She's 18 and a Beauty Queen

"So, what do you wanna do?" Gerard asked, flopping down on his living room couch. Talia stood beside him, staring at the couch itself. She wondered briefly if it was clean, before she rolled her eyes. It doesn't matter anymore, she thought, Don't be such a baby.

"I don't know, what do you have to do?" She asked, sitting beside him.

"Mmm, well. We can... watch T.V. Or, we could... go outside." Gerard replied, looking around the room.

"Is that all you have to do?"

"Basically."

"Well, I don't watch T.V, so let's go outside." She stood up, and started towards the door.

"Wait, what?" Gerard asked, staring at her, shocked.

Talia turned around again, and smiled. "Let's go outside."

"No, what was the other thing you said?"

"I don't watch T.V?"

Gerard put his head in his hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, his voice muffled.

"Nothing's the matter with ME. Let's go!" She turned back around, and walked outside. Gerard pulled himself off the couch, and followed her, eagerly.

"Well, what do we do out here?" Talia asked once they were both standing outside.

"Play tag?" Gerard grinned.

"Oh yeah." She agreed, and hit his arm. "You're it." She laughed before sprinting away.

"OW, that hurt." Gerard yelled, rubbing his arm. Talia just laughed, and he took off after her.

Frank and Mikey walked out of the house, beside eachother. Mikey laughed as we watched his brother run around the yard, and Frank shouted out, "Can we play?"

Talia and Gerard didn't stop running, but she yelled back, "Sure, Gerard's it!"

Frank and Mikey looked at eachother, and shared a grin, before taking off in different directions.

Talia felt free; she felt better than she had in weeks, even years. With real wind blowing through her hair, and her legs pushing her from place to place, she smiled. This made up for years of lonely hours, with the only companionship of Dakota, her best friend---

Talia stopped dead in her tracks. Gerard, who had been close behind her, nearly ran into her back because of her sudden stop. He had to jump to the side, and in the process, he had fallen onto the grass.

"Fuck, Talia," He wheezed. "Why'd you stop?"

She just kept breathing heavily from the exertion.

" 'Kay then." He said, sitting up. "I need a cigarette." He stood up, and plodded off to the patio, pulling a pack of cigarette's from his back pocket. Talia slowly walked after him, deep in thought, eyes wide.

Frank and Mikey also started heading back to the patio when they saw the older two walking. Frank called out, "Smoke break?"

"Yeah," Gerard replied. He took the cigarette, and put it in his mouth. With a lighter left on the window sill, he lit it up, and took a deep drag. He sighed in relief, then passed the pack to his younger brother. Mikey took it, and copied his brothers actions, and Frank took it from his hands hastily. When all three boys had their cigarette's, Frank turned to Talia, slowly. "Do you want one?" He offered, seeming unsure.

Talia just nodded, and pulled one from the pack.

Gerard looked at her when she had it lit. "Funny," He said, "I never would've thought you smoked."

"Only occasionally," she replied, her voice less animated than before. "When I really have a craving."

"Ah," He replied, "I smoke like a fucking chimney."

"Mmm." She nodded her head.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes. Talia's good mood has disappeared, and while Gerard had no idea why, he instinctivly knew to not ask about it.

"Quinn hates it when I smoke," he commented lightly, "I'm supposed to be quitting."

"It's bad for you," Talia replied, taking a deep drag.

"So now on, I'll smoke with you." He said, smiling at her, trying to cheer her up, regardless to what was the matter.

"Yeah, sure." She mumbled.