| Title: The Wonderwall Diaries Author: Priscilla Entry 1 I thought I'd start by telling you a little about myself. My name is Antonia Jade Corleone, but everyone knows me as Jade. I was born in Queens New York. but raised in Brooklyn until the age of 14. I am the youngest of three girls. My sister's names are Elyse (the oldest) and Emma. My parent's divorce became final around the time I turned 14 1/2 because of my father's blatant infidelity. Due to financial struggles, my mother, after being granted full custody of us, uprooted our lives in New York to move into a tiny apartment building in Dorchester, Massachusetts. I hated her at first. Hated the fact that she'd ripped my friends, school, everything that was known to me out of my life to stick me into a place where I was ridiculed and openly hated for being what the kids called a "Yankee". Then that year ended and high school came, and along with it came a bond with five boys that would last a lifetime. Mike Lapagila, Jess Stranton, Angel Trimonti, and eventually Mark Wahlberg were outcasts in the aristocratic hierarchy that was Central Dorchester High. Misfits if you will. And these misfits saw in me the social deficiencies that were in themselves and thus made me one of them. We were the terror of every preppy, snobby, asswipe that graced the halls of our school and damn proud of it. For five years I fought, cursed, got arrested, put on probation, and eventually kicked out of school right alongside my boys. And then one summer it all came crashing down, it was over for all of us. June 15, 1988 God it's hot. 98 degrees the weatherman said this morning, but it feels like 200. Not even staying inside or the tank top and shorts I'm wearing helps. On a whim, I decide to go outside and see what the guys are up to. So I turn off the almost sizzling television set (the only one we have) and walk out of the tiny apartment I share with two older sisters and mom. No one's home right now, all working. Some people might see that as a bad thing, a 15 yr. old girl being left alone to fend for herself most of the day. Mom leaves for work before I wake up. I go to school, eat there. Come back home at 2:45, which by that time Elyse and Emma (my sisters) already left for their shifts at K-Mart. So I'm all alone. No big. I can be in a room full of people and still feel completely alone and be perfectly fine with it. But that all changes when I'm with my friends. They're all guys, which may seem weird to some people but I think it's for the best. My friends and fellow delinquents Mike, Angel, and Jess are really my extended family. We've known each other for five years, feels like longer though. I have never gotten along with other girls my age. Maybe it's me, maybe its them, but something always happens to mess it up. Anyways, I make my way to Mike's house because that's where we always meet and hang out and as I round the corner I see that everyone's right there on his front steps. As I come closer I notice someone new amongst my friends. He's very muscular, wearing a white wife beater that fits like a second skin and baggy navy blue jeans ridding low on his hips, a backwards hat on his head. The guys are laughing and it only serves to make my temper flare. It's always been "us". The four of us, me and the guys. So who was this idiot sitting on Mike's porch with my friends making them laugh? My pace picks up a notch and finally when I'm a few steps away Mike realizes it's me. "Damn Jade! I thought you died or something!" He says thrusting his fist towards me for our handshake. I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly trying to keep my cool when I feel the new guy's eyes on me. "Had to lay low for a while. Ma wasn't too happy about my violating probation but she'll get over it." I say causing my friends to crack up. Mike smiles and nudges his head in the new guy's direction. "This is Mark. Mark meet Jade, the one and only lady in our midst." I don�t like him; and I give him a look that lets him know it. My scowl deepens as a smile inches its way onto his chiseled face as he sticks out his hand for me to shake. I look down at it like if it were made of shit but find myself shaking it anyway, and wiping my hand off on my shorts when it�s over. Time passed quickly as we sat on that porch telling dirty jokes and drinking beer that Angel had stolen two days before from a grocery store a few blocks away. Sometime during that night they all decide to show me the homemade tattoos Jess�s older brother Rob had put on their left shoulders. Mark then decides to tell us about his many raucous adventures with his older brothers. How they first got him high and drunk when he was ten.... At around 10:45 p.m. I decided to call it quits. My mother gets off work at 11p.m. and I didn�t want to worry her again. It seemed that�s all I did for her lately; give her worry lines. �Listen I gotta get home. Ma gets off work in a few and I don�t wanna hear her shit again so I�ll see you guys later. Cool?� After a chorus of "yeah" and "see you around J" Everyone stood up to leave. Mike elbowed Mark and nodded towards my retreating back. �Go take her home.� Mark�s eyebrows furrowed together at the request. �What? Why?� �Cause I told you to man, just go. I don�t like Jade walking by herself this late and if you�re gonna be one of us, you don�t either.� Mark nodded his head and said goodbye to the guys before jogging to catch up with me. �Hey! Jade hold up!� I stopped at the voice behind me and turned around, groaning when I realized whom it was. �What do you want Mark?� I try in my best "your annoying me" tone. The truth was that the initial feeling of jealousy was slowly dissolving to another feeling completely new to me and I didn't like it. I had always been in control of my emotions, and this guy comes into my life with his hazel eyes and changes everything. �Nothing. Mike just said to walk you home.� Mark said giving me another shark's grin. He had a deadly smile, the kind any girl would fall madly in love with, but not me. I'm not that weak. �I don�t need a babysitter.� I say turning to walk away again. �I never said I was one.� �Fine, whatever.� We walked in silence all the way to my apartment building steps. He looked up at the tall structure and then down to me (he was bigger than me in EVERY sense of the word). �So what floor do you live on?� He asked suddenly, as we sat on the steps waiting for...something, anything, to happen. I eyed him curiously as he took his hat off to reveal a full head of silky looking brown hair. Nice. �Third, number 302. Why?� I say, curious now. Our eyes locked and I turned away when I realized he was looking at me weird because I've been staring. �Nothing, just good to know.� He looked like he was about to say something else when my mom�s car pulled up and silence cloaked us again. Mark stood up after a second, put his hat back on and turned to look at me. �Listen I gotta go Jade. I'll see you around, alright?� He said, and realizing it was a question, I nodded my head. He gave me his fist again and I brushed my knuckles against his. My mother stepped out of the car and gave me this strange look as I watched Mark�s retreating form. �Who was that?� She asked as if she fully expected me to give her a straight answer. Keep dreaming lady. �Nobody, just a friend.� I said only turning to follow her upstairs when I couldn�t see Mark�s shadow. It is so strange to me how easily he made me forget I was mad at him just by looking at me. He has the most intense hazel eyes I�ve ever seen. I would know, they were on me for most of the night. I could feel them. I could feel him. I don't know where this is going, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Let�s see where this leads me. Title: The Wonderwall Diaries Author: Priscilla Entry 2 June 16, 1988 This summer has to be the hottest one yet. I'd almost welcome the idea of skipping all this and fast forwarding to September. Almost. I wasn't in a hurry to get back to school. High School was a society in itself. Like a dictatorship, ruled by the jocks and the cheerleaders. We had a team for everything, La Cross, Swimming, Track, Volleyball, Basketball, Baseball, and those jocks were respected for the most part. The football team was a completely different story; they were revered almost like gods. They did what they wanted, how and when they wanted it, and it made me sick. But I'm getting completely off track here, so let me get back to what I was talking about... I'm watching T.V. for like the third straight day in a row. It's one of those summers when the outside world doesn't hold much interest and you'd rather stay inside and bake. My doorbell's rung suddenly and I thank God for the distraction. It's the guys. "What?" "The DiFranco's. We're taking care of those shits tonight. You in?" Mike asked. It was a test I knew, a test to see if I was really a part of their family or not. I nodded my head without thinking twice. The DiFranco's were our biggest rivals ever since I could remember. In the 9th grade Mike, Angel, and Jess had set the record for on-school-ground fights for our class. One day I would find out what started that whole thing, but I think it was over a girl. Women have the power to set guy's worlds on fire without knowing it. "Come over around 8:30 or 9:00. Alright?" Jess said in his authoritive voice making me smile. He could never quite pull that off. Jess had a gentleness about him that would not be denied or covered up. "Yeah, I'll be there." I said and closed the door to go back to my couch potato marathon. So it was, that around 8:40, I managed to duck under my mother's radar and slip out to Jess's. Around 9:15, heavily burdened with pipes, bats, brass knuckles and knives, the six of us made our way to the DiFranco�s neighborhood. They must have seen us coming, because they were waiting for us in the middle of the street when we rounded the corner. �You got alot of fucking nerve showing up here Lapaglia. I thought I told you not to show your face in my neighborhood again.� Milo said tapping a metal pipe on his open palm. Milo DiFranco was the oldest of his brothers and the best looking, but boy did he have a temper. He had jet-black eyes to match the color of his hair and an athletic build. I would of gone after him, if he wasn�t such an asshole. �I thought I told you I don�t take kindly to orders Milo.� Mike retorted smiling. Milo returned the gesture and stepped closer to Mike. �I�m not gonna warn you again.� �Fuck you and your fucking neighborhood.� Mike said and I watched in slow motion as Mike�s bat came up and struck Milo across the side of the face before he could react. A fight erupted in all directions and I struck out with the rest of them. Minutes seemed like hours as we punched, kicked, slapped and then strong arms encircled my waist and it was over. People were pulling all of us apart. I recognized the guys holding the DiFranco�s back as some of their family. �This ain�t over Lapaglia! You�re fucking dead!� �Fuck you!� Mike said wiping the blood from his lip as he stepped further back towards the rest of us. Mark kneeled down in front of me as I held my side. One of Milo�s brothers, Danny I think, had gotten a good swing at my ribs, the bastard. �You alright Jade? Here take my hand.� He said concern etched on his handsome face as he held out his hand for me to grab. I took it and he helped me get upright again. �Yeah, I�m alright.� I said truly believing that to be the truth. I really did think everything would be ok, that we would walk back to our neighborhood, nurse our wounds and forget this night. Then I heard the sound of approaching sirens. June 19, 1988 Two days. Two days I spent locked up in an 8x10 cell waiting for my mother to scrunch up some money so I could have a lawyer. The guys were sent to some other place; I hadn't seen them since the ride over to the police station. In just two days I realized what my life could become. I could keep going the way I am and end up stuck in here for the rest of my life. That fact alone scared me shitless; I could NOT stay in here longer than the amount of time I already have. I can't fathom the idea of being in here for life. Something else I realized during my incarceration was that I wanted better for myself, for my family and friends. I had dreams. Dancing has always been my release when I wasn�t with the guys making trouble. My mother had forced me to take lessons for years growing up; used to call me her little ballerina. My mother. God, can you image what I�ve put that woman through? What she must be feeling? I can�t think of anything that I�ve done in the past six years that could make her even remotely proud of me. All I�ve done is rebel and be a complete embarrassment to her and the rest of my family. I look out the window of the court appointed van and watch the streets roll by. It�s raining; how appropriate, don�t you think? On my way to my arraignment. I was told yesterday that my friends had had their day in court already and were released, but had to do community service for I don�t know how long. The worst night of my life was when I was told that we were being charged with �Assault�. I find that charge bogus considering that we were �assaulted� also, but the DiFranco�s just happen to have money so you know how that goes. The van stops and I�m practically yanked out of my seat and into a marble floored building. I am led, in handcuffs grant you, down an isle where a judge is seated on his perch at the end. I recognize my mother and sisters sitting in the first row to my right. The cops make me sit next to the lawyer my mother had gotten for me. After that the cop leaves my side only to return minutes later with someone else and seats him to my right. I take a chance to look at that guy and realize who it is. Mark�s stare is as focused as it is beautiful and I find myself staring back. Time seems to slow around me, like tunnel vision, and all I can see is Mark's face until lawyer boy nudges me and I�m brought back to reality. �Will the defendants please stand.� It�s not a question, but a command. So we, the lawyer, Mark, and myself stand in unison. �How do your clients plead Mr. Malone?� So that�s his name. Malone. I find myself thinking that it doesn't suit him. Malone sounds like a tough name for a tough guy and this looks like a pantywaist. �Both plead guilty, sir.� My hands are shaking as I watch the judge, the middle aged balding man that holds my future in his hands, shuffling papers on his desk. But then I feel a warm hand envelope my clammy trembling one and I remember that at least for this, I am not alone. �In the case of Mark Wahlberg, I see that he has been arrested for repeated offenses, many of almost same or equal magnitude as the one he stands accused of today. After careful deliberation, I will charge him guilty of Battery Minor One and order him into anger management and community service for the period of 16 months.� I felt more than heard the tension leave Mark�s body, as the tightness of his hand on mine became less. I was extremely happy for him because anything�s better than jail. �Now in the case of Antonia Jade Corleone I am somewhat relived that you have no prior run-ins with the law except for some minor grievances on your high school grounds. I will order you to complete 3 months of community service. Make no mistake Ms. Corleone, this was your first offense so I decided to go easy on you but I will not be merciful next time around. I hope you take time to evaluate where your life is going so that there never is a �next time�. Do you understand?� �Yes, sir.� �That is all, court is adjourned.� The judge said and I have never felt so good in my entire life. I hugged Mark before I knew what I was doing, and then the tears came. Tears of relief, of gratitude, and of regret. I think that day cemented our bond. Because for the first time ever we knew we had someone in our lives that knew exactly what we were feeling, because they were feeling it too. |