Alright, so I forgot to say this in the last chapter, so I'm gonna say it now. I do not, at all, condone premarital sex. I don't care how "in love" you are with someone, I believe that sex should be saved for marriage. I don't mean to sound preachy (I'm sorry if I do) but that is the way I feel and I thought that I should mention it. I also know that I sound hypocritical putting sex into my stories, but I realize that I cannot force my own beliefs onto my characters, who have minds and beliefs of their own. Now, with that said, on with the story.

Chapter Eighteen

Kyle turned onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. A lazy grin settled on his face. He had waited a long time for last night, a very long time.

When he had first met Marie, all Kyle could think about was having her. He had wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. So, he had befriended, her. Kyle wasn't stupid. He knew that Marie had had something horrible happen to her in the past, and he knew that he would have to take it slow with her. And he did. They were friends for two years, two whole frickin' years before anything happened. The whole reason Kyle had come out to Playa Linda was because he hadn't finished with Marie yet. He had moved out here because he couldn't let her go before he had had her. It just wasn't the way it worked.

His smile turned into a triumphant smirk. Kyle had succeeded in having Marie in a way that Bradin could only have dreamt about. The thought alone sent testosterone flying through Kyle's veins. He felt as if he had won a prize that every one in the world coveted, the one prize that Bradin Westerly had never been able to get his weasley little hands on.

Kyle stood up, not caring if the blanket fell off him, and headed back to Marie's bedroom. She wasn't in the living room. Kyle guessed that she'd gone back to sleep in her bed after they had had sex. But she wasn't in her bed. In fact, the sheets looked as if no one had so much as touched them. Confused, Kyle checked the bathroom. No Marie. Alright, he was getting angry now. No girl had ever just left after sleeping with Kyle. If anything, he was the one to always leave while the girl slept. Pure, burning anger replaced the victory he had just been feeling.

No, he thought, shaking his head, I need to calm down. When Marie comes back we'll talk this out. She's probably just freaked, that's all. After all, I am the first guy she's had sex with, willingly at least.

Content now to sit and wait out Marie's disappearance, Kyle dressed and started on making some breakfast. Sex always made him hungry.

Bradin felt his heart lodge in his throat at Marie's words.

I slept with Kyle.

No, it wasn't possible. Marie, the girl he loved, the girl who he had shown such willpower with, had slept with someone else. And not just some random guy either, but Kyle.

Bradin's arms dropped from around Marie as if she had burnt him. He took a few shocked steps backwards and stared at her through wide, unbelieving eyes.

"You…you what?" He could hardly register what she'd said. He didn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it.

"I slept with him, Bradin." She reached out to touch him, but thought better of it and pulled her hand back. Nervously, she wrung her hands in front of her.

"I don't know why I did it." She said, her voice was choked by tears, making it hard for Bradin to understand her words. "We were kissing and then all of a sudden he was lying on top of me, telling me that I could trust him." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "My mind and my heart kept telling me not to do it, that I wasn't ready. But I found myself saying yes and I wish that I hadn't. Bradin, I feel like the worst person on the planet.

Bradin didn't want to hear any of this, he didn't want to hear how it happened, or why it happened, or how she felt about it happening. He simply wanted Marie to shut up and to leave him alone. But, as he looked at her tear-stained face, Bradin felt the need to protect her, to keep her safe from the guilt that ate at her. God, he wanted to kill Kyle for what he made Marie do.

"And the whole time it was happening," Marie kept talking, "the whole time I was lying there and all I could think about," she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Bradin rested a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her, but not knowing how. "All I could think about…was you." She looked at him then, her eyes revealing so much. The emotions buried within their depths made Bradin's heart break.

She still loved him, he could see it there in the depths of her beautiful green eyes. Those eyes that had haunted his dreams ever since he'd first laid eyes on her now looked at him with so much love and guilt and hope that it brought tears to Bradin's own eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Marie asked. Bradin didn't answer. Instead, he simply drew her in to his arms and held her tightly.

Sitting huddled in the corner of Bradin's couch, Marie cradled a mug of steaming coffee in her hands. Nikki, dressed in her pajamas seeing as how it was only eight in the morning, sat on the couch beside her.

"You really slept with him?" Marie heard the disappointment in her friend's voice, and she nodded her head sadly.

"And I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd never even kissed him to begin with." Marie replied sadly. Nikki wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Marie forced a smile. She had friends who loved her, who would help her through this, and who wouldn't judge her for her actions.

She stared down into the black coffee, wishing that it could tell her the answers to all her questions. But coffee was only coffee, not a crystal ball. Marie sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the door to Bradin's bedroom. He had disappeared in there after supplying Marie with her coffee fifteen minutes ago and hadn't come out since.

"He'll be out soon." Nikki assured her, catching the direction of Marie's glance.

"Oh, no, I was just…" she shook her head, trying to deny that she wanted Bradin out there with her. But lying had never been one of Marie's strong points.

"I'm that obvious, huh." She smiled lightly.

"Yeah." Nikki laughed. "But don't worry, Bradin cares about you just as much as you do him." Marie looked at her, suddenly suspicious of the younger girl's change of attitude towards Marie and Bradin's relationship.

"Yesterday you said that I should stop pining for him, now, today, you're telling me that you approve of me and Bradin. What's up, Nikki?"

Nikki had the decency to blush as she looked down at her hands sheepishly.

"I might have told you that yesterday so that you would realize that Bradin still cared about you and that you guys should get back together. Oh, c'mon," she gawfed at the look Marie was giving her, "you know you guys belong together. You're like this generation's Ava and Johnny."

Marie chuckled and shook her head, her auburn curls hitting gently against her cheek. "What am I going to do with you, Nikki?"

She glanced back at Bradin's door. He still hadn't come out.

"Maybe I should check on him." She said, standing up and walking over to the door. She rapped her knuckles against the wood. No answer.

"Bradin? Bradin, what are you doing in there?" Marie listened for his reply, but Bradin remained silent. Exchanging a curious look with Nikki, who shrugged, Marie turned the knob and walked into Bradin's room.

She looked around and shook her head. "Oh no."

The door opened and Bradin stared up at Kyle. His jaw clenched as the anger that he had been trying to keep in check rushed through his veins.

"Can I help you?" Kyle smirked down at him.

"Yeah, you can." Bradin seethed, his hands clenched into fists inside his pockets. "You can get the hell out of Playa Linda, right now."

"Oh really," Kyle looked him up and down, "and who's gonna make me." Bradin's eyes narrowed and, before he knew it, his fist was connecting with Kyle's jawbone.

Marie rushed out of the beach house, Nikki close on her heels.

"Marie, where are you going? What's wrong? Where's Bradin?" Nikki cried as the two ran down the road. Marie didn't answer her, she was too intent on reaching her apartment before Bradin had the chance to do something stupid.

Kyle clutched his jaw, staring at Bradin through narrowed eyes.

"You son-of-a-bitch, you could have broken my jaw!" He cried, anger snapping in his eyes.

"Good," Bradin replied, his eyebrows cinching together as his brow furrowed with repressed rage.

The insufferable smirk was back on Kyle's face.

"I take it you heard about me and Marie." There was no denying the condescending tone in his voice. "I must say man, she is one good lay. I mean, I've been waiting two years to tap that and she was definitely worth the wait."

Bradin struck out again, but this time his fist was caught by Kyle.

"Now, now, little man, there's no need to get so territorial here. After all, you've moved on, remember." Kyle's tone of voice was anything less than mocking. He was dangling Marie in front of Bradin's face, along with Bradin's relationship with Emma.

He yanked his fist from Kyle's grip. Staring the bigger guy down, Bradin realized something. Marie wouldn't want him fighting Kyle, no matter what he said, Marie wouldn't want Bradin to do this. With an effort, he turned to go.

"That's right, you get out of here. Marie's mine now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Something inside Bradin snapped. With a yell, he turned back around and tackled Kyle.

"You bastard." He cried, as the two rolled around on the floor.

Bradin felt Kyle's fist connect with his face, the pain blinded him for a moment, but he pushed it aside and focused on pummeling the other boy. Kyle was bigger, stronger, but Bradin was full of rage and hatred.

Kyle had him pinned, a hand on Bradin's chest, keeping him effectively trapped on the ground.

"You know," Kyle smirked, "last night I had Marie in this very position." The comment made Bradin's blood boil. He started flailing his arms wildly, hoping to connect with any part of Kyle's body that would cause him pain. Kyle let out a grunt as Bradin's fist connect with his gut.

"Alright," Kyle pulled Bradin up by his collar, "I'm done playing with you, you damn son-of-a-bitch." Bradin winced as he was shoved up against the wall.

"Marie may think you're all that, but I know what you really are." Kyle stared straight into Bradin's eyes as he spoke, "you're nothing more than a pathetic," he slammed Bradin against the wall once more, "puny," slam, "surf punk." Slam.

Stars danced in front of Bradin's eyes. Once they cleared, he found Kyle sneering at him.

"I don't know what she even saw in you to begin with." He said, appraising Bradin. Eyes narrowed, Bradin brought his knee up between Kyle's legs. The other boy bent over, and Bradin quickly punched him. Kyle fell. Bradin kicked him. One, two three, times he kicked Kyle. Suddenly, Kyle grabbed his ankle and pulled him down to the ground as well. Kyle quickly straddled Bradin once more, gripping his collar and pulling his head up off the floor. His arm was pulled back, his fist ready to slam into Bradin.

"Kyle, stop!"

Bradin strained to see around Kyle's shoulder. Marie stood in the doorway, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop it, please." She took a tentative step into the apartment, Nikki, who Bradin hadn't seen before, stepping in behind her. He was suddenly aware of blood dripping from his nose. It slid down the side of his cheek and into his ear and hair.

His eyes cold, Kyle threw Bradin down on the floor and stood. Marie rushed to Bradin's side.

"Oh my god," she knelt down beside him, "Bradin are you alright?"

"Yeah," he sat up and wiped at the blood with the back of his hand, "I'm fine." He glared up at Kyle, who returned the glare.

Happy to see that Bradin wasn't seriously injured, Marie turned on Kyle.

"You bastard!" She cried, pushing him roughly. Kyle stumbled back a step at the sudden attack. "I thought you were my friend. I thought you cared about me. But all you seem to want to do is beat up on the guy that I love."

There was a flash of something in Kyle's eyes. A mix of anger and hurt and hatred. Mostly hatred.

"Oh please, Marie." He scoffed, "You really think you're in love with this guy." He looked at Bradin, who was standing up now, with disdain before turning back to look at Marie. "If you really love him so much, how come you slept with me and not him?"

"I want you out of here," Marie cried angrily, "I want you out of here right now!"

"No you don't." Kyle shook his head, smirking confidently. Marie wanted nothing more than to smack that smirk right off his face. So she did. She slapped him, and she slapped him hard.

"Yes I do." She seethed.

"Fine." He snapped, "But I'll be back." Marie watched him storm out of the apartment and sank, shaking violently, onto the floor. Bradin knelt beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

"Marie?" She looked up at his questioning gaze.

"What?" her voice was barely a whisper, all the strength having left her body.

"Did you mean what you said to Kyle? You know, about…loving me?" He was scared, Marie could see it in his eyes. He was scared that she would say no and that they would be back to where they started. But there was no way she could say no. She knew now, if she had ever even forgotten, that she loved Bradin more than she'd ever loved anyone.

Marie opened her mouth to say that yes, she loved him, but she could not form the words. So, she did the only thing she could do. She kissed him.

Ah, our happy couple is back together again. But don't think for one second that this story is over with. We still have a jealous Kyle to deal with. What kind of trouble can our jaded hottie stir up? You'll just have to wait to find out.

Also, I am taking a poll now. I have an idea for a sequel to this story, but, I want to know if you guys are tired of Marie and Bradin and if I should write that sequel after this story is finished or not. Please tell me if you want a sequel when you review. If enough people are interested then I'll write it. But, if not many people are interested I'll just write an epilogue to this story and leave it at that.

I know that a lot of you read this story, but lately reviews have been dropping. I would just like to ask all of you to please review and tell me what you thought. Reviews are, after all, the lifeblood of a story. Anyways, thank you for reading.

grullo-cowgirl: You're not completely off in your assumptions of Kyle. As we saw in this chapter, there is not much that is beneath him. You'll just have to wait and see what trouble our bad boy stirs up next. ;)

Jmacsgurl15, beverleyd, Soxbabe, Haylie, kandykane33, Saynt Jimmy: Thank you all so much for reviewing. It really means a lot to me.