Made of Steel (Made of Steel Series Book 1)

  ***

  "And he bought me these," Julie said and stuck her foot out from under the table so I could see her new Converses. "Aren't they awesome?"

  "Mhm." But they weren't really. They just looked like any other pair of shoes. My bunny slippers that my dad had bought me were much more awesome. I glanced under the table at my fuzzy slippers. My feet didn't reach the floor, so the bunnies' ears sagged slightly forward, which made the slippers look even cuter.

  "Jacob is seriously the best boyfriend ever. I'm so lucky. We already got our tickets for homecoming and it's not even until the end of the month. He bought a tie to match my dress. I can't wait to show you pictures."

  "What color is your dress?"

  "It's this really deep purple."

  "What color shoes did you get?"

  "Silver. They're really pretty. They have these little gems on the straps."

  "Is he going to buy you a corsage?"

  "I think so."

  "Do you love him?"

  She laughed. "What? I don't know. We haven't really talked about that yet."

  "Really? How long have you been dating?"

  "Just a few weeks." She took a huge bite of her pizza. It looked like she was thinking.

  "So how long does it usually take to know if you love someone?" I was purposely trying to push her buttons, but it didn't mean I wasn't curious about the answer.

  She swallowed her mouthful of pizza and gave me a stern look. "At least a few weeks longer than that."

  Hmm. I wasn't sure that was true. I had fallen in love with Miles Young the first time I ever saw him. My family had moved here two years ago. The first time I saw Miles, he was riding a bike without a helmet. Just the thought of it was thrilling. I loved him before I ever even spoke to him. "What about love at first sight?"

  "That's only in fairy tales, Summer. What Jacob and I have is real."

  "But how do you know?"

  "I can feel it."

  "So are you getting married?"

  "I'm only 17. Of course I'm not getting married."

  "Then it probably isn't love.

  "Summer Brooks, what on earth do you know about love?"

  Everything. I shrugged my shoulders. "I've seen a lot of Disney movies. All of them I think."

  "Well this is real life. We're not in some movie."

  "Are you saying you don't like Cinderella? Or Beauty and the Beast? Or The Little Mermaid?"

  "I liked them when I was a kid."

  "It sounds like being a grown up is no fun at all."

  She laughed. "Trust me, it's fun."

  "Well, did Jacob at least ask you out in a really grand way?"

  "Actually, I asked him out."

  "That's really stupid."

  "Summer!"

  "Well it is, Julie! That's not how it's supposed to go at all. He's supposed to realize he loves you and then ask you to be with him forever. He should have proposed by now."

  "That's not how life works anymore. We're not in the dark ages. Women are empowered and independent now."

  "You're only 17. How would you know?"

  She raised her eyebrow at me.

  That's when I knew I had her just where I wanted her. She only ever raised her eyebrow when she was getting mad at me.

  "Clear the dishes, kiddo. And your mom mentioned that you were reading a book. Do you want to read that for a bit?"

  "Definitely. It's a big book of fairy tales."

  She sighed and shook her head. "I have to study anyway. How about you just read that in your room and then get to bed?"

  I glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was almost 8 pm. The timing couldn't be any more perfect.

  Phase 2 complete.