Character Interview: Mike Santangelo

Mike Santangelo has been the best friend to Andrew Lancaster for nearly ten years. He's been a loyal friend, the comedic centerpiece and the muscle for the group known as the Revolution. Unlike Lilly, Mike volunteered to stand beside Andrew when the Benefactor coerced him to join  "covert operation" called Project Justice. But why volunteer for something like this?

Mr. Santangelo, please tell us a little about yourself.
Sure, but no need for formalities. You can call me Mike. With me, what you see is what you get. I love to have fun, hang out with friends and spend my weekend nights at the Ace of Spades.

Speaking of friends, you have been friends with Andrew Lancaster for quite some time. Tell me, how did you two meet?
We met in the beginning of High School. At first I thought he was some nerdy looking kid and could copy off of him if need be. He was this shy kid that kept to himself. Then he overheard me talking about what happened on Monday Night Raw and jumped into my conversation. I was about to snap at him for jumping into my conversation, but the kid knew his stuff. Our whole friendship started because of that one conversation. From that point forward, we talked every day and a few months later started hanging out on the weekends.

I'm sure growing up through high school together you both share a lot of fond memories. What would be the one that sticks out the most in your mind?
There's too many to choose from. There's the time I told our teacher I could teach the class better than he could, came in the next day wearing a suit and did just what I said I would do. There was the time we cut school together and came back just before he was supposed to take a test, found out we were locked out of the school and decided to climb in through another classroom window just so he could get to his class. There was the time we wore giant sombreros to class to take our finals.

You seem like you guys like to have a good time. Have you always been a bunch of class clowns?
I've always been like this. I'm the kind of guy that just likes to sit back and have fun.

So with that being said, why volunteer to work with the Benefactor? What were your reasons for giving up a life of partying for being on the run?
I wouldn't say I volunteered for it. I knew Andrew had made up mind about getting revenge for his mother's murder and wasn't going to get in his way. So I decided the best thing I could do for him was to stand by him, have his back while we were on the run and do whatever was necessary to keep us alive and out of jail.

But that wasn't your only reason for going along with everything; was it? In fact you wanted justice for something that happened back in your senior year of high school; didn't you?
That's not something I want to get into right now. The events of that night and what went down in Florida were things I can't take back or erase from my mind.

Fair enough, but can you take me back to what you were thinking during those few days and nights you spent camped out in that Florida motel?
I thought a lot of things. I didn't know how the Benefactor expected us to pull off the missions without being caught. I thought about confronting the people I once considered friends. But most of all, I wanted revenge for what they did to me and for all the pain they put me through.

Do you feel what you did was justified?
Once I had the proof I needed, yeah it was.

One last question before you go. If you never chose to go on the run with Andrew and Lilly, what do you think you'd be doing right now?
I probably would've kept going to school for my Master's Degree in History while substitute teaching. But you never know; I might've ended up doing stand-up with all the stories I have.

Thank you Mr. Santangelo. It has been a pleasure meeting you. If you would like to hear more about his time on the run with his friends, Andrew Lancaster and Lilly Henderson, grab a copy of The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice now available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com


The first book in The Phoenix Blade Series, Project Justice is now available for free on Smashwords. Pickup your copy now to get ready for the Awakening
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/462530