“Hey, the bank’s closed. Scram!” Good to know that CZ had switched on his mobster personality cause otherwise I wouldn’t have someone to talk my fucking ear off. As soon as the ‘bot starts bumping his gums, I tune him out. I’ve gotta plan how we blow this place without getting nailed. After barely escaping from the big house, I don’t plan on going back. I’m just as young as I was before my 20-year sentence. Technically I’m supposed to be 36, but my id says otherwise. Time stands still there, I’m still 21 and everything about how I look and even the rust on my ‘botic foot is the exact same. But luckily since time still passes out in the real world, our 20 grands should be covered in moss and the like. If we take that, I can get the other Streetsters with me on our skipper and fly someplace they haven’t heard of us. HPO-392, Sunless Isles, Kdaj. Any of those planets could do. We have enough money, a leader now, the ship is finished and we have more than enough food if the newsies have been following my orders. A hand flew in front of me and CZ pointed over to my left.

Goddamn, of course, it just had to be him. Éamon, my old flame, just had to pop up. Though, I did think he popped off.

“It’s a long time, no see,” God his accent makes me want to melt. No Maro, stay strong. You can do this. You kind of broke up with him because. Why did you break up with him again? Ah yes, the old 'I'm going to prison and you can’t follow me' trick, but also disappearing before I could tell him. Goddamn, he did follow my instructions and looks just as keen on the eyes as before. I swear he got taller and bigger since the last time we met.

“Maro, I was wonderin’ if ya gone off ‘n died, ‘d be a terrible thing for me.” Stupid brain being all cake-eater now. Why does he have to do this to me?

“Maro, I’ll take my leave, just do not go to far away” god even my own ‘bot is abandoning me. I don’t want to even give Éamon any idea how much he startled me. He looks the exact same, his skin an almond brown and his hair just as curly and messy as ever. His eyes, a steel blue, are so sweet and so full of lo-

What the hell am I doing? I am a hardened criminal not some school girl trying to get her bo to notice her. I know we never officially broke up, but after having to go to the big house and having to deal with the same old ugly faces and the same old disgusting sweaty smell, seeing this old clutz makes me want to go bananas.

“Éamon, I didn’t mean to. It was just a long while and for the plan to go right, I jus’ hadta-”

I’m sorry what? What was happening? I couldn’t finish my sentence while I just looked at Éamon with wide eyes. He pushed me against the wall. His arm over my head leaning in. He looked as pissed as a grifter who lost all his cabbage. I felt small under his gaze and I thought he was about to punch me which I'd probably deserve but he just puts his arms around me and squeezed me so tight to his chest. It was the best hug I’ve had in a while. I just stand there and hold him back. I never want to leave but I know that life for us will always end in pain and death. Us Streetsters can’t ever have a happy ending, it’s just not meant for us. We’re too poor to be able to survive. We finally pull apart and he pecks my lips. I missed him so much.

"Ya hid the money, right? I swear ta God if I spent all that time in the big house for you to be spending our hard-earned money on staying young and not even keep the stupid bills; I'm gonna be so pissed"

Éamon just laughed at me. He threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me with him, I barely had enough time to call over my shoulder to make sure that CZ was following us. I think that if he actually kept the money safe, like I told him too; our new life with the Streetsters is gonna be just spiffy.