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January 6, 2019
Jack Andrews, Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game), Asad Prejesh, Jing Hao, Kevin Maggliardi, and Mike Wong all ventured out to downtown Boston to hang out for a few hours. Levi’s girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, was having a girls’ day in with a couple of her friends to watch movies. The six boys were at their favorite coffee shop during the middle of the day. They all went out for pizza, and now they felt like getting themselves a cup of coffee. It was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and all six boys were sitting inside the coffee shop talking about nothing other than tennis. Jack looked over at Kevin and realized that he wasn’t nearly as talkative as he normally is. Kevin had dark spots under his eyes, which Jack noticed earlier today, but now he didn’t look well at all. His nose was very red now. “You alright, Kevin?” Jack questioned. “Yeah, I’ve got a really bad cold. I thought I could do more than what I really could do,” Kevin replied. “Yeah, take it easy.” “I think I’m gonna head back to Cambridge soon.” “Yeah, you probably should,” Jack said. “I’m like really tired all of a sudden,” Kevin responded. “Alright. Let us know when you get back.” “I will. I just started getting a pounding headache. Didn’t hit me in the chest like it usually does.” “Well, that’s good.” “Yeah, I think I’m gonna head out now. I really don’t feel well at all.” Kevin picked up his backpack off the floor and said goodbye to everyone. He headed toward the door toward the common, where he was going to pick up the red line to take him back to his apartment in Cambridge. Once he got back home, he was very likely going to fall asleep as soon as he could. The other five boys were going to stay out until about 5 or 6 in the evening, and then they were all going to get ready for the week ahead of them. “Kevin’s been really sick for the past couple days,” Jing said. “He sounded really stuffed up when we all met,” Jack replied. “Yeah, he has a bad cold. He told me that he might take tomorrow off from work to recover.” “Yeah, hopefully he will consider that.” “The only other time I saw him really sick was when he had the flu in college. Then, he got me sick with it,” Jing remarked. “That’s nice of him to give you the flu!” Jack chuckled. “I mean, I’ve seen him when he’s had a cold, but it didn’t hit him as hard as this one has. Or I might be wrong.” “Colds suck.” “The flu sucks worse.” “Yes, it does.” Jack was at their table with Mike and Jing. Kevin had made it home, and by the time he took off his shoes and lay on his bed, he was passed out. Chances were pretty good that once Jing came home, Kevin would still be sleeping. Their two other roommates went to New York City for the weekend, and they were likely not coming back until at least 9 pm tonight. Levi and Asad were at the counter looking at what desserts to get. Asad wasn’t sure what he was going to get, but Levi wanted to get something for Mackenzie. “I’m thinking about getting Mackenzie the fruit tart. What do you think?” Levi asked Asad. “She like strawberries, doesn’t she?” Asad responded. “Yes, that’s her favorite fruit.” “Are you getting sick, too? You sound really stuffed up.” “I think so. I hope Kevin didn’t give me his cooties,” Levi said. “He probably did,” Asad remarked. “I took a sick day on Friday because I was really not feeling well. I feel better now, but I hate my nose right now.” “Understandable.” “Get Mackenzie the fruit tart!” Mike greeted Asad and Levi. “That’s what I’m thinking about getting her!” Levi exclaimed. “What do you guys want to do after this?” “Cambridge?” “Okay!”
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February 18, 2024
“Best weekend of this year so far,” Levi Cranston said to his friend, Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman, over the phone. “What did you do?” Rhody asked. “While everyone else was out on the town, Kevin and I had the whole day together.” “Tennis and Indian food again?” “This time, yes. We played tennis for a few hours. Then we went to my place, we spent over $100 on Indian food, and ate our weight in it. Jack and Asad walked in on us asleep on the couch,” Levi said. “Yup, story of my life. I could eat my weight in Indian food too,” Rhody replied. “The time before this, the two of us played soccer for a few hours. And then we ate our weight in Indian food and then fell asleep on the couch.” “I could eat my weight in chicken and waffles.” “Yes, you and your chicken and waffles.” December 2019
Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman happened to be back home in Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. He was staying at his parents’ house, and his sister and her girlfriend stayed with them as well. His friends from high school, Levi Cranston, Jack Andrews, David Savino, Asad Prejesh, and Benny Wickford happened to be in the area as well. The second day that they were all at home, they decided to go out for dinner and drinks. They initially were going to stay out until about 10 pm. They ended staying out until almost 4 am. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” his sister, Jayne, said to him when she walked into his bedroom. “Shut up. It’s too early,” Rhody replied sleepily in his pillow. “It’s 11:30 in the morning.” “Too early.” “Sounds like you all had a great time last night,” Jayne said. “Yes,” Rhody replied. “You want us to save you some pizza bake?” “Yes.” “You’re not getting out of bed yet, are you?” “Absolutely f*cking not.” December 2019
Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman happened to be back home in Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. He was staying at his parents’ house, and his sister and her girlfriend stayed with them as well. His friends from high school, Levi Cranston, Jack Andrews, David Savino, Asad Prejesh, and Benny Wickford happened to be in the area as well. The second day that they were all at home, they decided to go out for dinner and drinks. They initially were going to stay out until about 10 pm. They ended staying out until almost 4 am. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” his sister, Jayne, said to him when she walked into his bedroom. “Shut up. It’s too early,” Rhody replied sleepily in his pillow. “It’s 11:30 in the morning.” “Too early.” “Sounds like you all had a great time last night,” Jayne said. “Yes,” Rhody replied. “You want us to save you some pizza bake?” “Yes.” “You’re not getting out of bed yet, are you?” “Absolutely f*cking not.” February 2024
“How are you feeling today?” David Ingram asked his friend, Levi Cranston, over the phone. “A lot better than yesterday. I was sick like a dog,” Levi replied. “Was it just a cold hopefully?” “Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s all it is. Yesterday, I didn’t leave my bed at all.” “That sucks, man. Brody was sick like that a week ago. Thankfully, I didn’t get it as bad as he did,” David said. “I have been watching TV the whole day. I was gonna go on a short run, but I decided against it.” “We’re getting ready to go on our weekend trip.” “Oh nice. Where are you off to?” “We are driving along the Pacific Coast. Going from San Francisco to San Diego. And then flying back.” “Sounds fun. I’d love to go back to California some time soon.” September 2008
“Hi Rhody, how are you doing?” Matthew Rhodes Bacaluso-Leyman’s (Rhody’s) best friend, Zach Niornski, asked over the phone. “Like complete shit. This started a couple days after my dad and I came back from our college visit in Evansville. Literally one of the worst colds I’ve ever had,” Rhody responded. “Sorry to hear that. But how was the weekend getaway?” “We were gone from Wednesday night to Sunday evening, and we had a blast. Didn’t realize how awesome the college is. As of now, that one is my top choice.” “And you’re planning to go into engineering, right?” Zach asked. “Mechanical engineering. And you’re planning to do something in computer science, right?” Rhody responded. “Yes, I think so. Just not sure where I’m going yet.” “Yeah. I just can’t think that far ahead right now.” “Did you go to school today?” “No.” June 2019
Levi Cranston and Kevin Maggliardi had just finished a run along the Charles River in Boston. They sat along the river to catch their breath and regain their composures. “Did I tell you the story about when Jack, Rhody Leyman, and I came home from an impromptu trip to Milwaukee?” Levi asked Kevin. “I love Milwaukee, and no. You may have told me this story, but I don’t remember,” said Kevin. “You’ve met Rhody before when he was here. The light brunette loud mouth.” “He’s such a cool guy, though. I introduced him to my brother, Graham. Since they both live a block from each other in Brooklyn. When they both first met, they hit it off so well, and they acted like they were best friends.” “Yeah, he’s pretty great,” Levi remarked. “So, about this trip. Remind me what happened,” Kevin said. “It was during the summer when Jack and I were going to be seniors, and Rhody just graduated. So, ‘13, I think. We spent a weekend in Milwaukee and were supposed to come home Sunday night. There was so much going on our way home, including traffic, that we didn’t get home until about 4 am. So instead of us going out separate ways once we came home, Rhody let us spend the rest of the night at his place. And the three of us didn’t wake up until at least 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” “Yup. I remember that story. Similar situation with me and my two brothers. My sister wasn’t with us since she had a prior commitment. It sucks not coming home when you want to.” “Yeah, we were super super exhausted by the time we came back,” Levi said. “Why didn’t Asad and Savino come with you?” Kevin asked. “I honestly don’t remember.” February 2023
“So, we all booked our tickets to San Francisco for May,” Levi Cranston said to his former neighbor and good friend, Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman, over the phone. “Very nice. Wish I could join, but my friends and I are going to Orlando that same week,” Rhody replied. “Who all is coming with you?” “Zach, Brett, your sister Olivia, Audrey, Graham, Ayaan, Allen, Jerome, David, and my girlfriend Ally. Who’s coming with you to San Francisco?” “Jack, Asad, Savino, Kevin, Jing, and Wong. Mackenzie, Shanti, and everyone else are having a girls’ weekend,” Levi replied. “You’re visiting a few friends there, right?” Rhody asked. “Yes, two of Brett’s brothers live out there. And a couple other friends as well. Savino lives in San Jose, and he is going to meet us there.” “Very nice. I love San Francisco.” “I do as well. How are you feeling after last week?” “Much better, I tested like five times to see if I had Covid, because my throat was on fire. It was just a bad cold. But now Zach has a bad cold, and we were going to see Brett’s band perform at a pizza place nearby.” December 2019
Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman happened to be back home in Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. He was staying at his parents’ house, and his sister and her girlfriend stayed with them as well. His friends from high school, Levi Cranston, Jack Andrews, David Savino, Asad Prejesh, and Benny Wickford happened to be in the area as well. The second day that they were all at home, they decided to go out for dinner and drinks. They initially were going to stay out until about 10 pm. They ended staying out until almost 4 am. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” his sister, Jayne, said to him when she walked into his bedroom. “Shut up. It’s too early,” Rhody replied sleepily in his pillow. “It’s 11:30 in the morning.” “Too early.” “Sounds like you all had a great time last night,” Jayne said. “Yes,” Rhody replied. “You want us to save you some pizza bake?” “Yes.” “You’re not getting out of bed yet, are you?” “Absolutely f*cking not.” 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.” |
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