“Let’s go crazy!” Freddie cheered around the campfire that night. He and the rest of the gang sat outside Ihaan’s longhouse in the woods, their tents behind them and Ihaan’s outside kitchen on the left. The setting sun had just disappeared behind the trees, and mosquitoes swirled around them.
Daphne sprayed herself with Deet and puffed out her cheeks, as did Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma.
Freddie, though, endured the smell and handed Ihaan his wrapped birthday gift. “Open mine first. It’s crucial for any teenager.”
“Oh, gosh,” Velma mumbled, hiding behind her hand.
Ihaan lifted his brow and bounced Ro, who rested on his lap, off him; however, the eagle quickly returned to it and stretched her wings like a child cuddling up to their mother.
Instantly, Velma started with the questions: “Has Ro always been clingy, Ihaan?” She turned on a thoughtful face and tapped her chin, flinching when Shaggy and Scooby each swallowed a stack of Leaf-Fish Sandwiches, made from forest leaves and pike.
“No,” Ihaan, who began opening Freddie’s gift with his free hand, answered. “Clinginess began at beginning of season when I began growing; got worse after accident. Don’t know what it is.”
“She’s a Spirit, right?” Velma added, and Ihaan nodded. “Hm, interesting.”
Beside her, Shaggy shivered and said, “Like, I don’t like that ‘Hm,’ Velma. It means you smell a mystery.”
“Don’t worry,” Velma continued, “I won’t consider it a full-on mystery unless something really weird happens.”
“Like, whew.” Shaggy relaxed and reached for a box of Scooby Snacks on his other side.
It took a minute, but Ihaan finally finished opening Fred’s gift, and the birthday-style wrapping paper dropped onto the forest floor. “What’s this?” he asked Fred at the sight of the Old Spice in his hand. His cheeks turned a light red, and he examined the deodorant.
Daphne burst out laughing, but she collected herself and removed her large bag from the gift pile.
“Hey, man,” came Fred’s Elvis-like voice, “we need to ensure you smell good. Just flip off the top, slather the Old Spice under your arms, and boom! You’re a man." He giggled at his terrible impression, and his voice returned to normal. “Oh, man, I was all over the deodorant when I was your age, Ihaan. Every teenager needs it.”
“Um... thank you,” Ihaan stammered, setting the deodorant down.
Fred saluted him and sat back, opening the stage for Daphne.
“I have the best gift, Ihaan!” she teased, reaching into her bag and pulling out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “The latest styles in teen fashion!” She held the jeans up to Ihaan and smoothed the pant leg. “These are low-rise jeans. Velma said that you had probably hit your growth spurt, so I got you a mix of large and X-large. If you want, we can do a makeover later and try everything on.” She shook with excitement and leaped to her feet.
Is she always this excited about fashion? Ihaan asked himself; however, he found himself excited (and nervous), too. This was all so new to him.
Ro shuffled on Ihaan’s lap, but before he reached too far into his thoughts, Shaggy, mouth full of Scooby Snacks, lifted a box-shaped gift. “Our turn, our turn!” he begged, waving it. “I think we’ve got the best gift, Daphne.”
She huffed and crossed her arms.
Ihaan accepted Shaggy’s gift, and he and Scooby happily watched as he unwrapped it, revealing a box for a purple Game Boy Color.
“Oh, no way!” Ihaan said, examining the box before tightening his grip on it.
“Like, you know what it is?” Shaggy wondered.
“I’ve seen people playing these things,” Ihaan lowly answered, torn between his friends’ desire to help him or remain in his world.
Scooby gestured at the Game Boy. “Rest rart: ratteries!”
“Like, Scooby’s right,” Shaggy explained, looking proud of himself. “It runs on batteries, so you can play it as much as you want without worrying about charging it. Oh!” He grabbed a new bag from the gift pile. “Scooby and I even picked out our favorite games for you to play! Like”—he and Scooby pulled the games out one at a time—“Food Fight, Tetris, Pinball, and even Pokémon Blue!”
“Hee, hee, hee!” Scooby giggled, tossing the games toward Ihaan.
He set Ro down and caught them.
“Like, go crazy, man,” Shaggy added.
“Reah, razy!” Scooby repeated.
“Tha-Thank you, guys,” Ihaan said, studying the console and games.
Silence overtook the area, and Shaggy’s smile vanished. “Like, you don’t like it?”
“No...!” Ihaan started.
“Darn it!” Shaggy slapped his face and glanced at Scooby. “We should’ve gotten him Pokémon Yellow, Scoob.”
Scooby growled and clenched his paw.
“No, it’s great,” Ihaan admitted, but his voice sounded conflicted. “You guys didn’t have to do this for me.”
“Oh, tish tosh,” Velma said, waving her hand. “The Mystery Gang looks out for one another, Ihaan. Now, my turn.” She removed the largest gift from the bag and handed it to him. “Mine is to help you learn the world.” While Ihaan opened his gift, she grabbed Shaggy and Scooby’s bag and brought it to her.
Ihaan tossed the wrapping paper aside and lifted his brow again, examining the box for the portable DVD Player. He rested his finger over the DVD label and showed Velma the gift.
“It’s a portable DVD Player,” she logically explained, “modernized to run without a charger and with a remote.” Velma pulled DVDs out of her bag and flipped through them with Ihaan. “I’ve got National Geographic for History and Science and motion pictures—movies. I’ll show you how to use it.”
“And last but not least,” Freddie said, removing the final gift from the pile. “My second gift to you: a box of batteries for the Game Boy and DVD Player.” He playfully tossed the box to Ihaan, who caught it.
“Um...” Ihaan brought the batteries to him and studied them, along with the rest of the tech at his feet.
Another round of silence followed, then Ihaan’s foot trembled, and he scrunched his face.
Ro cried out and pushed the Game Boy behind her, leaning against him.
A tear dripped down Ihaan’s cheek, and he sniffed.
Guilty looks flashed on the gang’s faces, and Shaggy asked, “Like, what’s wrong, Ihaan?”
A sob left Ihaan’s lips, and he jumped up, dropping the DVD Player in the process. He picked up Ro and hurried into his longhouse, slamming the door shut and leaving the gang behind.
18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDia6ZKARg1
Prompt: "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince and the Revolution
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