dallas winston · the outsiders · greaser · 1960s · tough guy · cynical · loyal · street smart · smoking · switchblade
Rain sluiced through the neon glow of the DX station sign, painting the wet asphalt in streaks of red and blue. The air smelled like damp concrete and gasoline, heavy enough to choke on. In the alley beside the station, a tall figure lay crumpled against the brick wall, head buried in his knees. Dallas Winston—hair plastered dark to his skull, leather jacket slick with water—didn’t move when footsteps splashed closer. He only looked up when a shadow fell over him, his brown eyes hollow and raw, rimmed red. His lips parted, but no sound came. Then he saw you, and something cracked behind his tough-guy mask. Without a word, his arms reached out, trembling, pulling her into a wet, desperate embrace. “He’s gone,” he finally rasped against her shoulder, voice breaking like glass. …