I do not own the rights to Summerland if I did, it would still be on! DUH! I do, however, own Teresa Coleman, her family, her friends and any other thing that you are unfamiliar with.

Hey again! I just wanted to say thank you to justthegirl07 and kandykane33 for reviewing! You (the reviewers) are what is keeping this story alive.

Thanks again! Now... on with the story!


Chapter III

Are You Okay?"

"Bradin! Bradin, where are you going?" Nikki yelled after him as he ran down the beach not looking back. He didn't answer and just kept running. Her mouth hung open, Now what did I do? Bradin, she thought, I haven't been able to figure him out once since mom and dad died... with the thought of their parents, tears filled Nikki's eyes and ran down her cheeks before she could stop them. She buried her head in her hands and softly sobbed as she sunk to her knees in the sand and into a heap, "Mama..." she whispered.

----------

He heard her, but he didn't stop to answer. He didn't want to, he didn't even want to look at her, he was running away from her after all! He stopped short as he noticed a girl about his age and a boy Nikki's age sitting on the beach in an embrace, he decided not to disturb them and sat down about 9 feet away. He was out of breath and his head hurt, he had just come from walking with his sister and she had said something that reminded him of his parents, but she didn't know it, and he thought he would cry so he just ran off.

Stupid, stupid, stupid... he thought as he realized she would probably tell his aunt. He fell backward on his back and ran his hand through his hair staring up at the darkening sky. After a minute, he rolled over on his side and watched the only other two people on the beach within eyesight.

Suddenly the girl started crying, he could hear her, and the boy fell limp into her lap. He was just about to run over when a woman ran over to them, sat beside the girl his age and hugged her tightly. He heard her say, "It's okay sweetie, he's happier now..."

A minute later another woman, carrying a baby, came over and started crying. She fell to her knees, nearly dropping the baby, and started crying and screaming hysterically. The first woman let go of the girl, who took the baby, and hugged the other woman. "Shh... Sis, don't, he's better off now... He's happier." Bradin cringed inside.

"Mom, it'll be okay, it really will..." the girl his age was saying, "Mom, he said-" the teenage girl started crying again, "Mom, he said for me to tell you not to be sad... please, mom..." she broke down and collapsed onto the sand, crying.

Bradin felt like he was gonna start crying as he realized that the boy must have just died and that they were probably expecting it to happen anytime. He felt tears fall down his face as he remembered his own feelings when he found out his parents had died. He turned away from them and rolled onto his stomach putting his face in his hands and crying softly.

"Bradin?"

"Huh," Bradin looked up from where he was laying and saw Jay looking down at him, concern visible on his face.

You okay, man?" Jay said in his Australian accent, "I mean, Nikki said you ran off earlier and well, when you didn't show up for supper, we all got worried and wondered where you went..." his voice trailed off.

Bradin was lying on his stomach, realizing he must have fallen asleep earlier, he got up and sat staring at the ocean. It was completely dark now and the waves were coming in at their highest for the night. It was beautiful, dark, quiet... almost hypnotizing. The kind of night that could make you forget who you were and what was going on in your life. Bradin shut his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the salty sea air fill his lungs he forgot that Jay was standing right behind him.

"Um, Bradin?" Jay's voice startled him and brought him back to reality as quickly as he had left it.

"Oh! Uh, yeah?" Bradin stammered over his words knowing what Jay was about to say.

"Bradin," he sat down beside him, "are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Bradin said staring at the moon.

"Well, I uh... I just thought that you'd been acting a little... well... I don't know, a little funny," Jay said trying not to make Bradin angry. It didn't work.

"Funny? Funny! What the-" Bradin stopped abruptly. He had turned to glare at Jay, but now he looked away quickly and they sat in awkward silence.

After a minute Jay said, "Hey man, I didn't mean to uh... I just well, we're all worried about you, man."

"Why? Why would y'all be worried? You don't even..." his voice trailed off as he felt tears coming to his eyes.

"Because we care about you." Jay said it as if Bradin were insane not to think so.

Bradin heard him, but he didn't say anything, he didn't know what to say. How could they be worried about him? How could they care about him? They didn't even know him! "I'm fine," he finally said.

Jay thought that Bradin had said that just a little too quietly, but he didn't press him, it would only make him mad and more reclusive. No, Bradin would come to them eventually and there was no point in pushing him, it would only make it worse.

Bradin and his sister, Nikki, and brother, Derrick, had come to live with them about a month ago, after their parents died. Ava, Johnny, Susannah and Jay shared a house and since Ava was their aunt, they came to live with her and Ava's roommates had gladly accepted them into their lives. Ava was thankful for that and for all the help they were giving her on this new journey.

They were all still adjusting to the new lifestyle and the adults were still, a bit unsuccessfully, trying to be "parents..."

At first Nikki had taken it by trying to be her brother's "mom" but she soon realized she couldn't do that so now she was just adjusting.

Derrick had tried to find a way to be with his mother and father. So when he found out that they were in heaven and the only way to get there was to die, he had tried to find a way to kill himself not fully understanding what he was doing. Luckily, Ava found him and talked to him about how his parents didn't want him to die and that he hadn't lived long enough yet. So he was doing okay now.

Bradin had been okay at first, or so everyone thought, but over the last few days he had become very distant from everyone and he barely said two words to anyone all day. Ava was worried, and so was everyone else, but especially Ava. Whenever one of them tried to talk to him about it he would push them away as fast as he could, or so it seemed, and they would give up and leave, thinking that he would "get over" whatever it was that was bothering him.

Bradin sat in silence, Jay seemed to be lost in thought beside him and that was okay with Bradin, he didn't want to talk to him anyway, or did he? You know you wanna talk to somebody, talk to him, he's right there. He'll listen to you. A little voice cried out in his head. Talk to him! It screamed, Tell him what's wrong, he'll LISTEN! Bradin shook his head viciously and screamed another voice at the first voice, SHUT UP! I'm not talking to anyone, they won't understand. The arguing inside his head was interrupted by his aunt, Ava, "Jay, Bradin? Oh good," she breathed a sigh of relief, "you found him!"

"Yeah, um... I found him." Jay didn't look at her; he was to deeply thinking about something, someone else.

"Bradin, where have you been!" Ava shouted at him now that she had gotten over her worry for his safety.

Jay seemed to jump back to reality when he heard Ava shout, "Ava," he said simply but firmly, signaling for her to be gentler.

She sighed, "Bradin, where were you? We were all so worried!" This time she spoke more quietly.

"Why?" Bradin was suddenly angry, "Why were you worried? Did you think," he whirled around to face her, anger blazing in his soft blue eyes, "that something happened to me? Huh? Is that it? And why would you care anyway?"

Ava was dumbstruck by his sudden outburst of anger but she regained her composer and said softly, "Yes, I was worried that something happened and that you weren't okay. Why would I care? Because I love you. Are you okay?"

Bradin again felt tears rushing to his eyes, he stood up abruptly and brushed passed his aunt muttering, "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm going home."

----------

Ava watched him go thinking that she had just screwed up and that if she had said something differently she could have gotten him to open up to her, she sighed. Blew it! Her mind said to her.

"He'll come around," Jay's voice startled her, she had forgotten he was there.

"I hope so, and soon!" she said in a frustrated sigh, Bradin was really a complicated specimen... "Well, I guess it's home again, home again..." Ava sighed as she started off towards the beach house, "You coming?" she asked noticing that Jay was still sitting in the sand.

"Uh... yeah, I'll be back later," he replied distantly.

"Sure," she laughed, "Erica?"

"Uh huh," Jay said, seeming further away every second.

"I'll see you tomorrow than," she laughed and walked off.

"Yeah..." Jay hadn't really heard a thing she said, something was nagging at him about getting Bradin to open up but he just couldn't figure out what it was... Suddenly something Ava had said to him sunk in, "Erica? I'll see you tomorrow than." He snapped his fingers, "Erica!" That was it. Then he laughed at Ava having said, "..see you tomorrow..."

Okay, you've read the chapter and I need to know what you thought about it, so... HIT THE REVIEW BUTTON!!!

Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15