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Summer 2001
Kevin Maggliardi just turned 8 years old and finished an evening of playing soccer with his friends at the park. He came home to his older siblings, Sheridan, 14, Graham, 12, and Addison, 10, playing video games. Sheridan was more watching than playing. He was lying sideways on the couch. Kevin climbed on the couch and decided to lie next to his older brother, Sheridan. He wrapped his arms around his older brother and put his ear on his chest, so that he could hear his heartbeat and his breathing. Kevin fell asleep within 15 minutes, and Sheridan’s arm was wrapped around Kevin. Sheridan’s heartbeat was a bit fast, since he has asthma, but it was also very relaxing. Kevin started snoring softly, and Sheridan got Graham’s and Addison’s attention and showed them Kevin sleeping soundly.
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January 19, 2019
Kevin Maggliardi, Levi Cranston’s (The Magic Video Game) friend that he met in Boston, was just recently asked out by his girlfriend, Shanti Lee. They have known each other since the age of four, and Shanti just moved to Boston from Los Angeles. She found a hair stylist job out here. It was a normal Friday night, and Kevin was just getting over a bad cold. He was feeling well enough for Shanti to come over and watch their favorite TV cartoons. It was around 9 pm, and after a round or two of pizza and cartoons, they decided to turn the TV off, lie together on the couch, and think about nothing. They were perfectly alright with not saying a word for a while. As long as they were together, they didn’t always feel like they had to say anything. “Excited about our double date with Levi and Mackenzie tomorrow?” Shanti asked Kevin, with her right arm wrapped around him. “Of course,” Kevin replied with a smile. He drew in a deep breath. “I hope you know that you’re really cute when you smile.” “Thanks, mate.” “Any time,” Shanti remarked. “You’re cute when you obsess over sushi. I think we’re actually getting that tomorrow,” Kevin stated. “Can’t wait.” A few more minutes passed, and they both thought about nothing. Kevin was staring at the ceiling, and he could not stop smiling. Shanti noticed that Kevin’s armpits were pretty sweaty, even though he had a shirt on. She didn’t care, she actually thought this was pretty cute. Thirty minutes later, they still didn’t say a word. They just let this idea of a new relationship sink in, even though they have been best friends for practically their whole lives. Shanti looked over at Kevin, and she noticed that he was fighting to stay awake. She has seen him like this before, when his eyes were half open, but he would try to open them with no success. Kevin was lying on his back on the couch. Shanti decided to lie on her stomach on top of him. Her head was close enough to his chest that she could hear his steady heartbeat. Kevin wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through her hair. His eyes were closed, but he was still awake. “Your heart is beating really fast,” Shanti remarked rather dreamily. “Is it?” Kevin replied, drawing in a deep breath. “I think you like me.” “Well, this is kinda fun actually. We should do this more often.” “I think we should,” Shanti said. “Are you comfortable enough?” Kevin asked. “Couldn’t be more comfortable. You know what this reminds me of?” “What?” “I feel like I’m on a waterbed, but with a heartbeat.” October 22, 2018 in the evening
“Are you feeling better now, Kevin?” Jack Andrews (The Magic Video Game) questioned his “baby brother.” “Yes, my chest is a little sore from the gun and running so far. But I’m fine,” Kevin Maggliardi replied. “Do you have a bruise?” “Yeah, I got a nice bruise from those bozos pressing the gun into my chest.” “Oh wow,” Jack said. “Yeah. It was absolutely terrifying. I was on my way to your place, and my brain thought I had been hit by a car. I was grabbed from the sidewalk and pushed against a wall in the alley. I had a gun against my head and my chest,” Kevin remarked. “Oh wow. Poor kid.” “Yup. It sucked. The guys looked terrifying even. The one pressing the gun against my chest had rotting teeth, no joke. I was concentrating on my breathing and my heart rate because I didn’t want to show them that I was freaking out. I could actually hear my heart pounding as if on an ultrasound. It was crazy. I started freaking out when my heart stopped.” “Your heart stopped?” “For a split second. Then it just started skipping and slowing down and then beating too fast because of how much pressure the gun was putting on my heart. He kept screaming at me to give him my money. I had like twelve bucks on me.” “That’s horrible.” “Yeah. Thankfully, my heart is really strong, so it could withstand the pressure from the gun. And it’s beating normally now.” June 2019
Kevin Maggliardi and his girlfriend, Shanti Lee, spent the evening in downtown Boston and were about to head back to Cambridge to hang out with friends. Shanti was drinking her French vanilla latte and brushed her hair behind her ears. “Hey Kevin,” Shanti said to her boyfriend. “Yeah?” Kevin responded. “My family found out this evening that my sister’s pregnant.” “Oh nice! Which one?” “Sruthi, the middle one. Suha is with Liz.” A few minutes later, Kevin grabbed Shanti’s hand and gently squeezed it every other few seconds. Shanti played with his watch. “What are you doing?” Kevin asked with a coy smile. “Playing with your watch,” Shanti replied back. “What are you trying to do?” “Oh, you know.” “Checking my heart rate?” Kevin remarked. “Yup,” Shanti said quietly with a giggle. “I can feel my heart beating in my chest, so I can understand.” “Your heart rate is 117, FYI.” “Figured as much.” Their train back to Cambridge arrived, and they sat next to each other. Shanti relaxed on Kevin’s chest so that she could hear his heart beating steadily and the intercom on the train. She closed her eyes and focused on the racket inside him. March 2019
Jack Andrews, Levi Cranston, Asad Prejesh, Kevin Maggliardi, Jing Hao, and Mike Wong hung out in downtown Boston for the day. Things were going so well until later that afternoon when the boys overheard a heated argument involving two guys. When they started screaming at each other, Kevin noticed himself starting to hyperventilate. He was held at gunpoint a few months ago, and this was a trigger for him. Jack noticed Kevin freaking out, so he took him to a nearby bathroom to get him to calm down. Levi, Asad, Jing, and Mike decided to just hang out at Boston Commons. “It’s okay, Kevin,” Jack said to his friend, while they were in the bathroom. “I don’t know,” Kevin replied while still breathing hard. He was in tears, since he was badly triggered. “What do you want to do?” “I think I’m gonna go home. I think I’ve had enough fun for a day.” A few seconds later, a guy walked past them and noticed Kevin crying. “Girl,” the guy remarked in a deep voice. Jack and Kevin looked at each other, and started to laugh. A few minutes later,, Kevin went home, and Jack hung out with everyone else. February 2021
Kevin Maggliardi, Jing Hao, and Mike Wong were all sleeping in on a Saturday morning in their Cambridge, MA apartment. A few months back, they got two cats, a black and white spotted cat named Little Moo, and a tabby named Wellington. Kevin’s bedroom door was somehow slightly open, and Little Moo made its way into his room. Kevin was sleeping on his stomach, and he was sound asleep still. Little Moo rubbed its nose against Kevin’s face and started to lick it. Kevin slowly woke up to Little Moo licking his face and purring very loudly. He stayed in bed for another hour just petting Little Moo. October 20, 2018
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game), Jack Andrews, Asad Prejesh, and Jing Hao were at their apartment in Allston, playing card games. It was around 7 pm, and they were expecting their other friend, Kevin Maggliardi, to get to the apartment around 5:30 pm. They knew that he had some errands that he needed to run, but they had not heard from him until about 30 minutes later. At 7:15, they heard a knock on the door, and they knew it was Kevin. Jack walked over to the door because he knew that he was going to be really shaken up. “Hey Kevin,” Jack greeted their friend at the door. “Hey,” Kevin responded quietly. “You alright?” “No.” “We’re all here in the common area,” Jack said. “That’s good,” Kevin replied. “You wanna talk about it?” “Maybe in a bit. I need to catch my breath.” “You ran all the way here?” “Yup.” Jack and Kevin walked together into the common area, where everyone else was. They noticed that Kevin was absolutely not himself. He seemed really tired and out of breath, and he was really sweaty, after sprinting two miles from the scary incident. He appeared to be very shaken up, and Jack let him lie on their couch. Levi and Asad put away the games, so that they could focus on helping get Kevin stable. No one has ever seen him like this before. Asad got a pillow from his room and put it on the couch for Kevin to lay his head on. Kevin lay sideways on the couch, trying really hard to catch his breath. His hands were on his chest, most likely feeling for his heartbeat. “My heart’s pounding,” Kevin remarked quietly. “It’s okay, buddy. You’re safe here,” Jack replied. “Thanks.” “So what happened?” “I was being followed and then held at gunpoint,” Kevin said. “Oh shit. You didn’t lose anything, did you?” Jack questioned. “I lost like $12 in cash, but that was about it. I didn’t have my wallet on me, so I lucked out. When I gave him what I had, I distracted him, and then I bolted. I think I ran like two or three miles. And then my asthma acted up a bit, so that was great.” “Why did he follow you in the first place?” “I have no idea why I was a target. Maybe it was because I had my backpack on me.” “Yeah, who knows? But, at least you’re safe.” “I don’t think I’ve ever feared for my life.” Jing and Asad walked over to Jing and Kevin’s apartment in Cambridge, only a 30 minute walk on foot. Their two other roommates, David Vittorio and John Harold, wanted to hit up downtown Boston in the evening, so all four boys were going to head out that way shortly. Levi and Jack decided to stay back with Kevin. They would probably watch TV for the rest of the night and let Kevin stay over. “Hey Kevin,” Levi got his friend’s attention after he accidentally fell asleep for a few minutes. “Yeah?” Kevin asked softly. “Something similar happened to me when I was a kid.” “Oh really?” “I used to walk home from school, and I was approached twice in eighth grade,” Levi remarked. “Oh wow,” Kevin replied. “Yeah. It was pretty scary. When I was walking home from school, some old guy asked me if I was cold, since I didn’t have a coat on. That terrified me, so I bolted back to my house. That was the first time, and we thought we had everything settled. Then, a month later, someone screamed random crap out of their car, and I thought it was directed at me, so I ran back to my house. That was when I was walking to school. I couldn’t go to school that day, because I was too terrified.” “That’s scary.” “You alright?” “I will be.” November 2020
Jack Andrews and Levi Cranston were coming up with a list of people for Secret Santa this year and figure out who would be whose Secret Santa. Several people on the list don’t live in Boston, so their package would have to be sent by mail. “Jack, can you give me a rundown of the list that we have? I want to make sure I’m not missing anyone,” Levi asked. “You, me, Asad, David Savino, Kevin, Jing, Mike, David Rogers, Mackenzie, Shanti, Suzanne, Jenny, David Ingram, Brody, Andrew McCalsky, Adam, and Ben. Am I missing anyone else?” Jack replied. “Rhody Leyman, my old neighbor. Everyone knows him. Can I be his Secret Santa?” “Hell yeah. I guess.” “Also, missing two other girls that Suzanne and them know,,” Levi said. “Who are they again?” Jack asked. “The twins, Ariana and Alyssa.” “Oh! Right. Suzanne knows them from school.” “I already know what I’m getting Rhody.” “What are you getting him?” Jack questioned his best friend. “That goofy-ass mug I was telling you about,” Levi remarked. “Then you should get it for him as his Secret Santa. Where does he live now?” “He lives in Chicago. Been there for about 5-6 years.” Like around June 2018
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game) and his girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, were out and about on the mean streets of Boston. Jack Andrews and Asad Prejesh were in their apartment playing video games for the evening. Their new friends, Jing Hao and Kevin Maggliardi, invited them all to play video games, but everyone else declined. Especially since Levi and Mackenzie had a date, and Jack and Asad just simply did not feel like playing tennis. It was around 6 pm, and Jing and Kevin walked over to the nearby tennis courts, where they all practice. They were planning to stay for at least three to four hours. “Should we run around the track first?” Jing asked. “We always do, so I think that answers your question,” Kevin replied. “Okay, so let’s do it.” “We need to leave around 9:30, because Levi wanted to chat around that time.” “I think we’ll be done by then,” Jing said. “Usually, we are,” Kevin remarked. “When is Sheridan coming to the States?” “Next week. He is stopping in Dublin first.” “To do what?” “To party there, I think.” Sheridan is Kevin’s oldest brother, who is 32 years old and lives in London to pursue his doctorate degree in biomedical engineering. He has another brother, Graham, who is 29, and lives in New York City for work, as he works in IT. His only sister, Addison, is going to be 27 years old in a couple weeks, and she lives in Chicago for graduate school. Kevin just turned 25 years old, and Jack, Asad, and Levi view him as their little brother. Kevin is originally from Cranston, Rhode Island, pretty close to Levi’s motherland. Levi and Kevin met at their tennis coaching job. Levi works in IT for one company in Boston, and Kevin works in IT for another company in the same building, so they very often commute to work together. Levi, Mackenzie, Jack, and Asad share an apartment in the Allston neighborhood, while Jing and Kevin have a place in Cambridge. It is either a fifteen minute commute by bus, or a thirty minute commute by foot. Jing is from Garden City, a suburb of New York City. He is 25 years old, and has a younger sister, Amanda, who is 23 years old. He and Kevin met when they went to college in Boston. Jing also works in IT, and he is looking to go into grad school pretty soon. “This weather is pretty nice,” Jing remarked after a couple laps around the track. “Yes, it is,” Kevin responded. “What time is it?” “Time for you to get a watch.” “I have never heard that one before!” “No?” Jing asked, taking things a bit literally. “Nope,” Kevin rolled his eyes and smiled. “Time for tennis?” “Time for tennis. We have a few hours.” “We agreed 9:30, right?” “Yup.” Tennis practice was a complete blur. By the time they got on the tennis courts, it was already 7 o’clock in the evening. They had a couple hours before they’d have their phone chat with Levi, Jack, Mackenzie, and Asad later tonight. A couple hours later, Jing and Kevin were really tired, sore, and sweaty. They headed back to their apartment in Cambridge, where they would get ready for the night. It was Thursday evening, so one more day before the weekend. That’s why they all needed to chat. When they got into the apartment, Jing beat Kevin to the shower, kinda pissing Kevin off. Oh well. Kevin used this time to lie on his bed to stretch his back out a little, and to throw a tennis ball against the ceiling. He decided that now was a good time to call Levi, and so he did. “Hey Kevin, I have you on speaker,” Levi answered on his end. He and everyone else must have been out in the common area. “Hey, how’s it going?” Kevin asked. “Well, Mackenzie and I are back from our little date. We ventured out on the harbor walk and the North End.” “Very nice. We’re all gonna check out the harbor walk again this weekend, right?” “I wouldn’t mind doing that. We could also go out to Cambridge, whatever works for you,” Levi said. “Well, I’m totally open. Jing is taking his sweet little time in the shower,” Kevin replied. “I figured as much.” “What is everyone else doing?” “Well, Mackenzie is in our room. I think she’s on a phone chat with her family. Jack and Asad are in the kitchen heating up some leftovers from the night before.” “That’s great.” Jack and Asad had some Indian food from last night that they decided to heat up now, after spending at least two hours playing video games. They were being summoned into the living room to come up with some plans to hang out that weekend with Jing and Kevin. “Hi Kevin,” Jack responded once he and Asad walked into the common area. “Hey guys,” Kevin responded back. “How was tennis?” “It was pretty great. I beat Jing on all matches, so that was nice.” “I wish we were there to witness it,” Jack said. “I know! You missed out on a great evening,” Kevin exclaimed. “Well, we were playing tennis on TV.” “Not as fun.” “Next time, we’ll play all of you.” “Sounds like a plan. Well, Jing came in, and I’m going to shower. I’m disgusting.” “Okay, you do you.” Kevin Maggliardi and his best friend, Jing Hao, were moving into their Cambridge, MA apartment with a couple other good friends, David Vittorio and John Harold. After seven hours of intense moving of furniture and other things, Kevin wanted some time to himself in his room. His bed was assembled, so he lay on his bed after breaking a sweat with moving. His room was dead silent, but he didn’t care. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a bit. After a few seconds, he paid so much attention to the dead silence, that he listened to his blood flowing.
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