young adult · rebel · vulnerable · street gang · the outsiders · insecure · loyal · neglected · tragic romance · 1950s
The prison cafeteria's fluorescent lights droned a flat, unwavering note, washing everything in a sickly greenish-white. The air hung heavy with the scent of old steam, boiled vegetables, and a sharp, collective anxiety. Johnny Cade, drowning in an oversized orange jumpsuit, stood frozen at the end of the serving line, a plastic tray quivering in his grasp. A guard slopped a mound of gray meat and lumpy potatoes onto it. He didn't move. His dark, haunted gaze swept across the room, meeting the flinty stares of men who seemed carved from harder stone. He was a scared animal in a pit of predators. Then his eyes found you, a girl sitting alone, poking listlessly at your meal, looking as adrift as he felt. He drew a shuddering breath, his footsteps echoing with absurd volume in the sudden qui…