Well, here's another chapter! It's only taken me way too long to update this story. Hope you enjoy it:)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.


Chapter 11 - Lessons in Miscommunication Pt II

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Haley asked as she sat down at the table across from Bradin. Ava and Jay were talking in the kitchen as they waited for the coffee to be done.

"What are you so excited about?" he questioned, noticing her bright eyes and excited smile. "Did you turn into Nikki overnight?"

"It's our first quiz. I've got to make a good impression on the teacher," Haley grinned. Just the mention of biology caused Bradin's face to darken.

"Don't get too close to him. You know why," he cautioned in a low voice, so that Jay and Ava wouldn't hear. The light left her eyes immediately. Haley blushed and began chewing on her lower lip.

"I forgot for a sec," she said in a small voice. "Never mind. I'm not excited now."

"Just keep a low profile. It'll be fine. You can still be excited." Bradin said confidently. "Anyways, I don't know why I should even try this year with you in all my classes."

"Whatever. You're smart."

"Look who's talking Little-Miss-A plus," he teased. She shot him a half-angry look.

"We're going to be late. Aren't you done eating yet?"

"You didn't eat anything," Bradin pointed out.

"I'll eat later," Haley told him, as she grabbed her books and started to head out the door.

"Wait for me!" he called after her, as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed.

"What's gotten into them?" Ava asked Jay, who was staring at Bradin's retreating from with some trepidation.

"They're just…being teenagers," he muttered. "You remember how it was."

"I was never excited about pop quizzes," she laughed. "For sharing the same genes, you and Haley are very different."

"Can't say that I was ever big school. I was too busy with surfing."

"She's a good girl, Jay. You're going to do a great job with her," she told him. "You've come a long way since I first met you."

"I don't know," he sighed. "Some times I feel like we are worlds apart. I watched how you struggled with the kids at first, so I keep expecting something bad to happen."

"In case you haven't noticed, Haley is nothing like my kids."

"True. She's a mystery to me. You know how I am with women," he protested.

"If there's anything you ever need to know, just let me know," Ava offered.

"Thanks Ava," he said, giving her a quick squeeze. "I'll see you guys tonight."

Haley rubbed her eyes and put her pencil down. The rest of the class was still diligently writing away. The teacher had given them the class period to work on their first writing assignment, a creative writing piece on climaxes. Writing was not her strong point, but she enjoyed it enough to do well. She turned her paper in and spent the rest of the period observing the others in class. The girl on her right kept humming quite loudly, and Haley had to clench her jaw to keep from bursting out laughing. Amelia caught her eye from across the room and winked. The urge to laugh deepened, so she pinched herself. Thankfully, the bell rang, and she was spared the embarrassment. As Haley gathered her things and prepared to leave, Amelia caught up to her and walked with her. "So, new girl, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. That essay wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Nah, it was easy," Amelia shrugged.

"I hope the bio quiz is that easy." A tap on her shoulder caused her to stop.

"Hey, it's Haley, isn't it?" A tall blond girl stood behind her. She was perfectly dressed in the latest style, and Haley felt rather awkward.

"Um, yeah, that's me."

"I'm Brittany," the girl introduced herself. She held out a slender hand.

"Nice to meet you," Haley stuttered.

"Are you busy this weekend?"

"Nothing except for doing homework," Haley became suspicious.
"Well, I'm having a party on Friday night at 9 down by the cove, and I was hoping you could come," Brittany said sweetly.

"Uh, well, sure. I'd like to come."

"Great. I'll see you there," and she left as abruptly as she came.

"I can't believe that Brittany asked you to her party!" Amelia squealed excitedly. "That is the biggest party of the year. Only the most popular kids get invited."

"Well, I guess that means you're coming with me," Haley said. "There's no way I'm going to that kind of a party by myself."

"I wonder how she knew you even existed." Amelia steered them to a

"She probably figured out that I actually use my brain and wants me to do her homework for her or something."

"Aren't we Miss Pessimistic?" Amelia teased.

"You'll eat your words when she brings out the pig's blood," Haley said moodily.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia looked puzzled.

"Never mind," Haley laughed. "I'll go as long as you go."

"Deal." They walked into calculus where Mrs. Tyndel greeted them with a pop quiz. A headache began to build as Haley wrote her name on her paper. The day was only beginning, but she already felt tired. Maybe this course load was a little overkill, she thought sheepishly. The words on the page blurred as she concentrated on working out the problems. With some trepidation, she turned in the quiz and was able to leave. The rest of the day passed in a haze, and she was eager to get back to the house so she could sleep. A familiar voice stopped her, as she walked down the sidewalk.

"How'd that quiz go?" Bradin asked conversationally.

"Pretty good," Haley answered. "It was definitely not my favorite, but I think I did well."

"I think I messed up a little on the short essay, but other than that, it was good," he said. Haley suddenly stood still in the middle of the sidewalk, catching Bradin off guard.

"What are you doing, Bradin?" she asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"
"I mean this? Why are you talking to me? How come all of the sudden you start being nice to me? What's the ulterior motive?"

"I don't have any," he replied, completely confused. She started walking faster and he broke into a jog to keep up. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Haley muttered. Her headache increased along with her temper, and all she wanted to do was get home. Why had she ever decided to open her mouth?

"What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing," she repeated dully. "Nothing at all." Bradin moved as if to touch her, and she evaded him neatly. He had a sudden idea of what was going on.

"You left first," he said. The look she gave him only served to confirm his suspicions.

"I had no choice."

"Why didn't you even say goodbye? I mean, one day you're there, and the next, my mom tells me you've moved."

"You wouldn't understand," she said in a muffled voice.

"Try me."

"I can't," Haley finally met his gaze. Her eyes were cloaked with some mysterious emotion that he couldn't decipher.

"I thought we were starting over and being friends again."

"Maybe it's too late for that." At her words, Bradin let out a irritated sigh.

"Just yesterday you wanted to try again."

"A lot can change."

"What has gotten into you?" he almost yelled. Haley was definitely the most frustrating girl he had ever had the misfortune of meeting. "What happened to the girl I knew back in Kansas?"

"She's been gone for a long time," Haley said quietly. With that, she ran off down the sidewalk, leaving a perplexed Bradin standing on the street corner. He was so confused. She had the weirdest effect on him. There was something there that she was hiding, and he was determined to find out. Instead of following her, Bradin took a detour. He needed to talk to someone, anyone.

"Bradin, what are you doing here?" Erika asked, as Bradin slowly entered the shop. She perceptively studied the younger man and waited for him to speak up.

"I was looking for Jay," Bradin answered nonchalantly. "Is he around?" He rested his elbows on the counter and stared off randomly into space.

"Not right now, but he should be back soon."

"Okay, I guess I'll come back later," he said, turning to leave.

"Is there anything I can help you with? You're not acting like yourself."

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say hi and hang out for a minute."

"Okay, seriously this time. You're not just here for small talk," Erika said.

"I…oh, never mind," Bradin mumbled. "He thought long and hard before continuing. "Don't take this the wrong way. I need some advice."

"All right, tell me. Is it about a girl?" she smiled knowingly.

"Kind of. But not in the way that you think."

"Then is it about the new girl in your house?" Erika guessed correctly. He nodded slowly and began to pace back and forth.

"'Did you know that we were in the same school from elementary to junior high? We were like best friends. Then she leaves all of the sudden. I don't see her for several years, and suddenly she shows up at our house. To make things more complicated, she's Jay's sister."

"But you care about her."

"I just want to be her friend," Bradin said. "She was a large part of my childhood."

"You're not kids anymore," Erika pointed out. "Things won't be the same. You've both changed."

"I don't know if that's all a good thing," Bradin said.

Erika stared at him for a minute before asking, "What does that mean?"

"Both of our lives have changed drastically," he tried to explain. "But something's different about Haley now."

"Something more than losing her mom, finding out she's got a brother, and moving 1000 miles from home?"

"Since you put it that way, I guess not."

"What exactly is going on?"

"Well, I think we're friends one day, and then the next, she's all moody. I'm so confused."

"Isn't that kind of the way girls are?" Erika grinned. "We act like that a lot."

"I feel like she's hiding something from me.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Just be her friend. Be patient. If I remember correctly, you weren't exactly thrilled to be here in Playa Linda. I think that she needs time to get used to her new life."

"It's not easy for me…to be friends with a girl," Bradin admitted sheepishly.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Erika laughed. "Don't put pressure on her, let her know that you're a safe person to talk to."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"Trust me, Bradin," Erika said, patting him on the back. "She needs friends, and I can't think of a better one than you." Bradin smiled weakly at her and hoped her words were true.

Haley slept soundly before a loud pounding noise woke her. Her headache had lessened some, but there was still some pain. She got off her bed and went to start her homework. After a few moments of staring at the blank page, Haley closed her physics book and pushed it to the side of her desk. She felt twinges of guilt at her earlier actions. Even if she was feeling confused and scared, it was no excuse for the rollercoaster ride of her emotions, the brunt of them being directed towards Bradin. He was only trying to be friendly, and considering the events that had occurred in their pasts, that was a large feat. But sitting in her room and mulling her thoughts were not going to remedy the situation. With a sigh, Haley got up and went to find him to apologize. "Have you seen Bradin?" she asked Nikki, who was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"I think he's down on the beach," she told Haley before turning back to her book. Haley headed down to the beach and scanned the crowd of people, looking for a familiar blond head. She saw him talking to a group of teens, and gathering up courage, slowly walked over to them. Bradin saw her coming, and stepped away from the crowd.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, but you're busy, so I'll go away," she said and began to walk away.

"Haley, wait. I'm not busy. Here, let's walk down here," he said, directing them down towards a more secluded area of the beach. "What did you want to tell me?" She waited until they were far away from the crowds and down by a large rock formation.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I treated you earlier," she said soberly. "Please forgive me."

"It's okay. I know that things have been kind of crazy lately, especially with you being new here and all."

"I really am sorry," she began, but he stopped her.

"Hales, don't worry about it. You're fine," Bradin told her calmly. She was so relieved; she didn't notice his use of her nickname.

"Thank you," Haley said. "It just seems like such a rollercoaster with us. I feel so upside down." She

"It takes awhile to get used to being here," he said reassuringly. "Don't think that it'll be easy right off."

"I wish it was," she admitted softly. "It seems like I blew our second chance." He only smiled warmly at her and desperately fought off the urge to hug her. He settled for a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"So, let's just try for a third," he said. "Don't worry about it." Bradin ignored the warnings going off in his mind and pulled her into a hug. His next words almost brought her to tears, but she held them in check. He whispered into her hair.

"We'll just keep trying, Hales, until we get it right."

That's all for now. I will do my best to update much sooner. Thanks for reading!