I had stolen Ponyboy's red bouncing ball. He'd been looking for it for days and I had just realized I had stolen it, on accident of course. What I had stolen was his sweater, the ball had been in the pocket. He didn't even miss his sweater but he'd been looking for his stupid ball for days. I jogged up the porch steps and went inside our house, screen door slamming behind me. I was just about to holler for Ponyboy when I noticed Steve sitting on our couch.

"Ain't you s'pposed to be at work?" he shook his head and I noticed a bottle of whiskey in his fist. I remembered that Darry and Soda still working and that Ponyboy was at track. It was that the house was so quiet, it was weirder that Steve was sitting on our couch drinking at barely four o'clock in the afternoon.

Steve was just staring at the wall so I went and ditched my bag in my room, put on a pair of Soda's old blue jeans, grabbed a Pepsi from the kitchen, flicked on the television for some noise, and sat down beside him. Steve's a grumpy guy and I didn't much feel like pissing him off, but I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I said, "What are we mopin' about

Steve didn't answer, just glared at me and continued to sip his whiskey. I got fed up and said, "You just look rather pathetic is all."

I knew I was pushing the subject but I wanted some answers.

"I feel pathetic." That was not the answer I was expecting.

"Why's that?" I asked. He stared at the television so long I began to wonder whether or not he'd even heard me.

Then, after I thought that he wasn't going to answer, he said, "Me and Evie ain't going together no more."

I wasn't expecting that answer either. Him and Evie had been going together for a real long time, longer then even Soda and Sandy had been. I could tell by the set of his jaw that he wasn't going to tell me anymore then that right then. So I just said, "Well I'd be drinkin' too then," and when Steve absentmindedly handed me the bottle I took a sip.

I had only just turned fifteen but I had never been much for drinking then again I had never had a chance to try drinking. All my brothers have loads of friends, even Darry who never goes out, had lots of friends in school. Ponyboy's real quiet, but still has lots of friends. I'm quiet but only cause I ain't got noone to talk to. I had never had tons of friends like my brothers did, I had a small group of friends that I could talk to in class and the halls at school, but most of them were middle class and I rarely saw them outside of school. Sometimes we'd leave school grounds to go for lunch or see a movie on the weekend, but the only times that I went to their houses was if they were having a birthday party or something. When my parents died they understood that it was very difficult for me and that I needed some time to be with family. I stopped talking to them in class and always made up some excuse why I couldn't eat lunch with them or go see the new Paul Newman movie. I guess I felt bad, because when I was just talking with friends at school I forgot that I was supposed to be sad, I'd have fun and then wonder how I could just forget and have fun when my parents were dead. How could I pretend just go on with life like normal when I was never going to see my Momma and Daddy again. When I realized that I can't stop living because they're not I couldn't find the courage to talk to my olf friends again. I had avoided and ignored them for months and couldn't bring myself to fix what I had broken.

So when Steve passed me the bottle I thought hy not? I don't have any friends to drink with, I'm fifteen, I have to try it sometime. My first sip wasn't at all what I thought it'd be like. Dad had always sneeked me some watered down wine at Christmas and other big holidays and I always found it almost sweet. I don't know if I thought that the whiskey would taste the same but it sure didn't. I had taken a big sip and almost gagged at the taste. It burnt when I swallowed and a big shiver went through my body afterward, any other time Steve would have made fun of me.

I'd never planned on getting drunk, no sane person plans on getting drunk in their living room when their brothers are going to be home in just a few hours. I guess that after seeing Two-bit drink a half a case of beer and barely stumble on his way out the door I figured it would take more then half a dozen or so sips to get me drunk. Boy was I wrong, all of a sudden I was giggling like mad and stumbling on my way to the bathroom. Then I was sitting on the couch again with Steve, still drinking, the room starting to spin, and asking him what had happened with him and Evie. I had to talk loudly 'cause everything sounded so fuzzy. I know now that there is a big difference between drinking beer and drinking whiskey.

Steve started talking, slurring his words as he started in on his story of him and Evie heading over to the Dingo.

"So then we're 'bout half way there," he slurs, "and she looks at me and she goes, 'I can't do this no more Steve,' and so I says, 'You wanna go some place else?' and she says, 'No Steve, I meant this, us,'. 'Well what 'bout us?' I asks her. And she says she don't love me like she used to no more,'" he said. I noticed then that his eyes were red and puffy, I figured it was just the alcohol. I didn't know what to say, I was already sitting real close to him so I put my arm across his shoulders and practically sat in his lap.

"I'm sorry Stevie," I said, not having a clue what else to say. Steve's looked at me then, really looked at me for the first time since I came in the door.

"Lordy Penny, Darry's gonna kill me," he said, then Darry walked in the door with Sodapop and looked around at me sitting all over Steve, who looked about ready to pass out, my giggling and blood shot eyes, and then the half empty bottle of whiskey sitting between us. He started hollerin' so loud I thought my head was gonna explode, he hollered until Sodapop helped me stumble to my room and was still hollerin' when my head hit the pillow and I fell fast asleep.

Edited version. Nothing has changed that will drastically change the plot of the story, I just went back and fixed some grammer and punctuation mistakes, and slightly change some of Penny's explanations, because I wanted to make everything more believable. I would appreciate any criticism and opinions to make the story better. If I have any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes still feel free to point them out and I'll make sure to fix it.