Page 13 of Made of Steel (Made of Steel 1)

"No, that's okay. Really, I barely brought anything. I'm going to have to go shopping for some new clothes and stuff. Thanks for offering though." I didn't want her going through my suitcases when I had no idea what was in them yet.

"Well, welcome to New York City." She smiled. "That's one of the many things we're famous for. Maybe we can go shopping sometime this week? God, I'm so nervous to start class on Monday, aren't you? My schedule looks insanely hard."

"Mine too." I liked that she talked a lot. It meant I didn't have to. I sat down on the plastic lined mattress and pulled my hoodie up slightly around my neck. I couldn't go shopping with her until the bruises went

away. "Shopping later this week would be great."

"Awesome. We're going to have a blast. So where ya from?"

A small town in Wyoming. I had lived in Colorado for longer than I had lived in Wyoming. But no matter how much time passed, Wyoming would always be home to me because it was the last place I had lived with my parents. I thought about what my new ID said. "North Dakota."

She whistled. "You came a long way. Did you live in a city out there? Is that why you wanted to come here?"

"The exact opposite actually. I've always wanted to live in a city." I opened up my suitcase and pulled out some of my clothes. I felt uncomfortable lying to her. She seemed so nice. I looked down at the jean shorts and tank top in my hand. They were the perfect size. I thought for sure the suitcases would be filled with horrible clothes in gray and tan, perfect for blending in. But most of the clothes actually looked a lot like the outfit Kins was wearing. They'd probably make me fit in even better than lame neutral colored clothing. I'd look like every other college student on campus. I didn't even want to think about how much money Mr. Crawford had spent to make this happen.

"Well, I can't imagine living anywhere else," Kins said. "You're going to love it here."

That will be a first.

Chapter 11

Saturday

"Aren't you hot? It's like a thousand degrees," Kins said as she spread out a blanket on the Green.

I pulled the side of my hoodie up slightly to cover my neck. "I'm cold all the time. It must be a North Dakota thing." I laughed awkwardly. I had changed into a pair of jean shorts, but I was still wearing a baggy hoodie.

"I guess. It would be awesome to visit sometime. I've never been farther west than Chicago. What's it like?"

Shit. "Well, the badlands are pretty cool, but I've seen them dozens of times." That was literally the only thing I knew about North Dakota. I had never been there in my life. "Honestly there isn't a ton to see." I needed to change the topic. "So did you grow up around here?"

"In Queens. Whenever you're missing a home cooked meal, you can come visit my parents with me."

"Thanks, I'd like that." I couldn't even remember the last time I had a home cooked meal.

"It's just like a thirty minute subway ride away. I'm actually super lucky they let me live on campus. Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?"

"What?" I turned back toward her. "Sorry, I thought I heard something." I should have felt safe surrounded by hundreds of new students. But I didn't. It felt like someone was watching me. A chill ran down my spine.

She laughed. "I'm a little jumpy too. It's a little weird that neither one of us knows anyone else here. Maybe we should change that. Hey, look," she said and lightly touched my shoulder.

I tried to hide my cringe.

"Those guys are totally checking us out."

I laughed. I highly doubted that they were checking me out in my huge hoodie. They were probably both staring at her. I didn't even bother looking at where she was pointing.

She started waving them over.

"What are you doing?"

"We have extra room on our blanket. They're about to sit in the grass. I'm just being nice."

"But you don't even know them."

"Exactly. I don't know them. But I want to." She winked at me and then laughed. "You should see your face. You're acting all stranger danger on me. It's our first night here. We're supposed to talk to strangers. That's the whole point of this mixer thing. We were strangers this morning. And now you're literally my best friend here."

I couldn't argue with that. Kinsley was now officially my only friend. I wasn't even allowed to contact anyone from my past. It probably wouldn't hurt to expand my circle a bit.

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