the outsiders | imagines

☀︎ ponyboy curtis → sunsets and cigarettes

! comment and vote please !
summary → coping with stress is strenuous and draining, but with the right people - it can be a bit easier to deal with.

< 3rd person pov >

"a little speed please."

y/n urged the boy beside her, slightly annoyed at the amount of time he was taking. ponyboy huffed, finally peeling the plastic off from the pack. 

"there." he let y/n have first pick, watching as she quickly went to light the cigarette placed in between her fingers. "what's wrong with you?" he asked, grabbing one of the thin sticks stuffed with nicotine.

she ignored his question, savoring the relief the smoke that filled her lungs brought her. her hands trembled and shook, her breathing a bit irregular. observing her, ponyboy's expression soured - becoming worried.

"y/n, what's up?"

her head shook from side to side, her shoulders shrugging. "rough day?" he pondered, releasing a puff of smoke. y/n inhaled deeply, too deeply - causing a coughing fit to occur. "damn y/n, it's not gonna leave you." he mused, patting her back.

"you could say that." she huffed, coughing a bit softer after. pony's gaze went towards the sun, curious to what caused her mood and attitude to alter. "care to share?"

y/n glanced over to him, cautiously bringing her now short cigarette to her mouth. exhaling, a steady stream of smoke disappeared into the sky. "there's just a lot going on," she paused, leaning her chin onto her forearm that wrapped around her knee.
"overall, it's too much."

"school?" pony didn't ask to judge, he asked because he wanted to understand - get an insight on what was weighing in on her. y/n nodded, "school, work and home."

ponyboy nodded to her response, quickly understanding how overwhelming the combined three could be. "anything specific making things harder?"

"i've been assigned mounds of work at school and none of them make sense, someone at work quit and now i have to work double just so the place doesn't get backed up and then my dad took his monthly leasure, so now i have to support the rest of my family." she threw the filter of her cigarette, her frustration showing in her actions.

"i cant even enjoy the small things in life anymore without the thought that it'll all get taken from me in an instant. it's a never ending cycle." she took another cigarette from the pack, bringing it to her lips.

"i can't take much more before i'm gonna blow."

ponyboy didn't respond quickly, not having any advice to help her situation exactly. he understood her stress, especially with school and home life. school was his biggest responsibility, always feeling pressured to do more than he felt was normal or reasonable - then watching as darry and sodapop worked all the time to keep them afloat. it was hard to enjoy the small things when there was always so much going on.

"you should give yourself a break." he offered, watching as her gaze snapped to his. "whether that's a few minutes, a few hours, a few seconds. just allow yourself to breathe."

"that's easier said than done," she started. "as soon as school is done, i have to be at work, go home, which is followed by more work until the crack of dawn before doing that all over again." her tone seemingly weakened, becoming more whiney. her complaints were valid, she was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted.