I do not own Summerland, blah, blah, blah. (Cause, if I did, it would STLL BE ON!!!!) I do own Teresa Coleman, blah, blah, blah... ;)

ChrissyD: :D Well, maybe you're right... they are idiots but... Really? Would you suspect that?

Yep, two more fics:) Hope to see you there too!!! Sadly, this story is slowly coming to a close.. maybe, 7 chapters left... maybe an epilogue maybe not... I'm really not sure but it is nearing the end... so I really hope you'll be reading my others as I would HATE to have to stop talking to you:D Hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you SO much for the review!

Krissy: Ohh!!! I wanted to beat their asses for that!!! Grrr!! WHAT?!?! He's having a concert in Florida??? (Ahhhhhh!!!!! I live near Florida!! Well, part of it anyhow) Where? And When? If you know, if you don't, where did you hear that? (Sorry for all the Qs but it's been SO hard for me to get info on Jesse's touring lately.. I dk why, it's like it's just "not there" and his site is no help... sigh Anyway, so glad you liked the ch! I liked it myself actually:) Yeah, I have a lot of fun making him like, the sweetest guy on the PLANET and her being there for him every breathing moment... sigh only the fairytales, baby, only the fairytales... Well, hope you enjoy this chapter and... beware, the secret is about to be let out! But if that's a good thing is yet to be determined!! MHAHAHAHAHA! ;)

Varinia: Thank you!! I'm really glad you like it:D It means so much to me to hear that:) Hope you like this one!

Sweet-Romantic: Go Aunt Ava what?? I'm just a little confused what you said that about lol! Sorry, I wrote the thing and don't know what you're talking about... that's just sad... shakes head Yeah, well... I was trying to make him like, a really mean guy so y'all could see the difference in her past BFs and Bradin... Hmm... I'll tell you that you're close:) Yeah, Derrick's and little kid but I'm not gonna say ANY more!! tapes mouth shut :X "LOVE THIS STORY IT RULES THE UNIVERSE" THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! That means SO much to me to hear!! Thank you, thank you, thank you:D Enjoy!

froggy2045: Yeah, THE perfect guy... I guess we're all out of luck... Lol!! Hope you like this chapter:)

oNly hizzZ times INFINITY: ;D I figured it would be quick enough.. sorry this update took a while... Been super busy, man! Anyhow, THANK YOU!! I'm so, so, so glad you thought that much of it!!!! Lol! Ok, I'll do my best to make them long chapters but sometimes it just doesn't work... but I'll try!! Thanks so much again and I hope you enjoy this chapter:D

Did y'all know it was Jesse's B. Day today:O That really is crazy to me cause it's like, he was JUST in Dream Street, right? And now, he's 20!!!!!! That's just... whoa! Well, time flies I guess...

Now, in honor of Jesse's Birthday; the next chapter of Hidden Secrets of My Broken Heart

Chapter XXIII

Letting It Out

"Oh my God! You guys did it!?" Susannah exclaimed.

"Shh!" Ava scolded, "do you want one of the kids to hear you!? Or Jay? Be quiet!!"

It was early morning, 6:00am to be exact, at the Gregory household, Bradin was asleep as was Derrick, Johnny was in Ava's room, still asleep, and Jay was down in the kitchen with Nikki, who had insisted she wanted to make breakfast today.

"Sorry," Susannah whispered. They were in their studio putting a dress on a mannequin while waiting for breakfast to be ready and Ava had just told her friend what had happened the night before.

"Yes, we did it... Susannah, I'm confused now more than ever! We weren't supposed to do that! We're not together and I don't know why or what made us do that!" Ava got a very confused and regretful look on her face, "Oh, I wish I hadn't!"

"Hey, stop that! No regrets in life, remember? Especially not when it involves a guy and or sex." It was something the African/American often said when Ava regretted something.

Ava sighed, "You're right... I'm just confused is all.."

"I know... I know you are... just talk to Johnny about where you guys stand as far as relationship status and then... go from there!" Susannah advised her best friend.

Again Ava sighed then smiled, "Thanks Susannah! You always know what to say don't you?"

The two hugged then resumed dressing the mannequin. Ava had just finished pinning a skirt on the lifelike figure when Nikki's voice rang out through the house saying, "Breakfast!"

A banging door and stomping feet told Ava and Susannah that Derrick was up. Ava her friend exchanged a smile then headed into the hall and towards the stairs. Johnny came out of Ava's room and, thankfully, Ava and Susannah were the only ones who saw him. Once Ava got to the kitchen she realized that Bradin must still be asleep. Shaking her head she went up to Jay, who was setting the table with Susannah, and said, "Jay, would you go up and get Mr. Sleepy Head up?"

"Sure thing!" Jay laughed, "I'll drag him out of dream land!" Jay left the kitchen and Ava took over his job of setting the table.

Jogging up the stairs Jay stopped at Bradin's door tapped on it lightly. No answer. Jay pushed the door open and stepped in shutting it behind him. He looked over towards Bradin's bed and saw him sprawled out as if someone had already tried to wake him up today. Derrick perhaps? Jay walked over and was just about to stir Bradin when he rolled over onto his right side and mumbled, "Stop it... please leave me alone..."

Jay raised one eyebrow then leaned over to wake him. The instant his hand touched Bradin's shoulder Bradin shot up in bed. There was sweat on his brow, his heart was racing and his eyes were wide with fear. Jay stepped back, startled, then stared at the teenage boy sitting in the bed before him.

Bradin was so sure it had been real... so sure... He looked around his darkened, because the curtains were all still drawn, room until his eyes fell on the thing that had awoken him. Oh no, Jay! What was he gonna tell him? He would have to say he'd had a nightmare... that was all he could do...

"Bradin... you alright there, man?" Jay asked, standing by Bradin's door.

"I..." Bradin had been all set to say he was fine and, if Jay pressed him, to say he'd just had a bad dream... but now... seeing how Jay actually was concerned about him he couldn't do it. "Jay... I.. no, I'm not fine... I..." Bradin fought desperately against the tears that stung at the back of his eyes and begged to be allowed to fall.

"Hey... you wanna talk about it," Jay asked gently, coming over and sitting beside Bradin on his bed.

"I- I don't know, I..." Bradin looked away from Jay, he couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks and he didn't want Jay to see him crying.

"Bradin, what's wrong, man?" Jay put his hand on Bradin's shoulder making him tense. Jay noticed this but said nothing, "Man, come on, tell me what's wrong..."

"Jay, I-" Bradin couldn't talk right. He was crying now, there was no denying that.

What was wrong with Bradin? There was no denying that something was bothering him now! Was it just is parents being gone? True, it had only been about 4 months since they died but... "Brae... hey, man... shh... What's the matter?" Jay was certainly getting concerned about the young man.

"Jay... I... please promise me..." Bradin kept having to stop and pull his emotions together. Finally gaining enough control so that he could talk he said, "Jay, please, if I tell you this, will you promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even my aunt, about it?"

Jay didn't really want to promise such a thing but he figured it was the only way to get Bradin to talk. "I promise, Bradin, go ahead."

"Do you really promise?"

"What more can I say? I said I did and now you're asking me if I really did... what's gonna make you believe me?" Jay questioned.

"You're right, sorry... Jay, I've only told two people about this... Nikki and Teresa... I really, really don't like to talk about it... You know how I almost passed out in the kitchen yesterday?" Bradin stopped so Jay could answer him.

"Yeah... Johnny said he thought you might have been about to pass out... what about it?"

"Well, that was because... because the day before I had been beaten." Bradin had to stop there so he could pull his emotions together again.

Jay was shocked. Beaten? "W- who by, Brae? When, how? I mean-"

"On the beach, right before the storm came up, so no one was around, anywhere, and how? Well, he just came up behind me and knocked me down and started kicking me... I didn't even get a chance to fight back..." Bradin looked away.

"Wait a minute! If you were about to pass out a whole day later than it must have been pretty bad..." Jay's voice trailed off as Bradin pulled off his shirt so Jay could see the scars and bruises on his back and chest and the wound on his side.

"Who the hell did that to you!?" Jay was going to be mad at whoever had done this... They were definitely going to pay for hurting an innocent 16-year-old! And especially since that 16-year-old happened to be becoming more and more like a son to Jay everyday.

"Jay... I can't tell you.. I-"

"You tell me and you tell me right this damn minute, Bradin Westerly. I will not have somebody doing that to you." Jay ordered.

"Y- you... you care about me that much?" Bradin was shocked, he didn't know Jay actually really cared about him.

Jay's voice became soft and loving, as that of a father's, "Yes, Bradin, I care about you that much. And more. Now, tell me who did this."

Bradin looked away as tears sprang to his eyes, "Jerry," he choked out with some difficulty.

"J-"

Jay was cut off by Ava knocking and coming into the room. She took one look at Jay's face and instantly hers took on a worried expression. "What's going on?"

"Not now, Ava. Just go eat. Bradin's not going to school today." Jay said firmly.

"Okay..." Ava looked at her nephew and house mate then left the room shutting the door behind her. She knew when Jay talked like that there was no point in pressing him.

"Now what was I saying? Oh yeah, Jerry!? Why the hell would he beat you up like that?" Jay resumed what he had been about to say.

"Jay... there's something I'm not telling you here... I- Jerry... he... he..." Bradin just couldn't seem to get it out. It was so hard for him to talk about what Jerry had done to him... Especially after just having had another dream... Another horrific nightmare, not a dream, a nightmare.

"Brae..." Jay spoke softly, "go ahead and tell me... I get the feeling this has been bottled up in you for far too long."

The words had hardly left Jay's mouth when Bradin blurt it all out.

"Jerry used to molest me! I've had nightmares about it ever since and when he came back we ruffled each other's feathers... I almost broke down and told Aunt Ava and he knew I would probably tell somebody soon so he had to try and stop me and that's why he beat me on the beach the day before yesterday! I can't take living this way anymore and right now, I want nothing more than to fall back on this bed and sleep! Without any nightmares about him and what he did to me or what he claims he's gonna do to me again! I wanna go off to that blessed land where I don't have to feel this pain. Physical or emotional. But every time I close my eyes it's all just there. Jerry, my mom, my dad... My home and my happy life back in Kansas... My brother and sister before their joy was ripped away from them... Me, before my life was torn apart... me before Jerry... did what he... did to me..." Bradin's voice finally cracked with emotions and faded off as he dropped his face onto Jay's shoulder, without really realizing it, and cried while Jay recovered from the shock of what he'd just been told. After a minute he wrapped his arms around Bradin in a fatherly embrace and held him as the teen's tears soaked into his shirt and a tear escaped his own eye...

And, there it is! So Bradin has finally told somebody in the "family." What happens now? Find out by reading more, which you can only do if you review more! lol! Thank you!!!!

Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15

Happy Birthday to Jesse McCartney. You're not a teen anymore, man! lol! But we all still luv ya! Right girls:) Right.