I step on a sharp rock with my bare feet, and wince. “Are you all right?” Flint asks. 

“It was just a stupid rock,” I mumble, my gray hair flying around my face in the wind. Flint nods, and puts an arm around me as we walk barefoot. 

I pull on my shoes, and start walking up the beach, towel in hand. “It’s about lunch time,” Flint says, pointing at the sun. I nod, and we all walk to Ember’s house. 

Ember’s parents, who work, even on Saturdays, are gone, so we have her house to ourselves. It’s a bit bigger than mine and Flint’s, but that’s because all the family members are working, and working hard. 

Why can’t I be part of this family? I think, as we sit down in the kitchen. Ember slices some bread and puts it with peanut butter and a squirt of honey. We eat our sandwiches in silence, avoiding each other’s gaze. 

“What should we do until nighttime?” Ember asks, licking the honey off her fingers. 

“What did we do last Saturday?” I ask. Flint shrugs, in perfect sync with Ember. “Well, that’s not helpful,” I say, and finish my sandwich. 

“Let’s go to the gardens,” Flint suggests. And we all agree because we’re bored teenagers with nothing better to do. I reach for my jacket, but Flint already takes it off the hook, and puts it on for me. He holds open the door, but I kick him in the foot on my way out, so I’m satisfied. 

The gardens are literally the only pretty place on the island besides the beach. Everything else is a smelly city. Flower bushes grow, but picking a single bud will land you with a fine that will leave you in debt for years. They take this place seriously. 

I hear a familiar voice up ahead on the path through the flowers, and pull everyone to the ground, peeking through the bushes. 

“What is it?” Ember asks. 

“Casey’s here. With a boy,” I say with a smile, pointing through the brambles. After closer examination, I discover that it’s the redhead kid from the store, Teddy.

“So we’re just going to spy on them?” Ember asks. I shrug. “Well, it will pass the time,” She says, giggling. 

“Girls are so weird,” Flint whispers, confused. 

“Get used to it.” I say, watching Casey walk around, talking to Teddy. If only I could listen to their conversation. I think. Casey turns to look at the walls of the garden, and smiles. She pulls Teddy by the hand, out of my vision. Darn it! “Ember, can we get closer to them somehow?” I turn, but Ember is gone, smiling at Flint and I as she sits behind a bench ten feet off. I stand up, gesturing to Flint to follow me. He ducks down with me once I find a new hiding place, closer to Casey. 

“What are you doing here, Olive?” Casey asks, standing over me, Teddy at her side. I sit up, scooting away from Flint. 

“I could ask you the same question.” I say, smirking. Casey flushes pink as the roses around her. Teddy smiles and waves. 

“We’re just looking at the flowers. Teddy’s been to the mainland, and he’s seen gardens four times this size.” She says, absolutely fascinated. “I want to go to the mainland sometime. It sounds so fun.” 

“Maybe you can come next time my family goes there?” Teddy offers. Casey’s jaw drops. 

“Would they let me?” She asks, her eyes lighting up. 

“They would if I convinced them.” He says with a bright smile. 

“Alright, well, have fun on your date!” I say to Casey, and leave. She turns red again. “Let’s go home. The lovebirds need their privacy,” I say with a laugh, and groan in pain. “Okay, the meds are wearing off,” I mutter. Flint helps me to my feet, and we start walking. It starts to rain as we head down the hilly streets, and we busy ourselves with kicking around in puddles on our way to the neighborhood for Irons. 

I cheer as it starts to pour more, and sprint through an even deeper puddle than the last one, my socks getting wet as I do so. Flint smiles until Ember pushes him into a puddle. He sits up, absolutely soaked, and splashes Ember, who sticks her tongue out and continues. I help him up, and we walk home, dropping off Ember, then walking to my doorstep. 

Flint kisses me goodnight, and I roll my eyes, then open the door. A wave of water, up to my knee, soaks me even more completely. 

“Ugh!” I yell, stepping out of the way. Flint stops and looks back. “The house flooded again,” I explain. “This always happens.” Flint comes back up the stairs and stands next to me. I pull off a note taped to the door. “Mom, Dad, and Casey are staying at our aunt’s house and I’ve got to find my own place to sleep tonight,” I summarize, and shove the note into my pocket. 

“You can stay at my house. My mom doesn’t mind visitors,” He offers. I flush, and thank him quietly. 

“I’m going to go see if I can find some dry clothes to change into,” I say, starting to trudge through the puddles on the soggy old carpet of the house. 

I find the top shelves of my dresser, and pull out the stuff that didn’t get wet. I find my pajamas, and run back through the house, spraying water left and right, and onto the doorstep. Flint holds my hand, and leads me towards his house. 

“Why does that happen?” Flint asks, as we walk in the rain. 

“I think the foundations of the house are just super weak, and the ceiling leaks a lot, so we get flooded anytime it pours,” I explain, as he opens his door for me, and I step into the warmth. 

Flint’s house looks just the same as it did the last time I was here. I guess my mom is the only one in the neighborhood prone to new decor all the time. 

Framed embroidery is hung around the kitchen, giving it a warm, cozy feeling. Mrs. Sterling has tried her best to make it nice, and honestly, she’s succeeded. Their house has the exact same layout as mine, but it’s just a nicer place in general. 

“Flint, is that you?” Mrs. Sterling’s voice comes from another room. She walks into the kitchen, and wraps her son in a loving embrace, kissing his cheek. She looks at me and smiles with rosy dimpled cheeks. 

“Her house flooded,” Flint explains, gesturing to me. She nods. 

“I’ll make a third dinner. Could you make her some cocoa?” Cocoa? I think, as Flint goes to the kitchen and starts heating up a saucepan full of milk. 

“What’s cocoa?” I whisper, walking over to him. He looks at me, wide-eyed. 

“You don’t know what cocoa is?” I shake my head. “Well, it’s a drink, and it’s warm, and made from chocolate.” 

“What’s chocolate?” I ask, flushing at my own ignorance. Flint blinks at me, his eyes soft and shiny.

“H-have you really never tried chocolate?” He asks. I nod, humiliated. Flint sighs and pulls a rectangle of something out of the cupboard. When he unwraps the foil around it, I see that it’s a bar made of brown stuff, and it’s shiny. It smells delicious. Flint breaks off a piece, then hands it to me. 

Cautiously, I nibble the corner of the square, and warmth fills me. It’s sweet, and creamy. I love chocolate. 

Once the milk is hot, Flint melts the chocolate into it, mixing it until the pot is filled with fragrant, brown cocoa. He pulls three mugs out of the cupboard, and fills them with the drink. 

He kisses me on the cheek as he sets my mug in front of me. I sip from it, and sigh in delight. Is this how Steels get to live? They get to drink cocoa, and eat chocolate, and have heat on cold days? 

“I want to be a Steel,” I accidentally say aloud, as Flint is washing the dishes. He chuckles. 

“All you have to do is marry one,” He says with a smirk. “Our couch is a bit old, and you’re already in pain, so you can stay in my room,” He says, drying his hands, and walking over.

“Thanks for letting me stay,” I mumble, sighing. He smiles. 

“I like having you over. If anything, you’re doing me a favor.” He says, chuckling. “Do you need to change out of wet clothes? Shower?” He asks, quickly remembering. I nod, and grab my bundle of clothing. Flint kisses me before I go into the bathroom. I quickly shower. His soap smells like mint. I’m in soft cotton pajamas when I leave the bathroom, and walk into Flint’s room, barefoot. 

“That was quick.” He says, sitting on the edge of the small bed. It’s small, but it looks comfy. 

“At home, the showers…” I trail off, and move to sit on the bed. He nods, understanding, and moves to lay next to me, pulling the blanket over us. The sound of rainfall outside is calming. “This bed is so soft.” I mumble, and Flint chuckles, lazily kissing my earlobe as he pulls me closer. 

It’s warmer this way, and I’d fall off the side anyway not being in the middle. I lean on his chest, yawning, and he brushes my hair as we fall asleep. He smells like mint. 

“Good morning,” Flint says, as I sit up, stretching my arms. 

“That’s the best I’ve slept ever,” I yawn, rubbing my eyes. 

“Same,” He says with a grin. “Come on. Mom just made breakfast, I can smell it.” They’re giving me breakfast? Even Mom isn’t this hospitable towards guests. I stand up, my side aching, and Flint pulls me by the hand to the kitchen, where Mrs. Sterling sets out three plates of fried eggs, toast, and bacon. It smells so much better than the rations Mom always makes. Flint kisses me as I sit down. Mrs. Sterling watches me for a second, then sighs. “Did you sleep well?” She asks, handing me a fork. 

“Very well. Thank you for letting me stay,” I say, remembering my manners. Funny. I always forget my manners when talking to the Supervisor. 

I stop eating as soon as I think of the Supervisor. I was supposed to work extra hours yesterday, but I forgot. I bite my lip and put my fork down, tapping my foot anxiously. Flint looks up from his plate, a concerned look dawning on his features. 

I’ll tell you later. I mouth, my hands shaking. He nods, and turns back to his food, but pushes it around the plate absentmindedly. Mrs. Sterling looks at the clock. 

“Hurry up, Flint. You guys need to be at the factory soon,” She says, then kisses Flint’s head, and runs out the door, flinging on her coat behind her. 

“What does she do for work?” I ask, as I move over to the sink to wash the dishes. 

“She works at the laundromat,” He answers, finishing his food and walking over. 

“And what about your dad?” I ask, grabbing the sponge. Flint freezes for a few moments, his face pale, then changes the subject. 

“You don’t have to do the dishes, Olive. You’re a guest, remember?” He says, a cheerful smile back on his face. But it’s fake, and we both know it. 

“I’m so sorry, Flint.” I say, my eyes filling with tears. 

“You don’t need to apologize for wanting to wash the dishes.” He says, avoiding looking at me. 

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” I say, and hug him tightly. I guess he doesn’t really have everything. Flint drops the sponge in the sink and hugs me back with his strong arms. After a few seconds, he pulls away and dries his hands on a towel.