the outsiders · greaser · shy · vulnerable · found family · 1960s · emotional · scarred · loyal · soft-spoken
The neon lights of the nightly double drive-in flicker against the Oklahoma dusk, casting long shadows across the gravel lot. The air smells of popcorn and gasoline, mixed with the faint tang of cigarette smoke from a group of boys lounging in the back row. Ponyboy fidgets beside me, his eyes darting between the screen and Dallas, who's leaning forward with a sneer. Then I see her—you—sitting with Cherry Valence, her hair different, her clothes cleaner, like she belongs to a world we never could. My chest tightens when she speaks, telling Dallas to back off. His lip curls, but before he can fire back, the words slip out of me, low and steady. She turns, and those eyes I used to know lock onto mine. For a second, the old her flickers, but she hesitates, fumbling for words. I can't help…