the outsiders| imagines

romeo and juliet. darry curtis

ROGERS ANNUAL HIGHSCHOOL PLAY, 1962

darrel curtis, the star athlete of roger's high school. full of charm and charisma. it was strange to see him on stage instead in a football field, but as romeo, there was no better fit, he tried out as a joke but actually got casted. i was just a normal school girl who fell in love with the story of romeo and juliet.

after being encouraged to try out for the play by my teachers, i was thrilled to hear that darrel curtis, was my counterpart. i remember looking at the poster board of the people who got casted, those big words spelling out my name and darrel's: Y/N L/N as JULIET and DARREL CURTIS as ROMEO, after weeks of rehearsing and practicing, we grew close together.

the stage was bathed in soft, amber light. casting a warm glow over the simple set of juliet's balcony. darrel, as romeo, stood below. his heart racing with nerves and excitement. as juliet, i appeared on her balcony, my eyes meeting darrel's with a mix as anticipation and adoration.

"but soft! what light through yonder window breaks! it is the east, and juliet is the sun."

darrel's voice was tinged with uncertainty at first gained strength with each worth, but i listened intently.

"o romeo, romeo! wherefore art thou romeo? deny thy father and refuse thy name."

your voice was so soft and melodious. i leaned forward slightly, my eyes never leaving darrel's. he looked up at her, "she looks so pretty from down here." he thought to himself.

that night felt so sublime. throughout the whole play, he said every word like he meant it.

but after the play, life moved on. darrel got caught up with football. last thing i ever heard from him was that he earned a scholarship. and i was happy for him, i continued with my studies. we eventually graduate highschool, without properly saying goodbye to eachother.

that's not to say i don't think about him every other day, he was my first kiss. the kiss we shared on stage was a gentle exploration.

i remember after the play, it couldn't had been later than 9:30, he had asked if i wanted to go out for some ice cream. still dressed in our costumes. everything in me wanted to say yes, but my parents were already waiting for in their little 55' plymouth savoy. yelling at me to get in the car, i kindly said that my parents wanted me in the car and that maybe next time.

and that was the last time i ever spoke to him, and i regret not going with him. sometimes i wish i could see him again, what would've happened if i went with him that night? i mean— i don't even know if he's still living in tulsa or not.

to today, it's been 3 years. i had moved out of my folk's house. i got myself a small apartment for myself. i wish i could've attended college but the cost has skyrocketed, and with me, working as a clerk at a boutique, i was barely getting by, but my job paid the bills and my dreams of getting my degree seemed to get distant as time went by.

after a long day at the boutique, i decided to stop by the local grocery store on my way home, i only wanted to buy a few things for dinner tonight. the fluorescent lights hummed overhead as i walked through the aisles, my thoughts always drifted when i went grocery shopping.

i was in the produce section, carefully selecting vegetables for my dinner tonight. lost in thought, i glanced up. my gaze instinctively followed a familiar figure.

it took a moment for me realize, my heart skipped a beat. standing across the produce section was darrel curtis. his muscular physique, his strong and protective appearance, he was in rugged, working-class clothes, absentmindedly inspecting a ripe bunch of bananas, his strong hands gently turning them over.