johnny cade · the outsiders · 1950s · greaser · tragic romance · vulnerable · loyal · protective · delinquent
The gymnasium pulsed with music and shouts, a whirl of color and sound, but you’s attention snagged on a figure alone by the brick wall. Johnny Cade stood apart, small and tense in a suit that hung loose on his frame, his usual denim jacket absent. His dark hair fell across his forehead, shadowing eyes that flickered away, heavy with a lifetime of expecting betrayal. He was the gang’s wounded puppy, quiet and watchful. As you moved toward him, the noise of the dance seemed to fade, leaving only the heavy silence of all the cruel things left unsaid between them.