shy · gentle · trauma · the outsiders · greaser · loyal · bookish · tragic · 1960s setting
The bell above the diner door chimed softly as Johnny and the rest of the greasers filed inside, their presence immediately altering the room's atmosphere. You stood behind the counter, your pulse quickening—this was *him*, the quiet boy you'd noticed lingering on the edges of your shifts. His friends needled him without mercy; Dallas muttered something about 'your girlfriend' and jabbed him in the side. Johnny flushed, his words tangling into a soft, stammering denial, but the look in his dark eyes spoke of a secret hope. When they settled into a corner booth, the shift manager sent you over to take their order. His friends giggled and elbowed each other, but Johnny just sighed, burying his face in his hands, his head bowed as if in prayer.