Mackenzie blinked, turning her head quickly to stare at me in shock. "Um...a-alright. Might I ask what brought this on?"

"I planned from the very beginning. I will give you 50% of my paychecks in order to give you some extra income," I promised.

She stared at me as if she'd honestly never expected this. Did she really think I would just force her into a position in which she had to provide for another mouth, with no extra financial help?

They do not know you. They do not understand how you are, I reminded myself yet again.

"Unfortunately, I do not think I can handle a job like a fast-food restaurant. I am not very good at human interactions and I do not think I could handle the 'grill' job of such places. I will be too close to too many people. Public schooling will be hard enough honestly and I don't think I could take yet another place that I must be surrounded by others," I explained. "I will have to look for a job where my interactions with others are at a minimum. Most likely with lots of physical labor," I mused.

"Well, there's a local yard work company. Cedric is the owner. M-maybe I could talk to him about hiring you on?" she cleared her throat.

Thinking about it for a moment, I nodded. "Yes, that seems agreeable. I would appreciate if you could help me get my foot into the door, so to speak."

"I'll give Cedric a call after lunch," she promised. "That's usually the best time to get hold of him."

"Do you know this Cedric well?" I wondered.

She flushed faintly, reaching up to twirl a curl around her finger. "We may have gone on a few dates," she admitted with a small smile.

I stared at her for several seconds. "Well, again, I'd appreciate any help you could provide me in getting a job."

"Sure, Seok. If it's something you honestly feel strongly about, I don't mind at all." She tossed me a warm smile.

~ * ~

Selena

I walked into my bedroom, coming home after staying out with my girlfriends until eleven at night. I hadn't wanted to come home...I really, really didn't want to see Seok.

He was such a fucking ass!

During breakfast this morning, he'd remained silent and aloof, only speaking after someone had spoken to him. He hadn't spared a glance for any of us unless he'd been forced to. 

Though, I guess he wasn't all bad. After asking Mom for seconds and then later wanting thirds, he'd risen to his feet. He tossed a glance at my mother and told her to stay put. He explained he'd observed where all the tools were located in the kitchen and assured her that he would cook the rest of his meal himself. By the time he'd been done, he'd had more food than all three of us girls combined.

How the hell does he stay that damn thin?! I demanded of the universe.

It wasn't fair...

I couldn't stand Seok Kim's guts. He was a cold, rotten bastard who was taking advantage of my mom's kindness. I was determined to make his next year here be so bad, he'd leave as soon as he hit eighteen. None of us wanted him here. I mean, who wanted to live with a robotic shell of a person?

That's all he was really.

Sighing heavily, I closed the door and flipped on the switch to fill my room with light. Squinting my eyes at the sudden brightness, I took in my room. Everything was just as it alwa—

That is not my bed!

I gasped, staring at the much larger bed I recognized belonged in my mother's room. "W-w-w-w..." I couldn't even get my words out right, I was beyond shocked.

The covers moved, tossed back as a large form rose up onto their elbows. My eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead as I took in the bare, sculpted chest I'd already seen once before. "Selena?"

THERE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A GUY IN MY BED!

Surprisingly, his voice was a little huskier than normal, filled with sleep. It added a hint of flavor to his voice I'd never thought to hear...One that sent a small shiver shooting down my spine. I tried to speak, but all I got out was a very short, broken "What?!"

He reached up to rub at the sleep in his eyes, dark green starting to lighten a little as he woke up more. He blinked, pushing his fingers through his half-spiked back black hair. "Oh, right. Hello. Welcome home, Selena. I suppose your mother did not explain the situation to you then." He let out a short breath, rising up to a full sitting position on the bed. Reaching out to the far end of the bed, close to my bookshelf, he held up a thick black body pillow. "This is going to be my room with you now," he explained.

"This pillow will separate us on the bed. Oh...You don't have to worry. I won't try to start any sort of physical relationship with you. Honestly, you aren't my type and I have no interest in your body. Nor do I have any interest in you as anything more than a potential older sister-like relationship. Though, of course, with how you hate me, I'm quite sure that will never actually come to be...I have a job, starting at seven in the morning, so I'd really appreciate it if you turn off the main light, please. I can handle one of the smaller lights though, like the bedside lamp. If you would like, I will move to the other side of the bed and allow you access to the light to read or something," he offered.

I stared at him, feeling my temper spike. I stepped forward, dropping my purse onto the carpet. Reaching out, I grabbed hold of his arm. Part of me knew it was futile, but I tried to drag his ass off of the bed. I didn't care if he was huge, heavy, and strong. He was shirtless, in my room, and talking nonsense about sharing both the room and bed with him! He was getting out, right this second!