UNDO

 It all started when I was thirteen. Of course, nobody realized anything until three years later, just six months after my sixteenth birthday. There was something about the dynamic of things that drew me into him immediately - albeit he was nearly ten years older than me.

It was unbearably hot outside in the summer where we lived in the Southernmost part of California. We were well off to an extent. We lived in a fairly large house. My mother, Elizabeth Glenn, was quite the character. After my father's death back in 2001, she was never the same. His official diagnosis was heart failure. Apparently, it was genetic, so my mother made sure everyone ate healthily and exercised enough.

She wasn't a bad mother, but she wasn't really involved in our lives. She fed us, sheltered us, and anything else a parent had to do. She never did anything that a parent wasn't necessarily required to do - like be affectionate, for example.

I stepped outside, the hot pavement burning the bottoms of my feet as I attempted to make it to the pool. The sweltering sun had already caused a thin sheen of sweat to form on my skin, but at my age, it did little to bother me.

I heard the sliding door open and I looked back to see my brother, Ethan Glenn. He had dark hair that he'd left uncut for nearly a year now. It almost reached his shoulders and despite our constant encouragement, he refused to cut it. His eyes were a piercing blue color that he inherited from our father while I was cursed with, what my mom said was my grandma's, dark brown eyes. How that was fair, I'd never know.

He was about 5'11 and used every inch of his height to intimidate me when he needed to. Since he was eight years older, he rarely gave me the time of day, but when he did, he wasn't mean, per say. I enjoyed the time I spent with him greatly. It was like, somehow, he could light up a room just by speaking - everyone loved him.

"Bella, you've got to go inside." He told me. I frowned and shook my head.

"It's my house too," I replied bluntly.

"Come on, my friends are here," he sighed. "You can't be out here." I just raised my eyebrow at him and sat there, dangling my feet in the water. The cold water was a nice contrast to the heat of the day. My brother was an easy person to read; he rarely was able to lie to me.

"What's wrong with me being out here?" I retorted.

"We're talking about grown-up stuff." Despite his serious tone, I couldn't help but scoff. I stood up, stopping right next to my brother as I looked up at him.

"You owe me." I jabbed at his shoulder and he just gave me a smile. I opened the sliding door, attempting to walk in but instead, I walked into somebody. I looked up slowly, catching the eyes of one of my brother's friends, Nate.

Nathaniel Park was the same age as my brother. He was taller and more muscular but Ethan had definitely outscored him in the intellectual department. After years of high school football, both of them just grew to have different values. His black hair swept across his forehead almost elegantly and his kind brown eyes spoke more words than anyone ever could. He also had a towering height of nearly 6 foot and 2 inches.

I'd known him since I was born; he was like another brother for me, even though that wouldn't last very long. I could feel my face heat up the longer I looked at him. It seemed as if I'd been standing there almost an hour, but really, it was only about ten seconds.

Fearing my brother's response, I laughed awkwardly, shot him a quick 'hey', and ran past him into the house. I hoped he wouldn't notice, although it was futile. Nate, while not intellectually gifted in most areas, knew how to read people like a book.

I'd made it to my room with just enough time to put my shorts and my shirt on over my swimsuit before there was a knock on my door. I opened it. Seeing Nate standing there was a surprise.