Oh. My. God. THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS ARE GOING TO THE NBA FINALS! I still can't even believe it myself. My Bucks are the Eastern Conference Champions. Just saying that is so satysfying. Bobby Portis is an absolute legend. But I know we aren't done yet. One foe remains in the way of a ring...the Pheonix Suns. The Suns are the hottest team in basketball (yes, the pun was intended) and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Also, I watched Luca a week ago. Awesome movie. You're not gonna see me publish again until the end of July, and it's gonna be a good, full length story that I have been planning for months. Anyways, enjoy! -mitch

rotten egg

written July 27th to July 4th, 2021

It was a rather quiet Saturday night in Adventure Bay, a warm 70 degrees. The moon was out, and two couples were hitting the town. Skye asked Everest, Chase and Marshall if they were up for a double date, and they all agreed ecstatically. The four best friends had surprisingly never tried a double date before, and so far, it was a great success. The couples were both at Mr. Porters', and they were having ice cream for dessert.

"Yo, this ice cream is so lit." Skye observed as she had a few licks of strawberry.

"You know it, for sure." Everest agreed. They all chose strawberry ice cream, because it was the least likely to be poisonous. And the fact that Mr. Porter's homemade ice cream tasted great.

"Yo, Chase. My man. I wanna do something with you real quick." Marshall said, grabbing the german shepherd's attention.

"What's up?" Chase asked.

"I wanna have a race with you...last one to finish their ice cream is a rotten egg!" Marshall blurted as he instantly started to lick his ice-cream like a mad-dog. The three canines around him started to laugh.

"I tell you, his tongue game is elite. I know that more than anyone else." Everest bragged with a cocky expression. Her dalmatian boyfriend, who was sitting next to her, stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes.

"Oh, stop it. Your tongue game is way better." Marshall replied as he instantly got back to licking the ice cream like crazy, causing the husky to blush slightly. Chase was doing absolutely nothing as he watched his best friend make a fool of himself.

"Dude! You're gonna get brain freeze again! Aren't you a doctor? You know that." Chase pleaded jokingly.

"I don't think he's gonna listen…" Skye facepalmed. Ten seconds later, there was no trace of ice cream left in his food bowl. Marshall had done it.

"I won! Guess who's the rotten egg?! It's you, dummy. You didn't even try, bro! You knew you were gonna lose." Marshall smirked to his german shepherd pal.

"Oh, you're gonna feel like a rotten egg in a few seconds. Watch." Chase smiled, knowing eggsactly what was gonna happen. Five seconds later, the brain freeze hit Marshall like a ton of bricks.

"Ugggggghhhhh...shiiiit….why do I do this?" The dally groaned as he grabbed his head with both paws, feeling a world of pain.

"Karma's a bitch. Worse than me." The husky pointed out. The other couple nodded in agreement. The way that Marshall had said the words 'rotten egg' had Skye quiet for a minute or two. The three others noticed.

"Yo, Skye, you good?" Chase inquired out of concern.

"Yeah, it's just that I don't have a great experience with rotten eggs." Skye spoke with dread.

"What do you mean?" Marshall asked.

"Hey, Everest...remember the time when we were younger? I was, like, seven. You were eight, I think. That one day you came to visit...I taught you what the game 'rotten egg' was. You bullied me and you wouldn't stop calling me that." The cockapoo sneered.

"Wait, what?" Both boys reacted with intrigue, grins hitting their faces.

"Oh yeah...I remember that...I didn't realize I was picking on you though. Still, it was fun calling you that. Over and over and over again." Everest grinned as she reminisced.

"Don't you say it." The cockapoo hissed.

"Skye's a rotten egg! Skye's a rotten egg! Skye's a rotten egg!" The husky sang. Both boys laughed as the pilot looked upward in painful humiliation. Why did I ever teach her that? She thought with dread.

"Ok, boys. I guess I'll have to tell you what happened… that rotten day." Skye said in a slightly grumpy tone.

"Oh my god, it's story-time!" Marshall cheered.

"Yay! I love story-time!" Everest rejoiced.

"Can't wait to hear it." Chase smiled.

10 DOG YEARS AGO (about 9 ½ months ago. ish.)

It was a very warm, sunny day in Adventure Bay, and the pups took advantage of the heat by playing on the beach near the bay. Everest came down from the mountain for a surprise visit, and everything was going great. The cockapoo and husky were walking and talking amongst themselves when they saw Ryder enjoying an ice cream cone, relaxing on a long beach chair.

"Hey, Ryder!" Both girls exclaimed happily.

"Hi, Skye. Hi, Everest." Ryder responded as he kept licking his ice cream. The girls were looking at the ice cream with serious intrigue. It was 85 degrees, and they both could use something to cool off.

"Oh my god, it looks good." Skye whispered into her best friend's ear.

"It sure does." Everest smiled.

"That ice cream sure looks good, Ryder!" The cockapoo said, observing the frozen treat that laid in her owner's hand.

"Hmm...why don't you two go over to Mr. Porter's and get your own cones?" The boy inquired as he handed Skye some money.

"Oh, thank you, Ryder! You're the best...last one to Mr. Porter's is a rotten egg!" Skye proclaimed as she took off.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Everest shouted as her best friend stopped in her tracks.

"What?" Skye asked in confusion?

"A rotten egg?! I don't wanna turn into a rotten egg!" Everest pouted.

"Everest, you're not really gonna turn into a rotten egg. Right, Ryder?" Skye asked her owner.

"That's right. Don't worry, Everest, it's just a game." Ryder shrugged.

"It's a really fun game, Everest." The pilot continued.

"Well, it doesn't sound like fun. And, well, I'm still learning everything you guys do around here." Everest pointed out. It had been only two weeks since she became a member of the Paw Patrol, and she was getting used to the social customs of normal dogs and the like.

"Everest, come on. Basically, you have to do something first before someone else does. So...last one to Mr. Porter's is a rotten egg!" Skye said with glee as both girls started racing each other to Mr. Porter's across the street. The husky made it there first.

"So, I won, right?" Everest asked.

"Yeah, you got here first. That means that I'm the rotten egg, and you are the fresh egg." Skye explained to her.

"Oh, that means I won, right?" The husky asked happily.

"Yeah, you won!" The pilot replied back. Both girls cheered to themselves.

"That means you're the rotten egg! You're the rotten egg!" Everest rejoiced.

"We're supposed to get ice cream, remember?" Skye mentioned.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Last one inside Mr. Porter's is a rotten egg!" The husky shouted as she ran inside without another word. Wow...the pilot thought as she walked inside the building.

"Skye's a rotten egg. Skye's a rotten egg. Skye's a rotten egg. I just love saying that." Everest spoke to herself as she walked up and sat on a stool. The owner for which the building was named also had a long bar-style table, where his customers could enjoy meals.

"Hi, pups." Mr. Porter greeted them enthusiastically.

"Guess what, Mr. Porter? Skye is a rotten egg." Everest mentioned aloud. The old man gave her a puzzled expression.

"Well, she doesn't look like a rotten egg." Mr. Porter replied.

"Well, I'm not really a rotten egg. We're just playing a game." The cockapoo explained to him

"Alright, what can I get you two?" The old man inquired while grabbing a notepad and a pen from his pocket.

"Me and Everest want an ice cream cone. I like strawberry, but I want something different. I just don't know what I want." The pilot emphasized, looking at the dessert menu on the wall.

"Well, Skye, you'd better make up your mind...last one to order their ice cream's a rotten egg! I'll have strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, please!" She blurted out laughing. The cockapoo's mouth was agape with shock.

"But-but-but-"

"I won AGAIN! In your FACE! You're the rotten egg again!" Everest cheered. At this point, her best friend had become quietly sad. She was starting to feel like a rotten egg.

"I'll just have a vanilla cone, please." Skye said bluntly. Mr. Porter wrote the order down for the both of them and got down to business. She was shaking her head in disappointment.

"You know, Skye? I have to tell you something. Thanks for teaching me this game. I mean, I'm SO GOOD at it. I got here before you. I got inside the restaurant before you and I ordered my stuff before you." Everest smiled as Skye slowly nodded at every instance of herself being a rotten egg.

"Well, I know that, Everest." Skye huffed as she tried to keep herself cool.

"Gee, Skye...you don't sound too happy." The husky remarked, observing her tone of voice.

"Well, I'm a rotten egg, remember?!" The pilot fumed. She felt that Everest wasn't listening to her.

"Skye, you know you're not really a rotten egg. It's just a game. We're saying it for fun!" Everest stated in a cheerful manner.

"Yeah...fun…" Skye mumbled as she saw Mr. Porter walk over to the two of them with their cones. She handed him the money, and the duo received their frozen treats. They both thanked him kindly as they looked at their ice cream cones with delight.

"Now, Everest, I just wanna enjoy eating my ice cream nice and slow, ok?" Skye asked her best friend, hoping that the stupid game would be put to rest for a moment.

"Yeah, Skye, that's a great idea." Everest seemingly agreed, nodding her head.

"Good." The pilot said to herself as she started licking her vanilla cone.

"Last one to finish their ice cream cone's a rotten egg!" The husky shouted as she started to her ice cream cone like crazy. The cockapoo's jaw immediately dropped to the floor in a mix of anger and shock. She had been completely bamboozled. In thirty seconds, the ice cream was gone. Everest licked the cone clean, and even though her face was a little messy from the sprinkles and such, she was still happy.

"Done! Haha! Guess you're the rotten egg, Skye!" Everest said laughing.

"Again?!" Skye cried in disbelief.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure next time, you'll be the fresh egg." Everest said, hoping to get her friend's hopes up.

"Yeah, and you'll be the rotten egg." Skye retorted in a passive-aggressive approach. But the husky didn't understand her tone, because she kept on rubbing it in.

"Sure, then you'll be the dog who says, 'You're a rotten egg! You're a rotten egg! You're a rotten egg! You're a rotten egg." Everest emphasized.

"Gahhh...I'm starting to feel like a rotten egg." Skye barked as she walked out the building without her. The husky followed her out.

10 MINUTES LATER

"Skye's a rotten egg! Skye's a rotten egg! Skye's a rotten egg! Skye's a rotten egg!" Everest kept chanting, on and on. Just moments ago, the PAW Patrol was called for a rescue, and the cockapoo was actually last to get into the lookout tower. Rocky and Rubble were out on a job in a city nearby, leaving the rest of the pups at the lookout tower just in case. The anger was building rapidly inside the pilot, who had to endure the constant teasing. She was visibly shaking, and finally, with all the tension, she let it all out.

"For the last time! I'm not a rotten egg, Everest!" She yelled in anger, breathing heavily to try and calm down.

"Geez, girl. Don't get mad at me. It's just a game. We're just saying it for fun." The mountain rescue pup shrugged. The two decided to talk over the rotten egg situation, and for a moment, things were going rather well for the two.

"Now, remember...you can't call me a rotten egg anymore. It just doesn't fit the carton anymore." Skye giggled. Both of them laughed.

"Don't worry, best friend. I'll never call you a rotten egg again." Everest stated confidently.

"Good. That's great." The pilot said to herself.

"Nope...I'll call you...ummm...a rotten potato chip." The husky figured out aloud. It took a moment for the statement to fully make sense into Skye's head. When she finally understood it, she got mad. Really mad.

"What?! A rotten potato chip?! Are you kidding me?!" Skye shouted, raising her voice at her and flailing her own paws in confusion.

"Yeah. It's even more fun than 'rotten egg'. Skye's a rotten potato chip. Skye's a rotten potato chip. Skye's a rotten potato chip." The husky spoke in a funny cadence. The cockapoo was filled with rage at this point. She was not gonna take any more bullshit, as her face turned red and she let all her anger out.

"I'm not a rotten potato chip! I'm not a rotten anything! I'm not gonna play with you anymore! THIS PLAY-DATE IS OVER!" Skye lashed out as she began to walk outside the lookout.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Where are you going?!" Everest asked her desperately.

"I don't know, ALASKA!" The cockapoo thundered, feeling incredibly flustered. The husky chuckled at this, and decided to throw in a little harmless humor. Everest had seen Marshall do this once, and it worked, so she thought, why not.

"You know, Skye...it's faster if you fly." She responded wittingly with a small laugh. It didn't work. Skye's anger was entering levels she hadn't seen before, and she was gonna blow up, one way or another. "Uhhh...Skye...you ok?" Everest asked, concerned. Enraged, Skye finally snapped.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, running out of the tower and out of sight. Marshall, Chase and Zuma heard what happened from the top of the tower and rushed down to see what happened, only to see Everest, alone and slightly distraught.

"Uhhhh...you ok? What even happened?" Marshall asked, with a bit of worry in his voice.

"I...I don't even know…" The husky replied sadly, hanging her head.

30 MINUTES LATER

Skye was all alone at the edge of the beach, feeling downcast and lonesome. She felt horrible for snapping at her best friend, but at the same time, Everest wouldn't stop calling her the same, six letter word that became entrenched in her brain: rotten. She felt rotten indeed as she sat in front of the water, hanging her head low. Ryder, who was done with the mission a while ago, noticed and slowly walked up to her.

"Hey, Skye...uh...are you ok?" The boy asked in concern.

"No...not at all...I'm a rotten potato chip!" The pilot whined as she let a few tears rolled down her eyes.

"A rotten potato chip? You mean a rotten egg, don't you?" Ryder spoke, as he put two and two together.

"Well, I was a rotten egg, but Everest kept calling me a rotten egg. So, I told her that I don't wanna be called that anymore. She then calls me a rotten potato chip. Why did I ever teach her that game in the first place?!" She pouted.

"Skye, you don't have to play the rotten potato chip game if you don't want to." Ryder told her, kneeling next to his pup. At the same time, Mayor Humdinger was innocently (and I actually mean that) riding his kitty carrier along the beach sand when he heard the word "rotten" several times. The mayor let out his kittens, who actually did surprisingly normal things, like making sand castles.

"Hey, can't you see, she has a problem here?" Humdinger emphasized, walking up to the two of them. Ryder groaned and rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted was the mayor of Foggy Bottom getting involved.

"I know, Humdinger, I'm trying to help." Ryder asserted.

"Well, let me handle this." The mayor spoke pridefully as he looked down at Skye. She looked up to him, still stuck in a somber mood. "Hey, listen. It doesn't matter if you're a rotten egg or you're a rotten potato chip. Just as long as you're rotten." Humdinger pointed out.

"Uhhh...mayor...Skye doesn't want to be rotten. At all." Ryder spoke.

"Of course you'd wanna be rotten...who wouldn't want to be?" The mayor remarked.

"I don't wanna be rotten, Mister Humdinger." Skye spoke frankly. The mayor's eyes widened.

"You don't wanna be rotten? Oh, man, this is worse than I thought." The mayor shook his head.

"Maybe you and Everest could play another game or something." Ryder hypothesized.

"I tried that, Ryder. But I keep ending up being rotten." The pilot said.

"Haven't you tried talking to her about it?" The boy asked.

"Talking? That's your advice?!" Humdinger protested.

"Ok...I guess I'll try it." Skye sulked to herself. She didn't have to look too far, as Everest and Marshall were having a competition on the other side of the beach. The husky was looking for a new friend to play with, and the dalmatian always fit the description.

"Last one to the water is a rotten egg!" Everest told him, as they both started racing each other. Both were giggling as the husky realized that she had no chance against him. As he covered enough distance, Marshall emphatically jumped into the ocean, with the husky laughing in response.

"Who's the rotten egg now?!" Marshall cheered as he resurfaced. He walked back onto the sand and shook all the water from his fur, causing Everest to laugh again.

"I guess it's me...you're so funny, Marshall." The husky smiled. Just then, Skye walked up to them.

"Hey, Skye!" Both of them exclaimed happily as she entered their presence.

"You wanna play with us?" Everest asked eagerly.

"I just wanna talk to you, Everest. First of all, I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier. That's my bad. Second, I don't wanna be a rotten potato chip...you understand that?" Skye asked her husky best friend.

"Well, yeah...sure...how about a rotten cheese stick? Or a rotten cucumber?" The mountain rescue pup asked her. The dalmatian next to her burst out laughing at at the random question.

"A cheese stick?! Where do you get these ideas from?" Marshall laughed. As he regained his composure, he realized that both girls were staring at him. Everest was looking at him in a funny way, her head tilted slightly. Skye had the look of a dog who was gonna do something bad to him. He saw the pissed-off look on the cockapoo's face and felt a little...awkward.

"Uhhh...ok...I might as well get outta here while I still have my fur attached to me." The dally remarked as he left quietly.

"I just don't wanna be called a rotten anything. It just makes me feel rotten. And I don't like feeling that way." The cockapoo reminded her.

"Oh, ok then. You don't have to be rotten anymore." The husky complied, putting a paw around her best friend's shoulder.

"Hey, fluffy! Looks like you get to be the rotten one, then." Humdinger said, walking over to the two pups.

"Gee, mister Humdinger, I don't wanna be rotten, either." Everest protested. She knew that Humdinger never referred to her friends to their actual names, rather a mean and stereotypical word about their breed. Marshall would be referred to as 'spots', Rocky would be referred to as 'scruffy', and so on. And Everest didn't take that insult lightly.

"Well, someone's gotta be rotten. Come on, you're ruining the game!" Humdinger whined.

"Mr. Humdinger...I think you're the one who's being rotten." Everest stated with a smug expression.

"Oooohhh, good one." Skye complimented as she gave her best friend a fist bump, while Ryder nodded in agreement.

"She's right, you know." The boy spoke up, as the mayor looked on to him in shock.

"Hey...we can both be fresh eggs!" Skye suggested as a smile grew on her face, with a laugh to follow.

"Fresh eggs?! What?!" The mayor complained in surprise.

"Yeah...oh my gosh, how about happy, smiley eggs?" Everest added.

"That would be even better!" Skye smirked.

"Ugh...who's ever heard of a happy, smiley egg?!" Humdinger bemoaned in disappointment.

"It's just a game, Mayor Humdinger." Ryder remarked nonchalantly.

"Let's go to the park, happy smiley egg!" Skye proclaimed. Both girls cheered as they began to run to the park across town, all smiles. As the two increasingly vanished in the distance, the boy looked at the purple-suited fat man.

"You see? They talked things over, and now, everything's ok." Ryder grinned, proving his point.

"Okay? You call that okay?!" Humdinger pouted loudly. "Ok then...I guess it'll have to be my kitties, then." He figured to himself. He then got on his kitty carrier and opened the cage door. "Last one back to Foggy Bottom is a rotten egg!" The mayor shouted to his kittens. They all instinctively ran to the carrier and inside the cage, where Humdinger stepped on the gas and booked it back to his cave home. Ryder smiled as he looked on.

Sounds like I'm the only smart human around here...even my pups have more brains...He thought as he laughed to himself.