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Bradley sat behind the counter of the record store, his notebook in his lap as he finished what he had written earlier.

Adam cautiously approached him "Hey" he said.

"Hey" Bradley said to him.

"How you doing?" Adam asked.

"Trust me I've been better" Bradley said to him.

"What's that?" Adam asked about Bradley’s writing.

"Oh, nothing, just something that I started earlier" he said closing his notebook and throwing it on the sales counter. Bradley threw his head back, covering his face with his hands and let out a long aggravated, pained groan.

"Very nice" Adam said nodding "You want to talk about anything?" he asked.

Bradley looked at him confused "Why are you being weird?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to be nice" Adam said.

"Well knock it off you're freaking me out" Bradley said to him.

"Why is everyone so surprised that I have the ability to be compassionate?" Adam asked.

"Because you're you" Bradley said to him.

"Whoa hey you're mad at Neilson not me, remember?" Adam asked, Bradley looked at him offended "Sorry, that was low" Adam said.

“Yeah just a tad” Bradley said to him “Besides, I’m not mad at Neilson…he’s mad at me” he said.

“You try to talk to him at all?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, at school…he basically told me to go to hell” Bradley said "As if this day couldn't possibly get any worst" he said when the bells above the door jingled and Natalie came in.

"Hi" she said.

"Spoke too soon on that one" Adam said.

Bradley got off the stool and approached her "I’m working, what do you want?" he asked.

“I want to talk about what happened” she said.

“Yeah, well, I can’t, I’m busy…isn’t there another guy’s life you can go and obliterate?” Bradley asked.

Adam chuckled softly “That was a burn” he said.

“Can you please stop acting as if this whole thing is my fault?” Natalie asked “You weren’t exactly an unwilling participant you know” Bradley rolled his eyes “You kissed me first remember?” she asked.

“Yeah well I didn’t force you to get into my car!” he said irritated “In fact, I’m the one who told you to stop!” he said.

“You told her to stop? What is wrong with you?” Adam asked, they turned to glare at him “Right, sorry” he said.

“I didn’t drag you to my room kicking and screaming now did I?!” she asked.

“Yeah and you know what, it wasn’t worth it” Bradley said to her. "It was the biggest mistake of my life" Bradley said to her “And now…my best friend hates me and everything is falling apart” he said sadly.

“I’m sorry” Natalie said softly.

“So am I” Bradley said.

“Adam, I’m sorry but I got to get out of here” Bradley said quickly, rushing into the back room and grabbing his jacket and leaving through the back.

"Not going to say anything?" Natalie asked Adam.

"What's to say?" Adam asked shrugging.

"Well I know you've got some kind of comment or remark to make, so go ahead let's hear it" she said.

"Okay, fine, I don't get you" he said to her.

"That's it?" she asked.

"You got your hooks into Neilson and then one day you decided 'I don't want him anymore I think I want Bradley J. now'" Adam said to her. "I don't know if you noticed or not but we're not interchangeable" he said. "So...who's next?" Adam asked "Hmm? there's Harry but he's way too sweet and sensible, I'd be a challenge but for some reason I think you would enjoy that" he said as tears welled up in her eyes."Oh and then there's Kyle, you'll probably have more luck with him..."

"Adam!" Kyle yelled, they turned to see him standing in the back "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well look at that, you got yourself a third white knight" Adam said going up he steps to the second floor.

"You okay?" Kyle asked.

"You don't have to do that" she said.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Be nice to me, it's fine I was expecting that anyways" she said.

"He didn't need to be harsh with you" Kyle said.

"He wouldn't be Adam if he wasn't" she said "I should go" she said turning to leave.

"Want a ride?" he asked.

"Sure you want to do that? I could lure you into a trap or something" she said "Thanks but, I can walk" she said.

"Can I walk with you at least?" he asked.

"Sure" she said.

"After you" he said as they left the store.


~*~



"I'm sorry about Adam" Kyle said as they walked through the park.

"Please stop apologizing, it's not like he's wrong." Natalie said to him. "Look um, I was going to stop by and try to talk to Neilson do you know if he's home or not?" she asked as they walked.

"Uh yeah, he left" he said to her.

"Left?" Natalie asked.

"He's staying with his mom right now, says he can't be under the same roof as Bradley" she sighed.

She took a seat on a bench "Everything is a mess and it's my fault and I have no idea how to fix any of it" she said as Kyle sat next to her "What do you think?" she asked.

"I guess I just don't fully understand...I thought you loved Neilson?" Kyle asked.

"I did...I do" she said "I don't fully understand it myself" she said "before Neilson actually became my boyfriend he was one of my best friends" she said. "every little thing we did lately caused a huge argument and they were becoming worst and more frequent". "I could feel myself starting to hate him, I don't want that, because him not being my boyfriend is one thing but him not being my friend? I couldn't handle that" she said. "I am genuinely sorry that I hurt Neilson, I'm not trying to hurt him on purpose, and I do love him."

"And Bradley?" Kyle asked.

"I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about Bradley and I together before but it was just that, a fantasy" she said to him. "I never thought I would act on it and up until then I only thought of Bradley as one of my best friends...it was a mistake...I didn't want for it to happen but it did, and I can't take it back no matter how much I want to" she said.

Kyle nodded "Look Nat, we didn't have a normal childhood, we don't have normal families" he said "I mean we could each have all the friends in the world but in the end we know that it would just be because of who our dads are". "the only ones we know that we can really trust are each other" he said to her. "Do Bradley J. and Neilson get on my nerves with their stupidity and their stupid jokes that are really only funny to them" Kyle said, Natalie laughed.

"Hell yes, all the damn time" he said "but if I can be honest...something about their relationship...it's actually kind of sweet" he said. "And if you tell anyone I ever said that..."

"I promise you no one will know" she said smiling.

"They would go to hell and back for each other and that's nice to have someone in your life like that, I wish I did" he said.

"What about Harry and Adam?" she asked.

"Well that's different, I mean Adam's...he's...he's Satan and Harry...he's just a pain in the ass" she laughed "But incase you're wondering I do kind of love them...I guess" she laughed. "Look, out of all of us I'm the oldest, it's my job to look after them...I mean my dad did it...which is probably why he left, they all drove him insane..." Kyle said.

"But I don't know how to help them through this one" he said, she nodded.

"Me either" she said sadly.

"I guess all we can do is hope they can figure this out themselves" he said.

"You think they will?"

"If they care as much about each other as much as they say they do" Kyle said "Come on" he said as they stood up and continued their walk.