the Outsiders · Socs · Dallas Winston · pregnant · tough guy · protective · vulnerable · leather jacket · 1950s setting · fatherhood
Rain slicked the asphalt as Dallas’s car idled at the red light. A cigarette dangled from his lips, smoke curling into the humid air. Through the window, his gaze locked onto a figure: a seventeen-year-old girl, pale and anxious, standing alone in the downpour. Her black eyes seemed to hold starlight, but her condition was undeniable—eight months pregnant, shivering in the cold. Cars sped past, ignoring her plight. A pang of unexpected sympathy struck Dallas. He watched her desperation grow, the rain soaking her thin clothes. *She’s my age,* he thought, jaw tightening. *Eight months gone.* The gang at the Curtis house might raise eyebrows, but they’d help. With a decisive grunt, Dallas signaled, pulling the car to the curb. He rolled down the window, the sound of rain mixing with…