> Every situation can be a hazard or an opportunity. It all depends on how you perceive it and respond.

When Joey woke up, he rubbed his head. He sighed. ‘It’s always the same. When my mind goes into that state, I can’t keep it up for long...I still can’t control it.’ Then he felt the bundle of over 500 dollars in his pocket and couldn’t stop a stupid smile from sprouting on his face.

‘Oh well, at least I won’t have to starve during lunch for a while. I can also help mom out.’ He spent the rest of the afternoon daydreaming in his classes, musing about all the things he could buy with the cash.

...

The school day ended. As Joey exited the gate preparing to walk home, he heard a shout behind him. “Fiore!”

Joey turned around and saw Craig approaching with several buddies.

“I bet you feel pretty good with my money in your pocket, huh?” Craig said as he and his friends approached Joey.

As Joey considered his response, the harsh honk of a car behind Joey surprised them all. It was a black Mercedes S500, a luxury car Joey had never seen. The passenger side window rolled down. “Hey, Joey!” the driver greeted.

Joey recognized the man. It was Johnny from last night. ‘Why is he here?’ he wondered.

Johnny waited for a few moments before continuing, “Kid, don’t bust my balls. Angelo wants to see you. Get in.” Then he noticed Craig and the others. “...Sh*theads, beat it!”

Craig frowned but recognized that Johnny didn’t seem like an ordinary person. He pulled his friends to leave.

Joey glanced at Craig departing, then looked back at the car, and shook his head. ‘Control...I still don’t have control.’ He opened the passenger side door and entered.

As the Mercedes pulled away, Craig’s friends discussed Johnny’s identity. Craig’s eyes followed the car as it disappeared past the corner. He ignored his friends and continued to stare, deep in thought.

A short ride later, the car pulled up to the front of a small commercial building under the Astoria Blvd. subway station. The building appeared unoccupied, but there was a small burger king on the side. “Did you come to buy me a Big Mac?” Joey asked.

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“Smartass.” Johnny snorted. “Let’s go.” Joey followed Johnny into an unassuming side entrance of the building. He led him up to an entrance on the 2nd floor that opened into a large loft space. The first thing that caught Joey’s eye was the group of three empty poker tables in the center. He’d never seen proper poker tables before! As he was admiring them, he heard a voice.

“Like what you see kid?”

Joey looked left and saw Angelo, in a small open-air kitchen, pulling out some ingredients from a fridge.

“What am I doing here?” Joey asked.

“That’s one way to greet people,” Angelo responded as he returned some bread into the fridge. He turned to face Joey, leaned back against the kitchen counter, and took several moments to appraise his masterpiece--a ham and cheese sandwich. “You like ham and cheese?” he asked, unsurprised when he didn’t get a response.

“Guess not. Well, I’ve got a little poker game going here some nights: Sundays to Wednesdays. I could use somebody to hand out snacks, coffee, deal some cards, that sort of thing. There are tips in it for you...make more than handin’ out newspapers or whatever kids do nowadays.”

Joey questioned, “Why me?”

Angelo answered between bites of his sandwich. “Do I seem like I know a lot of baristas? Look kid, you seem like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Quiet, you keep to yourself enough. I figured you’d be a quick learner.”

As much as he needed money, Joey knew it wasn’t worth mixing up with mobsters. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think so,” Joey stated as he turned around.

“I wasn’t asking...” Angelo declared as he continued savoring his sandwich. “Your old man there owes me a lot of money, and being that he seems to have skipped town...yea, that’s on you now. You’re gonna have to work that off.” Angelo finished his sales pitch in that unflappable tone of his, like he was chatting about the Yankees game, and not forcing a teenager into indentured servitude.

He noticed he was a bit too harsh so he added, “Kid, look on the bright side. It’s after school and you’ll make some cash. Besides, the place is not bad huh? Got three tables, TVs, my little office in the back. You’ll start out dealin’, and you’ll even learn a thing or two about poker. Don’t be so pessimistic, think of it...as an opportunity, alright?”

Joey replied, “I don’t know how to deal cards.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort you out. Amy!” Angelo yelled.

Seconds later, the door to the back office opened and a young girl stepped out. Joey’s eyes widened when he saw she wasn’t much older than him. She was slim, average height, with shoulder length, wavy chestnut brown hair. Her face was oval-shaped and ended in a small pointy chin.

Her most captivating feature was her mysterious emerald green eyes. Despite a pair of thin, circular-rimmed black glasses obscuring them, he still felt them scan him. It was odd. It wasn’t like getting scrutinized by a stranger, but more like getting searched by a metal detector in an airport or analyzed by a laser beam on a spaceship...

She was cute but gave off an eccentric vibe.

“Amy, this is Joey. You’re gonna show him the ropes. If he f*cks up it’s on you.” Angelo said as he wiped his hands on a napkin and walked over to Johnny by the window.

The two stared at each other for a long time before Joey spoke. “Hey, I’m J--“

“What’s the mission?” Amy interrupted him and stood there with her arms crossed, awaiting a response.

Joey’s mouth hung open mid-syllable. He was stuck in a loading screen, mind racing to comprehend the situation.

The answer never came.

Her disappointment followed.