"Selena?"

I came to a halt, two feet away from the entrance archway, Seok stopping as well. "Yeah?" I asked as I gazed up at him in annoyed confusion.

"Besides reading, what other types of things do you enjoy as past times?" he inquired evenly.

I blinked, pursing my lips in thought. "Honestly, all I do is read," I admitted. Suddenly I almost felt embarrassed about that...

"Do you only enjoy romance books?" he shifted slightly on his feet.

I shook my head, smiling a little. "No, I like all genres. I'm just...I guess my sappy, romantic side has sort of flared lately."

He studied me for a few seconds. "You are lonely, aren't you? You feel like you'll never find anyone to be happy with. You haven't ever gone on a date either, have you?"

A sense of shock rolled down my spine. God, am I that obvious?

I chuckled nervously, wrapping my arms around myself unconsciously as a form of protection. "Well...no, I haven't," I sighed.

Unbidden, the image of a guy's honey-blonde locks curling around my face, light blue eyes filling with an impatient irritation, lips lifting into a mocking sneer flashed by. Gulping, I felt a spark of the shame come flooding back. My left hand began to rise to cover my mouth.

I'm going to be sick!

"Selena, what's wrong?"

Seok's lifeless voice snapped me back into place. Spine stiffening, I curled my hand into a tight fist, letting it drop to my side. "Nothing's wrong," I summoned forth a fake—very fake—smile, glancing up into his face. His green eyes stared down at me, giving nothing away as to the thoughts running through that thick head of his. "I think I just ate too much earlier," I lied as smoothly as I could manage.

He made a noncommittal noise, his head tilting to the side as he continued to observe me as impassively as a scientist studying a cell through a microscope. "Ah, I see. Should we go to somewhere with the proper facilities for you to use in order to relieve yourself?"

I shook my head quickly, still smiling, turning to face him better. "Nah. Honestly, Seok, I'm fine."

"Hmm...I will choose to believe you only partly, for now. If it really matters that much to you to appear as if nothing is wrong, I will go along with it. But, if you get any worse, I will step in," he warned me.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him, unable to find any words to say.

"What's wrong with those two? Are they fighting?" A chick's voice, mildly hushed, though she certainly wasn't trying hard enough. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw someone I was surprised to see. "Wait...Selena?!" The familiar voice and face filled with shock. "Are you—Wait, Wade, I'll be right back!"

"Livie?" I murmured as one of my friends started toward me. More specifically, my best friend. "I didn't realize this was the place you were going to on your date with Wade today."

Olivia Mulls, a fellow member of the library club at my high school, as well as my best friend since when we'd moved to Oakley eleven years ago. She was my height, about average really in every way (just like me), except she'd gotten incredibly lucky and found her soulmate at the age of fourteen. Livie, as her friends and family called her, had been dating Wade Zelte since the start of high school. She was a year younger than me, but in a lot of ways, I felt like she was much older and wiser. She'd always been pretty level-headed, usually.

Her long hazelnut brown hair was currently in a braid that had been messily pinned up at the back of her head. She was wearing a simple white blouse and dark blue jeans, the white contrasting with her tawny-brown skin color. Her eyes were a sparkling jade green as she cut Seok a curious glance, a polite smile on her lips as she grew closer. "Hey, girlie. What's up? You didn't tell me you were on a date!" she grinned teasingly at me.

I swallowed, chuckling nervously. "W-well, I didn't plan on it," I replied honestly. "It just came up and I just...sort of agreed."

She stepped right up to Seok, holding out an eager hand. "Hi! My name's Olivia Mulls, but you can just call me Livie. I'm this girl's best friend and I must say, she comes highly recommended. Once you get past all that bluster and her trust issues with new people, that is."

Seok stared down at her for several silent moments. My nerves spiked as he began to speak. "Greetings, Olivia. It is wonderful to meet you. I am Seok Kim." He did not move an inch, his hands remaining at his side.

"Kim?" Livie repeated, lips pursed in thought. "Why does that name sound familiar to me again?"

"...'Sup?" Wade wandered over from further down the parking lot. He was only three inches taller than us girls at five feet and eight inches, so Seok still towered over him pretty well. Even so, as was his normal, Wade was just as relaxed and laid-back as always. He came up and wrapped an arm around Livie's middle, pulling her a little closer against him. The action was a possessive and protective one, but with the easy grin on Wade's face, it appeared natural rather than potentially aggressive. "What's the party we're having over here for?"

Wade was in a black ACDC shirt, the iconic lightning bolt splitting up the letters. He'd paired the outfit with some ragged and cut-off jean shorts and white flip-flops. His hair was black, shaggy, and reached to nearly the middle of his back, worn free of any restraints. He had a small scruff of a five-o'clock shadow along his cheeks and jawline, the black contrasting with his pale skin. His eyes were a dark blue, alight with an ingrained happiness whenever he was around Livie.

Honestly, with these two, they were the couple that everyone in high school knew would be the first to marry each other. Not only that, they'd stay together until they had eight grandkids and finally passed on, just as happy as they'd been when they'd found one another. It had almost been a little crazy honestly, how naturally the two had been drawn to one another. Especially when they seemed like the type that would never get together.

Here's living proof that opposites attract...hardcore.

"Oh, I told you to wait for a second," Livie muttered in annoyance, rolling her eyes. Even so, a little happy smile lifted her lips as she glanced up at her boyfriend.

"I didn't want to be left out. It looks like Selena's found herself a guy. That doesn't happen every day, Livie," Wade explained. His dark blue eyes lazily traveled over Seok, sizing him up. "Wade Zelte, man," he offered out his hand as well.

"Greetings, Wade," Seok tipped his head slightly, dark green eyes filled with that same detached sense of observation I'd seen earlier. "As I said, my name is Seok Kim."

Both Livie and Wade blinked, glancing at me in confusion. Hearing the giant talk more had made it clear that he didn't emote anything. I sighed, reaching up to rub at my temple. "Hey, guys. I hope your day's been going well. As he said, this is Seok. He's living with my family right now. My mom's his godmother and his dad just passed, so..."

Livie's bright green eyes filled with sorrow. "Oh my gosh! You must be devastated! I'm so sorry to hear about that," she cried in sympathetic pain. Her grandmother, who she'd been really close to, had passed just two years back.

"Real sorry, man. Don't lose heart. Things always get better," Wade nodded his head, expression filled with a warm confidence. "You ever need someone to talk to, you just hit me up, man. Day or night, I don't mind. I'll be there for you," he promised gently.

I felt panic climb up my stomach, making it burn. How do you explain a guy like Seok to others? I asked myself.

"—Ah, so you believe I am in mourning," Seok's cold voice started up.

I let my hand at my temple slide down and over my face, sucking in a long breath. Here we go...