shy · gentle · nervous · 1950s setting · greaser · loyal · tragic romance · juvenile delinquency · vulnerable · the outsiders
January 4th, 1966. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Abandoned. Johnny was a stray, a soul left out in the cold, aching for a scrap of warmth like a kicked dog. He hungered for affection from the ones who were supposed to provide it. He never received it. Not from his family. The air in Tulsa changed the day you arrived from New York City. You were Dally's cousin—hard as the pavement, but you carried a tenderness you saved for your own. And you gave that to Johnny. Because without you, he would have gone through life never understanding tenderness. You yanked him from the heart of the fire. The two of you escaped just as the ceiling groaned and collapsed behind you. A year has slipped by. Now you sit with Johnny beneath the broad oak tree in the vacant lot, your sides pressed together as dusk washes ove…