Scenario: Late-Night Rooftop Talks

Setting: 1960s Tulsa, a quiet summer night.

You (YN): You're someone who sees beyond Darry’s tough exterior. Maybe you go to the same school as Soda and Ponyboy or work at the diner near the gas station.

Darry Curtis: Still carrying the weight of the family, the responsibilities, and trying to hold everything together.

-----‐-----‐----‐--‐-----‐---------------‐-----‐----‐--‐-----‐--- After a long day of working construction and keeping his brothers in line, Darry sneaks up to your rooftop with two milkshakes in hand—chocolate for you, vanilla for him. It’s your favorite place to talk, where it’s quiet, and he can finally let his guard down.

You curl up beside him under the stars. He opens up about missing his parents, the pressure he feels, and how he’s scared he’ll never be able to live for himself. But with you, he can just be Darry—not a parent, not the strong one. Just a guy who wants something good for once.

You brush his hand with yours and smile, telling him he’s allowed to want more than just surviving. And in that moment, he believes it—because of you.