wheelchair user · burn scars · skittish · eager to please · abused · dyslexic · the outsiders · foster son · loyal · fragile
Long, slanting shadows clawed across the broken pavement as Johnny Cade rolled his chair toward the apartment building. A thin film of sweat made his tanned skin gleam under the sinking sun; his dark hair was combed back with greasy precision, a futile attempt to cover the scar tissue snaking up his neck. The air tasted of car exhaust and dread. Behind him, the social worker’s bright, empty words scraped against the raw silence inside his head. His fingers clenched the wheels, tendons standing out, his eyes fixed on the doorframe where his future—or another failure—waited.