The sound of the garage door opening jerked Kelsee out of her TV stupor. She felt the blood drain from her face as she remembered that her parents got home around this time. She looked down at her ugly sweatpants and stained t-shirt and felt herself shrivel inwardly. One look at her, and her parents would instantly know she hadn't even left the house. Then she would get the dreaded speech about productivity and laziness. She needed to move.

She bolted from the couch, dumping her bowl into the sink, and sprinted for her room. She slammed the door shut and began to frantically paw through the pile of clothes on her floor. Wasn't there anything that was clean in her room anymore? As she struggled to squeeze into a pair of wrinkled jeans, she heard the door slam.

"Kelsee?" It was her father. His steps thudded in the living room. "Where are you?"

Her heart pounded as her nimble fingers twisted her hair into a ponytail. She checked herself in the mirror and saw a sad glob of soggy cereal clinging to her face. She vigorously rubbed it away, all the while debating whether she had time to brush her teeth. No, it would look too suspicious. A mint would have to do. Once she was ready, she took a deep breath, swung open the door and strode out.

Kelsee's father was setting some bags on the kitchen table. His name was Steve Phillips; he worked as an accountant for a big corporation. He was an average-looking man, with thick-framed glasses and neatly combed hair. Though he was quite handy with math, his talents were not confined merely to numbers; Steve Phillips prided himself as being the reigning champion of ridiculous food challenges at multiple restaurant chains in the city. It was a hard topic to naturally integrate into the conversation, but Mr. Phillips always managed it somehow at dinner parties and various get-togethers.

He looked up as Kelsee glided into the living room and smiled at her. "There you are. How was your day sweetie?"

She reflected his smile back. "My day was really good! I actually got a lot done!" Technically, she wasn't lying. She hadn't specified what 'a lot' meant. "Where's mom?"

"She had to drop by the store to return that cherry pitter." He frowned. "I'm still not quite sure why she bought that. We don't even have cherries."

Mrs. Phillips suffered from a strange condition of sporadically buying the most peculiar and strange items. Mr. Phillips and Kelsee weren't quite sure what set off the symptoms, only that it was often triggered by a random whim of inspiration. Debate over an intervention was a rather favorite topic of theirs to discuss, however, often times the problem was fixed by Mrs. Phillips, who would usually return the items to the store after buying them.

"Anyways, you said you got a lot done today? Did you get resumes out in the field?" Mr. Phillips asked cocking an eyebrow. Kelsee kept the smile on her face, though she could her pulse quickening.

"Eh," she said, making a so-so motion with her hand. She was trying to play things off in a light manner, but she could feel the smart man was onto her. It was time to change the subject. Sniffing the air she focused her gaze on the bags on the table. There was the unmistakable scent of food filling the room. "Whatcha got in the bag Dad?"

"Ah, caught that did you?" Walking over, he pulled out several packages wrapped in tinfoil. "Can I interest you in a sandwich?"

The sugar from the sparkly puffs were still sitting in her stomach like a slow flowing river of silt. Her mouth watered at the idea of real food. "Did you get the roast beef?"

"You know I did. Though to be honest, I'm surprised you're still hungry after eating a bowl of sparkly puffs." He shot a pointed look at the sink.

Kelsee broke out in a sweat. "That was from hours ago."

He looked at her from over the brim of his glasses. "Kelsee, please. I know a fresh bowl of sparkly puffs when I see one. I lived off that stuff in college. Now, be honest with me, did you even leave the house today?"

She grimaced, cursing herself for not rinsing out the bowl. The man should have been a detective; his observational skills were outrageous. "No." she said through gritted teeth.

"Listen, Kelsee," he began. The speech, Kelsee groaned inwardly. "I know it's hard for you, especially after..." he hesitated and Kelsee tensed. "what happened at your last job, but you can't let that keep you from trying again. You know, you've gotta learn how to cope with life's difficulties. It's painful, and hard work, but in the end it helps build your character to make you a stronger person.

Kelsee sighed. It was all the same words she had heard before. "I know all of that Dad, but what if I'm supposed to learn those life lessons in a different way other than a stupid job? A way that, gives me purpose, and is something I actually like to do?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe gardening or something."

"I'm sure there are plenty of gardening jobs you could apply for now."

Kelsee let out another sigh, this one with more edge. "The only type of gardening job I'd be able to get are those ones where you spray pesticides and use a leafblowers on the pavement. It's not real gardening."

Mr. Phillips took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Kelsee sensed the end to their conversation. "Well honey, I don't know what else to tell you. You're going to have to find a job soon so you can start saving for college. Or paying for rent. Either way, you're going to have to find a way to start making money and investing in your future. Your mom and I are worried about you."

Kelsee felt herself sag a little. She knew she was running short on time, and she couldn't stall forever. She wished the answer were standing right in front of her, shouting and waving. "I'll start looking."

Mr. Phillips smiled. "You can do it Kelsee. You're an amazing girl, and I have complete confidence in you." she nodded and forced a smile on her face. Inside she felt herself cracking.