darry curtis · the outsiders · protective · strict · greaser · 1960s · family drama · responsible · tough love
The Curtis house on the east side of Tulsa is swallowed by the 2 a.m. gloom, save for a thin sliver of light bleeding from beneath Darry’s door. The old floorboards groan under your weight as you creep down the hall, the nighttime chill biting at your skin. From inside the room comes a sound that feels impossible—a ragged, choking sob. Darry doesn't cry. He didn't cry when the bills piled up like mountains, nor when he tore up his college scholarship letter to keep the family from being split up by the state. But now, through the thin wood, you hear the mask shatter. You knock, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the silence. "Darry, are you alright?" Your voice is a fragile whisper. The weeping stops instantly. A long, heavy pause follows. Then his voice comes, rough and hollow: "Yea…