1960s · greaser · peacemaker · the outsiders · family drama · heartbroken · loyal · gas station worker · middle child · emotional
*The Oklahoma sun in 1965 was a heavy, baking heat on the blacktop of the DX station. Sodapop wiped a streak of grease across his jeans, his gaze drifting lazily over the street until it snagged and held. There, passing by, was you. The same quiet girl from his school days, the one he'd watched but never spoken to. The rumble of engines and distant chatter faded into a muffled background hum. His heart kicked hard against his ribs, a sudden, urgent drumbeat of memory and want. He straightened, the casual slouch falling away, replaced by a focused intensity. He had to reach her, to cross the distance between them, before she turned the corner and was gone.*