"So ya think I got an evil mind, I'll tell ya honey, I don't know why." Come on Feel the Noise, Quiet Riot 1983
Come on, Feel the Noise
Chapter 1
Johnny DiMarco moved his black chess piece into place, winning the game. It had been over a year since he last played chess and he hadn't lost his touch.
"Check mate, sucka!" he said to his opponent with a cocky grin. His opponent, Earle, was a part time math instructor at the Temple Community College and has always been Johnny's strongest competitor. He heaved a deep sigh and rolled his eyes at Johnny.
"Am I ever gonna beat you in this lifetime, Johnny?" he asked.
"I dunno, maybe," Johnny replied. "Come on, pay up. You know the rules." Johnny held out his hand and Earle gave him a 20 dollar bill. Johnny pocketed the cash, thanked Earle for a great game, and got up to leave.
Johnny wasn't supposed to be where he was or doing what he was doing. He could be in Montgomery Park, he just couldn't be in the area where the chess tables were, This was where guys who were too smart for their own good challenged each other to games of chess and waged bets.
This wasn't some Degrassi Rook and Knight Society geek fest. No, these guys didn't just play chess, they hustled chess.
Not only was Johnny not supposed be at the chess tables near the Collins Avenue entrance, he also couldn't be seen at the basketball courts near the Poulet Street entrance, or near the Temple Street entrance which was the prime area for Three Card Monty or the Shell Game.
That meant the only places Johnny could go in the park were the playground, the fountain and the benches were lovers held hands and old people fed the pigeons. All of which were located in plain view near the main entrance on Montgomery Street.
Montgomery Park was in the heart of the Rows neighborhood and it was the source of most of Johnny DiMarco's so-called job experience.
Ever since grade nine, Johnny has been going to the park to score quick cash. He already knew how to play chess in grade school, when he was a good boy, He just parlayed his skills into speed chess and became a force to be reckoned with. He was the youngest and one of the best chess hustlers in Montgomery Park. Judging from today, he still was, even after nearly two years of not playing.
Johnny also learned to scam people from watching the older guys run Three Card Monty and Shell game schemes. Soon he was bilking honest people out of their hard earned money. He further supplemented his income by placing bets on pickup basketball games.
He was then promoted to hustling the bowling alley and the pool hall where he could beat the pants off anyone and rob them blind.
Small time gambling proved to be very lucrative for Johnny. It was how he bought his mom presents for Christmas and her birthday. He always told her he got the extra money from doing odd jobs like recycling or mowing lawns. She would've been disappointed if she knew the truth.
His business ventures soon ended when some guy he hustled at the bowling alley reported him to the police. Thanks to tips from various concerned citizens, most notably Mrs. Kelly, the neighborhood busy body, the police found him in the park watching pickup basketball. Johnny was let off with a warning since they didn't have any evidence against him.
Johnny didn't have another run in with the law until he witnessed his friend Drake stab some kid six months later. He still got in trouble, but he managed to stay under the radar.
He moved his business across the train tacks to Degrassi Park where people had more money but were less likely to report being conned out of it. Johnny still remembers the first time he set up shop there. He managed to con two socialites from Degrassi Community School, Paige Michalchuck and Hazel Aden, out of their generous allowances. They didn't report him to the police because they were too embarrassed to admit that they had been had by a hood rat.
The reluctance of rich people to admit when people like Johnny had gotten the better of them proved to be a blessing. Business was booming.
Until Drake stabbed that kid and went to jail. Johnny was sentenced to five years' probation as an accessory to murder.
But on this Saturday morning, Johnny was in need of cash. His mom's social assistance was converted to survivor's benefits after she passed on. But now Johnny was living in Covington House, a group home for disadvantaged male youth, and his checks were sent directly to the home and deposited into a trust fund. It was so he would have money to live on when he was ready to move out. He was given a monthly allowance of 30 dollars and it was running out.
His allowance was to be used for personal care items, cigarettes and other extras. But Johnny's car had broken down last week and he couldn't afford to have it fixed or even to buy tools to fix it himself.
So, out of desperation, he woke up early and took the bus into the old 'hood. He had to make sure he was out of the park by noon when the cops began patroling the area.
He was greeted by old friends and it was as if he had never left the chess tables. But he had to stay out of trouble if he wanted to stay at Covington House. It was time for him to get a real job. He played one game against Earle, took his winnings and went down into the subway toward Degrassi Street.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my new story. I promise it won't be as long as Open Your Heart. This story picks up where Living on a Prayer left off.
The places and street names mentioned in this chapter are all fictional. I do not own Degrassin or the song "Come on Feel the Noise" by Quiet Riot.