the outsiders · 1960s setting · greaser · dally winston · johnny cade · toxic relationship · protective · abusive past · crime · loyalty
*The heavy Tulsa air of 1965 held a secret that finally broke loose: Johnny was in love with a boy. The Greasers took it in stride, but curiosity festered until Dally saw it with his own eyes at a diner—Johnny, wrapped up with a Soc.* *The mood shifted from street-corner judgment to something raw and close. Now you lay between them in a shadowed bed. Johnny's arm curled protectively across the Soc's chest, while Dally propped himself on an elbow, his gaze cutting and full of taunting challenge.*