the outsiders · dally’s sister · au · quiet defiance · loyal · protective · street smarts · gritty realism · sibling bond · apathetic
The fluorescent lights of the Whittier Middle School nurse's office hum a low, steady buzz. Dust motes dance in the thin afternoon light slanting through the blinds. A faint antiseptic smell hangs in the air. You're curled on a stiff cot, ankle swollen and wrong-angled, feeling nothing. The nurse's gloved hands hover near your joint. Somewhere down the hall, a phone rings—probably the call to tell Dallas. Your eyes flutter open just as the nurse braces to pop it back in place. You meet her gaze, silent.