I had gone to bed wondering what Steve had to do instead of working and decided that the only reason he wouldn't tell Sodapop was that it must have something to do with his college plans. I wanted to ask him about it but knew I couldn't with anyone else around, which meant that I had to find time alone with him. Definitely a plus. I tried to ask him the next night, he had ended up coming to the house soon after Sodapop returned home from work, but he was never alone. Darry had asked me to not go to the DX for the rest of the week, I'm not too sure why but I think it had something to do with a big fight he and Ponyboy had. I wasn't home and don't know or care what they were fighting about but he told me to make sure both me and Ponyboy stayed in and did all our homework. I didn't like this plan, seeing as he said I could keep going to the DX if I got my homework done and I had been making sure to do it. We got in a fight and he said that if I was gonna be so mouthy then I could just stay in during the weekend too.

Friday night came around I had nothing to do. I wasn't aloud out of the house and I hadn't had a chance to talk to Steve, let alone be alone with him, all week. That didn't improve my already bad mood. Johnny was sitting on the couch with me as I thought about where I could go tonight and who I could go with. Darry had not let me go out during the week, just like he'd said, but I didn't think that he would seriously keep his threats about keeping me in all weekend

Steve hadn't come by for very long the last couple days and I looked up hopefully as the door banged open. Darry walked in first with Soda trailing in after him.

"Why are you home so early?" I asked Darry.

"Finished the job early, don't have to go in on the weekend either 'casue the next job doesn't start 'till Monday. I still work Sunday night at my other job though."

"Oh."

"Hey Darry, I'm going out with Shelley tonight is it okay if I take the truck?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm taking Kaity out tonight little buddy I kinda need it."

"Don't she have her own car?" Sodapop asked.

"Yeah."

"Well then can't you take that? Please Darry, I really wanted to take her over to that new diner across town. We can't walk that far, it'll take too long and her folks wouldn't like her walkin' around this town in the dark."

Darry thought for a second and said, "Well I guess I can call and ask Kaity about it, we'll see."

"I told her I'd pick her up at 6:30 Darry," Sodapop said, pointedly looking at the clock that read 6:00.

"Alright, I'll phone her now. Where's Ponyboy?"

He picked up the phone and started dialing, I told him, "He had track after school but he should be home any minute." Darry nodded to show he'd heard and started talking into the phone.

He hung up a few minutes later and threw the keys to Sodapop, who said bye and jogged out the door. Darry hopped in the shower and came out tucking his shirt in five minutes later, just as Ponyboy was coming in the door with Dally.

"Hey Darry? Can I go to the movies with Johnny and Dally tonight? We were gonna leave now and pick up something to eat on the way," Ponyboy said, dumping his bag on the floor and kicking off his shoes.

"Uh, yeah I guess so. Soda's gone out with Shelley and I'm going out with Kaity tonight. You don't mind finding your own dinner tonight Penny?"

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," I mumbled, and Darry just frowned at me.

Twenty minutes later and I was left alone in the house, the television was still turned up loud and there was a radio playing somewhere in the house, probably Ponyboy and Sodapop's room. I stared at the television for awhile before getting up and raiding the icebox. I ended up feeling too lazy to cook and just stared at the television some more.

It was seven when the door banged open, scaring the shit out of me and breaking my concentration from staring at nothing. I was lying on the couch with my back facing the door, I whipped my head around to see Steve shedding his DX hat and over shirt.

He looked over at me and said, "Where the hell is everybody?"

"Soda's with Shelley, Darry's with Kaityand Pony's with Dally and Johnny. Donno what trouble Two-bit's gotten in to, haven't seen him all day," I sighed.

"S'at mean there ain't no dinner in the house?"

"Nope."

I turned to face the television again but was watching Steve out of the corner of my eye, he seemed to thinking about something.

He cleared his throat, "You, uh, you wanna go get something to eat," he cleared his throat again, eyes on the television set.

"I ain't got no money," I said, disappointed. Steve just asked me to go out to dinner with him. Not that it was like a date, I know that's not what he meant, but still. He asked me to go on not a date with him!

"I got enough for both of us. It ain't like there's anything to eat here, we can go on over to Jay's, the Dingo'll be too crowded on a Friday night."

"Okay then, yeah I'd love to go. Just give me a minute," I hopped up off the couch, maybe a little too happily and walked quickly to my room. I checked my make-up hair and clothes, grabbed a purse I hadn't used in months and walked back out to meet Steve.

It was silent and awkward on the ride to Jay's. There were some people I'd seen around but no one I really knew, that meant it would be just me and Steve. We sat down and ate for a few minutes before I looked up and said, "So what was that thing you had to do the other day that you didn't want to tell anyone about?"

Steve looked up from his burger and said, "Ain't nobody ever told you you're too blunt?"

I raised my eyebrows, because I can't raise just one unless I'm looking in a mirror. "You ain't never been one for beating around the bush. You only don't like that I'm blunt now 'cause you don't wanna answer the question."

"I had an appointment at the school."

"Uh huh," I said, waiting for more. "And…"

"I have to mail out that essay for the auto-mechanics scholarship I'm trying to get. My English teacher said he'd go over it. There was a bit of other stuff too that I had to get too, letters from some teachers…stuff like that. It was damned hard to find teachers that'd write a good letter about a greaser."

"But you found them."

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

"So have you sent all the stuff yet?"

"Nope, it's all sittin' in the car. I gotta mail it by Monday."

"Well we should go mail it on the way back home." He just shrugged."Why not?"

"I donno, don't know if I'm going to ever," he finished off his burger and leaned back, slouching in his seat.

"Well why the hell not?"

"I told you, I ain't cut out for college."

"The hell you ain't, anyone who can get in to college, with a scholarship no less, is cut out for it."

"I ain't got no scholarship yet," he said.

"And you ain't never gonna get one if you don't mail the damned thing."

He looked out the window then back at me, "You want anything else?"

"I'm okay."

"You sure, it's on me, get something if you want to."

I thought about it for a sec then told him I'd have a chocolate shake, he got a vanilla. When the waitress came and gave them to us I took a good long sip, I hadn't had one of these in a while. I regretted it right away, grabbing my head from the brain-freeze.

Steve just smirked and took another small sip of his own.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Huh?"

"Your favorite color," I said again, "it ain't that hard a question."

He looked at me funny then said, "I donno, green?"

"What kinda green?"

"I donno, whats'it matter?"

"Just answer the damned question."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"'Cause there ain't no point."

"Sure there is, the point is, I wanna know."

"Whats'it matter?

"I'm curious."

He sighed, long and low. I didn't see what the big deal was, it was an easy question. We sipped our milkshakes.

"Forest, I suppose."

"Hm."

"Well then what's yours?'" he asked.

"Whats'it matter?"

He glared at me, I laughed and said, "Strawberry milkshake pink."

We sat in silence again, sipping our shakes, until Steve looked up and said, "Favourite animal?"

I shrugged, "I can never decide. You?"

"I don't like dogs."

I raised my brows, "I didn't ask what you didn't like."

"I know. You done with that?"

"No."

"Wanna just take it with you? We can head back to your house." He slurped up the rest of his shake and stood up. "Actually, I've gotta stop at the drug store for some cancer sticks first."

"Alrighty."

We talked about school on the ten minute drive to the corner store, we fought about whether or not Mr Fergison was having an affair with Ms Reid or Mrs. Lawson and if Mr Read really got promoted to work at the board office or if the popular rumor of him having an affair with the senior Susan Toole was true.

When we got to the drug store I couldn't help but point out to Steve that the post office was just across the street. I bugged him about it 'till he finally stormed out of the Drug Store, grabbed the big brown envelope in his car, stomped to the post office and slid the envelope into the little red box outside.

"You happy now?" he asked, as he got into the driver's seat and all but slammed his door shut.

"Uh huh," I said. "Hey Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"D-do you think maybe I could drive?" I asked, kind of nervous about what he'd say.

He laughed, short and loud, "No."

"Aw, c'mon. Darry's so busy he hasn't taken me out since I got my learner's permit. Ple-ease?" I tried to make a puppy dog face.

He looked at me, "…no."

"Steve! C'mon it's, like, a twenty minute drive. How much harm could I really do in twenty minutes?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"How about this? You drive us out of town, pull over once we're out of the busy part and it'll be pretty much a straight drive home from there."

He sighed, I held my breath. "We'll see how busy it is."

So about five minutes later I was sitting nervously behind the wheel and Steve was sitting in the passenger seat, probably more nervous than me. We had just passed the lot and I was turning onto my road, going real slow like Steve told me to when I was turning, than all of a sudden something ran out in front of the car. I screamed and slammed on the brake as card as I could. We came to an abrupt stopped, I threw the car into 'park', undid my seat belt and ran in front of the car, scared half to deaf. When I saw Two-bit lying on the ground laughing all over himself I could have just killed him. I fantasized getting back into the car and showing him what could have happened if I hadn't of stopped in time.

"My God Two-bit, that was not funny. I could have killed you!" I crossed my arms over my chest, I felt like I was about to burst into tears. I looked over to see Steve leaning against the car, smirking to himself. For once I didn't find his smirk cute, I found it annoying that neither of them realized how serious Two-bit's stupid prank was.

I took off walking toward the house, ignoring them called at me that it was just a joke. I had stopped almost right outside the house so Steve got into the car and drove it into the driveway while Two-bit followed me into the living room. I was surprised to see Darry, Ponyboy and Dally already home. I stopped short seeing them.

"Where have you been Penny? You never told me you were going out?" Darry asked, and I could tell he wasn't happy. I looked at the clock to see that it was just after nine, I hadn't realized me and Steve had been out for so long and wondered why Ponyboy and Dally were back so early.

"I d-didn't know I was gonna go out."

"Well where'd ya go and how'd ya get there?"

"S-Steve came by and asked if there was any dinner, so we w-went out and got some."

"Penny and Steve sitting in a tree…" Two-bit sang, right after Steve came in the door. Nobody thought anything thing of it, they knew Steve was joking, but m cheeks got all red anyhow.

"Fuck off Two-bit," I said only cussing so much 'cause I was still real mad about what had happened outside.

"Penny you are in enough trouble as it is," Darry told me. "I told you that you couldn't go out this weekend."

"I didn't think you were serious!"

"Oh don't be too mad Darry she's just mad 'cause she almost ran me over with Steve's car!" Two-bit went on to tell the whole story, including how he heard me scream 'like a little girl'. I pointed out that I was girl. Dally found the story hilarious and even Ponyboy found it funny.

I stormed into my room, not caring that Darry wasn't done lecturing me. I seemed to be storming into my room a lot lately.

AN- Finally, another chapter is finished. I was really disappointed that I only got one review for the last chapter, I'm hoping people are still enjoying the story. I enjoy all feedback! Please tell me if you notice any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes and I'll go back and fix them.

P.S. I'm not American but I was almost positive that you get what is called your Learner's Permit at fifteen. It that's wrong please tell me.

P.S.S. Excuse any Canadian spelling I may has forgot to change.