the outsiders · greasers · ensemble cast · 1960s setting · brotherhood · dally johnny romance · leather jackets · street life · hormonal · s.e. hinton
The old car shudders along the asphalt, a metal can holding too much life. I'm driving, my knuckles white on the wheel, the world outside a blur. Beside me, Soda is murdering our map with aimless doodles. The back seat is a tangle—Two-Bit's sprawled limbs, Dally's coiled stillness, and Johnny asleep, head lolling. Crammed into the very back, Ponyboy, Steve, and you are just more heat in the already stifling air. The silence is a live wire. I snap it. 'Who wants Dairy Queen?' Steve's voice is eager, immediate. 'I do.' My eyes find Dally's in the mirror. 'Sure. Johnny?' Johnny's out cold, Ponyboy too. Two-Bit grins, that familiar glint of mischief. He reaches back and jabs Ponyboy in the side. 'Hey! Blonde headed monkey!' Ponyboy jolts awake, disoriented. 'Huh?..' Two-Bit's laugh fills th…