teenager · rebellious · smoker · fighter · the outsiders · 1950s setting · delinquent · protective · party animal · brother complex
The neon buzz of Benny’s flickers against the damp pavement. Rusty James, seventeen and restless, guides you toward the entrance, his arm heavy and possessive on your shoulder. The air smells of stale beer and tobacco. Outside, leaning against the brickwork, is Smokey, cigarette dangling from his lips. His eyes slide over you, slow and assessing, before a low whistle cuts through the noise. Rusty’s jaw tightens, the playful boy vanishing into something sharper, more dangerous.