So now I was looking for yet another person; Ace's brother Dean.

Dean was what you called a character. He'd always been a troublesome kid, and now being 19, still seemed cause trouble wherever he went. However, he had a stable job and deep down I knew he was a good person, with good intentions. I'd told his parents frequently that I believed he has some sort of behavioural disorder like ADHD, but they never believed me.

Ace was right; I was most likely to find Dean at the skate park because that's where he dealt on occasion.

I know. It made sick to my stomach thinking that I would have to seek help from a someone like that, but he just did it for some extra money, as he always said.

The skate park was just 5 minutes walk from Ace's apartment, but when I got there I started to get anxious. The place was teeming with teens and young adults, mostly men, who kept giving me cold glances as I walked past them. One skater in particular with long brown dreadlocks and a scruffy beard stopped skating completely and just stared at me. He stared and stared like he'd never seen a female person before. It sent waves of shivers through my body and I considered just turning back and coming back when it was quieter.

I was relieved when I spotted Dean over by the highest slope, talking to a few of his friends that I recognised. Dean was taller and bulkier than Ace. He was wearing a red basketball jersey with matching shorts, and a black bum-bag was strapped around his body like a sash. Walking towards him, he seemed to get taller and taller, and I wasn't even that short of a person.

"Is that... Adira?" I read off his lips as he made eye contact with me.

"Adira! What are you doing here?" I was surprised he remembered my name. I'd only met him like twice. "This is no place for you to be." He said me to me more quietly.

"I need to ask you a favour, please." I said, hopeful, and I think he could tell it was something important by the way I'd said it.

He glanced up discreetly "Right, ok... lets go over to the basketball hoop." I looked to where he was facing and saw a lonely basketball hoop in the distance.

***

"Honestly, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Gobsmacked, I didn't know how to reply.

A guy I barely knew, and barely trusted, had just agreed to help me with something extremely dangerous and probably impossible.

"Wait, really? You would really help me?"

"Sure. I've always wanted to kick some rich-guy ass. Plus, I fucking hate my job." I couldn't blame him, Dean worked as a social worker, but not like your typical social worker from back in the day. Social workers worked in child centres across the State and look after the orphaned kids, barely managing to keep them alive with the minimal supplies the State government provides. Dean would've seen hundreds of kids in his care suffocate or starve to death in his time working there. It really is a depressing job.

"I really can't believe this. When I asked, Ace he-"

What was I saying? Ace didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one that used him, and manipulated him. He had every right to say no to me.

"He what?" asks Dean inquisitively

"Nothing, doesn't matter. I'm just so glad you're on board with this."

"It's my pleasure Adira. But if we're gonna do this we'll need some help. I'm sure some of my boys won't mind helping, those fuckers do nothing all day other than get high."

I furrowed my eyebrows. I didn't really feel comfortable being helped by a bunch of junkies, but I should be appreciative, not complain.

Dean goes back over to his friends and talks with them for a while, then they all come to the basketball hoop.

"So, Adira. These are my boys." I look at each of them and their faces. Two of them looked stoned already.

"This is AJ. He's good at coding shit so I think that might come in handy."

"Hi AJ." I greeted the short man with a bowler cut standing adjacent to me. AJ had pale skin decorated with freckles, and a pair of thick glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He smiled at me weakly as I made eye contact with him, his pupils bloodshot.

"This is Macks. He works at the child centre with me and his auntie is coincidentally friends with Newman's personal assistant so... I dunno, maybe that could be our in?" As Macks' eyes and mine lock, I'm taken aback by his complexion. He has a broad jawline and sharp cheekbones that jut out of his olive coloured skin. Waves of chocolate brown hair dangle over his forehead imperfectly, accentuating the deep brown colour of his irises. He, out of the three of Dean's friends, is the only one that doesn't look high.

"Nice to meet you." He says, and the sound of his voice gives me a giddy feeling in my stomach.

"Lastly this is Joe, but I think you know him already." I look over at the person he's calling Joe and some part of me does recognise him. His face structure and the peculiar shape of his nose seems familiar, and it's then that I realise we went to high school together. He was in my form for Years 7 and 8.

"Hi." Joe says bluntly. At first I take it as rudeness, but then I remember that he also is high.

"So, that's the gang. And, err..." Dean begins "When exactly do you plan to carry out the big heist." He says theatrically.

"As soon as possible." I reply "We will probably need to have one or two meetings to plan our route and what we're going to do on arrival."

"Yeah that sounds logical. Do you want us to come to yours tonight? Say... seven?"

I suddenly remember that my Mother's dead body is still lying on her bed at home. I need to do something about it.

"Ok. Seven is good. Here's my address." I scribble down the address of my house on a piece of scrap paper in my pocket and hand it to Dean.

AJ and Joe sway in place, not able to keep still for the few minutes we're talking with each other. They nod in unison at the prospect of coming to mine at seven to plan.

I check my wristwatch, the time being 2pm already. Despite the hospital giving me food before, I'm suddenly starving again.

"Would you guys wanna go get a bite to eat now? I'm starving."

"Sure." Macks agrees, and everyone else exchanges shrugs and nods of agreement.

So we all make our way to the street food shack opposite the skate park, and as we walk I can almost swear I see Macks smiling at me. When I glance back for the umpteenth time, I catch him in the act.

"Why are you smiling so much?" I ask him

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

He smiles again, then blushes.

"C'mon, spill the beans."

"Ok. If you really want to know..."

"I do. I really do."

"It's you."

"Me? What did I do?"

"No, it's just- When Dean was telling us about your plan it seemed so, so ambitious. I dunno, it just made me think about how I waste my life doing nothing all day and you're planning to go and break into one of the most secure places in the world. It's... inspiring. Plus you're really pretty."

I blush at the compliment slipped in at the end of his speech. Talk about subtle.

But I was thankful about what he'd said. It was nice, I guess.

"Erm, thanks." I smile, and he smiles back, warmly. I looked at his features, he was clearly older than me, but the way he spoke somehow felt like he was my age. Like I could relate to him.

Plus his smile was so fucking cute.

As we cross the road I can't help but stare at this Macks that I knew nothing about. There was just something about Macks that interested me. I looked forward to getting to know him more.