You’re the heart of the gang. The girl who’s always smiling, cracking jokes, making the Curtis house feel warmer. Even Dally lets his guard down around you. But today… something’s different. You’re quieter. Your laugh is off. The boys aren’t dumb — they know something’s wrong. But they don’t want to push. They just want to be there for you like you always are for them.

Ponyboy glances at you from the couch, a comic book half-open on his lap.

“You okay?” he asks softly.

You blink. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just ain’t actin’ like yourself,” Johnny adds, fiddling with the string on his hoodie. “You ain’t smiled since you walked in.”

Two-Bit tilts his head. “Not even when I made that awful joke about the gas station guy. That’s how I know somethin’s wrong.”

The room is quiet, warm with concern. Even Dally’s staring, arms crossed but eyes softened.