Hello. My name is Clarissa Seraphina Morgenstern. I know right? It's a mouthful. Up until a few weeks ago, I was your typical american teenager. I liked to listen to music, hang out with my friends, and I had just graduated high school and was preparing for college. But now, I am in a hole in the ground hiding from some alien type race called the Asmodei who have made it their life's mission to kill me and my mother. Why you ask? Well, it all started two days before graduation...

"Izzy! Would you stop trying to change the radio station?" I reach down and slap her hand away from the dial. We are on our way back to my house after she dragged me to five different stores to find the perfect graduation shoes. "My car, my radio station!" I say to her. AC/DC's Back in Black is blaring loudly from the speakers.

"Awww come on, Clary!" Izzy whines at me. "I can't stand the stuff you listen to. It's like you will listen to anything that comes on the radio on any station."

"I can't help that your taste in music is limited to pop and the occasional alternative-punk type." I say looking at her through my sunglasses as the wind whips my hair from the windows being rolled down. "I, on the other hand, am an equal opportunity music lover. I don't discriminate on decade or stupid classification of good music. If it has a good beat and or a killer guitar riff, then I'm in."

"Yes, Clary. I know. I just don't know how you can listen to Sia one second then flip to Chris Stapleton then flip to this." she gestures to the radio. I laugh a little at the sour look on her face.

"Because, like I said, I am an equal opportunity music lover. I don't..." Izzy interupts me while I can just barely see her rolling her eyes through her sunglasses, "You don't discriminate. I know." I laugh at her sour expression again as I turn into my driveway. I live in Huntsville, Alabama because my mom works for NASA. My dad worked for NASA too until the car accident last year. But I don't really like to think about that. I live in a two story white siding house with black shutters. It is your typical southern style of house with a rounded overhang over the front door flanked by two columns. It is fairly big and my favorite feature is the pool out back. It gets insanely hot in the south during summer and it is truly the only way to avoid the suffocating humidity. If only I could tan.

We hop out of my yellow Jeep and I pull out the new canvas and painting supplies I picked up while we were out when I notice a moving van in the driveway to the house next door. It has been for sale for the past six months. The last owner, Lilith, was always hanging around my father until they were both killed the car accident. Why they were together, I don't know and my mom won't talk about it; but it's not too hard to figure out.

"You getting some new neighbors?" Izzy asks me.

"I guess so." I reply as I carefully balance my art supplies in my hands. Just then, I see the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. He steps out of the front door in jeans and a white wife beater that is stuck to his sculpted chest with sweat. He has shaggy blonde hair and the most beautiful lips ever. My mouth falls open of it's own accord as I watch him disappear onto the back of the moving truck. Izzy quickly turns around and mouths 'Oh my God' to me before turning back around to watch him appear again carrying two giant boxes. I take his distraction with trying to see where he is going and stare at the muscles rolling under the skin in his arms as he is carrying the heavy load. I unconsciously bite my lip as he turns to walk up the sidewalk that leads to his front door. Another guy comes running out of the front door then, and grabs one of the boxes the beautiful blonde god is carrying. I can hear him saying something to the beautiful man, but I can't make it out.

The other guy looks nothing like the blonde one. He is definitely older and has a mop of brown hair with a small streak of gray in it. He is wearing some professor looking glasses and wearing a flannel shirt that is hanging open to expose his undershirt. They both look up then and notice Izzy and I staring. The older guy nods his head and offers a friendly hello while the blonde one just smirks at me.

My cheeks flare up with blood and I suddenly find myself moving quickly to the front door of my house with all of the bags rattling in my hands. I hear Izzy offer a friendly hello back and I turn around and glare daggers at her as she turns to face me and walks up the way to meet me. When she gets close, I unleash my panic. "Oh my gosh, Izzy. Did you see him?" I glance back over to the house and see him jog lightly out of the front door and back towards the moving truck. "How am I going to be able to focus when he is next door...in his house...probably walking around shirtless."

I fling the front door to my house open and step into the foyer and yell that I am home. "I don't know, Clary." Izzy says. "I think if I lived next door to him, I would invest in some spy equipment. Maybe slip a nanny cam in his room or buy some night vision goggles." She smiles down at me. My friend Simon comes around the corner just as Izzy is finishing her statement and she instantly starts to back pedal. "I..I mean, that is, if I didn't already have the most handsome boyfriend in the world who absolutely no one compares to."

Simon smiles a crooked smile at his girlfriend and gives her a kiss to shut up her rambling. "It's okay, Izzy. If you are talking about the new neighbor, he is quite handsome. If I weren't quite so involved with you, I might have to ask him out on a romantic date." Izzy lifts up her sunglasses and places them on her head. "You, Simon Lewis, are the best boyfriend ever." She says and leans in to give Simon is disgustingly sloppy kiss.

"Okay you two," I say to them. "If you must make out, then at least do it somewhere I can't hear your saliva being swapped. It is quite disturbing how sloppy you both are."

"You are just wishing it was you making these 'disgusting' noises with Hottie McHotterson over there." Izzy snaps back at me with a smile on her lips.

"What's that you said, Izzy?" A deep voice says from the room just off of the foyer.

"Oh thanks alot Izzy. Now my brother has heard you." Jonathan appears just then holding a bag of chips while he licks the artificial cheese off of his giant fingers.

"Did I just hear that my baby sister has a crush on the new neighbor?" He asks playfully.

"No, you didn't." I say sternly to him as I start to make my way upstairs to my room to deposit my things. Jonathan pounds up the steps two at a time and pushes around me to block the stairs. "Oh come on, little sis. I won't say anything." Jonathan says as he makes a crossing motion across his heart leaving a trail of orange from his fingers.

"That's what you said about Jonathan Cartwright. And then the next thing I know, he is over here playing video games and you are making wildly inappropriate 'that's what she said' jokes at my expense every time he said anything." I push my way past him and continue marching up the stairs thinking about my on again and off again high school boyfriend, Jonathan Cartwright. We are definitely off right now and I plan to keep it that way. I just wish he would understand that.

"Oh come on, Clary," Jonathan whines at me, "you can't be mad about that forever."

I reach the top of the stairs and walk to my room and push open the door. "Yes, Jonathan, I can." and I slam the door in his annoying face. I drop the bags and set down my canvas and walk over to my window. The angels of heaven must be smiling down on me because my window faces the house that will now be occupied by my future baby daddy. I look down and see him standing in the front yard downing a bottle of water with a towel slung over his shoulder. He reaches up and rubs the towel across his sweaty forehead while I take a glance down at his perfect back side. It's not non-existent and it's not absurdly big. It is like a baseball players butt. High and tight with perfect roundness.

I am broken out of my reverie when I see an all to familiar flash of white blonde hair walk over the the beautiful blonde and extends his hand out to introduce himself. "Oh, no, no, no, no." I say to myself. "I am going to kill that amazingly large ass for a face that I call a brother." I watch in horror as Jonathan walks with him to the back of the moving truck and comes out with his own armful of boxes. I turn back to my door when I hear it squeak open and see Izzy approaching me to join me at the window.

"Oh my gosh, Izzy, look at him!" I point wildly at Jonathan hamming it up with the new neighbor. "Look at what you did!" I flick her in the arm.

"Ouch Clary! Why do you always have to resort to violence?" She says while rubbing her arm. "And how was I supposed to know he was in the next room."

"Because he has been here all week, remember? He came home from college for my graduation." I turn back and jab my finger at the window. "And now he is going to horribly embarrass me before I even meet him." I move away from the window and fall back onto my bed. I bring my hands up to my face and mumble into them, "This is just bad. Very bad."

Izzy moves to sit with me on the bed. "Don't you think that you may be overreacting just a tad?" She whispers to me.

I slide my hands down my face and look back over at her. "You're right, Iz. I mean, what are the chances that he would even be into a little dwarf like me anyway." I stand up and walk to my full length mirror next to my window to asses myself. Long flaming red hair that looks like a bad halloween wig to a Daphne costume from Scooby Doo. Light freckles dotting my casper the ghost white skin and the height of a dwarf from middle earth. Then only thing I might have going for me is my bra size finally went up over Christmas break to a small C and my non-existent hips are starting to show themselves. "Ugh, Izzy. Why do I have to look like a 12 year old?"

"Um, Clary.." I hear Izzy say but I continue on my rant.

"I mean, just look at this." I grab my breasts and shake them with my hands in the mirror. "This is all I have that separates me from the girls in Jr. High."

"Clary!" Iz yells loudly. "What?!" I snap at her. I look at her to see her pointing out of the window and at the house next door. In the window just across from my own is the beautiful blonde who is staring at me with a smirk on his face. He raises a hand and gives me a little wave, wiggling his fingers. I freeze in horror for a few seconds before I reach for my curtains and pull them shut. "Well, if my brother didn't ruin my chances, I certainly just did." I fall face first into my bed. "Why do I have to be such a spaz?" I groan into the comforter.

Izzy's laughing is not helping the situation either. "Oh, Clary, Clary, Clary." Her hand comes down on my back and starts to make soothing circles. "It wasn't that bad."

I turn my head from my comforter and look up at her. "Oh really, Izzy? He just saw me molesting myself in the mirror. And combined with whatever crazy crap Jonathan is spouting, I have just taken my chances with him from 'if hell froze over' to 'nope, not even then'."

"That's not true, Clary." she says as she tries to make me feel better. "Jonathan might not say anything about you."

I look at her and try to raise one eyebrow and fail miserably. Instead, I just settle for the 'yeah, sure he won't say anything about me to the guy he thinks I have a crush on because he is such a wonderful big brother' skeptical look. "Okay, you're right." She huffs out dejectedly as I bury my face back into the bed.

"Come on, Clary. We still have to get ready for everybody to come over later. You know, the pool party." She says trying to cheer me up. "Alec is supposed to bring his new boyfriend that he has been sneaking around with for the past month. And don't forget the Jordan, Maia, Bat love triangle we get to watch unfold. It is going to be so entertaining." Izzy claps her hands together in excitement.

"It was pretty funny last week when Jordan and Bat challenged each other to an arm wrestling match." I say smiling at the memory.

"You poor mom's patio furniture didn't stand a chance." She laughs at the memory. Jordan and Bat arm wrestled each other trying to impress Maia and ended up shattering my mother's glass table out back. Maia ended up stepping on the glass and cutting her foot and then Bat and Jordan started to then argue over who got to carry Maia inside to get doctored. Maia ended up just hobbling inside while they argued. It was a good minute before they realized that she wasn't even outside anymore.

"She needs to just pick one and put the other out of their misery." I say between laughs. I hop up off of the bed. "Okay then. What bathing suit should I wear? Good old trusty green mamba," I hold up the tankini that comes and ties around my neck, "or good ole' blue?" I hold up the one piece cerulean blue old fashion 1950s style suit.

Izzy brings her hand up to her chin in contemplation. "Neither." She says and I lower both my eyes in confusion. "But I don't have another one, Iz."

"Oh yes you do, Clary. I saw it in your drawer last week." I suddenly remember the yellow bikini that I impulsively bought at the beach last year. It just has triangle patches to cover my chest and ties around the neck and back while the bottoms cover only half of my butt cheeks. "Oh no, Izzy. I can't put that on. I feel naked when I wear it."

She pulls out the yellow fabric and tosses it to me. "You look amazing in it but you only wore it twice while we were at the beach last year." I continue to shake my head. "Oh, yes, Clary. You must. I will not allow my friend to put on these atrocious pieces of fabric that she calls bathing suits." She snatches the other two off of the bed where I threw them and holds them behind her back.

"Iz." I whine at her.

"Don't you 'Iz' me." She says at me. "You will wear the awesome bikini that actually makes you look your age. End of story." I know that arguing with Izzy about anything clothes related is absolutely pointless. The last time I tried to hold my ground, she had taken my favorite paint brushes and held them hostage for a week till I gave in and wore this tiny dress she got me.

"Ugh! Fine. But you can't complain about my music for two weeks solid, okay?"

Izzy smiles from ear to ear in triumph. "I knew you would see it my way." Izzy says as she spins on her heels. "Now, lets make sure your mom bought enough to drink for everyone. And don't forget to order the pizza for later this afternoon. You can schedule a time for them to deliver."

"What time is everyone supposed to be here?" I yell as I follow her downstairs.

"I told everybody 2:30 so have the pizza delivered around 3:30."

"Got it!" I say as we go into the kitchen to check for supplies.

Two thirty rolls around and everyone is oddly on time. Jordan was the first one here followed my Bat and Maia. Jordan's face turned about three shades of red when he found out that Bat gave Maia a ride. Aline and Helen showed up five minutes later and then Izzy left to walk the few houses down to hers to put her bathing suit on. When she returned, she was wearing an electric blue two piece and looks like she just walked off the cover of Sports Illustrated. Simon is one seriously lucky man to have snagged her.

Everyone has been here for about 30 minutes when Alec shows up with the most vibrant man I have ever seen. He is wearing a neon green speedo and a white mesh top. The towel that he has slung over his shoulder is actually bejewelled. You heard me. Bejewelled. I look pointedly at Alec who is in plain black swimming trunks and a plain white t-shirt and let a smile spread across my face as I approach to introduce myself. Alec taps the man on the shoulder and gestures to me.

"Magnus, this is Clary. Clary, this is Magnus." Alec says shyly.

I reach out my hand to shake his and he grabs it and brings it up to his mouth and kisses it. "Nice to meet you, little biscuit." His eyes scan me up and down. "Nice bathing suit, honey. You will be sure to catch a lot of bees with that honey."

I blush furiously and Alec thankfully ushers him off to meet Aline. I turn to go back into the house and get a drink when I run straight into a bare muscled chest. Arms wrap around me and move to the small of my back.

"Whoa there, my Clare bear." Ugh, I know that voice. I push away and look up to see Jon Cartwright with a smug smile on his face.

"What are you doing here, Jon? We broke up over a month ago. Remember?" I say venomously to him. "You were making out with that Jayda girl in the locker room when I walked in."

He groans in frustration as he drags his hand through his hair. "I told you I was sorry, Clary. It was just a one time thing and she didn't mean anything to me. When are you going to forgive me so we can get back together?" He reaches his hand out to me and I step back. "You do look absolutely sexy in that bathing suit, Clary."

"Um, never." I tell him. My brother Jonathan appears in the doorway then and smiles widely at me. "I invited him, Clary. After all, we are friends." my brother says.

Jon C. turns around and gives my brother a mock punch in the arm. "The only reason you keep bringing me back is to try to beat me in Halo. You are just glutton for punishment."

I shove past my brother and mutter something about murdering in his sleep.

"Oh, and Clary?" My brother Jonathan shouts into the house, "I also invited a couple of my other friends as well. They should be here shortly."

"Oh joy." I mumble to myself and make my way back out to the pool with my drink to see Izzy on Simon's shoulders and Maia on Jordan's and they are having a chicken fight. From the looks of it, it is getting pretty serious. Both chicks are pretty bad ass and don't give up easily. I walk over pool side and pull my sunglasses down over my eyes and watch the most epic chicken fight, unfold. Just when it looks like Maia is about to fall, she grabs hold of Izzy's arm and uses it to pull herself back up and she launches herself off of Jordan's shoulder and tackles Izzy and they fall into the water; Maia on top of Izzy.

"Have I ever thanked you for having such hot friends?" my brother says as he comes to stand beside me. "They are wrestling in bikinis and falling on top of each other."

I shove him a little and he doesn't budge because he is the size of a giant. He is six foot two and has muscles coming out of his ears. Every single one of my friends went through a 'I love your brother' phase as some point. "You're a pig Jonathan." I take a few steps back and sit down on a fold out and lay back and close my eyes. Maybe this time I could actually tan instead of burn. Just as I am starting to relax, a shadow moves across my face. I open my eyes to see my ex Jon grinning mischievously down at me. "What do you want, Jon?" I ask him, clearly annoyed.

He smiles wider and bends down lightning quick and picks me up. I flail my arms and kick out at him while yelling some very unladylike things as he holds be bridal style and jumps into the pool with me. When I come back up for air, he is there waiting for me and wraps his arms around me and tries to move in for a kiss. I turn my head at the last second and it lands on my ear as I push him away with all my might. "Stop it, Jon!" I yell at him and swim to the ladder. My brother will pay for inviting him. I am met at the top of the stairs by Aline who gives me a sympathetic smile. "Why won't he just go away." I mutter to her as I walk back to my chair.

I grab my towel and wipe my face off and look up to the doors to the house...and I die a little on the inside. There, standing in the doorway, if the beautiful golden haired boy from next door in a pair a swimming trunks. His chest is perfectly ripped and he has a very prominent 'V' shape leading into his nether region. I swoon a little on the inside while my brother shoves past me and gives him the 'guy hand shake' and they smile at each other. I spin around and look at Aline nervously as Izzy comes up behind her.

"Oh my gosh, Izzy. What is he doing here?" I whisper yell to her.

"Just breathe, Clary. He is just a boy." Izzy says soothingly while trying not to draw attention to us.

"Yeah. Just the most beautiful boy, ever, who happens to be half naked." I say back. I look down at myself. "And look at what you made me wear. He is probably laughing at me for trying to wear a 'grown up' bathing suit."

Aline speaks up then. "Clary, if I wasn't already with Helen, then I would definitely be checking you out. You look hot in this bathing suit." I look up to her with uncertainty in my eyes. "Really?" I ask her.

Both Aline and Izzy reply in unison. "Really."

'Okay Clary.' I say inside my head. 'Get a grip. You have never let a boy affect you like this before. He is probably just another self absorbed womanizing idiot.' I turn around and see my brother pulling the beautiful boy behind him.

"Clary, this is Jace. Jace, this is my baby sister, Clary."

The beautiful boy named Jace looks me up and down slowly before reaching out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Clary. I saw you earlier when you drove up in your Jeep and then when..."

I let my head fall into my hands to try and hide my red face while I wish I was dead. "I was hoping you didn't see that." I peak back up at him to see him smiling a beautiful mischievous grin.

"Well, it was kinda hard to miss." Jace says.

My brother looks between the two of us with his brow scrunched together. "What did you see?" he asks Jace.

"Nothing!" Izzy and I shout quickly before Jace can respond. Jace just ends up laughing and says, "I didn't see anything."

I excuse myself and grab Izzy's hand and pull her along so I can curl up and die inside the safety of my own home. When we reach the inside, I spin to my best friend who has a smirk on her face. "Please tell me that did not just happen, Iz." She lets out a laugh I can tell she was holding in. "Oh, it totally just happened."

"Kill me now, Isabelle." I move to her and lay my head on her shoulder as she wraps her arms around me. "There, there." She says as she pats my back.

Ding, dong!

"That must be the pizza." I tell Izzy. I run to the foyer and grab my wallet from my purse and open the door to find Kaelie Whitewillow smiling back at me. "Kaelie? What are you doing here?" I ask her in surprise. She looks down at me with a superior look on her face that makes me want to punch her. "Your brother invited me." I move aside and motion for her to come in. "Of course he did." I mumble as soon as she is out of site. Kaelie is hands down one of the hottest girls to ever enter our high school. She has long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes with the bust size of Dolly Parton and the butt of a spinning instructor; and she knows it which is why I can barely stand her.

I slam the door shut only to hear someone knock on it almost instantly. I pull the door open angrily with a scowl on my face and realize that it is the pizza guy. His eyes land on my chest and he swallows harshly. I cross my arms and tap my foot as I wait for him to look me in the face. When he finally does, he stutters a little and I pull the pizzas out of his hands and shove the money at him. I shut the door and spin around into the house and run straight into Jace, hitting him with the five pizza boxes. He swears a little and brings his hand up to his arm.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I say to him. "I didn't see you there."

"I think I will live." he chuckles. "But you might have to take me to the hospital for this cardboard cut on my arm. Here, let me help you with those." He reaches down and takes the pizzas from me.

"I really am sorry, Jace. Do you want me to get you a bandaid for your cut? I can grab one really quickly if you need it. They are just over..." Jace cuts off my nervous rambling. "Are you offering to be my nurse?"

I look up at him and realize how tall he is. He is probably only and inch shorter than my brother and his eyes are the most interesting shade. Almost like they are gold. I shake my head to try and get a hold of myself. "Because, if you are offering, I am more than willing to accept that offer." He smiles a very sexy crooked smile at me and I blush furiously. "Do those lines work on everyone, because that wasn't very original." I ask him.

"Most of the time." he says with a smile as we walk back into the kitchen. "Why? Did it not work on you?"

"Just set the pizzas here." I say and clear a space on the counter for them. He sets them down and I use the time to make my escape. I stick my head out of the back door and yell "Pizza!" and watch as all of the boys start shoving each other trying to get their pick of the pizza first. I swear, it's like these boys don't have any home training. I take a chance to glace back at Jace who has two pieces on his plate and is taking a sip out of a water bottle. I slip out of the house and tell Izzy that in my clumsiness, I have injured him and have now eradicated any hope of having his beautiful body pressed up against mine. I resolve myself to forget about him and just try to have a good time with my girlfriends. Boys are stupid anyway. That is when I see that Kaelie has sidled up next to him and is giving Jace her fake laugh while reaching out to touch his arm flirtatiously, practically throwing herself at him. 'It's better that way' I tell myself and grab a piece of cheese pizza and join Maia at the table out back.

"So...Maia." I say as I take a bite out of my pizza. "When are you going to put one of your boyfriend's out of their misery? Or are you going to start you own reality show called 'Brother Husbands' where you, Jordan, and Bat all live together in polygamous bliss?" The scowl she gives me makes me bust out laughing.

"I'll pick one as soon as you tell pretty boy over there you have the hots for him." She spits back at me.

"May I ask who this 'pretty boy' is?" Jace appears behind me looking down quizzically. I turn my gaze back on Maia who has a horribly fake innocent look on her face. She will pay for this.

"I have no idea who she is talking about." I say to him and take another bite of my pizza while I am the picture of nonchalance.