the Other Half of Me

When I met Brandon at the age of five, it was like he was the other half of my soul. We were inseparable - climbing trees, eating mud pies, selling the sourest lemonade you've ever tasted. When our parents told us they were getting married, it was like a fairytale. Brandon and I wouldn't just be best friends, but family. Everything would be perfect. Except for the third addition to the family; Brandon's older brother, Ethan.
Ethan was always a dark horse, keeping to himself. Music blared from his room, making the wall between our rooms vibrate. Even when I'd watched him sneak over our shared balcony to do whatever it was teenage boys did, that music blared and our parents just let it.
When our parents separated, it shattered me that my best friend was moving away. Ethan I couldn't have cared less about.
Except five years later, and a tragedy has not just Brandon moving back in, but Ethan as well.
Ethan who was every teen girl's darkest fantasy, complete with the fact he still had no time for me; honestly, us teen girls like nothing more than a brooding bad boy with no interest in us. I used to be good at ignoring the intimidating presence of Ethan James, but it was near impossible to ignore his hulking presence now. Without seeing him, I knew when he walked into a room I was in; my skin would tingle and my heart would trip over itself.
All I know is maybe Brandon wasn't the other half of my soul? Maybe he was just responsible for leading me to the other half of my soul? Either that or both brothers held a half of my soul, leaving me with nothing but the strangest desperation to protect them both. Whatever I had with Ethan would never replace what Brandon meant to me, but being with Ethan would destroy it.