An Excerpt from The Somewhat Perilous Plot of the Patriotic Mosquitoes

The Somewhat Perilous Plot of the Patriotic Mosquitoes

Levi Cranston and Jack Andrews (The Magic Video Game) were spending the afternoon inside. They wanted to walk around downtown Valparaiso, Indiana. However, at the same time, they didn't want to. Besides, they had already gone out earlier today. They wanted to get their video game fix. And Levi had already worn his fedora out. They all went to the park in downtown to hang out, and Levi brought his fedora from a Halloween costume from high school. Jack, of course, wore one of his beanies.

His favorite one, actually. The one that is a bluish purplish color.

Asad Prejesh and David Savino were coming over later. They had a few things they had to get done around their houses beforehand. But then they were planning to join the video game party with Jack and Levi.

When they were out earlier this afternoon, David was wearing a Hawaiian print shirt, khaki shorts, and flip flops. Asad wore nothing special. Unlike David, and unlike Levi, to a degree, Asad just decided to wear his everyday clothes. Consisting of a green and red t-shirt and plaid shorts. Even though it is nowhere near Christmas, Asad thought that the shirt might still be perfectly acceptable. He didn't care. And, honestly, Jack, Levi, and David could not have cared less either.

They wanted to stay in and play video games. And they also wanted to go to a bar or two or three. But decisions would have to come into play on this one. For whatever reason, Levi was starting to battle a summer cold. He was feeling much better today than he did yesterday. However, he still felt some congestion in his chest. This was probably going to be one of those colds that was really not going to hit him too badly. Somehow, he must have gotten it from Victoria, his oldest full-blood sister. She had been sick all weekend. But Levi slept it off.

"ELEVEN!" Levi shouted out of the blue.
"ELEVEN!" Jack shouted a few seconds after Levi.
"It's a tie, man."
"I know! When am I going to make twelve?"
"I'll probably make twelve a couple seconds before you do," Levi remarked.
"Don't be so arrogant," Jack said with a French accent.
"I'm not being arrogant," Levi said with a French accent.
"If you are not being arrogant, then what are you being?"
"Levi."
"Good answer."

Levi was lying on his stomach. Jack was sitting upwards with his back against the couch. They were, of course, trying to beat each other's high score. All this while waiting for David and Asad to come over to the house.

The cats, Duchess and Prussia, were sleeping on top of the couch. Duchess was against one of the couch pillows. And Prussia was on top of the couch. Typical places for the cats to sleep. Jack and Levi were still playing video games. Apparently there wasn't a lot of time to spend with the sleeping cats.

As of a few days ago, Jack has started dating Kelley Schwann, a girl originally from Austria. Even though she was born there, she came here at the age of twelve and has lived in Valpo with her family ever since. Jack and Kelley have known each other since middle school, but they weren't extremely close until a couple months ago.

Levi and Mackenzie Burbanks, Levi's girlfriend of about ten years, had decided to set up a blind date for Jack and Kelley. After this had happened, Jack and Kelley knew for a fact that it was meant to be.

Six dates later, Jack made it official. Kelley is Jack's first girlfriend. Mackenzie is Levi's first girlfriend. Now, David would need to find a girlfriend, and Asad would need to find one as well.
Whenever the time would be right.

"How are things going with Kelley so far?" Levi asked Jack, still waiting for Asad and David to come over.
"So far, so good," Jack replied. "She wants to go bowling later this week."
"That's great."
"I think she actually lives a couple blocks away from you."
"Does she?" Levi remarked.
"Yellowstone Road," Jack said.
"Farther west."
"Ah."
"And not exactly close to downtown as me."
"Okay."

Levi and Jack were still playing video games for a little while longer. They weren't quite sure when David and Asad were coming over. They didn't give Levi and Jack many ideas on when they'd be here. However, they were all in the mood for cosmic bowling later tonight. That was a given for sure.

A few minutes later, Levi heard a knock on the door. Jack was playing on his turn anyway so Levi could go up and open the door for whoever was supposed to be here.

No one else was home at the moment. The kids' dad was playing in a garage band this evening. Their mom was with Evelyn Maeve, who is Levi’s younger sister, and her friend, Randy Morrison. Victoria and Olivia went on double dates with their boyfriends and older half-sister, Louise Baranovsky and her husband, Brian Soriano. And the kids' other half-sister, Elizabeth Baranovsky, was in Crown Point with her husband, Paul Weiner. They live there, so they probably just planned to spend the evening downtown.

So it was just Jack and Levi at the moment. Unless whoever was at the door so happened to be Asad and David. Levi opened the door. And he found out for himself who happened to be at the front door.

"Oh hi, guys," Levi greeted at the front door.
"What's going on, man?" Asad replied, sounding cool.
"Jack and I were just playing vid'ya games. Wanna join?"
"No. I don't wanna play no vid'ya games."
"Well then...." Levi remarked, playing into it.
"Of course I wanna play vid'ya games!" Asad exclaimed, then laughing at his own cheesy joke.
"Then do you guys wanna go bowling afterwards?"
"Yes, yes, of course."
"Then, what else?"
"That's up to you guys."

David and Asad must have changed clothes when they went back to their houses. Well, David must have really been done with what he was wearing earlier. Instead of wearing his Hawaiian print shirt, he wore his high school tennis shirt and khaki shorts. Asad wore the same clothes that he had on earlier, but he wore white socks. Before that, he was barefoot and wearing manly flip flops.

Asad and David joined Jack and Levi in playing video games. They had a little time to spare until they'd decide to do something else. After all, it was only 4:30 in the afternoon. They'd probably do dinner before bowling. And then they'd decide after that.

Asad was the designated driver, if the other three decided to go for a beer or two. Even though he likes to drink sometimes, Asad doesn't like beer. He figured Jack and Levi would want to try something new. And David may or may not go for a drink tonight, depending on what he might be in the mood for. But no one was thinking that far ahead yet.

"Hey guys," Jack said out of the blue.
"Yeah?" David replied for everyone else.
"Want to get burgers from that one place on the north side of town?"
"WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?!" Levi shouted, sounding excited.
"We're thinking about getting burgers tonight, brah," Asad remarked.
"Where?!"
"That one place where we went for Rhody's birthday!" Jack exclaimed.
"Much yes!"
"So everyone says 'much yes' too?"
"Let's do it," Asad remarked.

Even though the four boys knew what they wanted for dinner, they didn't think much else about it for a while. They still wanted to play video games until they were finally hungry. They were getting there, but they didn't want to go out yet. It was now 4:45, so they all thought that might be a little too early to get dinner. And they wanted to hit up the bowling alley at nine o'clock so that they could do cosmic bowling. And then possibly play some arcade games after that.

"Hey, Levi," Jack got his best friend's attention.
"Yeah?" Levi replied.
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"Chicken butt!" Jack exclaimed, then laughing hysterically.
"Very funny," Levi said, then laughing as well.
"GOTCHA!"
"I have to always remind myself to never play that game with you again!"
"You always fall for it, you goof!"
"I noticed!"

Jack and Levi were on the floor laughing hysterically. Asad and David couldn't help but watch them laugh until they'd cry. And then Asad and David laughed at Jack and Levi laugh until they'd cry. Probably one of the funniest things that could happen to them. It has happened to them before. And it will most likely happen to them again.

"Why do they do this to themselves?" David asked Asad.
"I really don't know," Asad replied, shaking his head and laughing to himself.
"They could change it up a bit, too, you know."
"Like what?"
"TURKEY BUTT!!!!" David shouted at the top of his lungs.
"DANG IT, DAVID!!!!" Asad shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You're wondering why I'm doing this to you."
"Yes, I am!"
"Because Jack did it to Levi."
"I had an initial reaction to that, but I'm not gonna say it."

Now, Jack, Levi, Asad, and David were on the floor laughing very hard. They didn't really know what was so funny, other than the fact that they had a recurring one-liner hit them in the face.

Then again, maybe not.

The four boys could not play video games anymore. Basically because of what they did to each other and to themselves. They were still on the floor laughing very hard.

When will this all end?

And then they all heard the front door open again. This time around, it was Mr. Cranston, Levi's dad. He just came back from band practice. He donned a white t-shirt, a black vest, and a black fedora. He was ready to rock and roll.

Pun intended.
​
"I see that we have a sea of laughing guys here," he commented, then Levi heard him and got up off the floor.
"Yes, we were. You're back from practice early. It's like five o'clock....almost," Levi said.
"Well, your mom wanted me to go out to dinner with her, Evelyn Maeve, and Randy."
"Oh. Sweet. When is your performance?"
"Nine o'clock tonight. At our friend's house on Emmetsburg," Mr. Cranston said. The other three boys stopped laughing. They needed to take a breather now.
"Oh. Okay. We'll be there," Levi replied.
"What plans do you have beforehand?"
"We're also going out to eat and then bowling. Who knows after that?"
"Alright. We'll see you guys tonight. A couple of the songs that we're playing are those that you requested."
"Nice!"