Taco night had gone pretty well.

Greg soon found out that even though he and Patty were enemies, they had a lot more in common with each other than he thought. He loved to play video games all day, she loved to play video games. Just not all day.

They both did not like Rodrick, even when she would join in with him to pester Greg sometimes.

And Comic books were a must!

"Greg, honey, don't you and Patty want to play outside at all?" Mrs. Heffley asked, walking over to the two kids lost in video game world.

They had coke cans spread out.

"No thanks mom." Greg said, ignoring her, eyes focused on the tv.

"Well, Patty, what about you?"

"Nah, Mrs. Heffley, I'm beating your sons butt!" Patty chuckled, Elbowing Greg in the arm. "Aren't I Heffley?"

"Hey, no violence!" Greg said, pushing her away, but secretly smiling. "And you just think your kicking my butt, wait till I kick back."

"You two, no name calling, okay?!" Susan told them firmly.

"Yes Mrs. Heffley." Patty smiled up at her quickly, then focused back on the game.

Susan looked over at the mess they had made, and started to kneel to the ground to clean it up.

Patty glanced over at her.

Than at Greg.

He didn't even care his mom was picking up after him. It was normally what always happened.

"Mrs. Heffley, would you like help with cleaning?" Patty asked, turning off the game station.

"I can help you!"

"What?!" Greg replied, feeling confused.

"We can help you." Patty repeated to him through clenched teeth, than smiling over at his mom.

"Oh. Well that would be great!" Susan said, with a grin, "I would really appreciate that, Patty! If Greg and you don't mind that is?"

"I mind." Greg said in a grumpy voice, setting down his game control. "But if it helps you I guess I can." Greg replied, standing up and looking around.

"Thank you so much Greg." Susan replied rolling her eyes.

"Sure thing."

She left them in the living room to go start lunch.

Patty started cleaning up the chips around the living room table. Greg looked at her, "Patty?"

She blinked up at him, "What?"

Greg felt nervous. "Why are you being so nice?" He asked, taking the empty coke's on the floor in his hands. "I mean, you aren't this way at school."

Patty looked embarrassed. "Well, Heffley, some people aren't always what they seem."

Greg laughed, and Patty glared at him.

"Sorry, I just thought you were always so . . .so" He felt he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Mean?" she finished for him.

"Well, not really that, but. . ."

"No, Heffley, I know what you're talking about. I-I act that way sometimes because. . .I don't know. . ."

"Why?" Greg asked as they threw their trash away.

"Because, sometimes I'm scared." She sighed, looking impatient as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Oh," He said, walking right behind her. "Why?"

"Augh! Because it's just apart of who I am. I have a temper, sometimes I get mad. But when I am mean. . . I guess I just don't like getting close to people if I know they won't be around for long."

Greg smiled at her, "Well, I've been around you most of your whole life. No way you can get rid of me, Patty Farrell." he said, patting her back, "Bet you love that, huh?" he teased.

She hit him in the arm. "Shut it, Heffley." she smiled back, rolling her eyes.

"Aw! What's going on here?" Susan asked, as she looked over at them from feeding Manny his meal.

"Nothing, just playing around. Would you like me to take out the trash for you?" Patty asked, changing the subject.

Susan brought her the bag "Sure, that would be great, thank you so much sweetie!"

Once Patty was gone, Susan went over to her son, "What in the world was that all about?"

"What do you mean?" Greg asked, looking up from picking up some toys Manny had played with.

"Patty, she opened up to you, Greg! Do you know how long I've tried to have her open up to me? Hmm, well do you?"

Greg squinted at his mother, wondering if she was mad at him or just impressed, "For two days?" he answered.

"YES!" Susan exclaimed, hands up in the air. "You know, Greg, you've just always had this gift for opening people up to you! I love that about you! Maybe you should become a consular." his moms eyes sparkled with the thought of his big successful future as a good man.

Greg grinned at the thought also, "Yeah, maybe I should! Good idea mom!" he replied, thinking of all the money he could earn.

'I wonder how much video games I could get if I became a consular?!' he thought to himself, tapping his chin.

Just then Patty came back in, walking back with the trash can in hand.

"Rodrick is outside and told me to go ask you to give him some money for food." She told Mrs. Heffley.

"Okay, thank you, how much did he want." Susan sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Ten bucks." Patty replied with a sour look on her.

Susan looked upset, but marched right over to her purse, and pulled out a five dollar bill, "I'll go and tell him that he's only getting five. And some other things also." She replied, walking towards the outside door.

Patty looked around the Heffley home, "Hey, ain't to shabby in here!"

"Hey, Patty, would you like to be my client?" Greg asked eagerly.

"Okay, for what?" she asked, looking over at him.

"For therapy sessions. I could help you face your fears and stuff. Good idea, huh?"

Gracie came down the stairs towards the kitchen, and Rodrick came back inside and towards the same direction where Patty was hitting Greg.

Gracie came running over, "Patty, stop this now!"

"Yeah, squirt, you're hitting him to softly, let me show you how." Rodrick smiled slyly, walking over and hitting Greg square in the head.

"Ow!" Greg shouted, hitting him back, "Knock it off Rodrick!"

"Make me." He mocked, laughing as he walked cooly away towards the seats in the kitchen.

Gracie rolled her eyes and looked down at Patty, "What's going on, Patty?"

Patty glared over at Greg, than gave a sweet smile to her sister, "Nothing, absolute nothing!"

Gracie just let go of her and sighed, "Fine, but no more hitting, understand."

"Fine, I'm just going to go outside, I can't stand to be around this much stupid in the morning anyways, well, aside from you that is!"

Once she was gone Gracie hit Greg on the back of the head.

"OWW!" Greg stated, glaring at her, and rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"For whatever you said." Gracie stated back, sitting on the other end of the table, opposite of Rodrick. Grabbing a sandwich from off the table she turned her chair further away from him.

"Yeah, what did you say to that short fry ,like yourself, to get her to attack you?" Rodrick asked with a mouthful of food, "Cause I mean that was just awesome, the way a girl took you down!"

Greg sighed, " She did not take me down, . . .I just let her! I told her I'd give her some counseling if she wanted me too, I don't know what the big deal was?"

Gracie rubbed her forehead, than gave him a disappointed look, "Really? You don't realize how offensive that is?" She asked pausing at him. Then looking over at Rodrick, "He really is your brother, isn't he?"

Rodrick just shrugged, not looking over at either one of them "If he thinks the two of you need counseling, than yes, he is."

Everything went quite after that, and Gracie was staring intensely at Rodrick while he was eating. Greg suddenly felt he should probably get out of the kitchen before a war rang out.

"O-kay, Bye I guess." He said slowly with a nervous chuckle as he walked slowly away.

He ran outside to find Patty.

What a weird start of the day.

The cold air pushed it's snow flakes into Greg's face.

He looked around the yard as he saw Patty a few feet away, face up and tongue out.

He smiled as he walked towards her. "Aren't you freezing?" He asked, holding his hands together.

"Yes, but it feels good." She replied softly, snowflakes falling on her eyelashes, and cheeks.

The freezing cold made her feel numb. It felt almost refreshing. Like knowing that she could feel the cold almost made her feel less like a loner loser. At least she wasn't a cold snowflake who melted by the time it touched someones cheek. At least she didn't disappear like the snow did when the sun returned.

Greg felt worried, she was shivering. "Here," He said taking off his coat and wrapping it around her, "My mom will be mad if you catch a cold." he looked at her some more when she didn't react to anything he said.

He rubbed his arms, and joined her in looking up at the falling snow. "Patty, I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay?"

There was a silence. The wind blew in the trees. And Greg felt her shift beside him, but he didn't look down at her.

"Honestly Greg, I'm not. My family left me, my mom cares more about how she presents herself and her family, then about us, and how we are doing. My dad gets really angry at me, and had even told me to stop feeling so sorry for myself, and toughen up, family and love are not everything. "You want to know whats everything Patty?" She said in a mocking deep voice, "Winning, winning is everything. If you can't win, better be that you are just alone. A lonely loser is what you become, cause then no one will care about you!" She was starting to shake for more than the cold out doors, "Do you know what it's like to feel you have to be good at everything just so you're family cares. Besides my sister, I really am a lonely loser!" She cried, hands in her face to hide her tears, "The feeling is the emptiest feeling in the world, you probably don't even understand. . .so please don't try too."

Greg felt himself reach over and put his hand on Patty's, "Patty, I'm, I'm so sorry. . .I didn't know that was going on. You don't need to win to have love. And if your dad and mom are making you feel like that, you should realize that it's their lost, not yours. I mean yeah, it's wrong that they don't care, but I know my mom cares, I know Gracie cares, and my dad cares, and Manny, and I-I care too Patty! We all do! We are here!" He was surprised when Patty pulled her arms out and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Thanks Heffley. . ." she said, letting go quickly, she handed him back his coat. " Sorry for hugging you."

He looked down, "No problem. I know how it feels to be lonely. . .Maybe not with my family, but with friends and people in general. . ." He looked up at her and smiled. "Wanna go inside and see if Gracie has already killed Rodrick?"

Patty laughed, wiping away her tears. "Oh no! You left them in there alone!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "What will we ever do!"

They raced towards the door, laughing.

A/N: Sorry it's so short, I've been busy lately. All is going to get better. Don't worry, not every thing is dramatic all the time, lol!

:) Review please if you have any ideas that I should do?

I already know what I'll be doing. But it's nice to have some different things to think about also.:) Justanothergirl~