AN: Hello there! I apologize for the delay once more! This one was a little tricky to work on for some reason. Some other things came up and it became hard to focus on this, but now it's finally out. Hopefully you all enjoy and hopefully I can retain a decent schedule from now on.


Jack looked at the clock in the nurse's office. It had been thirty-five minutes since he was dropped off. Since then, all the nurse had done was put ice on his stomach and plastered his cheek. Every time he tried to move, searing pain shot through his body. Jack wanted to cry, he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn't want to make the nurse more upset than she already was, and he didn't want to feel weak. He wanted to make Rusty proud, at the very least. From Jack's understanding, soldiers never had time to cry. That, or they were incapable of doing so, as he had never once seen Rusty shed a tear in the six years he had known him. If that was the case, he didn't intend on doing so either. He was going to be 13 this year, and he wanted to prove that he was growing up.

As the clock tolled one, Jack's father came into the office after grabbing his son's belongings to see Jack lying down on the chair, ice on his stomach and his face bandaged.

"Thanks, Doc," Jack's dad spoke to the nurse, who just rolled her eyes. He helped pull his son up to his feet, albeit with a little struggle, and they were soon - slowly, but steadily - making their way to the car. When Jack got in, he laid the passenger seat back, putting him in a slightly more comfortable position.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he spoke quietly, feeling guilty about potentially inconveniencing his father.

"No worries, Jack," his dad replied, understanding of the incident. "I'm just glad you weren't hurt worse. What happened, anyway?"

Jack was in a pickle now. He was finally with his dad, driving away from the school and the bullies, but something still spoke inside of him to not tell his dad. What if the bullies found out? What if his dad got upset with him because he struck out on the first day? Surely he wouldn't, his parents were usually very understanding. But if not his parents, then his sister Lulu would definitely have something to say of it. He could already hear all of the things she may say to him. However, if he was up-front with his dad, he might be able to receive proper treatment outside of ice and bandages, and he may be able to help do something about the bullies. All things considered, he didn't want his dad to be worried and he didn't want his sister shaming him. He thought long and hard about it, trying to find the right words to say, but try as he might, he couldn't think straight at the moment. His mind was clouded with doubt and fear.

"I'm not sure if I want to talk about it right now," Jack eventually spoke up, letting his father know he wasn't ready yet. Jack's dad fully understood the gravity of the situation just from that alone.

"That's alright, you can come to me whenever you're ready," he reassured his boy, who tried to give a smile back to his dad. Jack's dad turned on the radio in hopes that Jack would be cheered up or soothed by the music. Almost immediately after the music began, Jack laid his head back and closed his eyes, and he soon fell asleep in the car.

Time could not go any slower for Bluey. She, Rusty, and Mackenzie were all in a classroom together, surrounded by faces new and old, all listening to their teacher give a lecture on school rules and expectations. Big School was nothing like Glasshouse. All Bluey had done today was sit at a desk and listen to her teacher ramble almost endlessly. There were no areas for playing or conversing in the school. There was no time to do any of that, from what she understood so far. Besides meeting Lucy and briefly reconnecting with Jack, today had very much been a letdown for her, and Big School didn't really sound as fun as Mia tried to make it. She began to wonder if Bingo was having a better day than her. Bluey wasn't the only one struggling today, as Rusty and Mackenzie found it hard to focus too.

All Rusty could think about was Jack. As confident as he was that his friend would make it through just fine, Rusty still worried for him; not just physically, but mentally as well. He wondered if he was still in the nurse's office or if his dad had already come to take him home. He knew the first thing he was going to do after school was head to Jack's place to check on him.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie's dilemma was about Judo. He was thinking about the whole "date" after school and how it would play out. Surely his parents and her mum didn't plan anything prior, so even if they were able to talk, they wouldn't have long to do so; long enough for a meet and greet, perhaps a short conversation, maybe exchanging contacts if they were lucky. Even by the rare chance that both of their rides were late or the buses were delayed, what would they even talk about? How did her summer go? What conditioner does she use? What hobbies does she have? Now that Mackenzie thought about it, he had quite a few questions about her. Some, he wasn't sure would get answered.

The teacher continued to ramble on and on, her volume fluctuating, occasionally snapping daydreaming students out of their trances, only to go right back into them not long after. Time dragged itself on its last limb, it felt like, as class took ages to wrap up. Eventually, the teacher finished speaking for a second, took a breath, and began to directly address the class.

"Well," the teacher spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "I hope you all paid close attention, because there will be a pop quiz on this at the end of the week!" Everyone snapped out their daydreams and began to panic. Several "What?!"s and gasps began to fill the classroom. The teacher only chuckled at this. "Oh, calm down! I was only joking!" she clarified, which earned her several sighs of relief from her students. "But please do remember to pay closer attention in the future, alright?"

"Yes, Mrs. Rottweiler!" the students all replied. Soon after, they heard a noise they never thought they would hear; the sweet, ear-piercing ring of the school bell, indicating the period change.

"Finally!" groaned Bluey.

"Now we just have to rinse and repeat for 40 weeks!" Adam Terrier sarcastically cheered, followed by the entire class groaning upon this realization.

"Oh, pipe down, you lot!" Mrs. Rottweiler spoke with a chuckle in her voice. "You're all gonna do great! I'm sure of it!" The class hurriedly gathered their supplies and moved over to their next period without any further fuss.

The day went by about as fast as anyone expected, which wasn't very quickly at all. Every single one of their new teachers reprised the same song and dance as the last: start with a greeting, introduce themself, ask the class to introduce themselves, and then go over some rules and regulations. Every class was exactly the same, though maybe that was for the better, as it would help the students more thoroughly remember the guidelines. After what felt like an eternity of watching the same movie on repeat, the final bell rang, and everyone went back to their first classes to regroup and gather their belongings. However, there wasn't much time for chatter, as the students were quickly ushered out of the room and into the bus and car lines as quickly as they had arrived. By some coincidence, most of the kids found themselves riding the bus home, Bluey, Lucy, Judo, and Rusty included. As they were all finding places to sit, Bluey noticed her best friend Chloe already sat down. However, she was sitting with someone else, and didn't take any notice of Bluey when she walked by. Bluey didn't think much of it, but she did find it a little odd how Chloe hadn't spoken to her all summer. Perhaps she was just busy like Rusty was? Her thoughts couldn't proceed any further as she was summoned by a very excited Lucy, who was in the back of the vehicle, across from a lonesome Rusty.

"Oi! Over here!" Lucy called out, frantically waving to the passing Blue Heeler. "Come and sit with us! We gotta continue our chat from earlier!" Bluey then went to sit next to her new acquaintance, also noticing how worried Rusty looked. The Kelpie was staring out of the window with a look that could best be described as a mix of concern and frustration. Jack had been the top priority of his mind all day. He and Jack had grown so close over the span of 6 years that Rusty wasn't sure what he'd do without him anymore. Games and Sergeant orders aside, Rusty had grown a soft spot for Jack, one that eventually took a portion of his heart, alongside a few other things, his family and other friends being among them.

"Rusty, right?" Lucy tried to grab the Kelpie's attention.

"Yeah," Rusty responded, snapping out of his gaze and turning towards Lucy.

"That name's so cool," Lucy began to talk excitedly. "It sounds like the name of a hardened warrior! It sounds even better if you put another word with it, like 'Trusty Rusty', eh?"

"You are pretty trusty, Rusty," Bluey complimented, although not getting much of a reaction from Rusty, who's mind was still clouded.

"Yeah, I suppose," replied Rusty, albeit not as enthused as the girls had hoped.

"Right, let's get cracking, shall we?" Lucy began to elaborate on her plan to take on Zeus and the rest of the bullies. "I heard somewhere that Zeus wants to join the school Football team, he's very adamant about it. I bet he's gonna be dragging in the rest of his mates with him. Bluey, Rusty, you have phones of your own, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Bluey and Rusty both simultaneously replied, curious as to where Lucy was headed with her plot.

"This is gonna take a lot of time and space," Lucy warned the other confidants. "But the plan is to record as much of the bullies' antics as possible without getting caught by anyone! And then, when we have enough evidence, we'll turn it in to the higher-ups and they'll disqualify him, and everyone will finally know how big of a bully he is!"

"That's a pretty good plan, actually!" Bluey complimented.

"We need to properly know the enemy first for a greater advantage," suggested Rusty. "We could set up an inside job, but they know my face, so I can't pull off any espionage."

"Yeah, and I don't want to be friends with bullies!" Bluey firmly retaliated.

"I already know everything about them," Lucy began again. "My mates and I have been attacked by these clowns for years now. Lots of people were hurt, both physically and mentally." Lucy looked back at her jade ring with a grim expression for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing. "But they didn't care, and they kept asserting their dominance as the months and years went on. And the worst part is that the teachers didn't know about any of it! To them, they were just your average teachers' pets! If there's any compliment I can give them, it's that they were good at covering up what they did. They haven't been caught once, as far as I know.. But that's all about to change."

"Who are Zeus's allies?" Rusty asked with intrigue. "And why would they want to stick around somebody like him?"

"Clout, simple as that," Lucy bluntly answered. "They think he's gonna be the next big thing, and that if they stick with him, he's gonna help them become famous or whatever. Butch, Hurricane, Jasmine? They're idiots, all three of 'em."

"'Butch, Hurricane, and Jasmine'?" Bluey repeated. "Jeez, their names sound mean."

"Well, the boys are," Lucy corrected. "I actually used to know Jasmine - she's the Rottweiler with the spike collar - and she's a pretty down-to-earth person once you get to know her. She's not heartless like Butch Bulldog or downright insane like Hurricane Shepherd."

Rusty then asked a risky question, one he thought he might regret. "Your jade ring, did it belong to Jasmine?"

Lucy looked back at her ring and sighed. "If only the answer was that simple," she spoke gravely. "This ring's a whole 'nother story, I'm afraid, but it still has to do with Zeus. Not really in the mood to talk about it right now, though."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Bluey reassured her new friend, despite her suddenly peaked curiosity for the story behind the jade ring. Rusty nodded out of respect and agreement. Perhaps she'll tell them another time if she's willing to?

Suddenly, as the bus driver turned on the bus's engine to begin their journey, Mackenzie raced on board and stumbled down the aisle to crash in the seat Judo was sitting in by herself. Unsurprisingly, this drew some attention to him, looks of concern and joviality began to peer back at him, laughter began to fill the vehicle, annoying Mackenzie.

"Oh, shut up! It could have happened to any of you!" he snapped back to the rest of the passengers of the bus.

"Yeah! Grow up, will you?" Judo scolded the other students. Eventually the laughter began to fade out, and when quietness fell once more, Bluey spoke up.

"Are you alright, Mackenzie?" the Blue Heeler asked her monochrome friend, who was curled up with his face buried in between his legs.

"Yeah, you're not bruised, are you?" voiced Rusty, who popped up from the seat to look at his friend.

"I'm fine," Mackenzie replied, albeit passive-aggressively "I got a little mixed up, that's all."

Judo began to speak up again, looking at the embarrassed Border Collie. "I was gonna ask how today was, but.."

"Not good, thanks for asking, I guess," Mackenzie answered, frustrated with everything going on.

"Well, hey," Judo continued, attempting to lift Mackenzie's spirits. "At least the day's finally over and we can continue that conversation from last night."

"Sure, I guess," Mackenzie reluctantly accepted, although not really wanting to talk to anyone at the moment. While trying to find something to speak of, he couldn't help but notice the sweet smell from the right of him, reminiscent of strawberries. It didn't take long for it to click that it was Judo's fur that was emitting the fruity scent. "Your fur smells nice," he complimented rather quickly and awkwardly.

"Thanks, it's my favorite conditioner," she replied, acknowledging Mackenzie's thoughts. "My mum's been buying it for me since I was little, and it's just stuck with me."

"I think it suits you," Mackenzie kindly spoke, immediately turning away and cringing, covering his mouth in regret of what he said. At this point, he couldn't tell if he was simply trying to be nice or if he truly meant what he was saying. Either way, Mackenzie felt very awkward. That fluttery feeling was beginning to take hold again. Rusty, Bluey, and Lucy were watching from the back of the bus, interested in seeing how this conversation would play out.

"Do you use any conditioner?" Judo asked, curiously.

"Well," the Border Collie replied with more confidence than he had previously. "My mum's always liked lavender and mint, but my dad's more of a blueberry and kiwi kind of guy. I don't usually put anything scented on me, but when I do, I just go with whatever's easiest to grab."

"I think lavender would go well with you," Judo complimented. "You seem like a flowery type of person to me."

"Well, I do like to roll around in the flowers sometimes," Mackenzie confirmed, going off on a small tangent. "Especially around this time of year. Jumping into the leaves in autumn is fun too."

"I love spring and autumn, they're so beautiful!" Judo began to gush over her favorite seasons. "In spring, you have all of the pretty flowers and bugs, and in autumn, you have all of the different colored leaves and the cool air, and the pumpkins grow in too, and then all the shops start selling pumpkin spice stuff! Now, don't get me wrong, I love chocolate eclairs, but those pumpkin rolls they sell around autumn are so good! I've already seen some show up in the shops. Don't you find it weird how stores always pack stuff in way earlier than they should? I mean, I'm not complaining, I just find it odd.." Judo began to ramble on about seasons and treats, while Bluey began laughing.

"Oh boy, you've gone and done it, Mack!" Bluey chuckled teasingly, yet supportively. "Once Judo starts talking, it's hard to get her to stop!" But Mackenzie honestly didn't mind that much. Sure, he had some things he wanted to say too, but after hearing about what Judo went through this summer, Mackenzie felt she needed this. Not to mention the fact that Judo hardly got a chance to talk to anyone else besides Bluey, Lucky, and their respective siblings. Admittedly, there was something very entertaining about listening to Judo ranting about shops being out of order. He couldn't tell what it was precisely, but there was something in her voice that Mackenzie's ears found oddly satisfying.

Lucy looked over to Judo and Mackenzie as they kept up their conversation. She gazed upon them melancholily, her lips curving into a slight smile, but only barely. She looked at Judo and Mackenzie, then her ring, and then back at the two, the smile beginning to twist into an expression comparable to that of dejection and regret. Bluey took notice of this and grew very concerned for her new friend.

"Lucy? Are you alright?" Bluey questioned the Husky, only to get a very delayed response following a deep breath.

"We're going to stop them," she declared determinedly. "They're going to pay for what they've done." Bluey agreed with her friend that the bullies would be stopped, but all the same, she was puzzled. Why did she look so down all of a sudden? Why did she keep looking back at her ring? What do the bullies have to do with her getting said ring? Bluey wanted to ask Lucy, but she didn't want to disrespect her previous wishes to avoid the subject for the time being.

As the ride continued, Judo and Mackenzie were still chatting, sporadically changing subjects as they continued.

"So, you really like bugs and flowers, huh?" Mackenzie asked his new friend, who nodded cheerfully. "Well, I know this really cool hidden creek down by the park. If you'd like, I could show you around."

"I think Bluey told me about it a few times growing up," recalled Judo, who began to think back on what Bluey had said to her a few times regarding the area in question. "She told me it's really gorgeous and peaceful."

"Yeah, I usually go there when I want to be by myself," Mackenzie explained his use for the creek. "But I like bringing people like Bluey and Rusty with me sometimes."

"Hey, Mackenzie?" Lucy butted in. "I hate to interrupt, but I just wanted to ask if I could go with you lot to the creek sometime?"

"I mean, sure, I guess," Mackenzie replied passively. "Just don't go around telling everybody about it. I kind of just wanted it to be a spot for me and my closest friends, like Bluey and Rusty."

"But you just met Judo," Bluey argued. "And you're offering to take her!"

She had him there. He did just meet Judo last night, and he was already offering to let her into his safe place. He had only let in a few others when he was around the creek: Bluey and her dad, Rusty, Jack, and even Honey at one point for a class project when they were younger, but they were all close friends of his. There was only one other person who was close to him that he didn't let in, and that was Coco. If Mackenzie were to be honest with himself, he always found Coco to be a bit of an oddball; very bossy and impatient at times, sometimes a little selfish without trying to be. However, on top of all of this was Coco's seemingly never-dying crush on Mackenzie, one that had brewed for years now, ever since they were only six years old. Coco had always asked Mackenzie to be her husband in whatever game he played with her, and it went from sort of cute at first to just becoming annoying and uncomfortable for Mackenzie. Coco was a person Mackenzie tried to keep interactions with at a minimum, but that didn't mean he thought any less of her compared to the others. She was still one of his oldest friends, and ironically enough, and she's known Judo even longer. Mackenzie thought it was a good thing she wasn't on the bus with them. Otherwise, she would be devastated knowing that one of her friends that he had just met was being chosen to go to Mackenzie's hideout before her.

"Judo's different!" Mackenzie retaliated. No one responded to this, as they didn't want to come off as disrespectful to Judo, but they did wonder why Judo was an exception to Mackenzie's longtime "close friends only" rule. However, the time to contemplate was very short, as the bus had just pulled up to the neighborhood on Bean Street, letting a majority of the students on the bus off before hauling away again. The kids waved goodbye to the rest, and they all began to walk to their homes. Most peculiarly, Lucy also got off with the rest.

"Lucy, do you live on the same street as us?" Bluey asked excitedly, her tail beginning to wag a bit.

"Nah, but I'm not too far from here," Lucy elaborated. "I didn't want to stop talking just yet."

"Do you know where you're going? What if you get lost?!" Bluey began to worry for her new friend, who only chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"The satnav on my phone will help me, and if it doesn't, then I guess I'll just spend the night with one of you until my mum picks me up!" Lucy teased, confident in her ability to get home.

"Well, I'm not staying here, nor am I gonna be heading to my house yet," Rusty announced. "I'm going to check on Jack. You're welcome to come if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'm coming," Mackenzie confirmed to Rusty before turning back to Judo. "It was nice meeting you, but I gotta go check on my friend to make sure he's ok."

"Hey, I know you're not too far away," Judo began to ask. "But is there any way we could stay in touch? My mum won't mind."

"I'll ask Bluey to send me your number later," Mackenzie hurriedly spoke as he began to follow Rusty.

"Well, that's the thing," Judo explained. "I don't really have a phone of my own anymore. I'm sharing my mum's phone right now."

"We'll figure this out some other time," Mackenzie dismissed the process. "I gotta go see if Jack's alright!"

"Ok, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, then!" Judo called out to her new friend as the latter ran away backwards, waving at her and the other girls on the curb as he and Rusty high-tailed it to Jack's house, which wasn't too far down the road from their current spot. Bluey, Lucy, and Judo were all left by the curb.

"I'd like to stay and keep chatting with you two," Bluey finally spoke up. "But I've got to head home now. I promised Bingo I'd play with her as soon as I got back."

"Hang on, I'm gonna ask my mum if I can stay with you for a bit," Lucy announced as she began rapidly texting. As the other girls awaited a response, Judo took note of the jade ring that contrasted with Lucy's red tufts. She wanted to ask Lucy about the ring, but Judo remembered overhearing how she wasn't willing to speak of it yet. As much as her curiosity piqued, she refrained from questioning Lucy on the ring's origins. Instead, she opted for a more casual question.

"So, how was your summer?" Judo questioned the Husky, who had just finished texting her mother.

"Not sure if I want to talk about it right now, sorry," Lucy quickly dismissed the Chow Chow's question.

"Oh, alright," Judo answered understandingly. "My summer wasn't all that good either. I'm not sure I want to talk about it either."

"Last summer sucked for a lot of us, I guess," Lucy replied solemnly. "Everyone I talked to said they didn't have a good break, most of them being bored at best and injured at worst."

"Same with our friends," Bluey added. "Some were busy and others just couldn't do anything."

Suddenly, what sounded like a bell ringing emitted from Lucy's phone. Her mother had replied to her giving her permission to stay with Bluey and Judo for a bit longer. Lucy excitedly showed her new friends, and the girls all cheered and began to race up the hill.

Jack was lying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun round and round, working endlessly to keep the room cool during the hot summer season. Even though his room felt nice and he just woke up from a nap, he still felt miserable, both physically and mentally. He was still in pain from getting kicked and scratched, but his mind wouldn't leave him alone either. He kept wondering what everyone would think of him after he got attacked and sent home. Surely they'd all be worried sick for him, but he also wondered if anyone would be disappointed in him for leaving early on the first day. Rusty always talked about how proud he was of him for being a resilient and reliable soldier, and Jack's brain, going a million miles a minute, began to wonder if his praise would still hold its ground after today. Rusty always talked about how strong Jack was, but Jack only felt puny after today. He wondered where the soldier inside of him went in the moment of Zeus's attack. Why didn't he do anything to defend himself? He began to feel greatly disappointed in himself. All of the things Rusty had taught him over the years, all of the military advice, all of the self-defense moves, he just forgot all about it in that moment. How could he call himself Rusty's best friend if he couldn't remember anything he told him? Jack soon began to grow a headache thinking about all of it, but unfortunately for him, it wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

Lulu and her mum walked into the Russell house and noticed Jack was nowhere to be found. Lulu didn't think anything of it, however, as usually around this time of day, he would either be out in the backyard playing or in his room playing video games as he waited on his sister to come back. She looked over at Jack's door and noticed it was closed, indicating he was in there and wanted to be alone. Lulu, however, wasn't ever one for letting her brother live in peace, as she often liked to tease him or rat him out over something small whenever she could find something to nag about. Usually, her Mum would scold her for this, but her dad didn't really seem to mind and just saw it as her being cutesy. In Lulu's eyes, no harm was being done, it was all in good fun for her. Plus, it helped her parents keep her bothersome brother in-check when he appeared to be absent-minded. She never really understood why Jack behaved the way he did sometimes, nor did she really care, in all honesty. At the end of the day, he was still her brother, and despite all of the unusual things he might do, she still loved him to pieces. That, of course, didn't stop her from having some fun, and fun was something she planned on having today.

However, as Lulu began to make her way to Jack's room, her dad spoke up. "I'd suggest leaving Jack alone for now, Lulu," he spoke sincerely. "He's had a bit of a rough day today."

"Sure thing, Dad," Lulu replied dismissively, but convincingly enough that he accepted it and walked over to the couch to watch TV. "A rough day?" Lulu thought to herself. "On the first day of school? This is rich!" As Lulu smugly walked over to Jack's room, smirking all the way, she began to think of all of the hilarious quips she could throw at him. "Did you fidget too much in class?" "Did you bump your knee from moving too much?" "Did you forget what the teacher told you?" The possibilities were endless, and Lulu couldn't help but giggle at the thought of getting a laugh in with her brother. Besides, maybe it'll help him feel better if he laughs it off with her.

"Oh, Jack!" she melodically called from outside the door. "I heard today was pretty interesting for you! Wanna stop playing your video games and talk about it?"

"Please, Lulu, not now," Jack begged from the other side of the door, sounding more drained with every word he spoke.

"Aw, come on!" she coaxed. "I bet it wasn't that bad! Did you just fidget too much in class or forget what one of the teachers told you or something?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Jack groaned as her sister began to open his door.

"Did somebody make you lose your temper and say one of Mum's words-"

Lulu stopped in her tracks as she was opening the door. Her facial expression immediately shifted from smug to concerned as she gazed upon her brother in her bed, bandaged up with an ice pack resting on his stomach. Her dad was being serious, Jack really did have a bad day, from the looks of things. However, Lulu still wanted to lighten the mood, so she continued her game. "Oh, pipe down! I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is!" Lulu said as she reached out to Jack's stomach to feel it, only for Jack to wince and whine in pain, causing Lulu to recoil, her facial expression going from concerned to fully worried. Her brother was hurt pretty badly. How, she had no idea. But regardless, she now understood the gravity of the situation, and she began to take it a lot less lightly than before. Jack, however, only got more frustrated with this.

"Leave me alone, Lulu!" he barked, startling his sister, who was rendered speechless. As much as she would have loved to stay and help cheer her brother up, it seemed she was only making the situation worse, so she slightly nodded and backed out of Jack's room, gently closing the door behind her. Jack sighed as he slowly and cautiously rolled over in his bed to face the wall, considering going back to sleep while the room was silent. However, for better or worse, Jack wouldn't be alone for long, as he soon heard the doorbell ring. He didn't think much of it, however, writing it off as only the postman. That was until he heard tapping at the window next to his bed. He looked over at the window and was surprised, yet relieved to see Rusty and Mackenzie outside. Rusty and Mackenzie happily waved to him through the glass, and Jack waved back, his tail beginning to wag a bit at the sight of his friends. Rusty then did a motion with his hands that looked as if he was lifting something, and at first, Jack was confused by this, until he realized that Rusty meant "lift the window", so Jack carefully re-situated himself so he could open the window to let the boys in. Rusty's first instinct as soon as he climbed onto the bed was to gently wrap his arms around Jack and give him a friendly, comforting hug, and Jack gladly wrapped his own arms around Rusty in return.

"How are you holding up, Soldier?" Rusty asked his best friend.

"Sore all over, but I'll make it," Jack replied, trying to sound courageous.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you," Mackenzie apologized. "I was trying to avoid drama."

"It's alright, I get it," Jack replied acceptingly. "I'm glad you stayed out of it, actually. I wouldn't want you getting hurt too."

"How long will you be out of school?" Rusty asked his indisposed friend as he began to let go and lean back to look at his friend eye to eye.

"I dunno, a few days, maybe," he replied nervously. "But I'm not sure if I want to go back. What if Zeus attacks us again?"

"He won't," the Kelpie confidently replied. "We're gonna make sure of it."

"We all are," Mackenzie added. "All of your friends are gonna be watching your back for you."

Jack began to grow a smile and lightly wag his tail with this reassurance in mind, but he was still uncertain about going back. "Thanks, but I'm still not sure about it," he worried.

"Tell you what," answered Rusty, who put his paw on Jack's shoulder. "Why don't we have a sleepover this Friday to cheer you up?"

"For real life?!" Jack exclaimed, his friends nodding in response. "Of course! I'd love that! But whose house are we going to?"

"Yours, of course!" the other boys replied simultaneously.

"You sure?" Jack asked again to verify. "I don't want Lulu being a bother."

"She won't be," Rusty reassured. "I've lived with Digger and Dusty all my life, y'know?"

"Yeah, but.. They're nicer than her."

Rusty began to chuckle. "Around you, maybe. Any other day, Dusty's gonna be squealing in my ear or Digger's gonna be fluffying up the house!" This made Jack chuckle a bit too, and it was contagious enough to make Mackenzie join in as well.

"I suppose you're right," Jack confessed. "All Lulu really does is tease me a lot. I'm sorry, Rusty."

"You didn't do anything, no need to apologize!" Rusty clarified with a smile, causing Jack to fully smile in return.

"How long are you guys staying?" Jack asked his friends.

"As long as we can," Mackenzie replied. "I don't think my parents mind me staying over."

"I'm staying too, no matter what," Rusty sincerely confirmed.

"But what about your mum?" Jack asked, concerned. "You know how she gets sometimes!"

"Yeah mate, I think you should head back," Mackenzie put in. "I'd hate for you to get smacked with the thong."

"Family comes first, after all," added Jack.

"You're family, Jack," Rusty argued. "So are you, Mackenzie. If either of you are in trouble before my blood, I'll come to you first. Same the other way around. Besides, a good soldier never leaves a man behind, and I'm not leaving you for a while."

"Can you please text your mum and ask her, just to be safe?" Jack pleaded with his friend, looking him dead in the eyes with widened, worried pupils. Rusty couldn't say no to Jack, not just because he made some of the most adorable faces ever, but because he didn't want Jack to have anything else on his mind on top of dreading school.

"Alright, alright," Rusty eventually caved in. "Just so you can stop worrying about me." He began to text his mum to see if she would sanction him staying with Jack, and Mackenzie eventually followed suit, as he had forgotten to text his parents for clearance as well.

As they both texted their parents, the realization had hit Jack that his friends had basically snuck into his house without the consent of his parents or their own. He sprang up off of his bed and began to walk to inform his parents of his friends' arrival, only to be met with intense pain shooting through his torso, causing him to cry out in agony as he stumbled, alerting his friends' attention, who got up and went to assist him immediately. Jack felt like he was going to break down in tears with how much pain he was in from his current stance, but he fought back and stood there breathing sharply.

"Easy, Jack!" Rusty cried out. "What do you need? We'll do it for you."

"I need to tell my mum that you're in the house!" Jack panicked. "If she finds out you snuck in-!"

"Chill the beans," Mackenzie reassured. "We already told her when we came. Didn't you hear us ring the doorbell?"

Jack's eyes widened as he realized the ring at the door was from the boys. "Oh, that was you!" he groaned as he facepalmed and crashed down on his bed, slamming his head onto the pillow. Jack had lost every bit of confidence he was building up. He felt like an idiot for not being able to put two and two together. Maybe all the stuff Lulu said about him over the years was true? Maybe what Zeus said was true? Jack began to wonder why Rusty and Mackenzie even chose to befriend him in the first place. He was an absolute imbecile who couldn't do anything right or figure out the simplest of solutions to easy problems. Jack couldn't hold it back anymore, but he had to for the sake of his friends. If he wanted to redeem himself, he had to pull through for them and show them how tough of a soldier he is.

"Hey, is that the new Chutney Chimp game?" asked Mackenzie, tail beginning to wag from excitement.

"Yeah, the new racing game," Jack responded nonchalantly. "I haven't really gotten a chance to try it myself, but I don't think I'd be very good at it.."

"I remember a few years ago, Calypso once said to me that we all go at our own pace through life," the Border Collie spoke sincerely to Jack. "Some things may take longer than others, and that's ok." Mackenzie hesitated a bit. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about the next part, but he felt it necessary to drive his point. "Remember when we first played Space all those years ago and I kept going off on my own?" Jack nodded in response. "That was my own little race I was going through, Calypso said. I can't really explain it, but it's something that takes a long time to get over. Playing a new game and getting used to it is just like that. It's a process."

Jack couldn't hold back anymore, no matter how hard he tried. Hearing that name, Calypso, it made him long to go back to Glasshouse. He didn't know what to do without her. He felt lost in the woods without a flashlight or a compass. "I miss Calypso," Jack sniffled, slowly beginning to break down. "I can't go on without her. I don't know what to do without her."

Mackenzie put his paw on Jack's chest, right here his heart was. "She's still with you," he explained. "She'll always be with you - with all of us - right there." Warm tears began to pour down Jack's face hearing Mackenzie's sentiment. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from crying. He didn't want to cry in front of his friends, especially not after what Rusty had just said about him earlier. He wanted to prove himself a strong, reliable soldier, but he couldn't hold on forever. Mackenzie sat down next to Jack's right on his bed, wrapped his arm around Jack, and began to rub his back to comfort him. Jack grabbed himself a few tissues from his bedside table and held onto them in case he needed them. Rusty crawled back over and hugged his best friend again.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized to Rusty. "I'm not as strong as you said I am."

"What are you talking about?" Rusty asked his friend, genuinely confused.

"I thought soldiers didn't cry?" Jack questioned.

"We're like clouds, mate," Mackenzie spoke up, taking over for Rusty. "They can only hold so much before they turn dark and it starts raining. If you cry, it just means you've been strong for too long."

Jack took a second to analyze what Mackenzie was saying and realized that he had a point. "Huh, I never thought about it like that," said Jack in awe, mind blown. "Thank you, Mackenzie."

"Calypso was right about you, Mackenzie," Rusty added, causing Mackenzie to blush a bit, knowing exactly what he meant.

"You heard all of that?" Mackenzie asked, a little embarrassed by the thought of his friend seeing him talking with Calypso like she were his mum.

"Yeah, you get good ears from army training!" Rusty verified, putting his paw on Mackenzie's shoulder. "You're doing great, Mack. She'll be proud of you."

The room went silent for a few seconds, save Jack's sniffling. Mackenzie cleared his throat to break the silence. "Well, enough of this sappy rubbish!" he spoke briskly to change the subject. "You wanna play some Chutney Chimp?" The other boys cheered as Jack booted up the game and handed out the controllers. Before playing, Rusty and Mackenzie checked their phones to make sure their parents didn't want them home early, and Mackenzie was given the all-clear, however, Rusty's mum didn't respond. Strangely, Dusty was the one who texted back.

The message read, "Mum's out helping Digger finish unpacking. She wants you home by seven."

"You're by yourself?" Rusty texted back in disbelief.

"I'm ten years old, Rusty. I can hold my own," she responded followed with an eye roll emoji.

"Oh yeah.. I forget sometimes," Rusty replied, less frantically than his previous message.

"Time flies like a Cricket ball, doesn't it?" Dusty jokingly messaged her brother.

Rusty snickered and smirked to Dusty's message in remembrance. "Yeah, it sure does," he replied, followed by a heart emoji. He could remember when he and his sister played Cricket at some kid's birthday all those years ago. He couldn't remember whose it was, but he remembered the excitement that came from that day, taking on the parents and letting his sister get a catch to get him out. A lot of fond memories were flooding back to him just from his sister's message.

"Rusty? You playing or not, mate?" Mackenzie teased, snapping the Kelpie out of his trance.

"Yeah, let's go!" Rusty cheered as he picked up his controller and began to get ready for the game

.Elsewhere, a small group of four was lounging around their neighborhood park, roughly misusing the equipment to their leisure: standing on the swings, pushing the roundabout to its limits, and standing atop the towers. All but one, a rottweiler who sat on a bench by her lonesome.

"Cmon, Jasmine!" the Cane Corso on the roof called out to her. "Loosen up, will ya? Have some fun!"

"That red guy," Jasmine spoke remorsefully. "I've been thinking about him."

"Aww, Jazzy's got a sweetheart already!" the muscular Bulldog taunted from the swingset.

"No! Shut up, Butch!" Jasmine defensively rebutled. "I mean, he was pretty brave, and he kinda had a point about the whole strong heart thing, from what I've seen.. I just feel kinda bad for him and his friend, y'know? Did they really deserve what we did to them?"

Zeus scoffed and jumped down from the top of the play fortress, beginning to walk towards Jasmine. "Of course he deserved it, Jasmine," he replied rather annoyed. "He needed to know who's top dog. He needed to learn to stay out our way."

"You saw how apologetic he was, didn't you? He didn't mean any harm!" Jasmine argued, but to no avail.

"I don't care! He got what was coming to him!" Zeus raised his voice, growling at the girl on the bench. Jasmine had grown tired of playing games with Zeus. She wanted him to take the matter seriously, but there was no reaching out to him.

"Remind me why I still stick with you after all this time?" she retaliated, raising her own voice back at him. "After everything you've done to me and everyone else? After what you did to her?" Zeus began to chuckle at Jasmine's sentiment, slowly evolving into a snarky laugh, only to worsen and become a sadistic cackle.

"Because, you idiot," Zeus roared while laughing hysterically. "You have nothing else! You drop us, and you're lonely again!" As he continued to chuckle, the German Shepherd on the roundabout began to join in, soon followed by a delayed reaction from Butch, who slowly began to laugh for a bit before coming to a stop."

"I don't get it," Butch confessed. "What's so funny?"

"We're all she has left, remember?" Zeus snickered as he turned to Butch. "The other one left!"

"..That's funny how?" Butch asked, confused. Zeus stopped laughing and began to groan.

"Stupid!" he scolded. "Have you been listening to us at all? She wants to leave us like the other one did!"

"Oh, you mean her!" Butch called as he realized what Zeus was saying and he began to laugh again. "She wants to be friends with her again, that's hilarious!"

"Face it, sweetheart," Zeus bragged, lightly clenching Jasmine's cheeks and wiggling them. "We're all you got now, and we're your best bet to ever getting anywhere. So if you leave us now, to put it lightly, you're screwed." Zeus let go of Jasmine's face and ran back up to the tower to climb it again, leaving the Rottweiler on the bench to become lost in her thoughts once more.


AN2: Wow, a bit got revealed in this chapter, didn't it? Wonder where the story will head next?

I actually don't have a proper post-chapter message planned, so.. I'll see you in the next one!

Also, remember the ring. It's important.