Author's Note: Just to remind you, this story does NOT contain any Bradin/Sarah past the episode "Big Waves" (ie what happened in "Heat Wave" never happened in this reality). It might be a while before I get more up, but I'm hoping everything will work out so that I can continue to work on this fic. I am so close to getting to the end, I can almost smell it! So I basically know how it's gonna end, I just have to get it on paper and mesh it together with a chapter I wrote previously. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. Jesse McCartney's debut album Beautiful Soul is out in stores September 28, 2004! Congrats Jesse! Email me if you would like a link to hear two of his songs, 'Beautiful Soul' and 'She's No You'. Bye y'all!

August 22, 2004 &

September 25, 2004

Disclaimer: I do not own Summerland, any related characters, or related places.

Your Beautiful Soul

Chapter 16

Bradin walked eagerly up to the light blue beach house and knocked on the white door. Within seconds, it opened.

"Hey Bradin," Kyle smiled. "Maggie's in her room, you can just go on up."

"Thanks," Bradin nodded and stepped inside. He made his way quickly and quietly up the stairs to the second floor.

Arriving on the landing, he glanced down the hall to see her lying on her stomach on her bed, feet up in the air. As he moved closer—unseen, for she was facing away from him—he saw she was wrapped up in a book. George Strait's Honk if You Honky-Tonk floated faintly from the headphones she wore. Bradin smiled to himself and stepped up to the foot of the bed.

"Hey baby!" he said, deliberately speaking loudly so she could hear him over the music.

Maggie started and rolled off the bed, managing by some miraculous feat to land upright. The book, however, flew out of her hand and hit the floor unceremoniously at Bradin's feet.

Lifting the thick paperback, he read the title. "Nicholas Evans—The Loop?"

"Yeah. It's about a wolf war in Montana. Biologists against ranchers, that sort of thing. It's not the best I've ever read." She shrugged, keeping her face down.

A frown of worry showed itself when Bradin got his first glimpse of her face. Her normally bright eyes were red and puffy, and her tear-stained face was tired and unhappy. A big gray t-shirt drowned her figure and hung almost down to the bottom of her jean shorts, and her curly chestnut hair was carelessly pulled back in a loose ponytail. Bradin couldn't imagine what had happened. Kyle hadn't let on about anything.

"Maggie, what's wrong." Bradin was strongly concerned, and he stepped toward her. Ignoring his gesture, she turned her back on him and busied herself with changing the CD in her stereo. He stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. They stood silent for a moment. "I thought you were gonna meet me at the surf shop yesterday."

"Sorry, I was kinda busy," she said lamely, but still didn't turn to face him. "I had to patch the hole in my extra tire."

"I missed you," Bradin said sliding his hands around her waist.

Maggie harshly pushed him away and spun around. "Would you cut the crap, Bradin?"

He stepped back, utterly surprised by her sudden outburst of anger.

She took a deep breath before she continued. "I was at the Promenade yesterday when I saw you sucking Sarah Borden's stupid face off in the front window of Jay's shop."

"What are you talking about?" Bradin managed to blurt out. He could remember the incident well, but he hadn't thought anyone had seen them. And he had told Sarah to leave.

"You know, you could have just told me that you weren't interested anymore, and I would have just left you alone—no questions asked." She paused for a moment, wiping a tear off her cheek. "Or maybe you're just a player and you never really were interested in the first place and you'd just go out with any girl who's gullible enough to trust you, then leave her when she gets boring."

Bradin stared at her, entirely speechless. Everything that had happened the night before; was it all forgotten?

"So," she said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, "Were you cheating on me with Sarah, or were you lying to me when you said you were over her and that you were 'just friends'? Or do you have a new girlfriend every other weekend?"

Bradin tensed. He'd never had a reason to be angry with her before, but what she had said was unforgivable. Sure, he still had some undeniable feelings for Sarah, but Maggie was his girlfriend.

"Are you going to speak to me, or are you just going to stand there looking like a jackass? 'Cause if you're not going to say anything, I'd suggest you leave."

"Listen Mags, I'm with you, not Sarah," Bradin tried to reassure her.

"But she was your girlfriend at one point, wasn't she?" Maggie replied coldly.

"Yeah, but that was when I first moved here. I broke it off because it didn't really work and she's kinda weird—"

"You don't have to tell me that," Maggie cut him off. "Do you know how many times she got busted for smoking pot and shop-lifting last year?"

"No, I don't, but I'm not interested in her anymore. I broke up with her. And for the record—Sarah kissed me. It was a total surprise, okay? It meant nothing, I swear."

"Yeah, I could tell you were really fighting her off with everything you had," she scoffed sarcastically. "How long was it by your watch? I timed three minutes."

"That's not true."

"Oh, come on. You were practically making out with her!"

Bradin stepped up to her and took her hands, holding them firmly as she tried to pull away. He caught her eyes. "Maggie, I love you. You are my girlfriend."

Maggie stood silently for a moment, dropped her gaze, and then looked back up at him. "I gave you my heart, Bradin—and you—you just walked all over it. I loved you…" –a pause. Still holding his gaze, she bit her lip, but kept her face emotionless as she went on. "I don't feel that way any more."

Bradin felt his heart fall. He nodded and tried to take in a deep breath to soothe the burning pain in his heart, but could barely fill his lungs. The world he had come to revel in came crashing down upon him like a tsunami.

"Would you just get out of here?"

"Maggie, I…" he stopped, seeing the tears starting to glisten in her eyes.

"Get out," she said between clenched teeth. The statement was dead and void of all feeling.

"Okay," he managed to breathe and nodded. Dropping her hands, he headed for the sliding door and left the house. He paused briefly at the top of the steps and risked a glance over his shoulder. Maggie's back was to him, her body shaking with harsh sobs.