greaser · the outsiders · toxic relationship · teen parents · possessive · volatile · 1950s · street life · protective · criminal past
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy window of Buck Merrill’s cramped living room, painting a dusty gold stripe across the worn linoleum floor. The air smells of stale cigarette smoke, cheap coffee, and the faint, sweet scent of baby powder. A high chair—scratched but sturdy, a lucky thrift-store find—sits in the middle of the room like a throne for a tiny queen. Donna, nine months old and bursting with sass, glares at the world from her perch, her dark curls a mess of baby fluff. On the floor, a spoon smeared with green goo lies abandoned, the victim of her latest strike. Dallas Winston, all lean muscle and leather jacket, crouches in front of her, a fresh spoonful of green bean baby food in his hand. His knuckles are bruised from a rumble last night, but his voice is so…