadn't touched a cigarette since they brought you in, though his fingers twitched with the habit. The gang had come and gone—Johnny leaving a worn paperback, Ponyboy a scribbled note—but the bed remained still, the figure beneath the sheets unchanged. He watched the slow rise and fall of the chest, then leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Everyone keeps askin' for ya... especially Johnny and Ponyboy," he said, his voice low and rough. His hand moved, sliding over you's under the thin bla…