Okay, I have to hurry so you know the drill! I don't own Summerland but I DO own Teresa.

Thanks so, so, SO very much to my faithful reviewers and my new reviewers!! Y'all are awesome!

Chapter XI

You Can Trust Me

"Oh my God, Bradin!" Nikki screamed, tears ran down her cheeks as Ava ran over and embraced her.

"Nikki, what's wrong? What is it? Nikki tell me, tell me now!" Ava was sure Nikki was scared Bradin was going to do something stupid, "Tell me now!" she repeated with a sense of urgency.

Instead of answering her aunt, Nikki turned to Johnny and Jay and said, "Johnny, Jay, follow him, and do not let him know that's what you're doing, and do not let him do anything to hurt himself which is what I'm sure he's going to do! And hurry!" Nikki said urgently, "Don't stand there, go!" she yelled at Johnny and Jay's confused faces, they looked at each other than back at Nikki. With that they disappeared out the door.

"Tell me what's going on, Nikki, now." Ava commanded gently.

Nikki sighed deeply and sat down on the couch, her aunt sat down next to her. With another sigh, she began talking...

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Teresa sat looking out her bedroom window, though she tried, her mind wouldn't let her eyes focus on anything... She got up and walked out onto the balcony, she sighed, she couldn't concentrate on anything what on earth was bothering her? She couldn't figure it out... Maybe a walk will clear my mind... she thought. She went downstairs into the living room to find her mother sitting on the couch engrossed in a newspaper, her aunt sitting in an arm-chair talking animatedly on the phone and her baby sister screaming happily from where she was playing on the floor. "I'm going for a walk, Mama." Teresa spoke loudly in order to be heard over her aunt's talking and sister's screaming.

"Hmm? Oh, okay sweetie," her mother didn't even look up from her paper.

Teresa sighed, ever since Matt died her mother had been... distant. "Bye!" with that she went out the front door and slammed it shut behind her. She walked around to the back of the house and looked out at the waves. It was a beautiful day, but her mind was still so clouded that she couldn't think! What the heck was wrong with her? She shook her head and started walking down the beach, she wasn't going anywhere, just... walking. Funnily she found herself walking in the direction of Bradin's house... Hmm, maybe I'll go see if he wants to hang out today... She thought to herself with a grin. Suddenly her mind seemed to clear up and she walked intently towards his house.

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Bradin heard the door close behind him as he left his aunt's house, he was determined to end the pain that was eating him, he was determined to take care of it once and for all, he had told Nikki he loved her and Derrick, what was stopping him... it would be a simple task, just go down to Spanish Cove, wait until it got dark then go "swimming..." but never come back. Flawless, he could end the pain that easily. It would just be another thing that had happened at Spanish Cove, just another... worthless life lost. Bradin walked towards the cove, ignoring everything and everyone around him. "Hey, Bradin!" Bradin recognized the voice as that of one of his friends from school, but he ignored him. He kept walking, a few other people called out his name in friendly greeting, but he ignored them all. He began walking faster until it was a jog. People flew past him as his jogging became running, puzzled expressions and smiling faces flew past, laughing, carefree children flew past. Ah! What Bradin wouldn't give to be carefree again... another voice called his name but he kept running, "Bradin!" it repeated, this time further away as he was still running, "Bradin!" it yelled loudly, "Stop!" As if the words controlled him, he did. He stopped dead in his tracks breathing heavily, his side hurt and his face burned with heat coming off of it. He turned around recognizing the voice that had bidden him to stop. A girl came jogging up to him, he had passed her the first time she had called him having not seen her. Now she stood directly in front of him, her beautiful red-brown hair blowing in the breeze and her emerald green eyes dancing as she said, "I was just coming to your house! Where are you going in such a hurry?" she laughed.

"Hey, Teresa," he said unable to meet her gaze, "I- I was um... just running I guess..." Bradin looked down and kicked at the dirt, he wasn't about to tell her where he was really going or why.

Teresa sensed that something was bothering her new friend, "What is it," she asked softly, putting a, what she meant to be comforting, hand on his shoulder.

"Don't!" he yelled and shook her hand off of his shoulder.

"Okay! God, you don't have to be so hostile!" Teresa frowned, "What's with you any way?" she sounded a bit more harsh than she'd meant to.

"Well, don't be a bitch just cause someone doesn't want you to touch them!" He seethed at her, "Why don't you go find yourself a friend who hasn't been through hell!" The minute he said "hasn't been through hell" he regretted it, he was sure she was going to ask what he meant, and he wasn't about to tell her!

"What?" Teresa pointed a finger at herself, "me? A bitch? What are you? Crazy? Why you oughta' be- wait what do you mean "Why don't I go find myself a friend who hasn't been through he-"

Bradin cut her off before she could finish that question, "I- I'm sorry," he spoke so softly that it scared Teresa, "You're not a bitch..." he finished then turned his back on her and began walking away.

"Wait, Bradin! Bradin, stop!" she called after him, but he didn't stop this time, "Bradin, please! I'm sorry, I um..." she jogged up to his side, "Look, I won't touch you if you don't want me too! Just please tell me what you meant." Bradin looked directly into her eyes, she saw pain, hurt, confusion, sadness, and anger But most vividly, when she looked into his eyes she saw a painful fear and emptiness.

Bradin looked directly into her eyes, the only thing he saw was concern, "I- I..." tears fell down his cheeks before he could stop them, he brushed them away angrily and continued, "I- I'm too... I- I just can't I- I mean..." Bradin's eyes stung as more tears fell down his face unsolicited. He fell to his knees and collapsed into a heap.

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Johnny and Jay hadn't seen Bradin anywhere when they went outside, so they decided to split up and look for him.

Johnny walked around town for a while, checking places he knew Bradin liked to hang out at but with no luck, still, he kept looking.

Jay went down to the beach, he looked everywhere, after what seemed like forever, he saw what he was looking for: Bradin. He sat in a heap next to a girl with reddish brown hair. Haven't I seen her? Recognition clicked inside of him, Teresa Coleman, the girl Bradin had come home with the day before, he smiled slightly and sat down on the beach far enough away that Bradin most likely wouldn't notice him, but close enough to keep an eye on him as Nikki had told him to.

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Teresa was clearly worried about him now, What is wrong with him? She was scared for him, she saw the fear in his eyes and it bothered her, she wanted to know what was scaring him so she could help him. He collapsed into the sand by her feet, she knelt beside him, careful not to touch him, and said softly, "Please tell me what's wrong. What hell have you been through, Bradin?"

"Teresa," he said so quietly she could barely hear him, "if I tell you something will you promise that you'll never tell a living soul as long as you live unless I tell you to?"

"I promise, Bradin."

"Really, are you sue you can do that? I mean, you can never, ever tell anyone, do you understand that?" Bradin said a little louder this time.

Teresa looked at him, he was sitting on his knees, his arms propped on his thighs and his hands holding his head in them. Though his hands were covering his eyes and most of his face, a few tears escaped and trickled down his cheeks. She lifted his head and turned it so that their eyes met, "I promise, Bradin, and I've never broken a promise before and I don't ever intend to start now," She said simply but meaningfully, "you can trust me."

Reviews anyone?

Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15