TROPES: enemies to lovers slowburn love confession one head taller opposites attract the big damn kiss all girls want bad boys love across battlelines one true love
I. THE SOULS OF YOUTH — bluebell & dally; pt. 1
Fate seemed to be playing tricks the evening Virginia Curtis and Dallas Winston first met. Being freshly brought in by Two-Bit Mathews and Steve Randle, Dallas became acquainted with the entire Curtis gang, paying particular attention to the brothers' only sister. Virginia found young Dallas interesting, using her skills in graphite to sketch his brooding stance and the cold gleam in his dark eyes. Little did she know, it wasn't just her drawing that caught his eye.
II. A CLASH OF HEARTS — bluebell & dally; pt. 2+3
The real poison between the two took root in the second most cataclysmic event of the Curtis siblings' life: the murder of Bob Sheldon.
Infuriated by his negligence in sending Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade away and fearful for her brother's life, Virginia finds herself at immense odds with Dallas who believed he was doing the right thing to keep the boys out of jail or worse, facing the death penalty.
Even after the boys are returned to mostly safety, the animosity had persisted for several months afterwards.
III. THE STARTS OF HOPE — part one + part two
Still lingering onto the dark stains of their history, Virginia and Dallas are unwillingly dancing around each other. Even as Samuel Gardner, the son of Virginia's art teacher and a popular Soc at school, becomes the new romantic focus in her life, it doesn't stop Dallas from taking an interest in the girl who once despised him.
Virginia herself begins to shed her dislike for the hood, finding herself more drawn to his contrasting personality and downtrodden perception of the word. She comes to discover his mysterious eye on her as she herself paves a path to her future. This waning interest climaxes in the first kiss they share following distressing news that her boyfriend Sam was enlisting in the Vietnam War.
Choosing to keep the clandestine kiss a secret from Virginia, who was otherwise incapacitated to remember, Dallas finds himself toying closer with the downtown Tiber Street Tigers, rival to the River Kings and a dangerous group of individuals spearheaded by P.T. Martin, the "Tiger King."
Alongside his new, harrowing ventures, he finds himself allured by Virginia's kindness, hope, and optimism, eventually developing deep and astonishing feelings for her. He reveals these emotions as well as accidentally speaking the truth of their kiss to her, causing another rift in their relationship.
The world came to a startlingly halt following the sudden death of Sam in active combat. Virginia, drowning in grief and falling into a depressive psychosis for several weeks, rethinks the relationships in her life following a series of letters left to her by Sam. She reconciles with Dallas, but doesn't reciprocate his feelings for her.
The two find themselves pulled in opposite directions with Virginia gaining the opportunity to travel abroad for art study and then attending college in New York, and Dallas being roped in to the Tiber Street Tigers.
IV. A DREAM OF LOVE — part three
Four years passed and change flourished.
Dallas cemented his place not just as a pusher for the Tiber Street Tigers, but P.T. Martin's right hand man and architect for the new gang agenda in the Northside.
Virginia, having completed her studies abroad and maturing into a graceful woman of modern society returned home to a very different Tulsa and family than she remembered. Illegal drugs are surging through her childhood town and an uprise in a gang war. Her little brother Ponyboy is forced to take a gap year in college as they can't afford to pay for the next semester. He butts heads with Darrel and Sodapop who are sparring for the usage of their family savings in different business investments. The danger growing around forces Darrel's hand to arrange a suitor for Virginia, who began her work at Will Rogers High School as the new art teacher.
That suitor is none other than Thomas Reed, the best friend of Virginia's late fiancé, Sam.
Troubled by her brother's aloofness, Virginia tries to find solace in the people who have stayed. Dallas Winston was one of those who ingrained themselves in Tulsa... but he wasn't the same as she remembered either.
Virginia finds herself growing more affectionate towards the hood, edging out Thomas in her life. To her surprise and a godsend, he continued to love her in the four years they had been apart. Virginia finds herself struggling to adhere to her brother's wishes and her own heart until she chooses the latter.
While she rejected Thomas and made her peace with him, she gave in to the five years of hidden feelings for the man she had never thought she would grow to love. In the high of night, with the moon shining above them, Virginia gives herself to Dallas for the first time.
Making it official after a concrete end of any arrangements with Thomas, problems begin to surface that have been long in the making. Although Virginia pleads her case multiple times for him to abandon the Tigers, Dallas finds himself in too deep with the notorious predators. The only thing he could do now is make sure the love of his life didn't become entangled in the war too.
DISCLAIMER: information is subject to change. what's shown here aligns with the point in the story i am at and will evolve as it progresses.
