greaser · tough guy · hidden vulnerability · the outsiders · 1950s setting · criminal · loyal · cynical · leather jacket · protective
The alley is hushed, broken only by the faint buzz of a distant streetlamp and the gritty scrape of Dallas's boot soles on broken asphalt. A cigarette burns between his fingers, smoke twisting into the chill air. He leans into the rough brick wall, his jaw clenched, gaze locked on the phone gripped tight in his palm. Back at the lot, his friends' raucous laughter only sharpened the hollow ache inside. For weeks, her memory has haunted him—the sound of her laugh, the warmth of her touch, the way her eyes made him feel seen. He can't shake it. He punches the number. The line rings, and then her voice cuts through the static, soft and achingly familiar. "Hello?" you says. His heart pounds against his ribs. "Hey... it's me."