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From Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill
Today was one of those days that could go by without ever getting out of bed. Well, that could basically be any day during the summer. Especially today for some reason. Today was the day that Dawson Ingram and Daniela Cardis were going to get married, and the Ingram’s had to have gotten ready for the wedding yesterday. So, of course, everyone would be in a rush this morning. It was ten o’clock in the morning, and David and Brody Ingram were the only boys still sleeping. Toby Ingram was doing what he would normally do on a morning: play video games after breakfast. Mr. and Mrs. Ingram were most likely sitting at the dining room table conversing about what today was going to bring. Too bad Brett Ingram wasn’t here to pull a wake-up prank on the two sleepyheads. He was at his place with his friends. It had to be their mom who would have to give them the wake-up call. After realizing how late it already was, she walked up to the boys’ room and noticed that the ceiling fan was on full blast. She also saw David, who was lying on his back with his arms wrapped over a pillow, which happened to be over his face. His comforter, as always on a nice summer morning, was thrown to the side. She watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing, and his shirt was pulled up to just below his belly button. Then, she saw Brody, who was sleeping on his stomach. He was wrapped in his comforter, probably because the fan was directly above him, and he must have gotten a little cold last night. His face was buried in a pillow, and his arms were wrapped around his body pillow (which he needs because he is mostly a stomach sleeper). Even though the two boys looked very calm when sleeping, they needed to wake up. Now. “Wake up, boys,” Mrs. Ingram said to David and Brody, who were obviously still sleeping. “Do we have to?” Brody mumbled in his sleep. He was still sleeping comfortably on his stomach with his arms wrapped around a body pillow. “You should start waking up soon. We have to be at the church at one o’clock. It’s already ten.” “Not happening.” “Brody,” their mom said, sounding relatively cross. “Today is Dawson’s wedding.” “It is?” Brody replied, still as sleepily. “Yes, it is. Would you and David like another thirty minutes?” Brody nodded in his pillow. “Okay. But you guys have to be awake by then.” “Whatever.” Mrs. Ingram returned to the dining room to be with her husband. Toby was still playing video games with Felicia sitting by his side. Honeybunny was probably somewhere in the kitchen eating cat food. Felicia got up and moved onto Toby’s lap, causing him to quit everything he was doing and pet the cat. Of course, to some, cats come before video games. “They’re not waking up yet?” Mr. Ingram asked his wife, once she returned to the dining room table. Felicia then ran off to be with Honeybunny. “Nope. You know how they are,” Mrs. Ingram replied. “Yes, I know how they are. David and Brody have always been that way, though.” “I know. We’ve got two cute boys who can’t seem to have the motivation to wake up for anything.” “All of our boys are handsome,” Mr. Ingram remarked. “Yes, they all are. However, Dawson, Brett, and Toby are more morning people than David and Brody. When those two boys were younger, you never saw them up before noon. Ten years later, same thing,” Mrs. Ingram said. “That’s true. They just need more sleep than the other boys.” “I guess that’s true. I just find it hilarious that it probably won’t ever change.” “Oh well!” “Yes, definitely.” Twenty-five minutes later, Mrs. Ingram got up from her chair in the dining room, and she walked back up to the boys’ room. She was expecting that David and Brody would still be sleeping soundly, and that they would be even less willing to wake up if anyone pulled a prank on them. But, because their mom isn’t nearly as rough around the edges as Brett, she was going to wake them up gently. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” Mrs. Ingram said to David, who was still sleeping soundly. “No,” David said in his pillow. “Well, your thirty minutes are up.” “Are they really?” “Yes, I gave you an extra half hour,” their mom said. “No, you didn’t,” David remarked sleepily. “I actually did. I guess you didn’t hear me when I was trying to wake you guys up?” “No.” “Well, today is Dawson’s wedding.” “I’m up.” David wasn’t nearly as irritable as their mom would have thought. He wasn’t in a bad mood, but he wasn’t in an amazing mood either. David was excited about his brother getting married today, but why couldn’t everything be pushed back a few hours? Ah well. He’d get through this day pretty easily, or so he would think. Time to get ready for the day.
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From Rockybado: Robot King of the Island
It was eleven o'clock at night when the boys were dropped off at their houses. They were all tired and sad that they had to leave their new best friends, Rockybado, Jeremy, Johnny, and everyone else whom they had just met. When the Ingram's came home, their parents were already asleep. The boys quietly put on their pajamas and went to bed. The boys slept peacefully until the sun rose in the sky. Ten o’clock the next morning arrived quickly, and David and Brody were still sleeping. David woke up now, but Brody was still sleeping soundly. Dawson, their oldest brother, went upstairs to check on him, only to find that the only thing his younger brother did was stir. Brody was sleeping on his side. Completely mindless of everything going on around him. His eyes were closed. His chest was rising and falling steadily. His mouth was half open. His mood bracelet turned a dark blue, meaning he was calm. Their white cat, Honeybunny, and their white and grey-spotted cat, Felicia, climbed onto his bed and lay on top of him. And Brody was snoring quietly. It was thirty minutes later, the boy was still sleeping. He couldn’t help it since his sleep schedule was more messed up than it had been before the expedition to Texamilio. When Toby snuck into his older brother’s room, he brought with him a squirt gun. This ten-year-old was thinking about squirting Brody to the moon. Squirt! “TOBY!” was the first thing that came out of Brody’s mouth. Toby did nothing else but smile menacingly. He was really going to get it, wasn’t he? Toby was cruisin’ for a bruisin’. It was obvious that Brody was really not happy. His peaceful sleep had been interrupted by his younger brother. And Toby was sure going to get it some time. Probably now. Brody chased Toby around the house until they both grew winded. “You are such a nuisance,” Brody said to Toby once they both caught their breaths. “I just wanted to wake you up. That’s all,” Toby answered. “Well, you should have let me sleep in a little longer. My sleep schedule is destroyed.” “You can’t say that,” Toby said. “Why not?” Brody asked. “Weren’t we only in Texamilio for about a week?” “Good point, but I’m still tired.” Toby and Brody said nothing for a few minutes. They stood in the common area, with their arms crossed. The boys were thinking about what today would entail. Tonight, David and Brody wanted to have their friends over for a sleepover party at their house. It was now five o’clock in the afternoon, and Andrew, Adam, and John Garfield were at the Ingram's house. Dawson and Brett went to Merrillville to go bowling and have pizza with their friends. "Hey, David?" John asked later. "Yeah?" David asked. "Did you meet Rockybado?" "That's why we went to Texamilio." "So, did you keep a photo of him?" "We forgot the camera," Brody answered for David. "So, who is this Rockybado?" John questioned. "He's a robot who lives in Texamilio, an island just west of Hawaii," Andrew said. "How could you get to Hawaii and back in all but a little less than a week?!" John asked, surprised. "In his spaceship," said Toby. "How could you go all the way there in such little time?" “That has yet to be determined,” said Andrew. The Ingram’s ordered Chinese take-out for the kids while they watched a Sci-Fi movie. They then played board games. After that, they just felt like talking amongst themselves. It was nice being able to catch up with their old friends. "Adam?" John asked. "What?" Adam answered. "How did you fly back to Crown Point when you got home?" “We didn't actually do that, either. We went into Rockybado's spaceship." "What does Texamilio look like?" "Well, kind of like Crown Point," Andrew answered. "Not a chance! Texamilio must be a lush island that resembles Hawaii in many ways, since they’re so close.” "Go see for yourself," said Brody. "It is full of grass, water, blue sky, streets, houses, cities. You know, all that kind of stuff." The boys talked some more until they went to bed. The boys put on their pajamas and then fell asleep. Everyone was sleeping peacefully until Brody woke up. He couldn't fall back asleep. He went to the kitchen to get a drink of milk. On accident, as Brody tried to pour the milk into a glass, he dropped the glass, and it broke. The boys, of course, woke up to the sound of breaking glass. "What was that?" David asked once he woke up abruptly. They all tiptoed into the kitchen and saw a huge mess on the floor. There was a huge puddle of milk, and it was obvious that the glass was broken. Several big pieces and some small pieces on the floor. Splendid. “BRODY!" Brody gave everyone a blank stare after they all shouted his name. He was speechless. David, Toby, Andrew, Adam, and John kept staring at him. Brody suddenly grew embarrassed as he couldn’t help but freeze where he was. It didn’t help matters that everyone else also looked at him blankly. The room was filled with silence, like a milkshake filling a cup. What just happened here? At about two o’clock in the morning? “You spilled milk all over the floor, and you broke your favorite glass,” David said. “Oh, darn,” Brody answered in a seemingly nonchalant manner. “It was your favorite glass. It had robots and aliens all over it,” John replied. “Oh well. I got that glass from a fast food joint when I was four.” “There’s another one that you like, which should still be in your cupboard.” “That’s my second favorite glass.” “Can we help clean up the mess and then go back to bed? My sleep schedule is ruined,” Andrew questioned somewhat seriously, whereas everyone else took that as a joke. “No! We’re all up. We should play some video games,” Adam replied. “Good idea,” Brody answered. The boys were nice enough to help Brody clean up the mess that he made. Then, Brody got another glass of milk in his second favorite glass. He met the boys back in the basement, where they all returned when Brody was getting himself another glass of milk. All of the boys were setting up the game consoles so that they could pull an all-nighter and play their favorite video games. “We’re pulling an all-nighter,” David announced. “Wait. What time is it?” Adam questioned. “Only two o’clock.” “We have a lot of time on our hands. So we can play as many video games as we want!” Andrew exclaimed. “What are we playing?” Brody asked. The boys looked at each other. They hadn’t quite thought about what they wanted to play. They only thought about the fact that they were going to play video games. It was good that Brody had brought up what they were going to play, so that they could have some idea of what console needed to be plugged into the TV. Everyone looked through the games that the Ingram’s have, and they couldn’t quite make up their minds about what they had in mind. Car racing games. Epic maze games. Battle games. Classic games. The possibilities were endless. The boys had to make up their minds in a “short” amount of time, or otherwise they would have almost no time to play video games. They would be way too sleepy. “Is everyone in the mood for playing car racing games?” Toby asked. Everyone actually nodded or agreed otherwise. It was two o’clock in the morning, and they had about three and a half hours of sleep. They were now all wide awake, and they wanted some soda to keep it that way. David and Adam walked into the garage to get a whole case of grape soda, so the boys could have their sugar fix. When the two boys came back downstairs from their expedition in the garage, Brody, Andrew, John, and Toby were already playing some games. Once everyone started drinking grape soda, a sense of hype emanated through the entire basement like a breeze. And everyone knew it. They were going to be so wound up tonight, since they had sugar rushing through their systems. All of the boys were shouting loudly while trying to beat each other at the car racing game on the relatively old console. After a while, David and John stepped away from everyone else and decided to catch up. It has been about a week since they have seen each other, and John had moved to Valparaiso from Crown Point when school had just gotten out for the much-needed summer. “So, how was the move to Valpo?” David asked. “Very exhausting!” John answered. “Where exactly do you live now?” “We live on Jefferson Street.” “We used to live on the exact same street.” “Oh wow.” “And then we lived on Coolwood Drive before we moved to Crown Point.” “Oh, so the way south side.” “Definitely. I loved it there, but I love it here more. So, why did you move?” David had to ask. “My mom’s job has always been in Valpo, and the commute on Highway 30 was very hard in the winter. It wasn’t bad, but sometimes, the roads were not at their finest. So, we thought it would be easier to live in town,” John answered. “Do you like it so far?” “I love it.” “I have a friend who lives only a few blocks away from you.” “It’s a very small world, isn’t it?” “It’s a very small world. However, he lives a little west of your house.” After talking for a few more minutes, David and John eventually came back down into the basement to be with everybody else. The boys were still playing the same car racing game for the next five and a half hours. This game never got old. They could not help but try to win at least one round in the game. Toby was sprawled out on the recliner like a cat on a bed. Now, it was David, Brody, Andrew, Adam, and John who were still playing video games. At the end of three and a half hours of continuous gaming…. “What time is it, John?” Andrew questioned. “It is now 5:30 in the morning,” John answered as he looked at his wristwatch. “Should we call it a night?” “We should call it a night,” David answered for John. “I’m beyond exhausted.” “Do we have anything tomorrow?” Brody asked. “Thank God, no.” “Yeah, but Mom and Dad are going to wonder what we’ve been up to all night.” “Well, we’re growing boys. We need our sleep,” Andrew chimed in. At 5:31 in the morning, the boys just now got ready for bed. Well, Toby fell asleep at four in the morning. He was so sound asleep that he couldn’t hear any noises made by the other boys. David, Brody, Andrew, Adam, and John finished their last car race, and then they returned to their sleeping bags. All of the boys were trying to go back to sleep. It was, of course, very hard at first. They were all wound up after their exciting car races. But the truth was, they had to go back to bed now. It was so early in the morning, and Mr. and Mrs. Ingram would most likely wonder what the boys were up to all night long. Their first assumption would be that the boys played video games until the wee hours of the morning. Toby, of course, fell asleep at four this morning. After all the boys tried going back to sleep, John was the first boy to actually do so at 5:42. Then, Brody fell asleep at 5:48. Andrew then fell asleep at 5:56. David fell asleep at six o’clock in the morning. And Adam was the last boy to legitimately fall asleep at 6:05. At 6:30 in the morning, Dawson and Brett went downstairs to see what the boys were up to. All of the young boys in the basement were sleeping soundly by now. It was evident that David and Brody both forgot that they were doing something today, and it was going to be very exciting. If they had remembered, they probably would not have insisted on pulling an all-nighter. As a matter of fact, they would probably have been awake by now. No matter how much sleep the boys would have had, they would still be excited about what they were going to do. It was just all a matter of remembering what it was. “Goo monin, sleepyhead,” Brett said to David. “What do you want?” David answered feebly after slowly waking up. “It’s now 6:30! We are going to the amusement park at around ten o’clock, and John and his family are also coming with us.” “That’s nice. Just let us sleep.” “How long have you been up?” Dawson questioned. “We went to bed literally thirty minutes ago,” David answered feebly. “Well, you guys can sleep for a couple more hours.” “Yeah. That’s what we’re doing right now.” From The Magic Video Game 2: Time for Tennis
It was about 10:30 in the morning, and Levi was planning to go to Chicago with Mackenzie and her dad. They had a list of things that they had wanted to do, and Levi was very excited about this opportunity to be with them when walking around Chicago. Mackenzie’s three brothers, Brent, Jesse, and Andrew, and their mom went to downtown Valparaiso to visit the kids’ cousins. Mackenzie and their dad already had plans to explore downtown Chicago, and they were going to have a great day. It was now about 10:50 in the morning, ten minutes before they were leaving for Chicago, and Levi had told Mackenzie that he would be over at her house at around this time. However, when Levi did not show up, Mackenzie tried calling him several times. After at least six failed tries, the phone calls always went straight to Levi’s voicemail. “Snap,” she said after she hung up the phone. “Is he not answering?” her dad questioned. “No. And it’s 11:02!” “He could just be running late.” “He said he would come.” “Just relax, sweetie.” “Levi is usually on time when it comes to things like these, and I know we need to leave soon.” “Isn’t he a late sleeper?” Mackenzie didn’t say anything for a few moments. She could not remember whether Levi loved sleeping in late or not. Today, it seems that a lot of teenagers love to sleep in late. And Levi was probably one of them. It was evident that Levi’s love for sleeping in had yet to cross her mind. “Oh my God. That’s probably what he’s doing.” She started crying. Mackenzie was really looking forward to having her boyfriend come with them to Chicago. She would not have minded so much the fact that she and her dad were going on a day trip there, but she did not like the fact that Levi just didn’t call her. Mackenzie hung her head down and cried even harder. Her dad walked over to her and tried to make things a bit easier. Meanwhile, Levi was still sleeping. He was in the clothes he wore yesterday. He forgot to put his ankle brace on; he was so tired from a busy and fun day. It was now 11:06, and his mom came upstairs to check on him. She gently shook his arm so that she could at least try to get him to wake up. After about five minutes, the boy woke up very slowly. When he finally sat up on his bed, he could barely open his eyes. He brought his knees up to his face, and his head was on them. His arms were wrapped around his knees. Levi was trying to wake himself up by taking in a few deep breaths and exhaling slowly. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said. “Hello,” Levi quietly answered once he was more awake. “Did you remember that you were going to Chicago with Mackenzie today?” “….Yeah?” “They already left.” “What?!” “They were going to leave around 11.” “What time is it now?” “11:13.” “Oh no!” Levi quickly got out of bed and ran toward the kitchen. His heart was pounding so hard to the point that it could actually burst inside him. His stomach hurt to the point that there may, in fact, have been butterflies flying around in there. And his palms were sweaty from just being woken up, as well as being very upset about the whole situation. His phone was on the counter, next to some breakfast cereal, and he quickly dialed his girlfriend’s number in a matter of heartbeats. After a few rings…. “Hey, you finally decided to call,” Mackenzie answered. “Yeah. I’m really sorry,” Levi said. “What were you doing all this time?” “I literally just woke up.” “Ah.” “I saw that you called six times.” “I sure did.” “I’m a heavy sleeper.” “I’ve noticed.” “I’m sorry about today. I really didn’t mean to pull what I did,” Levi apologized. “It’s fine. We’ll just have to plan something else, I guess,” Mackenzie replied. “I know. I really have to make this up to you.” “Okay. What do you want to do?” “Question is….what do you want to do?” “Well, I’m partial to just playing video games.” “I’m cool with that.” “What day?” “Tomorrow?” “That should work.” “Alright. See you then.” “Bye!” Levi sat at the kitchen table feeling very bad about what he had done. Yet, he also thought it was pretty hilarious. Evelyn Maeve found her older brother and skipped in his general direction. She had her butterfly wings attached to her, and she was wearing a halo made out of garland from a previous Christmas pageant that her friend wanted her to be a part of, since she was also in it. Apparently, Evelyn Maeve’s intention was to be a fairy today. “Herro,” she said gleefully. “Herro,” Levi answered back. “Are you supposed to be somewhere?” “I was supposed to be in Chicago with my girlfriend.” “Oh?” “And I overslept, so I’m here.” “Yay!” “I know.” “Cartoons?” “Okay!” Levi went back up into his bedroom to put on some everyday clothes, and then he came back down to eat some leftover mostaccioli from the night before. He and Evelyn Maeve watched some cartoons for an hour. Soon after the next show was coming on, their mom found them on the couch. She was finished with some work that she had to do for her job. Victoria and Olivia were at their half-sister’s house; they visited Louise, who was not feeling very well today. “What doing, peeps?” she asked. “Watching TV,” Levi answered. “Watching TV,” Evelyn Maeve repeated softly. “Want to do Mexican food for lunch?” their mom asked. Levi’s and Evelyn Maeve’s mouths dropped. They ran to the closet by the door and hurriedly put on their shoes. Then, the three went to the nearest Mexican restaurant to eat….Mexican food. Not Chinese food. An hour and a half later, once they came home from their outing, Levi received a phone call from Jack. He missed the call at first because he basically did not hear his phone go off. Once he found out that Jack had tried to call him, he decided the best thing to do would be to call his best friend back. After dialing Jack’s number and a few rings…. “Herro, Sir Levi,” Jack answered his phone. “Hey. What’s up?” Levi answered. “Hey. I tried calling’ you, but you no get my call.” “Very funny, sir.” “Well….how was your….date?” “You want to know the truth, don’t you?” “Yes. Yes, I do.” “I overslept.” “What?! What is that supposed to mean?” Jack questioned his best friend. “I overslept. We were going to Chicago at 11, but I woke up at 11. So, we’re playing video games instead,” Levi replied. “You should make a cake. Simple as that.” “I never thought about that.” “Well. Now, I want you to meet two new amazing people who may join our posse.” “Great. Who are they?” “Benny Wickford and Nathaniel Linden. I made up some sweet names for them!” “Cool!” “Benny is Benny Bear. Nathaniel is Lindy,” Jack explained. “I like Lindy!” Levi exclaimed. “I know! Well, come over to the tree house in fifteen minutes….if you can.” “It’s on the ground.” “Right. It is a house made out of a tree.” “Well, bye!” “Bye!” Levi got ready to go over to Jack’s house. He was actually going to meet two new friends today, who were most likely tennis nerds, just like the whole posse. He ran upstairs to get his sandals, since he has always put them somewhere in his bedroom. Levi was fine when he put his flip-flops on. But, when he ran downstairs, he tripped on one of the stairs and fell the rest of the way down. “WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” Levi shouted at the top of his lungs. It was obvious that Levi somehow found a little bit of fun in falling down the stairs. His mom, however, heard the loud noise from the kitchen, where she was sitting. She was far from entertained. As a matter of fact, her post-traumatic stress disorder was definitely kicking in. “LEVI! ARE YOU OKAY?!” she shouted. “Yes, I’m fine. I just fell down the stairs.” “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” “No. It was actually quite fun. Jack wanted me to go over to his house made out of a tree.” Mrs. Cranston then drove her son to Jack’s house, which is literally five minutes away from their house. Only he doesn’t live in downtown Valparaiso. He lives on Shamrock Lane, which is on the west side. Once Levi and his mom exchanged their casual “I love you’s,” Levi went up to the house to meet up with his best friend, and then Mrs. Cranston and Evelyn Maeve were going grocery shopping. Victoria and Olivia were planning to come home in thirty minutes, as was their dad. From The Magic Video Game
The night flew like the breeze. That was how amazing it was. However, the next morning was bound to not be as pleasant and fun. The relatives left at around two o’clock in the morning, and, of course, everyone was still up after that. No one went to bed before three o’clock. It was now eleven o’clock in the morning, and Levi was not up yet. Everyone else woke up two hours prior. Elizabeth’s wedding was today; it started at two o’clock, and the party was at four o’clock, two hours before mass would start. Levi needed to wake up as soon as possible, so that the family could get ready for the wedding. Levi’s dad opened the door to Levi’s bedroom. His dad saw him sleeping on his side, with about half of his comforter on the floor. Levi’s breathing was steady, and his mouth was half open. His dad didn’t really want to disturb Levi’s peaceful state of mind today, but he knew they had to leave for the wedding soon. Levi stirred. He didn’t just stir; he really moved around on his bed. Instead of sleeping on his side like he did, he unconsciously moved himself so that his head was at the foot of the bed, and his feet were on top of his pillows. Five minutes later, his dad decided it was time to wake him up. “Hello, earthling!” his dad shouted. Levi lifted his head from underneath his comforter, and his eyes were shut. He could both hear and feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest, and he took a deep breath. He was lying on his stomach, and he then decided to put his head back down. Levi really did not want to get up, much less open his eyes. He pulled his comforter over him and tried going back to sleep. “Wakie, wakie, eggs and bakie,” his dad said. “Shut up,” Levi answered quietly. “Would you like some eggs and bakie, sir?” his dad spoke in a British accent. “I don’t want any eggs and bakie,” Levi softly replied in a British accent. “Then, what would you like for brunch?” “I don’t care. I just want to go back to sleep.” “Well, you need to wake up soon.” “Like….when?” “Now is the most ideal time to wake up.” That wasn’t enough coaxing for Levi to wake up, though. He fought to go back to sleep. As a matter of fact, he would not have minded if he slept the day away. However, he couldn’t today since he had to be at the wedding for his half-sister. Two minutes later, and his dad was still in the room. Levi had to make a decision to wake up now. “Alright! I’ll get up.” Levi stormed out of his bedroom into the bathroom so he could get a good look at himself. He felt as if he could take out someone today since he was abruptly woken up by another person. Non-morning people usually feel this way every morning. He was pretty mad at the moment. He rinsed his toothbrush under the faucet and saw his reflection in the mirror. He looked like he could have been mugged by someone. His eyes were half-open. His hair was all messed up. His whole face was red. Levi put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. He then applied it to his mouth. He could taste the minty flavor against his tongue. But he did not take his eyes off his reflection in the mirror. He finally opened his eyes all the way. After he was done brushing his teeth, he combed his hair. Once he finished, he looked at his chest in the mirror, since he was shirtless. He drew in a very deep breath, and he could see his heart pounding against his skin when he held his breath for a few seconds. It was very creepy, but cool at the same time. It was very hard to get himself relaxed after just waking up. However, he has been able to do it before. He took a flashlight out of the cabinet and pointed it at his opened mouth. He could see the back of his throat, and the result of what the surgeons took out. He could also see a small pale scar just above where his tonsils used to be; the scar was from an accidental cut that one of the surgeons had made when performing the surgery. Levi then heard a knock on the door. He went over and opened it. He was just standing in front of the mirror anyway, minding his own business. It was Evelyn Maeve. “Boo!” Evelyn Maeve almost screamed. Levi didn’t react. He just shook his head and laughed to himself. Evelyn Maeve walked up to Levi and hugged him. “Hi, big bwuther.” “Hi.” “What are you doing?” “Trying to wake up.” Levi then bent over with his elbows on the sink. He had his head in his hands, and he started taking deep breaths. His little sister rubbed his back for him. She started getting very nervous because she was not sure if he was having another one of his asthma attacks. Evelyn Maeve was considering getting their parents and having them check on Levi. He then started breathing normally again. He looked down and saw the little “blob” pulsing strongly against his chest. Levi was still a little creeped out by this, but he figured it was just because it was morning, and he was trying his hardest to become fully awake. He sat on the edge of the bathtub with his fingers under his arm, and the palm of his hand on the left side of his chest. Evelyn Maeve decided to sit beside him and make sure he was truly waking up. She wrapped her little arm around his shoulder and rested her head against it. “Are you okay, Levi?” “Yeah. Why?” “I thought you were having asthma.” “I do have asthma. It isn’t acting up.” “Are you excited about the wedding?” “Yes and no. I’m a little nervous about this one.” “Why?” “Last wedding we went to was our cousin Lori’s, and I was twelve or so. I had a horrible cold, but I still showed up. I fell asleep during the wedding ceremony, but I was fine for a while at the reception. I was playing card games with my other cousins, and then Lori wanted me to dance with her, so I did. After a while, I started getting sick to my stomach again. And then, I spent the rest of the time in the bathroom throwing up.” “That must have been bad.” “I don’t want to have my asthma suddenly act up.” “Is it that bad?” “It’s not severe, but it’s a little more serious than mild asthma, so I need to be a little more careful.” Levi then left the bathroom and went back into his bedroom to put on his everyday clothes. He thought he didn’t need to dress up right now since he still had about three and a half hours. Evelyn Maeve was standing outside the door when he came out. “Is that what you’re wearing to the wedding?” Evelyn Maeve asked. “Yes,” Levi replied sarcastically. Levi had on plaid shorts, a green t-shirt, and he was barefoot. He walked downstairs with his little sister who wore her white dress. It was pretty evident that she was ecstatic about the wedding. She continued to dance, twirl, and skip around the house in her dress. “Levi, you need to put on your outfit,” his mom said. Levi went back upstairs and changed into what he was going to wear for the wedding. Then, they grabbed some fast food on the way to the venue. While Levi was on his first of two chicken sandwiches, his phone rang. When he looked at the caller ID, he saw that it was his girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, trying to call him. He then answered his phone. “Hey, Mackenzie!” “Hey, Levi!” “What’s up?” “Not much. Just chillin’ at home. What are you up to?” “Did you want to get together today?” “I was hoping.” “I have my sister’s wedding today, so I won’t be able to do anything until tomorrow.” “Oh. I can’t do anything tomorrow because I have my family reunion.” “Oh. I dunno.” “It’s been too long!” “I know! I’m so nervous about the wedding.” “You’ll be fine. I guarantee it.” “I hope.” “Just trust me.” Levi and Mackenzie were on the phone for another few minutes, and then Levi had to hang up. They were at least another twenty-five minutes away from a synagogue in Munster, and then the reception was going to take place in Merrillville. Everyone in the whole car was silent because they had their mind on the wedding, among other things. Levi decided to look out the window. Evelyn Maeve wrapped her arms around his left arm, and she tried getting his attention by blowing in his ear. Levi gently elbowed her and let out a heavy sigh. Nervousness struck him hard. Levi basically didn’t want to pass out in front of anyone, at the ceremony or at the banquet. “What are you looking forward to the most?” Mr. Cranston asked, breaking the silence. “Oh, at the wedding?” Victoria asked. “Yeah.” “I’m looking forward to the reception.” “I’m basically looking forward to the food,” Olivia joked. “And I want to dance,” Evelyn Maeve responded. “Lisa? Levi? What about you guys?” Mr. Cranston questioned his wife and son. “I can’t wait to see my daughter join Paul in marriage,” Mrs. LeVole answered. A few moments later. “Levi?” “Oh. I’m just hoping that I don’t spend my time in the bathroom throwing up like I did the last time,” Levi replied. Laughter emanated through the car. “You won’t,” said their dad. And, after about thirty minutes, the Cranston’s were finally at the synagogue. Once they got out of their car, Elizabeth saw them, walked quickly toward them, and greeted them. Here goes nothing. From Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill
It was David’s senior year in high school, and Brody’s junior year. They were both on the tennis team, and so was Adam Levistad. With this in mind, it was right in the middle of tennis season, and the boys’ tennis team had a tournament today. This was the fourth tournament in this season, and the boys were excited about hopefully doing well today. Except for Brody. David’s younger brother had been sick for a little over a week, causing him to miss this past Tuesday and Wednesday and come back to school on Thursday. Because Brody didn’t miss school on Friday, he was allowed to participate in today’s tennis tournament. However, what he thought he had did not just go away. As a matter of fact, he started feeling worse after he woke up this morning. “Wake up, Brody,” Mrs. Ingram said as she came into the room to wake up Brody. Thank goodness Brett was not at home at the time. He was at a university on the north side of Indianapolis. Because Brett was not at home, this meant that Brody did not have to deal with any pranks whatsoever. “Do I have to get up?” Brody asked sleepily. “Do you want to play tennis today?” Mrs. Ingram asked. “I don’t know.” “Aren’t you feeling better?” “No, I’m not,” Brody replied even more sleepily. “Well, what should I do?” Mrs. Ingram asked. “I want to play, but I feel like I’m going to throw up.” “Oh no. Let me check your temperature.” Mrs. Ingram ran out of the bedroom and got the thermometer in the hall closet. When she returned with it, she noticed Brody lying on his back on the futon with his hands behind his head. To her, this might not have been a good sign. Mrs. Ingram gave Brody the thermometer to put under his tongue. After a minute or two of waiting, it was time to see the results. “Would you like to know if you have a fever or not?” Mrs. Ingram asked her son. “Sure. Go ahead and tell me,” Brody answered. “Negative.” “So, I don’t have a fever?” “No. It’s about what it’s supposed to be,” Mrs. Ingram replied. “I think I’ll try practicing and see how I am after that,” Brody remarked. “Sounds like a plan. If you’re at the point where you feel really sick, let me know.” “I will.” “Now, I’ll need to take you, David, and Adam to practice today since Adam’s mom is at the hospital visiting her friend who just had a baby.” “Okay.” Brody slowly got out of bed. He was still feeling nauseous, but he thought that it would be a good idea to at least show up to practice and see how he felt during the day. He put on some clothes and tried to make himself look at least a little presentable. Five minutes later, Brody threw up, but he thought he was going to feel better throughout the day. He sat inside the bathroom for about ten minutes because he wanted to be close to the heater. Also, Brody was waiting to feel a little better so that he could still play today. He then came downstairs and ate a few saltine crackers, but he didn’t feel like eating much else. Brody did not talk to anyone at the table; he was only hoping that he wouldn’t throw up again today. “You’re really not feeling well at all today, are you?” Mr. Ingram asked his fourth son. Brody slowly shook his head. “Should he stay home today, Marsha?” “We both agreed that he would call me if he gets really sick,” Mrs. Ingram answered her husband. “Whatever you say. He does not look well to me.” “Well….” “I seriously think he should stay home,” Mr. Ingram remarked in his somewhat thick British accent. “This has happened to him before, and he was able to pull through,” Mrs. Ingram said. “I’ll be fine,” Brody finally stated. “You sure, hon?” “I think so.” “If you say so.” David was feeling fine; he actually wasn’t sick at all this week. And neither was anyone else. For some very odd reason, Brody was the only one in the family who had actually gotten sick. And he was really sick this time around. Of course, Mr. Ingram wasn’t sure if Brody would be able to make it through practice. And Mrs. Ingram believed that he could get better throughout the day. Let’s see how today goes. Mrs. Ingram picked up Adam from his house, since he doesn’t live too far away from the Ingram’s house on Garfield Court. Adam and David, of course, started talking. Brody, however, did not feel like conversing with anyone. He just stared out the window and hoped to the Good Man that this would all pass. Fifteen minutes later, due to random and unnecessary traffic, David, Brody, and Adam were at the high school, ready to play tennis. The two older boys walked over to some fellow tennis players and started conversing with them. Brody, on the other hand, did not talk to anyone, since he was not feeling well at all. Normally, he would be talking a mile a minute with everyone on the tennis team. But, at the moment, Brody’s stomach hurt, and he didn’t know why he was at the high school today. Brody decided that he should at least try to practice with the team. The practice time seemed like a complete blur, as in the fact that it had gone by so quickly. But, at the same time, it seemed like forever that Brody’s match was going to end. He played against one of his teammates for about an hour. When he just finished his practice match with one of his teammates, Colin Nichols, Brody started feeling sick again. He was afraid to run to the bathroom because he didn’t want to risk throwing up in front of the Good Man and everyone else. Instead, he slowly walked to the school and headed toward the men's bathroom. There was no one in the men’s bathroom, so Brody made himself as comfortable as possible. He entered a stall, closed the door behind him, and sat on the floor. Brody really did not want to throw up, but he didn’t think that he had any choice whatsoever. For fifteen long minutes, he just sat there thinking about everything, but nothing at the same time. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to get sick today, but he also didn’t want to get any sicker than he already was. Brody started throwing up all of a sudden. Between bouts that lasted about two minutes, he rested his head in his arms, which lay comfortably on top of the seat. Brody thought that it would be good for him to come home, but he didn’t want to miss this tournament. Since he loves to play tennis so much, and missing one tournament could mean the end of the world. Well, not really. A few minutes later, during a bout of throwing up, two football players came into the men's bathroom. The first thing that they heard was the sound of Brody throwing up. The two football players, named Javon Peterson and DeShaun Golding, wanted to help the poor guy out, but at first they weren’t quite sure who was in the closed stall “worshipping the porcelain idol.” But then they knew. “Brody?” Javon called the boy’s name. “Hello?” Brody replied quietly. “You okay in there?” “No. I’m puking my guts out, and I feel like I’m going to die.” “Oh dude. Would you like us to get you something? Like a drink or something?” Javon offered. “Can you get a drink from a vending machine? I don’t care what it is,” Brody replied, even more quietly than before. “Definitely, bro.” “And how did you know it was me in the stall?” “Your hoodie’s on the floor, and it says B. Ingram on it.” “I have some money that I could give you.” “Don’t worry, bro. It’s on us.” Then, Javon and DeShaun ran out of the bathroom toward the cafeteria, where the vending machines were. Brody heard the two football players making crazy high-pitched noises as they were running toward the cafeteria. After laughing to himself for a few seconds, he was hoping that this would all be over as soon as possible. Of course, Brody threw up again. Javon and DeShaun were running as fast as they could to the vending machine, they continued to make crazy high-pitched noises. In the cafeteria, there was another group sitting at the tables, listening “intently” to the advisors as they were describing to their group what to expect when out and about. Apparently, the group was leaving campus as well. “WE HAVE A SICK DUDE TO TAKE CARE OF!” Javon shouted as loudly as he could. “WOOOOOOOOOO!” DeShaun shouted louder than Javon. The group, of course, stopped everything they were doing and gave the two football players weird looks. There must have been some understanding that Javon and DeShaun had good intentions, but why did they have to announce their intentions to the whole world? What were the advisors of the one group going to do? Nothing. Javon and DeShaun chose a light soda from the vending machine for Brody, and then they returned to the bathroom where Brody was most likely still throwing up. “Sup, Brody?” DeShaun said after they came back. “Sup,” Brody answered. “Here’s your drink. Hope you like light soda.” “That’s fine.” “Are you still gonna stay out of tennis today?” DeShaun asked. “Probably,” Brody replied. “I already called my mom, and she’s picking me up.” “That sucks.” “I know. I was looking forward to tonight.” “I hope there are more tourneys.” “There are. I really wanted to play in this one.” Brody didn’t feel as if he could play tennis, given the circumstances. He had already arranged for his mom to pick him up from the high school within fifteen minutes. While waiting for her, Brody stayed in the bathroom and sipped on his soda. Once his mom let him know that she had arrived, he left the bathroom and headed out of the school toward the car. After Brody and his mom would arrive home, Brody was probably going to sleep for as long as possible. A couple hours later, David and Adam left with the rest of the tennis team for the tournament. Everyone had to have felt bad for Brody because he couldn’t participate today. While some team members formed their own conversation groups and talked about random subjects, David and Adam listened to David’s music and conversed amongst themselves. “Sucks about Brody,” Adam said to David. “I know. We all thought that he was getting better,” David remarked. “Didn’t he miss a couple days of school last week?” “Tuesday and Wednesday.” “What was he sick with?” Adam asked. “He had a cold, but now I guess it’s the flu,” David answered. “Sounds like it.” “He didn’t look well at all today.” “No, he didn’t.” “I’m amazed that he was able to pull a great match with Colin Nichols.” “I am, too.” The high school tennis teams were already at their destination. The boys got ready for today’s tournament, which, of course, was a complete blur. Then, it was time for the tournament, and everyone on the team had to get mentally ready for it. An hour later, the tournament began. April 6, 2019
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game), Kevin Maggliardi, and Jack Andrews were at Kevin's apartment in Cambridge, just outside of Boston, and they were watching some goofy cartoons until they were going to meet up with Asad Prejesh, Mike Wong, and Jing Hao in downtown Boston. "So, it turns out my cousin is getting his tonsils taken out next week," Kevin remarked out of the blue. "I am so sorry to hear that," Levi replied. Jack was in the bathroom. "Yeah, it's gonna suck for him. He's only four and has had problems with his throat for a few months." "Is he Rosie's older brother?" "Yes," Kevin said with a smile. "I love her to the moon and back." "She's the baby cousin that you keep talking about, right?" Levi clarified. "Yep. She's the one. You need to meet her when we go to Rhode Island." "Yes, absolutely. Did you get your tonsils out as well?" "Yes, when I was in middle school. It wasn't terrible once I came home from the hospital. I mean, my throat hurt a lot, and I was tired all the time, but I managed." "Yeah, for me, it was terrible because they botched the surgery. I came out fine with no throat problems after all that, but I was back to my normal self about a month later." "That's awful. The worst part was when I was in the recovery room. I was really nauseous from the anesthesia, and when the nurse asked me if I was okay, I threw up all over myself and the nurse." Levi and Kevin shared a laugh for a few minutes. They were still watching TV by the time Jack returned to the common area. No one else was in the apartment other than them, so it was nice having the apartment to themselves. It was a nice day for an excursion in downtown Boston, and they had all decided to get dinner somewhere tonight. Chances were, they wouldn't feel up to sushi. Probably something Italian, since they haven't done that in a while. "Have you heard anything from Asad and them?" Kevin asked. "Last I heard, they were walking around campus and playing Frisbee," Jack replied. Levi's girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, tried calling him, so he had to take that call. "That's nice. Would we want to venture out that way?" "I'm open. Hopefully Levi comes back soon, so we can go." "Yeah, we watched cartoons for a little over an hour now. I wanna go out," Kevin said. "So do I," Jack remarked. "And the weather isn't too bad. Isn't it like 3 o'clock or something?" "3:12." "Okay, so I was close." "Yes, you were." From Rockybado 3: The Invasion of the Naughty Blue Aliens
David and Brody were in a spaceship since they had been separated from Rockybado and their other friends. Their plan was to go back to Texamilio to reunite with them. This spaceship took off from Benjamilio and flew to random places. An automated voice boomed out of nowhere. “Care for a hot fudge sundae?” the voice questioned the two boys. David and Brody looked at each other for a few seconds. They hadn’t eaten much today because they were so focused on finding the Naughty Blue Aliens and the McSmith’s that food was, for whatever rare reason, not on the boys’ minds. David and Brody agreed that they were both extremely hungry, and they could go for a hot fudge sundae just about now. “Two hot fudge sundaes,” David answered. “Okay. Would you like sprinkles on your hot fudge sundaes?” the voice asked. Brody shook his head. “No sprinkles on either sundae,” David replied. “Most assuredly, you would want sprinkles on your hot fudge sundae,” the voice said, trying to reassure the boys. “No. I want no sprinkles on either sundae.” “Of course, you….” “You must be trying to imply that we want sprinkles on our hot fudge sundaes when, in fact, we don’t,” David remarked. “Everyone wants sprinkles on their hot fudge sundaes,” said the voice. “Well, we don’t.” “Lester, get them.” “What?!” The two boys could hear an army of Naughty Blue Aliens marching toward their general direction. There were a grand total of thirty aliens in green and red garb, even though Christmas is half a year away. Their hats were yellow golf caps, and David and Brody had to quietly laugh about their absurd attire. Otherwise, they felt pretty apprehensive. Their hands started to get sweaty, and they weren’t quite sure what to do next. “All this for not wanting sprinkles on our hot fudge sundaes?” Brody questioned. “Apparently,” David answered. The “army” of aliens entered the room. They had straight faces, and they were probably not going to take kindly to any jokes whatsoever. David and Brody tried to keep straight faces as well. It was very hard, though, because of the mixed feelings of being nervous and just thinking that the aliens’ uniforms were stupid. Moments later…. “Seize them, Lester,” the voice boomed. A few more moments later…. “You boys are coming with me,” Lester announced. “Where are we going?” Brody questioned. “Dumigal. It’s a huge city,” Lester announced somewhat rudely. They said nothing more until it happened. What happened? The aliens dropped the two boys off at two different locations. It was 11:56 at night, and the boys had no idea where they were. It looked like a normal urban street at night. David was located on the north end of the street, and Brody was on the south end. However, the street ran for nine blocks, and, at night, David and Brody would have a much harder time finding each other. David looked around him. He didn’t see much at first. Then, he decided to peer into one of the houses. This specific house had a lot of graffiti on the outside, and it looked like it was going to collapse at any given moment. David cautiously looked through the window. There were at least ten aliens wearing sombreros in this household. One of them, who appeared to be the mother, saw David first. “Oh, look, mi familia! There’s a stalker looking through the window. That good-for-nothing macho is a criminal and is up to no good,” said the lady. Moments later, the whole family screamed and ran in circles inside the house. David quickly stepped away from the house. Then, the whole family ran toward him and started shouting, “Ay Carrumba!” Half of them had water guns. Two of them carried baseball bats. One had a mace. Once David saw the mace, he tried to increase his running speed. He ran for five blocks, and then he found a tree to hide behind. The sombrero alien family didn’t even glance at the tree. They kept on running. David’s heart was pounding so hard that it was painful for him to breathe. He was breathing so hard and focused only on his recovery. Then, he noticed an elderly female alien right beside him. “Boo,” said the lady. David screamed like a little girl. “What do you think you’re doing on my here property?” the lady questioned David. David was very scared. He did not answer. “Beat it, chump!” the lady shouted. David was still in shock. The lady put ammo in her gun and charged it. David slowly walked away. Once he heard the old lady fire her gun, he started running. The old lady kept firing at him, but she always missed. Once he evaded her grasp, he got a better view of the neighborhood. The neighborhood looked like a typical urban neighborhood. However, one house was on fire, and it didn’t seem to phase anyone. Nearly half of the houses had graffiti on them. There were several crime scenes. There were five gang members walking around and looking through people’s homes. They were going south on the street. They kept singing some songs by an idolized rapper and then a random song that they probably made up. In order to avoid the gang, David ran north on the street. He made sure the gang didn’t see him. There were nine police cars following each other to a probable crime scene. David felt so uneasy to the point that he shuddered. He didn’t want to just stand there and get caught. He wasn’t sure where else to hide. Then, he found a bush to hide in for a few minutes. The same family who kept on shouting, “Ay Carrumba!” passed the bush. David let out a huge sigh of relief and felt for his heartbeat. Now, he didn’t hear anything else going on in the neighborhood that would bring up attention. Meanwhile, Brody was trying to hide from the sombrero alien family, the old lady, and the random gang. There was a naughty blue alien dressed in orange. He had a revolver and pointed it at Brody’s chest. “Mr. Little Kid, you’re dead,” the alien said. Brody didn’t move. “Mr. Little Kid, you’re dead,” the alien said again. Brody was breathing very hard. “MR. LITTLE KID, YOU’RE DEAD!” the alien shouted. David crept up behind the orange-clad alien. Brody finally saw David; he felt a huge sensation of relief, knowing that his brother was right here, that he found him in the nick of time. With this, Brody had to think, and he had to think very quickly. “WAIT!” Brody shouted. The alien’s eyebrows rose. Brody grabbed the gun out of the alien’s hands and pointed it at his chest. He didn’t just point the gun at his heart; he actually pressed it firmly against his chest. He could feel his pounding heartbeat through the gun. “I wanted to be a computer engineer. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to study computers and engineering. So, I wanted to be a computer engineer. But it’s gone. All gone. Bye, world. It was nice knowing you while you were young,” Brody said in a serious tone. While he said this, he walked backwards behind a bush. Neither David or the alien saw him. Then, they heard the gun go off. David’s mouth dropped. The alien acted indifferent. “Oh. He’s dead. I’m leaving,” said the alien. He left, and David walked over to the bush where Brody was. He found his younger brother lying on his back. He was breathing very hard. His right hand was on his chest, most likely feeling for his heartbeat; and his left hand was on his stomach, which pulled up his shirt, exposing his belly button. “Are you okay, Brody?” David questioned his younger brother. Brody nodded. “Are you scared?” Another nod. “Don’t be. He’s gone.” Brody let out a heavy sigh. “Come on. We need to get out of here.” David helped Brody get up. Once he got his little brother stable, they each took a puff on their inhalers, and they both started running out of the urban area. They ran from there to the nicest house on the block, which was quite a distance. Well, actually, they stopped at a little park that was surrounded by trees to catch their breath. After running so far, they were breathing very hard, and it took them a while to regain their composures. “How did you perform your stunt?” David asked. “I walked backwards, and I had the gun pointed at my chest,” said Brody. “I know that much.” “But then, once I was behind the bush, I put the gun over my head. I didn’t actually shoot myself.” “That was brilliant,” David commented. “I came up with that idea at the very last minute,” Brody replied. “It was still brilliant.” The two young boys continued to run all the way from the park to that house. They could see it from so far away, and they thought that someone from that house could help them. David and Brody were very sore from their long run from the crappy urban area to the decent neighborhood. They knocked on the door and waited for a response. After two minutes, a short pink haired lady in a blue and white checkered dress and white pinafore opened the door. “Hello, boys. My name is Aunt. Welcome to my humble abode,” she greeted warmly. “Hey,” David responded. “Hello,” Brody said politely. “What can I do for you boys? Food? Drinks? Kitties?” Aunt questioned. “Can we stay over for the night?” David asked. “Why, certainly. I need to put these toiletries to good use.” David and Brody looked at each other and then at Aunt. “What time is it?” Brody asked. Aunt looked at her watch. “It’s 1:30 in the morning. Are you ready to call it a night?” she responded. “Not at all!” Brody answered. “Neither of us are morning people. I usually wake up at nine o’clock, and Brody normally wakes up whenever,” David said. “Okay. Good thing I know when, for sure, to expect you guys up,” said Aunt. “Really?” David asked. “Consider it a treat,” Aunt said. David and Brody shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. “What do you normally do until about two o’clock in the morning?” Aunt asked. “We play video games,” Brody answered. “I have an old game console in the common area,” said Aunt. Both boys high-fived each other. Then, they played video games until four o’clock in the morning. After all, this was the nicest house on the block. From The Magic Video Game 4: The Upbringing of a New Comedian
Levi continued to play video games with the younger nephews. Even though Evelyn Maeve was in the same room as them, she didn't play video games. She wanted to watch them play, as well as sit with Duchess and Prussia, the family's cats. Duchess was sitting on Evelyn Maeve's lap. And Prussia was sitting by her right side. Evelyn Maeve was waiting for everyone to decide what they wanted to do. Levi was more focused on the game that he was playing. And the two younger nephews were amazed at what they were watching Levi do on the TV. But they needed to make a decision on what they wanted to do as soon as possible. At least Evelyn Maeve thought this to be the case. "Levi, what are we doing?" Evelyn Maeve asked. "Ice cream," Levi replied, still focused on his game. "Okay. When are we going?" "I'm going to finish up this round, and then we'll go." "How long will that take?" Evelyn Maeve asked. "When pigs can fly," Levi replied half-heartedly. "Nice answer." "Well, we're still trying to figure out how to make pigs fly." "You know what I'm thinking?" "What?" "Horchata ice cream." At that, Levi dropped everything that he did and got up to put his shoes on. That had to work for Levi, and Evelyn Maeve knew it would. The other kids were excited as well. Olivia was just okay with getting out of the house for a while with their mom. They were both getting their hair cut today, so they were most definitely looking forward to the mother-daughter bond time that they would have. Then, they would most likely go in town and have lunch at one of the restaurants on Lincolnway. For them, today was going to be good as well. They were not going to leave until 12:30, and it was only 11:30. Levi, Evelyn Maeve, and the three nephews were planning to leave at noon. Their plan was to eat a quick lunch at the house, and then they would head out to the other side of downtown. "What do you guys want for lunch?" Levi asked everyone. "Wanna just make cheese sandwiches out of that French bread that we need to use up?" Evelyn Maeve inquired, trying to sound more grown up. "That sounds good to me. We should have enough." "We have enough of those bread rolls that will feed us and then some, and then again...." "Very funny, Evie Maeve," Levi remarked, shaking his head. "You'll want two sandwiches, right?" Evelyn Maeve asked with a smile. "Oh absolutely." "You and that saying." "I've had that saying for a while now." "I know you have." Levi wanted to make the sandwiches, since he has a certain way of making them that he likes. He cut the six bread rolls in half and put provolone, mozzarella, and asiago cheese between the halves. He made one for Evelyn Maeve, the three nephews, and two for himself. He was just that hungry so he knew he'd want more than just one sandwich. He also took the carton of milk and poured everyone a glass of milk, assuming that was what they'd want. Once Levi made the sandwiches for everyone, he had everyone sit at the table and eat lunch. The three nephews were goofy, as usual. Evelyn Maeve and Levi couldn't help but laugh at them trying to create as many bubbles as possible by blowing into the milk through the straw. Back in the heyday, Levi and Evelyn Maeve both did that with their milk. And they thought it'd be funny to try it now. "How many bubbles can I make?" Lemmy asked everyone. "I see ten," Levi half-joked. "Wanna try, Wevi?" "No, thanks. I'm good." "You should make some milk bubbles!" Lemmy exclaimed. "Maybe not right now," Levi replied. He is a craft beer enthusiast. "Okay." "Want to get ice cream now, since everyone is done with lunch?" "Yay!" "Let's roll!" The five kids left the house and walked toward the city square. Evelyn Maeve was making some goofy small talk with the nephews. Levi was listening in on what they were saying and couldn't help but laugh to himself. The kids walked from Elmhurst Avenue to Chestnut Street, which took them to Campbell, then taking that to Lincolnway. The kids walked a ways on Lincolnway until they reached Morgan Boulevard and Lincolnway. Then, they all knew where they were. The kids were more than excited to go to the ice cream parlor. Evelyn Maeve was excited to get horchata ice cream. And Levi was also excited to get horchata ice cream. They were hoping to make this order simple for everyone. "Hello!" The person behind the counter greeted everyone in a friendly manner. "Hello," Levi replied. "What can I get for you today?" "I would like two orders of horchata ice cream in the waffle cone, and three orders of cake batter in a waffle cone." "I WANT HORCHATA ICE CREAM!" Lemmy shouted excitedly. "Okay, three orders of horchata and two orders of cake batter," Levi replied. "Will that be all for you then?" The person behind the front counter asked. "Caleb wants vanilla!" Lemmy shouted. "Okay. Sorry about this. Three orders of horchata, one order of vanilla, and one order of cake batter," Levi said. "That is fine. Will that be all for you?" "Yes, for now." Levi paid for their orders, and when they got their ice cream, they all sat at a table by the door. The young nephews were shoving the ice cream in their mouths. Levi was amused at what their nephews were doing. Evelyn Maeve was also amused at them. Levi and Evelyn Maeve were just enjoying their horchata ice cream. Lemmy and his two younger brothers were enjoying their ice cream and being goofy little kids. They all sat in the ice cream parlor for another thirty minutes. Levi walked back up to the front counter and asked for a cup of water. Then, they were all ready to head out. The three kids wanted to go back to the house. And, as a matter of fact, so did Levi and Evelyn Maeve. The five kids took Morgan Boulevard from Lincolnway up to Chicago Street, which would take them to Elmhurst Avenue. A walk like this would last about twenty minutes. Evelyn Maeve was making more small talk with the three boys. Levi stayed amused at the conversation that was going on between everyone else. He was texting Jack on the way home because they were hoping to get a tennis practice in this evening. He wasn't too sure if this would happen though, since Jack might already have had plans. David knew that he couldn't practice tonight, and Asad said maybe. Mackenzie, Levi’s girlfriend, knew she couldn't because she was visiting her grandparents tonight. Then, it would most likely just be Jack and Levi practicing tennis tonight. "Yo, are you gonna play tennis tonight?" Levi asked his best friend via text. "Yo. Not too sure. Might have plans tonight," Jack replied via text. "Awww man." "I know. This happened last minute." "What's up, man?" Levi questioned. "My cousin's dad has a wedding shower in St. John," Jack answered. "Hope it's fun, if you go." "We are still debating." "Why wouldn't you go?" "We're not sure." It wasn't too long before Levi, Evelyn Maeve, and the nephews returned to the house on Elmhurst Avenue. Twenty minutes later, they were finally home. Levi wanted to play video games. Their nephews wanted to watch him play. Evelyn Maeve made herself some peppermint tea. She felt like having tea now, so she went for that so-called “temptation.” Levi was too focused on his game, so he wouldn't want tea right now. And the three nephews didn't want milk or anything. Once she was done making her tea, she walked back to the common area and watched Levi try to beat his game. He was that focused. "DANG IT! I MISSED!" Levi shouted at the top of his lungs. "How?" Evelyn Maeve asked. "I tried hitting the ship from the side. Oh well." "How many more tries do you have?" "Oh, I dunno," Levi replied, feeling slightly discouraged. "How long have you been playing this game?" Evelyn Maeve questioned. "A while. I should've been able to beat it by now." "Have you ever beaten it?" "With a baseball bat? No." "That's good." Levi is sweet as can be; he is a master at sarcasm. He can pull off sarcasm very well, especially on his family and friends. He knew that was not what Evelyn Maeve was asking. But Levi wanted to lighten the mood and make everyone laugh. The little nephews would probably not have gotten the joke. They were too busy watching Levi play video games anyway. So they probably weren't even listening. A few minutes later, Levi lost the game, and he quit playing. Now, the nephews wanted him to read a book to them. So Levi picked out the most difficult to read science fiction novel that he could find in the bookshelf by the TV. Once he sat back down on the couch, the three nephews sat next to him. Levi opened the book and started reading everything in goofy voices. The three nephews were amused that they could listen to their fun uncle read something much over their head. And Evelyn Maeve was amused that Levi was enjoying himself while reading that book in funny voices. All in all, an interesting way to spend a summer afternoon. It was 2:36 in the afternoon, and Louise was most likely coming around 4:30, so Levi had enough time to continue his reading. And Evelyn Maeve had enough time to collect more “stories” for her social media app. Levi continued to read as much of the book as he could in all different kinds of voices. The time seemed to go by very quickly with all of that going on. And then Levi heard a knock on the door. Only he didn't answer the door. He had his hands tied up with the reading and such. Evelyn Maeve answered the door. It was Louise, and things must have been going well for her husband's sister. The kids' mom and Olivia were going to be home around five o'clock in the evening. The kids' dad ended up making a stop in Crown Point to visit Elizabeth, the kids' other half-sister, and her husband, Paul Weiner. Evelyn Maeve made some small talk with Louise. The three nephews heard their mom's voice and clung to Levi's arms. They were having a great time here with Levi. They obviously did not want to leave yet. Louise had been talking to everyone else. Levi continued to play video games with his nephews, who were still trying to cling to his arms. They were just watching him try to beat the level that he was on. And Evelyn Maeve was also watching them. This was quite entertaining for a little while. "Boys, time to go home," Louise shouted toward the common area. "NOOOOOO!!!!" Lemmy shouted. "David Lemster Baranovsky-Soriano, we have family friends coming over tonight." "But I want to stay with Wevi!" "It's time." That was most definitely not enough coaxing for Lemmy. He was hoping to stay at the Cranston's house and watch Levi play video games. And Evelyn Maeve was pretty fun as well. Lemmy was having a great time. And so were his two little brothers. Levi finished his video game, and Lemmy jumped up in his arms. Caleb Ogden wanted Levi to carry him as well. When he walked toward Louise, who was in the kitchen, he was carrying Lemmy in one arm and Caleb in the other arm. Andrew Harrison was with Evelyn Maeve in the common area. This was going to be interesting. "Looking for these knuckleheads?" Levi asked his oldest sister. "Yes!" Louise exclaimed. "You might want to get them, or they might decide to come with me." "You know...." "What would they do at your get-together? Just curious," Levi remarked. Lemmy's head was pressed firmly against Levi's chest. "Yeah, I guess I see where you're going," Louise said. "Would it be cool if I had them for another few hours?" "If you say so. Just don't get them too excited about fried chicken." "Don't worry. I will." "Levi...." "Just kidding." September 7, 2018
It was Saturday afternoon, and Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game) and his friends, Kevin Maggliardi, Jack Andrews, Jing Hao, Asad Prejesh, and Mike Wong decided to play a friendly game of soccer. Mackenzie Burbanks, Levi's girlfriend, and Shanti Lee, Kevin's friend and love interest, were sitting on the grass watching the boys play soccer. It was a pretty intense game so far. "So how long have you and Kevin known each other?" Mackenzie asked Shanti. "Since we were four," Shanti replied. "So have you ever dated since then?" "Casually, yes. But we never really went steady. We thought about it, but he went to school here in Boston, and I was in LA." "What did you study in LA?" Mackenzie asked. "I studied to be a hair stylist," Shanti replied. "Very cool." "What do you do?" "I'm a graphic designer, and Levi is a systems engineer, so he's the IT nut." "As is Kevin." The girls were still watching the intense game. It was Kevin, Mike, and Jing versus Levi, Asad, and Jack. Not that it really mattered, because they were doing this for fun. Of course, Kevin and Levi were the more competitive and active in the game. Jack wanted to be the goalie for his team, so he wouldn't run as much. Jing felt the same way for his team. When the boys took a breather, Kevin ran over to where Shanti and Mackenzie were sitting, and fell to the ground on his back. Shanti noticed that his hands were underneath his head, while he was trying to catch his breath. Kevin was not wearing a shirt, so Shanti could see the ends of his rib cage every time he took a breath. While his right hand was still underneath his head, he let his left hand rest comfortably on his chest. Shanti thought that she could see her friend's heart pumping violently against his hand, and she thought it was kinda cute. "Put your arm down, Kevin," Shanti said to her incredibly sweaty friend. "This feels so good, though," Kevin replied. "But you're so sweaty." "That's what soccer will do to you." "Are you alright?" Shanti asked, noticing that Kevin was still breathing hard. "Yup. Couldn't be better," Kevin stated, drawing in a deep breath and pressing his left hand firmly against his chest. He then heard his stomach gurgle loudly, and his face turned a little red. A few minutes later, Kevin recovered and got back up. With him being all sweaty, he had picked up some grass on his back. Shanti wiped off what grass she could get with the back of her hand and realized how sweaty he really was. Kevin ran back to the field to play some more soccer with everyone else. The game got even more intense, even brutal to some extent. A few of the boys tripped on nothing and fell on top of each other. The soccer ball hit one of the boys hard enough in the chest, causing him to lose his breath for a few seconds. All of the boys were extremely sweaty after an hour and a half of soccer in this weather. Once they all decided to call yet another breather, Kevin noticed that his nose was starting to run. He wiped his nose with his left arm and noticed that he was having a nosebleed. With that in mind, he slowly walked over to the side and knelt down facing the grass and pinched his nose to stop the bleeding. He already had blood on his face, which dripped down to his chest and stomach. The only way that he could have had such a nosebleed would have been from breathing in too hard and potentially causing a lot of pressure in his nose. "Good game, everyone!" Jack shouted as he clapped humorously. He then noticed Kevin pinching his nose, and he still had some grass on his back. "I hope Kevin's okay," Levi remarked. "You alright, Kevin?" "Yeah, had a nosebleed," Kevin replied. "A shower would be nice." "Yeah, I think we are done anyway," Jack stated. "Good." "Once we all shower and whatnot, I'm thinking sushi in downtown tongiht." "Hell yeah we should." September 23, 2012
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game) and one of his friends from college were talking about their relationships at lunch. During this time, they were both college students at a university in northeastern Indiana. "How long have you been with Mackenzie?" Levi's friend asked. "Going on seven years," Levi replied with a smile. "That is the longest relationship I have ever heard of." "Oh really? I know of a few that have lasted pretty long, including my sister's relationship." "I wish all of us were as lousy as you," Levi's friend remarked somewhat sarcastically. "What is that supposed to mean?" Levi asked, pretty confused. "Wouldn't it be fun to hang out with other girls so you can see who else is out there?" "Um, no. I'm pretty happy with where I am." "Can I hang out with Mackenzie? She's really cute." "No." |
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About my BlogMy blog contains anything and everything one should know about my books. Aaaaand a lot more as well. |
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