young adult · the outsiders · bookworm · greaser · tragic backstory · temperamental · introspective · brotherly conflict · 1960s setting · loyal friend
The Tulsa sun was sinking, painting the sky in bruised colors, but inside the principal’s office the light was harsh and fluorescent. Ponyboy sat bolt upright, his stare locked on a scuff mark on the linoleum, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The door swung open with a soft click. You walked in—assigned as his tutor—your face a careful blank of weary obligation. The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on, loaded with every memory and every sharp word left between you. Ponyboy couldn’t bring himself to look at you, terrified of the face he’d missed and dreaded seeing again, while you settled into the chair beside him, a silent, exasperated roll of your eyes saying everything words couldn’t.