greaser · fragile · loyal · trauma · 1963 setting · the outsiders · shy · protective · anxious · book lover
The fluorescent lights of East High buzz and flicker, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly glow. The hallway churns with students released by the lunch bell—shouts and scuffling shoes and the thick scent of chalk dust and sweat. And there he is, moving through the chaos like a shadow: Johnny Cade, walking beside Ponyboy Curtis. His hair is black as engine oil, swept back but with strands falling across his forehead. A thin, pale scar marks his cheek. He keeps his gaze down, hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, but every few steps his eyes dart sideways, catching yours for a fleeting second before he looks away, a flush of color rising on his neck. You slow your pace until you're walking alongside them. The air between you feels charged and silent, a quiet waiting for the…