This was new, even for me.

As soon as the school bell rang, we put the plan in motion. Liam and Jude came with me to the op-shop to pick out some necessities. I went back to the mall alone to change while they went back to Jude's to pick up some other essential items. After school was always lively, and I was glad mum gave me two hours to hang at the mall with my friends. It was all the time I needed to make this work.

Now I was sitting on a bench seat, straightening out my clothes while passersby stared, smiled, or nodded acknowledgment. Sometimes a mixture of all.

I had on an oversized pair of cargo shorts held up by red suspenders, pulled over a loosely fitted yellow shirt. I wore green avocado socks pulled up to my knees and was currently strapping myself into thick brown roman sandals. The real kicker was the two-dollar off-brand jockeys I pulled over the top of my shorts, fitting snugger than a pair of budgie smugglers.

"Can't believe this is what I spent my monthly allowance on," I muttered, grinding my teeth at the fact. But then I felt an unexpected wave of positivity. I had it all planned out.

Today could only go horribly right.

"Got 'em!" Jude yelled from a few meters ahead, holding up and waving a half-filled plastic bag. Liam walked alongside him, towering above his head by a sizeable comparison, glued to his hip as usual.

My right shoe's buckle was a tighter fit than my left, pressing too tightly against my skin. Maybe my right foot was bigger or fatter. Was that a thing? Knowing my luck, I might be the only one in the world with this problem. I stood up and stomped the back of my heel against the ground, readjusting it before looking responding with an energetic wave.

"Hell yes!" I cheered, making my way over. I peered inside the bag, checking out its contents, then looked back up at them both, grinning. "Perfect."

We entered the closest men's bathroom and sat on the floor of the biggest cubicle. It had a wheelchair sign on it, which I think might've been why people kept knocking now and then. We kept telling them they needed to wait; we were too busy with our project at hand.

Jude worked tirelessly with hot the glue gun, fixing a pair of blades to each of my sandals. We used a portion of red wool to wrap it, wedging it between the wheels so the plates fixed more securely. It was a necessary precaution. I wasn't willing to risk my life over it so soon, not until the stakes were high enough to risk it. There was a bit of string leftover, hanging and dangling uselessly. With no scissors to cut it, I tucked it inside the metal and called it a day.

"There," I said, stretching out my leg to admire our handiwork.

Jude pursed his lips, looking concerned. "That string... we should find some scissors."

"It's fine," I said, gathering myself onto my knees and using the toilet to pull myself up. Both Jude and Liam helped me gain my balance. "This is perfect. There's no way Ikeisha can ignore this sick getup."

"Can you balance okay?" Liam asked, hovering his orange freckled hands in front of me while I gained my footing.

"And are you sure this is gonna work?" Jude asked, clutching my arm to keep me from rolling. "She's gonna notice you a lot more than Ben."

"As long as he looks good and I keep him within her line of vision, she'll notice him. He's not a bad looking guy," I said, feeling my stability collapse a little. "He's just a bit of a wanker is all. Not past the point of redemption."

There was a loud thump against the door, startling me and making me lose my balance. Both Liam and Jude caught me in time, helping me back upright. "Glad to know what you think of me, a-hole," Ben said, voice threaded with obvious irritation. "Hurry up, they'll be here any time soon."

"It's still weird that you know their routine," I called out. But people seemed to act like it was normal being conscious of the person you liked or loved. It wasn't like I had a place to discredit that notion, just because I hadn't experienced it. And I was sure I wasn't the only one. Somebody like Aubrey Keats, for example, seemed exactly like the clueless type with his overly introverted personality.

"Shut up," Ben said in a huff, dragging me out of my thoughts. And there I was just beginning to analyze him. "Just get out here before it's too late, will you?"

Liam opened the door and guided me out. It was easier to move with more leg space. I rolled in front of the mirror, catching a glimpse of myself in it. I licked my fingers and slicked back the front of my hair, the same way Aubrey did today, minus the hand lick bit.

"Such a handsome guy," I said, shooting finger guns at my reflection. I winked at myself before Ben made a repulsed sound and barged out before me. I came out with him while the other two followed behind me.

"Alright, we'll be off," Liam said, throwing his arm over Jude's shoulder and turning him away.

Impassive and confused, Jude looked up at him. "We are?" he asked.

"We are," Liam confirmed, blatantly ignoring the disappointment on Jude's face. This guy was a total mother hen, for sure. "Come on, quit pouting like a kid, we'll just be in the way here. Let's get some sushi and go game."

Jude's face lit up immediately. "What're you standing around for? Hurry up!"

Grinning widely, Liam saluted us while turning to follow Jude, who was already racing into line for Japanese. I turned to the food court tables, scanning the room for wherever Ben had taken himself to. I found him at a table just outside of Maccas, looking especially well-groomed after having changed out of his school uniform. Being a judo star in school, he was well fit, and he knew how to dress, at least. His pale blue sleeves were rolled to his elbows, a dazzling contrast to his straight-legged, dark blue jeans.

He looked like the dad or boyfriend type. Very fitting for his purpose if that's the kind of thing Ikeisha was into.

She'd likely come in through the food court entrance from the far right, the same way everybody else from school came. I skated towards the McDonalds, deciding it was the perfect place to start. I'd inconspicuously move along after, lining Ben up in her field of vision.

It'd be a subtle yet spectacularly flawless maneuver.

Getting over there was surprisingly smooth sailing. I mean, considering the fact that I literally had wheel glued to my sandals, and all. Dozens of eyes were on me, but I rolled ahead to and slammed my hands on the McDonald's counter. If I could just stall for a few minutes, then Ikeisha might walk in with her group at any given time.

"Can I help you?" the cashier asked, looking me up and down with mild disinterest. They looked more done with life than Aubrey Keats did on the reg.

"Umm," I said, letting my voice linger into a hum. I peeked back towards the glass entrance, where I couldn't see them even through the doors and windows. They were ridiculously slow in getting here. "Never mind, still deciding."

The cashier turned to whoever was next while I propelled myself backward with my hands, letting myself roll gently out of the way. I turned back to Ben, seeing him frantically waving and pointing at me. Squinting, I mouthed what about a hundred times before he went positively berserk. He half stood, aggressively pointing at me. I looked down, wondering if my fly had fallen or something.

When I partially turned to look at him, I could see his frustration. His brows furrowed, glaring at me. He pulled his phone from his pocket, smashing his fingers against the screen like he had a vengeance. I felt my phone buzzing from my pocket. I lifted it when somebody said, "excuse me" and tried to brush past.

Apologizing, I started to roll out of the way when my wheel jammed, sending me toppling forward. I couldn't roll or catch myself in time, and I felt my body crash hopelessly into another. I wrapped my arms around whatever or whoever it was, trying to stay upright while one of my legs slid backward behind me.

I looked up to see Aubrey looking down at me, chin pressed into his neck, duck lip overhanging his bottom lip in the most carelessly delectable way. He had no expression, whatsoever. He didn't so much as attempt to help me back on my feet. He just stood there... staring down at me.

Slowly, slowly I slid down his body, while my arms failed to wrap around him in a secure enough hold. Only one of my feet rolled back, while the other remained jammed, rooted to the spot. When I almost reached the level of splits, I managed to get my hands on the floor. I looked up at his face, so deadpanned that I couldn't bring myself to say anything or react. It was so... him.

I pulled my legs around beneath me so that I was sitting on my butt, studying the dangling string situation I'd thought I'd resolved. I looked up at Aubrey's blank face, scowling. "Thanks for your help, douchebag."

He kept staring.

A pair of black boots stepped into my line of vision. I looked up to see Ikeisha grinning down at me. Trey was at her side, holding a tray of Japanese food. They must have already been in the process of buying when we arrived, probably blending into the crowds. I couldn't believe it we'd miss it.

She extended her hand, smiling down at me. "Need help?"

"Sure," I replied, reaching out an accepting her hand. "Thanks."

"No sweat," she said. "What are you..." She paused, looking me up and down with a mixture of both curiosity and amusement. She was dressed in casual attire now, wearing black jeans and the silver shirt I saw beneath her uniform earlier this morning. She'd slapped on some lipstick and let her hair down.

She was really pretty.

"I'm just, ah..." I looked back at Ben who was watching us like a hawk, eyes wide with disbelief. "Being a friend."

I patted my body down, feeling myself come right before offering what I hoped wasn't a totally unconvincing smile. The grin she responded with revealed perfect, straight, white teeth. Somebody, please explain to me again how a goddess like this could exist, because I forgot. I accomplished my task of drawing her attention, at least, but Ben was supposed to be in her line of sight. I'd have to rectify the situation to the best of my abilities.

She needed to see this normal, potentially, or at least comparatively attractive dude in front of me while I was dressed like a ridiculous clown. The more frequently it happened, the more she'd unconsciously grow aware of his presence. And as a result, grow conscious of him. My plan was flawless except for this minor disruption, but I could still fix this.

"You okay, man?" Trey asked, giving me a look of mild concern. He spoke to me. Trey Hansen, supermodel Trey, actually spoke to me. We hadn't exchanged words since he beat Ben to a near pulp two years ago because of the whole Blacky Chan story. I pretty much had to beg for his mercy and to spare Ben's life. It was a learning curve for all of us.

"Ah, yeah!" I said, glancing back at Ben who appeared to be looking in the opposite direction. I had the feeling he was hiding his face on purpose. Did he anticipate her twin being here as well? They were by no means on good terms. Trey had no patience for him; not even as a changed man. "I'm fine, thanks."

"That's good," he answered, readjusting the tray and switching weight onto his other hip. He was still holding their food, which was getting colder every moment I kept them here. I could sense him growing impatient, but Ikeisha looked pleasantly happy, not in any apparent hurry to move on.

My eyes flickered over Trey again. Even though they were twins, the only similarity they shared was their unparalleled godliness. Their entire existence was aesthetic. Trey was tall, built, thick, muscular; everything about him screamed masculinity.

Ikeisha, on the other hand, was tall and graceful; dainty, though.

Aubrey kept silent throughout our exchange, although no surprises there. His first and last word to me was sup all the way back in year nine. I'd genuinely treasured that single-sided, one-worded verbal exchange. But now when all he did was stare, with that same stupid look on his face, it annoyed me to no end.

Screw Aubrey, the tight-lipped tosser who was beyond any form of human emotion, let alone actual interaction.

I offered Ikeisha my biggest smile, ready to break away and get my wheels rolling again. No matter what, I wouldn't fail this bet. I'd help her to see all of Ben's otherwise redeeming qualities. Starting with his physically attractive points first, then intelligence, then emotional intelligence. I couldn't remember if that was the correct sequence I was meant to follow from the book, but it'd have to suffice. I'd rather not call my big sister up again just to ask.

"So ah, I'm just gonna go that way," I said, pointing to the shop from behind where Ben was seated.

It was a game and DVD store, which would be a good way to do something stupid that'd bring her attention that way. It only needed to be one thing, and it only needed to be brief. Do it enough over time, she'd notice him more than she cared to realize. There was no flaw in my logic. I was playing with psychology here, and you couldn't argue with the human mind.

"Oh!" Ikeisha said, smiling. "Okay, you go have lots of fun. We'll see you around."

I nodded and waved as she walked off towards a free table, perfectly positioned to see Ben in the midground. Trey gave a brief salute, and I shared one back as he went off, too. Aubrey was a bit slower. He stared for a little bit longer, top lip overhanging in that stupid way it does, with that lazy expression on his face. Why was such a stupid face so sexy on him? It drove me mental.

He needed something uglier to suit his stagnant personality. I gave a forced grin before turning away. One mere step and I felt the jamming of my wheel set me off guard. My leg rose in the air while my body fell back. Arms flailing at my sides, I landed straight inside a pair of arms.

Two hands stuck out under my pits, balled into fists. With any luck, this first thought would be wrong... but I think... I just fell straight back into Aubrey Keats's arms. I lifted my head, seeing his hooded eyes looking straight down at me.

"You're so stupid, I knew this would happen," he said, pushing me back upright.

I'd known him for years. Since primary school. Maybe even as far back as Kindergarten if I looked through my childhood photos far enough. In all these years, this was the first string of sentences he'd ever put together in front of me. It was like a river dam burst open inside my chest, and everything inside it gushed out like running water.

Water rising all around me, I thought I'd drown in this flood of disbelief.

Aubrey Keats actually spoke to me.