REWRITING A 180 Degree Turn

Chapter One - A 180 Degree Turn

I picked the usual –a white loose shirt, expertly washed jeans, and apple red sneakers. Just need to eat and I'm off to the university. Whoopie, college! Note the sarcasm.

"Gabriele Antonio D'Angelo, get your tushie down here and have breakfast." Mama called from below.

Mama was a fashion designer and was doting as my papa who was a surgeon. Both are Italian and migrated to this country before I was born. They were known for their expertise in their own professions.

"In a minute!" I replied.

By the time I got down, nobody was in the dining area. Taking an apple, I went to the garage in hopes of finding them. When I reached the garage, they were all there, preparing to leave. Mama and papa took a different car from Yana and I who were going to school.

"Be sure to take very good care of them, Marco. Enjoy school, cupcakes! And, Yelle, sweetheart, your cousins are coming over tonight. The twins. Make sure they feel at home while we're not here." Mom fired away, kissing me and Yana.

"Here. But don't tell your mama." Papa said as he hugged me and secretly slipped the keys of my car in my back pockets.

I just smiled widely at them both and as they left, I told Yana and Marco to go ahead.

Mama took away my car keys last week because I was almost mugged. She forced me to go to college with Marco. Now, papa, being the awesome dad he is, returns my keys.

Opening the garage door, I see three more cars inside it. Mom and dad had taken the blood red Aston Martin One-77, Marco and Yana with the white Maybach Landaulet.

What's left in the garage was a black Mercedes Benz, a yellow Hummer and, my white Ferrari which was a gift to me from papa on my sixteenth birthday a few years ago. These were the cars that my parents spent most of their life

My face split into a huge grin. I haven't set foot in my car for weeks.

Upon entering this pathetic excuse for a university, I found a parking lot and reluctantly got out my car. It's not that I hate college. I'm actually a Dean's list student. It's the people attending it that I couldn't stand. Typical pigeonholed students walk this very ground.

It reminded me of High School Musical minus the public dancing and random singing bursts and gay basketball players. Except this was college. You'd think people acted more civilized. This is what I get for deciding to go to our local community college.

I feel like I'm in the middle of the food chain. I wasn't invisible, but I'm not really known either. I'm not a loner or a geek, I also don't play sports, but I used to be in the swim team. I'm just a plain 'ole European boy in college who doesn't like much attention.

"Gab! Yoo-hoo! Over here." Yes, I'm ordinary looking and didn't like to attract attention, but my friends begged to differ.

The tall blond, brown-eyed twins who were busty and pretty that were part-time models. They were Allison and Anne Evans. Our friendship started second grade when Allison nearly drowned a girl in blue acrylic paint when she made fun of my stuttering.

Next is the short, but fierce and cute gal. A redhead with dark brown eyes who is partially Asian, the class president, and the group's mother figure, Hailey Chan. We've been friends since kindergarten and she's been fussing over me ever since.

And lastly, the evil scheming prankster and athletic chic with bright blue eyes and jet black hair, inseparable since the day we were born, a stubborn, yet understanding at all cost, Miss Katie Harris. Can I hear a round of applause?

The twin used to be in pigtails and they, including Hailey, had braces. Before high school, Katie was a breast-less tomboy slob who was a bit overweight. Hailey was sickly pale, but it was just an Asian thing. The twins were shorter than I was in elementary, but now they were touching six feet. And I wore glasses. Puberty did such wonderful things in high school. Now I was left in the dust with only a bit of change in height and even worse eyesight.