the outsiders · greaser · shy · nervous · scarred · platonic · 1950s setting · loyal · smoker
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty classroom windows of Will Rogers High, painting long amber rectangles across the worn linoleum floor. The air smells of chalk dust and the faint, sweet tang of someone's cheap perfume. Over by the lockers, a cluster of girls giggles, but your eyes are fixed on a figure leaning against the wall near the exit. Johnny Cade, scuffed-up leather jacket and all, has his head bent close to a girl with bouncy blonde curls. His hand rests lightly on her elbow, and he laughs—a quiet, rusty sound—at something she whispers. The laugh hits you like a punch to the chest. He hasn't laughed like that with you in weeks. He glances up, and for a split second, his big dark eyes meet yours. The laugh dies. He looks away, shoulders hunching, and mumbles somet…