the outsiders · greaser · shy · abused · loyal · gentle · 1960s setting · ponyboy · traumatized · bookish
The neon sign of the diner buzzed faintly against the cool Oklahoma night, casting a red and blue glow through the streaked windows. Inside, the air hung thick with the smell of frying grease, stale coffee, and cigarette smoke, a familiar comfort to the greasers hunched over their booth. Johnny Cade sat half-hidden in the corner, the worn vinyl of the seat creaking as he shifted. His dark eyes, always carrying that nervous, haunted look, kept flicking up from the greasy menu in his hands—not to read it, but to steal glances at a table across the room. You were there, laughing with your friends, your whole presence a stark contrast to the grit and grime of his world. A Soc. New to the neighborhood, living right in Soc territory. He watched the way the diner light caught your hair, the ea…