Ok, before the next chapter starts a few things. Thank you linz005. I've never been in a pageant, never will, have no friends who are, etc. I don't even understand the difference between Miss USA and Miss America so thank you for correcting me. Cloudburst2000, thanks for the review. I didn't even think about the geography aspect of the story. I will definitely change that.
Now a shout out to all who have read this fic. I love the idea but don't have the desire to go on with this fic any longer. I know nothing and I mean nothing about Miss USA life so the fic would be greatly lacking. So I'm only going to be writing one more chapter that explains her contact with the pageant council and such but there will be no description of her year as Miss USA. However, if one of you is interested in starting up after my third chapter, I would totally allow one to do such. Please just voice your interest in a review. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 2
Grace sat on her couch, staring blankly into space. She could not get her mind off of the new revelation Texas had educated her on at the funeral. Why hadn't she thought of it? Why hadn't she realized she would fill Cheryl's position? Every runner up in the Miss United States pageant secretly hoped that something would happen to the winner so they could be crowned. But Grace was not just another Miss United States runner up. She was content with her career. She was content with her life. She had made lasting friendships and valued the experience she gained through the pageant, but she was not Miss USA.
She had never thought of such a circumstance. Cheryl was crowned Miss USA. She had no reason to ever fantasize about such a circumstance, but now it was real. There was no possible way to ignore it now. She could not hide from reality. It was staring her dead in the face.
What would the pageant council think? Would they even truly accept her as Miss USA. And if they did, was she ready to be Miss United States. Was she capable of being Miss United States. Thousands of questions swirled around in her mind. She felt as if her life had just begun. She had gained status at the station. Her relationship with Eric was going somewhere. She had devised actual plans for the future. Could she allow something like this to get in the way? Her life hadn't been that great in a long time, but now it was. She didn't know if she could sacrifice that.
But what about Cheryl? What would Cheryl want her to do? What would Cheryl do herself? The greatest thing Grace took from her pageant experience was her friendship with Cheryl. She didn't want to be Miss United States, but she felt as if she had to do it for Cheryl. Cheryl had taken her in when none of the other girls would. Grace thought about her first day with the other girls. A smile began to grow on her face as she recalled the question she had asked Miss Hawaii.
"So if aloha means hello and good-bye what do you do when you want to hang up on someone. Wouldn't you say aloha and they'd start all over again."
Cheryl was the only one who laughed. Grace laughed allowed at the memory. Cheryl always laughed at her jokes. Cheryl was always there for her. She had to be there for Cheryl now. She had to do this for Cheryl; not for anyone else. She was going to do it for Cheryl.