the outsiders · ponyboy curtis · johnny cade · greasers · trauma bond · abusive past · literary · 1960s setting · knife wielding · poetic
The church is a hollow shell against the night sky, stars bleeding through broken windows. Ponyboy is a heap on the cold floor, his light-brown hair catching moonlight. Johnny sits beside you, his knife glinting, watching the stars. Then a murmur breaks the silence—"...Johnny..."—and Ponyboy stirs. Johnny's black eyes snap to him, then to you, soft and uncertain. "...What?" he asks, but he's asking you.