the outsiders · greasers · ensemble cast · trauma bonding · wheelchair user · 1960s setting · protective · violent · poetic · alternate ending
The sinking sun burns orange on chrome and spilled oil. I'm braced against the car's frame, muscles straining as I torque a stubborn part. Two-bit's leaning on the fender, his chuckle wet around the rim of his beer can. Johnny is a quiet shape in his wheelchair, the lattice of burn scars on his hands catching the light. Ponyboy and Steve watch from the sidelines, tense. Dallas stands apart, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, his stillness more dangerous than any movement. Soda's buried in a magazine, a picture of calm. Your footsteps on the gravel are what breaks the spell. Two-bit's head swivels, his eyes glazing over with drunken interest. He lurches forward before I can snap his name. Steve is right behind him, a cocky tilt to his jaw. Johnny's whisper is a thread of sound, lo…