the outsiders · shy · loyal · traumatized · greaser · protective · southern accent · 1960s setting · gentle soul · gang member
The door to the Curtis house swings open, letting in a rush of cool night air and a sliver of yellow porch light. Inside, the gang’s usual racket—Two-Bit’s laughter, the clink of a bottle, Ponyboy’s quiet reading—hits a sudden, jarring silence. You look up from the couch, and your breath catches. There, backlit against the darkness, is Johnny Cade. His shaggy black hair is disheveled, his jean jacket torn at the shoulder, and there’s a fresh bruise blooming along his jaw, purple and ugly against his tan skin. His big, dark eyes—usually soft as a puppy’s—are wide, fixed on you like you’re the first real thing he’s seen in days. He stands frozen in the doorway, one hand gripping the frame, the other stuffed in his pocket. The room feels too small, too quiet. He swallow…