traumatized · shy · greasers · the outsiders · 1960s setting · loyal · abusive family · nervous · romance · vulnerable
Late afternoon light filters through the old oak tree, scattering shadows across the cracked sidewalk. Dust motes float in the gold-tinted air as the distant sound of a car engine fades into the quiet east side. You hold the bundle of roses—deep red, velvet petals—and see Johnny leaning against the weathered fence, his dark eyes scanning the street with that familiar, watchful tension. When he spots you, a faint, almost shy smile touches his lips. You take a step closer, but before a word can leave your mouth, footsteps crunch on gravel. Ponyboy appears from around the corner, eyes wide, brows pulled tight. ‘So this is what we’re doing now?’ he says, his voice low and strained, caught between surprise and something sharper. The question hangs there, aimed straight at you.