Chapter 6
Nonna (naw-na): Grandmother. (Watch out! She’ll smack you just as hard as your mother.)
Antonio
At 1:59 p. m., I stop my car in front of Maria’s house. Her cousins are outside. They all go to high school with us. She’s probably slept with some of them, too. I shudder at the thought as I walk up and greet everyone. Dino Prazzo, Luigi’s son, comes strolling out of the house, eyeing me warily. He’s always been fuckin’ scared of me, so I’m not sure what this look is about, but I give it right back. He’s Maria’s cousin. I wonder what he’s doing home. I thought he left early for college. He wasn’t at the meeting Saturday night.
“Tony!” Maria screeches and runs over to me, enveloping me in a hug. I graciously and lightly hug her back and step away. She slips her hand under my arm and leads me into the house.
During dinner all I can think about is Megan—being next to her, her silk dress, and the way I wanted to shove Vito’s cell phone down his throat. I know he’d never do anything. He’s too afraid of my dad. It’s just, when it comes to Megan, my thoughts get oobatz.
Three hours and five courses of food later, I’m ready to leave. I can’t take another minute of Maria hanging on me, and I’m ready to smack the arrogant look off Dino’s face.
I stand to give my regards to Mrs. Silvati and her mother. “First day of school tomorrow. I’ve got to be getting home.”
“Oh no, Tonio, stay!” Maria’s grandmother pleads. “Maria was so looking forward to you coming today.”
“I can’t. My dad needs me,” I say. If I ever have to get out of something, the only thing I have to say is My dad needs me or My dad’s waiting for me.’ No one argues with that.
“Okay, Tonio,” Nonna Silvati says. “I hope we see you again soon.” Not if I can help it.
Maria grabs my arm to walk me to my car. I say my good-byes and let her lead me.
“Thank you for dinner, Maria,” I say politely, pulling my hand away from hers.
Maria doesn’t take the hint though. She tugs me into the empty living room. Everyone is still in the dining room at the table. I feel the need to get away again, but I don’t want to hurt her. She’s got a tough hold on my hand. Maria spins around and reaches up, practically jumping to smash her mouth with mine.
I am momentarily stunned, but I recover quickly. I grab her upper arms to delicately push her away.
“What’s wrong with you, Tony?” she whines. That is the second time someone has asked me that today.
“Nothing.”
“Then why don’t you want me? You’re the first guy to ignore me.”
I don’t want to tell her that the reason is that I have absolutely no interest in girls like her. I really don’t want to tell her that my skin crawls when she’s around. So, I do what I do best. I lie.
“Maria, I have a lot of responsibilities. I don’t have time to have a relationship right now. You deserve more than what I can give you.” I don’t like lying like that on Sunday. It feels more wrong than it does during the rest of the week.
Her brown eyes start to glisten like she’s going to cry. Oh, no. I hate it when girls cry. Then she surprises me by hugging me. “That is so sweet, Tony.” She sniffles once and lets me go. Whew! Close one.
*****
Megan
When people say they’re walking on cloud nine, I totally know what they mean now. After church, I’m beaming. A butterfly flutters its wings in my belly every time I think of Antonio leaning down to kiss my cheek. In fact, this morning is the first day of my last year of high school, and it isn’t even giving me same depressing feeling I get at the start of every year. Instead, I’m invigorated. I catch myself smiling in the mirror as I brush my long hair. I know that Antonio was probably just playing with me because of Vito, but who cares. Just looking at Antonio makes my blood race. My phone chirps with a text from Troy:
Good luck on ur 1st day!
Antonio and I are never in the same classes. I only know him by chance meetings, the neighborhood, and by reputation. No one messes with him. He walks on water at Palmetto High. I’m not sure if it’s his good looks or the fact that his father is Antonio Delisi, Sr., ruler of all Palmetto, but either way, every girl wants to date him.
I walk to school because, like I said before, my dad refuses to buy another car. I’m halfway to school when a little blue hatchback rolls to a stop next to me.
“Hey, girl! Get in.” It’s Raven Ramirez, the only other medigan at school. She’s Hispanic and just about the only person I talk to or hang out with there. We have most of the same classes together. We’re a lot alike. Neither one of us fits in.
“Congratulations!” I tell her. Up until last year, neither of us had a car.
“Thanks! My mom and dad gave it to me over the weekend. They’ve been talking about it for a while. Now they finally bought it. Yeah ME!” she screeches. “And to top it off, I’m going to take you home too, homegirl.” Raven beams with pride.
“Now it’s ‘yeah me!’” I chuckle. Raven looks at me closely.
“You look different.” She pauses. “You have sex or something?”
“What?!” I squeal.
“Whoa, take it easy! I’m just messing with you.” Raven laughs.
Raven drops the subject as we head to school. The subject changes to classes, teachers, and summer gossip.
“How many blow-off classes are you taking?” Raven asks.
“Home Ec, Music Appreciation, and Auto Mechanics,” I reply.
“Auto Mechanics! Why would you take that? You don’t even own a car,” Raven laughs.
“I think it’s important to know the basics about cars. How to change the oil, fix a loose hose… the basics.”
“I guess,” she admits, as she turns her car in to a tiny spot near the picnic tables.
I unbuckle my belt and reach for my bag. I get out of the car, still defending my class selection of Auto Mechanics to Raven. Suddenly, laughing at the nearby picnic tables distracts me. Sitting on top of the one in front of us, looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world, is Antonio. Sitting next to him is Alessandra and that kid Vito.
Alessandra’s thick chestnut hair is styled into perfect soft waves. She has on designer ripped jeans and three-inch-high heels. Alessandra is an Italian goddess. And she’s sitting with Antonio. I always suspected that they might be secretly dating or something. It’s a rumor I’ve heard, and I have seen them together a lot over the years. Just seeing them together now confirms my suspicions that Antonio is just playing with me. What would he want with me? A stab of jealousy punctures my stomach where butterflies for Antonio hide.
A guy whose name I don’t know calls out, “Hey, Red!”
I try to ignore him while I sling my bag over my shoulder. I steal a glance, and Vito is elbowing Antonio. Raven is on the other side of the car, waiting for me.
“Hey, Red!” the guy calls again.
Alessandra shushes him. “Ashbet, Ronnie!”
I feel my face flaming. I keep walking. Raven falls into step with me and we speak quietly to each other until I hear footsteps behind us.
“Megan, wait up.”
Alessandra is catching up to us. Raven and I stop.
“Hey,” she greets us.
“Hey,” Raven and I say simultaneously.
“I just wanted to apologize for them.” She points back to the picnic table. “They can be obnoxious.” My eyes shift to where Alessandra is pointing, and my eyes lock with Antonio’s. Heat crawls up my neck and face. It’s not just embarrassment, but intense desire.
“Yeah, well.” I didn’t know what to say. They are obnoxious.
“I’m having a party at my house Saturday night. You know, a back-to-school party. I thought you might like to come.”
“Ummm…” I’m speechless again. I have never, ever been invited to Alessandra’s house.
“Both of you.” She pulls out her cell phone. “Here, give me your numbers, and I’ll text you my address.
”
“Ummm…”
“Come on. It’ll be fun!” she encourages.
I give Alessandra my number. Raven and I walk away in stunned silence.
True to her word, Alessandra texts me her address about a half an hour later. I send back a thx for thank you. Electives don’t start until next week, so I have three long hours of study hall.
During hour number two, when I will be having my auto mechanics class, Antonio comes strolling in late. He scans the room. I hastily look down at the notebook, scribbling on it randomly because I finished the little bit of homework assigned during hour one. I pretend that I’m immersed in doing something important when I hear books thunk down on the desk next to me.
Shit! I glance over my shoulder as Antonio sits down next to me.
“Hi,” he whispers.
“Hi,” I say back. Panic is building in my stomach, and my thoughts stray back to the kiss yesterday. Startling me, my phone buzzes with a text message from Troy.
Troy: How’s ur day goin? Can I come over 2nite?
I’m holding my phone in my lap so it doesn’t get taken away by the study hall teacher. Antonio is watching me. I text back.
Me: Okay. Weird, actually. Yeah, definitely come over.
Troy: C U @ 6
“Friend?” Antonio asks quizzically, part of his mouth turned up in a half smile.
“Yeah,” I respond shyly.
*****
Antonio
I feel my breath getting shallower as I look at Megan. She’s stunning. I want to talk to her more, but I don’t really know what to say. This is new for me. I never feel out of my element. Talking to girls has always been easy for me. But no girl has ever been Megan. There’s something so wholesome and good about her, and it draws me.
Seeing her four times in a three-day time span is not good for me. The sad part is yes, I’m counting. Maybe I’m being punished. My punishment is seeing her every day, but not being able to do anything about it. I had to keep repeating the Hail Mary to myself for my unclean thoughts about her during church. That dress was my undoing. Kissing her cheek and whispering in her ear were definitely bold moves, especially in front of my father. But I loved every second of it.
“So you’re taking Auto Mechanics too?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she confides, not looking at me.
“That’s cool. Everyone should know a little bit about cars.” As I talk to her quietly in study hall, I just want to reach out and touch her long hair.
She glances up at me, a small smile on her face. “That’s what I said! Raven thinks I’m crazy.”
How could anyone think this girl is crazy? I’m the one who’s oobatz!
Chapter 7
Oobatz (oo-botz): Crazy
Antonio
On the drive home from school, I realize that today was the first time in my entire life that I didn’t hate study hall. Megan and I didn’t say a whole lot. I just loved looking at her.
I know where she lives. Hell, I know where everybody lives, what they do for a living, who they’re related too. I have to know. Pop has maintained his position for so long by knowing everyone else’s shit. I typically avoid her street. Avoiding her, not thinking about her—it’s helped me get by for all these years. At first, I thought I liked her because Pop said she’s off limits. I know deep down that that’s not the reason. I’m drawn to her—always have been, always will be.
I pull up to my house. Donny’s car is parked out front. I can hear Pop and Donny talking by the side of the house. They wave me over.
“Hey, Pop, Donny,” I say.
“Tonio, you need to take a ride with Donny to take care of some things for me.”
“Okay. Let me throw my books in the house.” I jog up to the door, toss my bag inside, and run back out to meet Donny by his Lincoln. I hop in, and we set off.
“Your pop tells me you had some trouble the other night.”
“Yeah, me and the guys got jumped by six dudes with ski masks. They tried to beautify my face, but I pulled a Glock on them.”
“Yous remember anything about them?”
“Nah. It happened fast, and they took off running.”
“Well, if you or the guys remember anything you tell me, eh?”
“Yeah, Donny, I will.”
Donny pulls up to the docks and slows the car down to a crawl, scanning in between the crates and stuff that litter the place at this time of year.
“Who we looking for?” I ask.
“Johnny Nero.”
“Johnny Nero? Didn’t you fuck him up already?”
“Yeah, but he still hasn’t finished payin’.”
“Fanabola! He’s walking with a limp. I saw him at church yesterday.”
“Well, he betta start prayin’ because here’s your first beatin’ as an enforcer. This is how it goes, Tonio. Collect whatever money you can. Give a couple of hits. I want you to break two of his fingers. I left the fingers for you ’cause I knew your pop was going to send you in when Johnny didn’t have all the money the other night.”
I nod.
“Now repeat to me. What do ya do?” Donny asks, arcing his ear to me like I’m repeating a grocery list he gave me.
“Collect the money. Hit him a couple of times. Break two fingers. Got it,” I affirm, matter-of-factly.
“Good boy. This is an easy one. He ain’t gonna run on ya. Make it quick ’cause it’s easier on everyone.”
Thinking back to the drive home from school, the last thing I thought I was going to have to do tonight besides homework was kick the shit out of someone. But around here, things can change quickly.
“Look, here he comes. He just got off work. Take him behind the building. GO!” Donny yells.
I jump out of the car and saunter over to Johnny. He’s talking to some guy I don’t know. He breaks his conversation immediately and we walk out of earshot of the people milling around after work.
“Give me the money, Johnny,” I say.
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a wad of rolled up hundreds. “I can get the rest. Tell your pop I’ll have it this weekend,” he pleads. I shove the money in my pocket. I don’t count it or even look at it.
“Shit, Johnny!” I let my fist fly. It connects with his jaw with a sickening crack. I don’t dwell on the noise because an adrenaline rush hits me. My arm cocks back again, ready to strike before Johnny can recover. SLAM! I fucking hit him again. He’s staggering, and I have to move forward to get his hand. I plant my foot, grab the pinky and ring finger of his left hand, and twist hard. It sounds like two twigs snapping. Johnny screams. He falls to the ground, writhing in pain.
I stand over him and mutter ominously in a low voice, “Get the rest of the fuckin’ money, Johnny. I’ll be back on Saturday.” I turn to walk back to the Lincoln. Standing behind a crate, watching me, is Donny. He nods to me, and I nod back.
As soon as I get home, I get ice out of the freezer for my hand. I wrap the plastic bag full of ice around my knuckles. They’re throbbing and red. My pop comes in the kitchen.
“Good job, Tonio, good job. Donny was very pleased. You did exactly like he told ya to.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
When I have to do something like that, I don’t think about it. I just do it. It’s the way of life here. You don’t pay, you get hit. You don’t pay again, you get hit and something broken. You don’t pay a third time; you get something really important broken. There are rules.
Pop counts out five hundred dollars from the money I just gave him and hands it to me.
“Here, get yourself something for your new car or take a pretty girl out.” He throws the bills on the table in front of me.
There is only one girl I want to take out, and I don’t think Pop would be too pleased.
*****
Megan
Troy comes over right as dinner ends. I change into cutoff jeans and a tank top and we head outside for a walk.
“Well, I have to say one thing about starting co
llege. I’m glad it’s starting soon. I’m so bored at home. Connor’s at school, Mom and Dad are working... It’s boriiiing.” Troy drags out the word.
“Soon you’ll be knee deep in work and wish you were alone again,” I tell him.
“You’re probably right,” he concurs, taking my hand. We continue down the street, holding hands. I always feel so comfortable with Troy. I can be myself. We laugh, joke, and have a great time together. Even when the weather is hot and sticky, like it is now.
“How about ice cream?” I offer.
“Sounds great!”
I lean in conspiratorially. “So this is how it’s gonna go.” I talk to him like it’s a top secret mission. “The ice cream shop is two blocks down. Last one there… buys.” I quickly release his hand and take off running.
“No fair!” he calls.
We race down the sidewalk, avoiding obstacles—trash cans, bicycles, people. I’m still ahead, but Troy with his long legs is gaining on me.
I’m laughing when I see Troy start leaping over trash cans instead of going around them. He sneaks into the lead.
“Hey! No fair!” I yell. I speed up. We both make it to the outdoor ice cream counter at the same time, but he scoops me up by the waist and plops me down behind him so he’s first.
“Hey.” I stomp my foot playfully. “That’s cheating!” I yell.
“I believe madam is mistaken. I am the winner,” Troy emphasizes dramatically, pointing to himself. He turns to the window to order his butter pecan waffle cone and I’m still fuming. I ignore the crowd of people around me, who are enjoying ice cream on a hot night.
Suddenly, I hear someone call my name.
“Megan!” It’s Alessandra.
“Oh, hi.” I’m surprised. She’s with a couple of girls from school. Troy comes over and, without any warning, rubs his ice cream on my nose. “I’m gonna kill you,” I hiss as I wipe my nose off with the back of my hand.
“Being a sore loser doesn’t help your looks,” Troy accuses sarcastically, laughing.
Alessandra clears her throat and brings Troy and me out of our little world. I chirp in quickly. “Oh, ummm... Troy, this is Alessandra. She’s goes to my school.”
Troy immediately sticks his non–ice cream carrying hand out to Alessandra. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” He turns back to me. “I believe, young lady, that you have some unfinished business with that gentleman behind the counter.” Troy points melodramatically.