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** Last names have been changed to protect identities **
Prelude
Apache Junction, Arizona could be described in so many words. If you would ask a resident to describe Apache Junction in only one word, it would most likely be “Divided”. For as long as they could all remember, Apache Junction had been forever the divided city in Arizona. It all started back in the 50’s when the local high school became too small for its students. They were forced to build a new one and in the process divide the city into the West side and the East side in order to decide who would go to which school.
The West side of Apache Junction was basically the Orange County of Arizona. Where most people would know them as the Functional Junctions; it was the home of the rich and the almost famous, the bold and the very beautiful. They all lived in mansions and partied at their spare town houses. Most of the kids were spoiled brats with BMW’s and Louie Vuitton purses. The so called leader of the West side was Paul Giodano he was the most powerful of them all. Whenever someone needed some charges dropped for their special little one they just called up the Sheriff Giodano and he had them released in a matter of minutes and all charges would be erased.
So it was really no one that year later when he son Michael aka Mikey was the “it” guy amongst the teenagers. He had a passion for pretty girls and like everyone else in Apache Junction the passion for fast cars. Mikey threw the wildest parties and dominated the school and because of his status as the captain of the basketball team, the teachers let him pass every test he took even if he only got his name right then the same went for the rest of the people in his circle. Jay Lovett was basically the not too bright one of the group, and yet he was Mikey’s best friend. Karma “KC” McDowell was the princess of the West she was the snobbiest and richest of all the girls, so it was no wonder she fit in. Her best friend was Krystal Smith who was the one that fit because of her family, but she was really a down to earth girl next door. There was just something soothing for them knowing that the biggest problem you had was which outfit you would wear the next day. Yes, it seemed that life was good for Mikey Giodano and his friends.
Then of course on the other side of town were the East sides which were known as the Dysfunctional Junctions. The normal people with the normal nine to five jobs they didn’t live in mansions, they didn’t have town houses, and they sure as hell didn’t drive BMW’s to have some five hundred dollar purse. They lived in normal houses with white picket fences and if you were lucky a two car garage. The heart of the East Side was The Pizza House. Everyone who was anyone hung out there and it was the local hang out joint the place you could get the best Italian food in town. It was run and operated by Gina Montebell and she was the only person that had ever dared to say the word no to Paul Giodano.
Here is the background story on that Paul had gotten his high school girlfriend pregnant, and married her right away. It was the thing to do in the West side you had to keep up appearances, but deep down he really did love or so he says. When Paul & Mindy went on to College they were doing great. About a year later Paul comes home on a break and has a fling with none other this Gina, who just happened to be the daughter of one of his father’s biggest enemies who swore one day he would run Paul’s father out of office. Paul never told anyone about that night and that night changed Gina’s life forever she became pregnant. Gina never told anyone who the father was and when the baby was born. Then Paul and Mindy moved back to Apache Junction. Soon truth came out when Paul realized that Gina had a baby he knew it was his.
Paul went to Gina and informed her no baby of his was living on the East side and offered her to live on the West side and get help from him or more like his money. Gina informed him that she didn’t need his help and didn’t want his money. She had just bought a small little house and the restraint for her business. So basically Gina told him he could stick where the sun didn’t shine, and for that statement she has been loved by every Dysfunctional since then and everyone knew the truth about Gina and Paul and that Gina’s son was really a Giodano.
So Gina had raised her only child a son all by herself with no help from Paul Giodano. She moved to New York to live with some family, and then when Joshua was in the first grade she moved back to Arizona. Joshua also known as Josh was an excellent basketball like his half brother, only he didn’t need teachers to let him slide by in school he got by on his own by working hard and he was the co-captain of his own team at his own school. He spent most of his time working at Gold Canyon Golf Resort or playing basketball at the court with his friends. His friends consisted of some that he had known since he was in elementary school. One of his friends was Angela Spaldin, the girl that was a combination of everything. She was a tomboy with a 4.0 GPA; she played soccer, was lead in school plays, choir concerts, and was the head of our dance team. She came from a big family so she worked two jobs one at The Pizza House and the other at the golf resort which was owned by her uncle. Josh’s other best friend was Nathan Spaldin, which was Angie’s twin brother. He was the captain of the basketball team and practically his brother they did everything together. It may have been true that the Dysfunctional Junctions didn’t have a lot but they loved the life they did have.
The only passion that both sides of the city shared was the passion for fast cars. Back in the old days they would solve every disagreement with a race; and now the kids just kept up the tradition by occasional street races. The cops tried to put an end to the races even those from the West side that tried to race, but they never really succeeded at that. So now a days when anyone wanted to race to make sure the cops didn’t mess anything up it had to be planned and kept a secret from any outsider.
The other thing that both the Dysfunctional and the Functional Junctions could agree on was the mutual hatred towards each other especially the teenagers they hated one another to the core. Whenever they had a basketball, football, soccer, chess, or any other game match or meet against one another the whole school would be there. The cops always covered the events because there was always a fight that broke out.
It wasn’t an easy life to live in a city where you hated half the population, so just imagined everyone’s reaction when they found out that the city officials decided to unite the schools. Make once again just Apache Junction with no division. This isn’t School House Rock and no one wanted to be a Functional Junction.
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Different Sides of the Coin (Rated PG-13)
