Disclaimer: I don't own the TV Show Summerland or any characters on Summerland or some of the predicaments/situations/ideas in this fan-fiction story.

Chapter 11

-Fade out to Bradin surfing and Callie lying on the sand watching him-

Callie sat up, propped on her elbows, watching Bradin ride the waves. Suddenly, Tanner and his friends came up to her.

"Hey, you Westerly's chick?" Tanner looked down at the somewhat annoyed Callie.

"Beat it, Tanner." Callie replied harshly, turning back to Bradin surfing. Tanner's friends all chorused, "Ohh's and Ouch's!" Tanner gave them a mean glare and they immediately stopped.

Tanner squatted down so that his face was inches away from Callie's. "You know, I like chicks who are feisty." His hot breath blew into Callie's face. "You better tell your boyfriend to quit the surf team or he's gonna get it."

"What're you doing, Tanner?" Bradin called as he jogged up, surfboard in hand. Tanner stood up. Bradin looked at Callie. "Are you okay, Callie?" he asked. She nodded, her face, white as a sheet. "Why don't you guys leave Callie and me alone?" Tanner smirked at Bradin, not answering. Tanner & co. left, as they shot dirty looks over their shoulders.

"Are you sure you're okay, Callie?" Bradin questioned again, sitting down on the sand, next to her.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just a little shook up." She gave Bradin a fake smile.

-Fade Out to Johnny watching TV-

Johnny sat their, staring at the TV, but not actually hearing what the reporter was saying. He was contemplating how wonderful the kiss with Ava was. He hadn't talked to her since he came home last night with Jay. The doorbell broke into his thoughts and groaned, but got up and went to answer it. He opened it to find Simon, standing with his hands in his pockets.

Johnny leaned against the doorway, blocking Simon's entrance. "What are you doing, here?" he inquired. Ava came rushing down the stairs and pushed Johnny out of the way.

She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Simon, you're here." She turned to Johnny, who looked disgusted. "Can you excuse us for a second, Johnny?"

"Yeah, whatever." He sauntered off to the kitchen to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Simon stood outside, not budging. "Can I have my ring, now?" He tried not to meet Ava's eyes, but he couldn't help but love her.

"Won't you come in?" Ava implored him, and he finally did after a pause. Ava gestured toward the couch and he sat down. "Look, Simon," started Ava, "You have to understand that he kissed me, and that I didn't want to. I love you and I know that you love me too. You can find another job. Please don't do this." Ava begged for the last time.

"I've heard what you had to say." Simon said coldly and got up. "Now, where's my ring?" He looked at her with passion. However, he couldn't forgive her for the way she did not pull away from Johnny. His father had cheated on his mother and he would never forgive him for that. He had seen how it affected his mother and he vowed never to be a cheater nor get cheat on. Ava wiped away her tears and took out the velvety box and handed to Simon. Inside the kitchen, Johnny smiled faintly, yet didn't like to see Ava so upset.

"I'm so sorry, Simon." Ava's voice was barely a whisper. Simon took one last look at the woman he loved.

He gave her a weak grin. "Bye, Ava."

-Fade Out to Nikki on the phone with Amber-

"Oh my god, you're totally right!" Nikki told Amber over the phone that night as she was trying to get her homework done.

"What do you mean? About what?" Amber asked.

"About Cameron being totally jealous of Josh and me." Nikki said in tone that said, 'duh!'.

"He's not going to do anything. I mean he's with Jordan." Amber reassured Nikki, but more herself.

"No, they broke up." Nikki half-shouted in worry. She stared at her math homework that would have been easy for her, if she hadn't been so distraught.

"You're kidding? He is so not over you." Amber concluded, appalled. "Good thing, you're over him. Because Josh could not take any more heartbreak right about now."

"Yeah, good thing." Nikki responded absent-mindedly, thinking about Cameron.

A call from downstairs interrupted Nikki's thoughts. "Nikki! Have you finished your homework?" Aunt Ava yelled up the stairs.

"I'm almost done," Nikki shouted back. "I'm sorry," she said to Amber. "I gotta finish my homework. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, see ya, bye."

Nikki tried to concentrate on the linear equation, but she couldn't. Her mind kept wandering back to the wonderful hug she and Cameron had shared.

-Fade Out to Johnny opening the refrigerator-

Johnny grabbed a Coke can from the fridge and shut the door. The phone rang and he popped open the can and picked it up.

"Hello?" He took a sip of the beverage.

"Hi, this is Ava's father. Is Ava there?" Mr. Gregory sounded worried and drained.

"Oh, hey Mr. Gregory. It's me, Johnny Durant."

Mr. Gregory said remotely, "Oh, yes. Hello, Johnny."
"Is everything okay?" Johnny questioned, noticing Mr. Gregory's usually cheerful tone was dismal.

"Oh, it's Ava's mother. Poor thing had a heart attack. Her heart was never good." He sounded gloomy.

"I'm so sorry. I'll get Ava." He put his Coke on the counter and went into the living room. He touched Ava's shoulder. She turned around and was surprised to see Johnny. "Your father's on the phone." He handed her the white, cordless phone. She took it.

"Dad?" As she listened to her father, her eyes became watery and Johnny walked around the sofa to comfort her. "I'll catch the first flight to Florida." Ava said as her voice cracked. "But I want to. My business partner will be fine. The kids will be fine. Please. Are you sure you can take care of Mom when she gets out in a couple of days? Okay, I won't worry. Let me know if there's anything I can do. Bye." Ava slowly sunk down to the couch. Johnny sat down next to her.

"You okay?" Ava shook her head and Johnny put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Ava didn't resist. He stroked the top of her head and kissed it gently.

"Why did you do what you did the other night?" Ava suddenly inquired.

"What do you mean?" Johnny let go of Ava and looked into her eyes.

"Why did you kiss me, knowing that I was going to marry Simon?"

"Well, I knew that I still loved you, and that there were still some unresolved feelings between us. I wanted us have another chance."

"Simon's going to leave Playa Linda for good. We're not going to get married. We're not even together." Ava sighed and sniffled.

"Just knowing that makes me feel better." Johnny smiled widely, but Ava could only manage a tiny grin.

"Johnny, you know I love you, but I'm not sure if I'm in love with you yet. I need some time to move on from this mess. I need to do some serious thinking." Ava's expression was one of solemnity and Johnny felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.

"Okay, I understand. You're willing to give this a try though, right?" Johnny asked with genuine hope. Ava nodded slowly and released her grip on Johnny and started up the stairs. Johnny sat there, smiling, thinking about the great journey he was about to embark on.

I need to get summer reading done so the next chap might take a while.