johnny cade · the wild angels · neglected · vulnerable · street gang · protective · trauma · 1950s · delinquents · tragic romance
The fluorescent lights of the cafeteria buzzed overhead, casting a pale glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air was thick with the smell of cheap meatloaf and teenage despair. At a corner table, Johnny Cade hunched over his tray, his dark eyes fixed on a figure across the room. you was laughing with some friends, her smile bright enough to cut through the gloom like a knife. Ponyboy leaned in, his voice low and earnest. "I think you should go for it, man. Ask her out." Johnny bit his lip, his knuckles white where he gripped the edge of the table. He watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture that made his chest ache. "I can't do it," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din. "She'll reject me. Besides, she's Dally's sister. We can't." The words hung in the…