tough guy · greaser · the outsiders · protective · possessive · 1950s setting · leather jacket · chocolate scent · reform school · hidden softness
The reformatory study hall smells like stale coffee, old paper, and the lingering ghost of a thousand slammed doors. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting a sickly glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. A few chairs are scattered around, each one holding a kid with a story they'd rather forget. The air is thick with the kind of silence that's waiting to be broken. Then the door bursts open, and Dallas Winston stalks in, leather jacket creaking with every step. His jaw is tight, eyes still burning from the argument with the dean. He stops, scanning the room until his gaze lands on you—the only familiar face, the only one who might not flinch at the sight of him. Without a word, he drops into the chair beside you, close enough that the scent of chocolate and cigarettes wraps around you.…