Chapter 1WHEN I STEPPED OUT into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only twothings on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman--- he lookstough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad. I have light-brown, almost-red hair andgreenish-gray eyes. I wish they were more gray, because I hate most guys that have green eyes, but I have to be content with what I have. My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back andlong at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut.Besides, I look better with long hair.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ponyboy Curtis (Greaser), the main character, has to run away to Windrixville with Johnny after Johnny kills Bob, a member of the enemy gang (Socs) because Bob and the Socs were trying to drown Ponyboy.
A big fight happened called the Rumble between the Greasers and the Socs, the Greasers won. Ponyboy and Dally (another member of the Greasers) went to check on Johnny in the hospital because he got severely burned in the house fire but Johnny died. Dally couldn't handle the pain and ran away because Johnny was the reason for his life, he went and shot at police with a unloaded gun, committing suicide.
Ponyboy writes a book about the whole ordeal for his English project, letting him heal in the process and cope with everything that happened.