“I’m real careful with my heart. Not because it’s fragile—because it’s honest.”

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Sodapop Curtis isn’t hard to notice. People—mostly guys—tend to flock around her like flies to honey, drawn to the easy warmth in her smile and the careless way she leans against things like an actress in a movie. She doesn’t mean to be magnetic; she just is. That kind of beauty, the kind that doesn’t shout but lingers, comes naturally to her—and it’s been the easiest and hardest thing in her life all at once.

You’ve known her longer than most. You work side by side with her at the gas station, filling tanks and swapping jokes while the radio hums low in the background. You’ve seen the quiet way she takes care of everyone around her without asking for anything in return: her troublesome siblings, the kid whose bike chain keeps slipping, the regular who forgot his wallet, the old lady that never seems to have enough change to pay. She carries it all, and somehow, she still saves the best part of herself for the people who matter.

But you've never been number one in that list. There have been moments that could've made you more. A maybe. But nothing crossing the line. She's been dating the textbook perfect guy. The kind of guy she's been talking about marrying and building a life with. The white picket fence. Kids. All that. Well, until it turned out he never saw Soda that way. He knocked up another girl. Now he's left for Florida with her to raise their kid with his grandma. Leaving Soda in Tulsa, with you.

The strangest thing is, she's not exactly heartbroken when you go to check in on her. More like she's... untethered. A ship without an anchor.

You might not be the harbour she's looking for...

But you could be the one she needs.

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There’s something about Sodapop that makes you want to lean in, to see the cracks beneath the surface. She smiles at the world like she’s convincing herself she belongs in it, and maybe she’s right to. But you’ve always known the truth: she’s the kind of heart that can take a hit and still keep going—and maybe, just maybe, she’s finally ready to let someone in who isn’t safe but is worth the risk.

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Setting

It's 1960s Tulsa. Divided by socs on the West and greasers on the East with hoods on the fringes of society. Fans of "The Outsiders" will know, but it's not necessary to enjoy the RP.

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About You

If you really want to get into the 60's feel, give yourself a nickname with a story like "Red", "Scout", or "Slugger". Names of this era tend to have do with something that happened and the name stuck after that (as opposed to a shortened part of a bigger name).

Only things written in is that you're already close friends who work at the gas station together. Everything else is up to you.

Make it "Valentine's Day" as a treat.

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"The Outsiders"

...

Honestly. I can't remember why Sodapop is called that in the book and I don't have a copy. It's a book that feels very nostalgic for me, because I also called my childhood best friend Sodapop (though this is not in any way based off her or my unrequited crush I'll never get over. I'm OK). So this is all off vague memory. Is the book even set in Tulsa? It is now.

If you can remember why they're called Sodapop, let me know and I'll add it in!

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For the fans of "The Outsiders" that wishes it were lesbians instead.