AN: Hi. I suck at making promises.
This chapter had been in the works since August, but mid-production, something came up and I decided to take a break from it. This week, I finally managed to finish it.
I just want to say that, even though I'm not sure how genuine the reviews I get are, I want to thank you all for 15 favorites, and I'm glad to have heard positive feedback where I have. I love writing this story, and I can't wait to get to work on chapter six, because things are beginning to heat up a bit more!
Thank you all for your patience, I hope it was worth the wait!
"Come back here, you grubs!" Bandit playfully shouted to the girls, who were all running around the backyard in an intense game of Tiggy. Bluey, Bingo, Judo, and Lucy were running for whatever was worth it to escape the former two's father. It had only been five minutes into the game and Bandit was already it again. He couldn't tell if it was the kids getting faster or him getting slower, but this definitely wasn't as easy as he remembered it being over the years. Nevertheless, he was still having a blast chasing the young ones around. Meanwhile, Bluey, Bingo, Judo, and Lucy were all trying their hardest to not get caught by the big blue baboon chasing them. While the Heeler kids and Judo were moving more fluidly with the game, Lucy's movements were a bit more stiff, hesitant, and awkward, as if she hadn't done something like this in a long time. Miraculously, however, she had still managed to hold her own against Bandit up to this point, juking and dodging him whenever she saw the opportunity. Chilli was watching from atop the balcony, drinking a ginger beer as she got distracted by the wholesome sight before her. She wished she could join in as well, and perhaps even chat with their new friend, Lucy. But she had plenty of housework to do, and there wasn't much time for dawdling. Before she could set back to work, however, she heard a loud crack snap through the air, followed by a very pained yell from her husband, who was sitting on the ground, grasping his right leg. A discomforted wince took over the face that once carried the energetic, playful smile that Bandit was usually known for. As Chilli raced downstairs to check on her husband, the children surrounded him as well.
"Are you alright, Dad?!" Bluey worriedly questioned her injured father.
"Yeah, yeah," Bandit cringed as he tried to soothe his leg. "I'm good, mate. I just popped my knee, that's all." He began to try to stand up with Bluey and Bingo's help, but wound up falling back down.
"Sorry!" Bingo cried out, thinking him falling was her fault.
"It's not you, Bingo," her dad clarified. "I think my leg's too sore to stand on right now."
As soon as Chilli got into the yard, she picked up her husband and threw his arm over her shoulder, and hers over his, and they began to trudge inside together.
"Is Dad going to be ok?" Bluey asked her mother.
"Yeah, but I don't think he'll be able to play anymore today," Chilli replied remorsefully as she helped her true love into the living room to lay down on the sofa, leaving the girls in shock.
"Sorry about your dad, Bluey," Lucy stated her condolences.
"It's alright," she assured. "You didn't hurt him."
"Dad's getting older too," sighed Bingo, sadly kicking her foot in the ground, kicking up dead grass blades in a dry patch where grass once stood in their yard. "Aw, and so is the yard!' she whined as she noticed the state of the lawn.
"It's alright, Bingo," Bluey reassured her sister. "Dad and the grass will get better soon. Why don't we play another game to take your mind off of it in the meantime?" Bluey then gasped and turned to Judo excitedly. "Judo! Let's show Lucy how to play Butterflies!"
However, Judo's response wasn't what Bluey expected. Typically, she would be wagging her tail and cheering, ecstatic about playing one of her favorite childhood games again. But when Bluey asked her in that moment, her eyes widened, but they weren't accompanied by a joyful smile. A small gasp emitted from her mouth and a frown began to form on her face, similar to the one she had on the night of the incident. Her pupils clearly read fear and panic, as if she had been brought back to a bad memory. She rapidly blinked and lightly shook her head before speaking up to the Blue Heeler.
"Yeah, I don't know about that one," she said apologetically as she put her paw on the back of her head. "Sorry, Bluey. Sorry, Lucy."
"What?" Bluey confoundedly exclaimed. "But you love Butterflies!"
"Not anymore," she mumbled under her breath. It took Bluey some time to remember why Judo was against playing Butterflies today, but it soon dawned on her that it may have had something to do with her brother Arthur. She remembered Judo telling her long ago that she had taught that game to him when he was a toddler and it stuck with him since, and he loved playing it with her almost every time their dad set the hammock up or had spare blankets out.
"Oh, right," Bluey said remorsefully, finally remembering what had happened. "Sorry, Judo.. Maybe we can play another game instead, like Phones!"
"Bluey," Judo groaned, inconvenienced. It was then that Bluey remembered that Judo didn't have a phone either, thanks to someone else she'd rather not speak of.
"Sorry, Judo," Bluey sighed, feeling guilty about forgetting the incident.
"It's fine," Judo dismissed. "I've been trying to forget about it myself."
"Some things may never leave you," Lucy monotonically spoke up as she examined her jade ring once again, which Bingo took notice of.
"I like your ring," the youngest complimented. "I can see why you enjoy looking at it."
"Yeah.. She had good taste," Lucy added, her ears beginning to droop.
"Who's she?" Bingo asked out of curiosity, not knowing the Husky's circumstance.
"..Maybe later. Not right now," Lucy turned away and put her arm up to her face, seemingly wiping away something. Perhaps sweat? It was scorching today, after all. After taking a short breath, she turned back around with a much happier expression. Although, something about it came off as odd to Bluey and Judo. Her smile felt forced, as if she didn't want them to see or know about something that was eating her up. While this struck as odd to the older girls, Bingo didn't think much of it and she went about her business as usual.
The rest of the day was spent continuing their previous game, albeit without Bandit to join the fun. Eventually, Lucy's mum came to pick her up, and she and Chilli spent several minutes talking with one another and getting acquainted, even exchanging numbers to keep in touch and saving each other's addresses into their phones. When it was time for Lucy to leave, she awkwardly waved goodbye to Bluey, Bingo, and Judo, and she left her number on the fridge for Bluey to add. As the other girls cheerfully waved back to Lucy, bidding her farewell for the night, Lucy's face conveyed the exact opposite. She was very disappointed that she had to leave her new friends, but she understood it was a school night, and she'd see them again tomorrow. As she and her mum got into the car, Lucy looked at her ring once more. Her mother took note of this and her face dropped.
"Thinking about her again?" she asked her daughter.
"..If I make new friends, I'm not replacing her, am I?" Lucy hesitantly asked her mother, who reached over to put her paw on her daughter's back.
"Of course not, dear," she cooed. "In fact, I think this is what she would have wanted you to do."
"..What about Daddy? What would he want?"
"For you to keep living your best life."
"It's hard to do when all I can think about is her.."
Lucy's mother sighed and looked at her engagement ring. "I feel you on that.." She then took the brake off and switched to Drive, and the two Huskies made their way back home as Bluey and Judo watched from the front porch.
"Right," Judo spoke up as she turned to her best friend. "We need to talk about Lucy."
"Um, okay?" Bluey replied, confused as to what Judo thought was wrong with their new friend.
"Don't you find it odd how she keeps staring at her ring?" Judo began to rant. "Like, I get it's important to her, but how important is it that she has to look at it every five seconds?"
"I think it might have belonged to someone she really loved," Bluey added. "Someone who's.. Most likely no longer with us.."
"What did she tell you about the ring? It was hard to hear you lot with those idiots on the bus laughing up a storm!"
"She said it had something to do with Zeus and his mates," Bluey thought back. "So it can't be anyone in her family."
"Didn't she say the ring belonged to a 'she'?" Judo pitched, only to regret thinking of the possibility of a close friend being deceased. "It can't be a friend. That just can't be right."
"Maybe she was her best friend that moved away?"
"I dunno, she seemed really sad whenever she looked at it, and I'm sure she'd still be able to talk with her on the phone anyway.. Something's not adding up, Bluey."
"Yeah, but we mustn't pester her about it," Bluey reminded her friend, who was as desperate for answers as she was. "When Bingo asked her about it, she shot it down in a heartbeat. It's definitely a touchy subject for her." Bluey then looked around and noticed that her sister was notably absent. "Speaking of, where is Bingo?" Almost as soon as Bluey asked, Bingo opened the door with three ice blocks in her paws, one already opened and being held in her mouth.
Bingo took the treat out of her mouth to speak. "Lemon," she called out as she handed the yellow ice block to her sister. She then turned to Judo. "Cherry," she said as she did the same to Judo as with her sister. "..Or strawberry, I forgot."
"Oh jeez," Judo chuckled and rolled her eyes. "For all I know, this could be blood!"
"Maybe it is," Bingo smirked deviously, following up on Judo's joke. "You'll never know until you try it!"
"If that's the case, I'm probably holding a wee block!" Bluey giggled as she held up her treat. She may have been twelve now, but that didn't mean she wasn't still subject to immature humor every now and again. Bingo got a chuckle out of this, but Judo just dismissively rolled her eyes as she began to lick her ice block.
"So, which one is it?" Bingo quizzed her older friend.
"Raspberry," answered Judo, who was caught off guard by the unexpected flavor.
"Oh yeah!" Bingo remembered. "I forgot we made those not too long ago!"
"Why didn't you just ask Mum what flavour it was?" Bluey asked her sister, snickering.
"She was busy looking after Dad," Bingo sighed, her mood shifting drastically. "He had his leg hoisted up, I think he may have done his calf."
"Oh," Bluey's ears dropped as she began to worry. "Is he alright?"
"Yeah, Mum's wrapped it up. He did look a little sad, though."
"He probably really wanted to keep playing with us," a now saddened Bluey replied to her sister's report.
The girls sat in silence for a moment, concerned for their father's well being. Judo respectfully stayed quiet as well. They began to wonder if any of this was their fault, if all of the years of playing with him had finally worn him down. In all honesty, to say they simply played with him would have been an understatement. Bandit had taken several glomps, hits, and falls over the years, but he always managed to get back up and keep playing, despite his numerous comments about how he had done his back changing Bluey's nappies or how the kids always made him feel old. Growing up, they had always thought he was just being silly, but now, what he was saying was starting to make sense. He was in his late forties now. He couldn't keep up with the kids forever. There was going to come a day and age where he wouldn't be able to do the things he used to, and the girls started to fear that, if it wasn't today, it'd come very soon. As they were sitting in silence, Chilli came outside to check up on the girls.
"Mum?" Bingo asked aloud as her mum came out the door. "Is there such a thing as 'play retirement'?"
"What do you mean?" asked Chilli. "Like, quitting games forever?"
"Yeah," Bingo confirmed. "Do you think Dad might go into it?"
"Bingo," Chilli began solemnly. "There comes a time in everyone's life where they just can't do the things they used to. If I'm being honest, you three might be going into that soon." Chilli paused to note the looks on her girls' faces. Bluey was confused, though Bingo seemed more distraught than before. Regardless, Chilli regretfully continued. "Big school is about that time where things become more complicated. You don't always have time for playing games or talking with each other because you'll be caught up with other things, like dealing with schoolwork, getting a job, learning to drive, saving up enough dollarbucks to find a place of your own.. Maybe even finding that special someone in your life?"
"I don't want to grow up, Mum," Bingo's voice began to tremble. "It sounds really hard."
"Yeah, it will be," Chilli regretfully confirmed, placing her paw on her younger daughter's shoulder. "It was hard for me and your dad, too. But just remember that, no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you - for all three of you - even when you can't see me." Chilli looked up to get all three of the girls in her viewpoint. "Because I love you."
Judo was taken aback by Chilli's sentiment. Did she really mean that? Did she consider her and Wendy close enough to include her under her wings of protection, as if she was one of her own? Before she could give it another thought, she heard her mother's voice calling out to her.
"Judo!" Wendy called out from afar. "It's time to come home now, darling!"
"Okay!" she called back to her mum. She looked at the girls and their mother and waved goodbye to them all. Judo briskly walked back to her house to wind down and get ready for bed. All the while, Bluey watched her retreat to her home. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to do so, she knew Judo was literally right next door to them, and she was obviously going to be safe, but she still wanted to observe the trek back home just to make sure. Once Judo was inside, Bluey turned to her mother.
"Mum," she asked, curious about a notion Chilli had made only seconds ago. "Do you consider Judo and Wendy family?"
"Well," Chilli replied, thinking about the subject for a moment. She herself hadn't really thought deeply into how she saw Wendy and Judo. She knew that she was close with them, and they were neighbours. That's as far as she had thought on it until now. "You've known Judo since you were a baby, and Wendy and I are old classmates. So in a way, she's kind of like a cousin, you could say."
"So, is Wendy like a second sister to you?"
"Yeah, I suppose you could say that," after she spoke, Chilli turned towards Pat and Janelle's house. "Similar to how your dad and Lucky's dad are like brothers."
"Hey babe!" Bandit called out from the sofa. "That reminds me; Pat invited us over to watch the game this weekend!"
"I think he may have to come to ours this time!" Chilli replied from afar. "Your leg needs to heal!"
"Righto, boss!" Bandit groaned from the other room.
Chilli turned back to her daughters, "Speaking of legs, you should be moving yours into the bath."
"Yes, Mum," the girls replied simultaneously as they headed to the bathroom.
Judo walked inside her house to greet her mother, who was waiting for her at the dining room table. She had a warm grin on her face as she welcomingly eyed her daughter, who was gradually making her way into the room. As Judo approached the doorway, Wendy turned around to face the counter.
"I have a surprise for you, Judo!" Wendy announced as she grabbed a small, wrapped present from the counter and spun back around to hand it to her mini-me. Judo examined the present; a small, rectangular box covered with unicorn-themed wrapping paper, colored mostly pink and white. "You may open it whenever you are ready," her mother stated passionately. Without hesitation, Judo carefully tore into the paper with her claw, ripping a line through a gap in the wrapping. The paper came off as one piece with no issues. However, it wasn't as carefully handled when discarded.
In Judo's paws was the box for a relatively new phone, and taped to the package was a cyan case sprinkled with yellow glitter. Her excitement was immeasurable as she gasped and ran to her mum, tail wagging frantically, to hug her before she began to pry open the boxes to assemble her new phone.
The time flew by relatively quickly that night, and before everyone knew it, it was bedtime. Bluey and Bingo were winding themselves down for the night by watching TV, when Bluey's phone began to ring. She looked at the number, but she couldn't recognize it.
"Mum!" she inquired. "There's a random number calling me! What do I do?"
"Probably a scammer, I wouldn't answer it!" Chilli called back.
"Nah, that's no fun!" Bandit butted in from the couch. "What you do is answer them and then mess with them for a bit!"
"Bandit, no," Chilli asserted to no avail. "They're not worth your time, she shouldn't even have to deal with these people!"
"Chill the beans, what's the worst that could happen?" Bandit coaxed. "Besides, they're practically asking for it!"
"What would I even do?" asked Bandit's miniature reflection, puzzled by the whole idea.
"Remember Marjorie?" her father returned, giving Bluey a devilish idea, a cheeky grin growing across her face as she began to chortle at the idea. Chilli held the bridge of her muzzle and sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. Bandit was fully committed to teaching his daughter to get payback against telemarketers and there was no talking either of them out of this. Disregarding any risks (and her mother's advice), she answered the phone, albeit mostly out of curiosity. However, before she could say hello, she was interrupted by the other end.
"Hey Bluey!" the voice on the other end called out ecstatically. "It's me, Judo! My mum just gave me a new phone! It's got a blue case with yellow sparkles and it runs like a dream!" Upon hearing this, Bluey instantly forgot what she was doing and started cheering for her friend.
"Hooray!" she shouted. "You don't have to use your mum's phone anymore, and we can talk to each other longer!"
"Not tonight, Bluey," added Chilli. "You all have school in the morning."
"Aww!" Bluey whined. "But she just got her new phone! I need to tell her everyone else's numbers!"
"It's ok, I already have the essentials!" Judo reassured her friend. "I've got you, Mum, your parents.." Judo paused to think back at all of the people she added. She realized that the list had concluded. There were four people in her contacts, and only one of them was a friend.
"See? You're missing a whole bunch of people!" Bluey cried empathetically. "You still have to add Lucky, Rusty, Lucy, Mackenzie, Jean-Luc, Coco-"
"Who's Jean-Luc?" asked Judo, perplexed. Bluey facepalmed. She couldn't believe that, during the whole summer she and Judo just went through together, she never managed to find time to introduce her to Jean-Luc. Between helping him unpack, celebrating the holidays, and being there for Judo as she recovered from the incident, there was hardly enough room to schedule a meeting.
"He's the French Labrador I walked in with earlier," Bluey elaborated. "I think he said he's from Canada."
"Oh, sweet! I've always wanted to meet someone who spoke French! It is the language of love, after all!"
"Who knows, Judo?" Bandit butted in to crack a joke. "Maybe he'll be the one to ask you to partager un baiser,"
"Dad!" Bluey snapped. "How very dare you!"
"Wait, what did he say?" asked Judo, who didn't understand what Bandit had just said.
"Trust me, Judo," Bluey warned her friend. "It'd be better if you didn't know."
"How did you know what your dad said?" Chilli questioned her daughter, intrigued by her newfound bilinguality.
"Jean-Luc taught me some French while Dad and I were helping them unpack," she elaborated. "And what Dad said was very uncalled for! Jean-Luc and I saw his parents doing that a few times!"
"What, having a little smoochy kiss? Nothing wrong with that!"
"Dad! Judo can hear you!" Bluey squealed, embarrassed. Judo didn't give much of a response on the other end other than what sounded like a sheepish, forced chuckle, which didn't make the situation any less awkward.
"Hey, it's getting late," Judo spoke up. "We can sort this out tomorrow. Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, Judo!" The Heeler family replied, albeit Bluey less enthusiastically than the others. The line was then severed and Bluey put her phone to her side. Bluey was immensely irked, thinking her dad had made her friend feel uncomfortable, cutting their conversation short. She understood he was just trying to be funny, and he hadn't had a good day today, so she wasn't going to give him too much. She simply just coldly looked at him, scoffed and rolled her eyes, and went upstairs to her room without saying goodnight to her parents or her sister, the latter was most concerned and ran up after her whilst bidding her parents a good night's rest.
"Goodnight, Mum! Goodnight, Dad!" she hurriedly called out as she raced up the stairs.
"Goodnight, Bingo!" both parents returned.
"Well, that's certainly one way to get the kids in bed," commented Chilli, paws on her hips.
"Aw, come on! That was funny!"
"It was also really awkward,"
"Well," Bandit thought about the situation from the alternate perspective. "Yeah, I guess that was a little out of the blue, wasn't it?"
"Definitely."
"I don't get why she's so upset, though.."
"I think she's just mad that she couldn't finish chatting with Judo," Bandit's wife soothed him. "She'll be over it tomorrow morning." Chilli then sat down in the chair next to her spouse that her daughter previously occupied. She reached her arm out to Bandit, and the two parents held paws as they slowly drifted off to sleep.
Bluey furiously plopped down on her bed, arms crossed. Bingo came into the room shortly after her.
"Bluey?" she quietly asked, concerned for her sister. "Are you alright?"
"It's not fair!" the Blue Heeler griped. "Judo just got her new phone and we can't even have one conversation without Dad cutting in and making it weird!"
"He was only joking, Bluey," Bingo tried to soothe her sister to no avail.
"Yeah, well, he should have kept it to himself!" Bluey snapped back, still agitated.
"But you almost always laugh at Dad's jokes!"
"You don't understand, Bingo," Bluey spoke sternly to her sister. "Judo sounded so happy! The last time she was that energetic was before Christmas.. Before her dad turned on her.." The mood instantly became more somber once Caspar was mentioned. Bluey never got a chance to know him herself, but from what Judo told her, he sounded like a bad man, and that was enough for Bluey to consider him an enemy. The sisters sat in silence for a few seconds, neither making eye contact, as they both had plenty on their minds. Until Bluey got an idea. A very risky idea, but an idea nonetheless. She grabbed her phone from off the shelf and began to tap away at it.
"Bluey, what are you doing?!" Bingo began to panic, now even more worried for her sister. "Mum said you can't be on your phone at bedtime!"
"Yeah, I know," Bluey dismissed, still busy on her phone. "But this is a cereal pickle. I'm sure Mum will understand if I get caught, and that's a big if."
Disregarding any potential dangers, Bluey hastily continued what she was working on. From what Bingo could tell, she seemed to be tapping her keyboard, then selecting something, then going back and repeating the process again. Bingo got up and tiptoed over to Bluey's side of the room, sneaking a better peek at her sister's screen. It was then that she realized that she was typing in the names and numbers of a few of her friends and adding them to a group. Bingo witnessed Bluey begin to add the last member of the group chat, a number that was saved as "Chloe (Bestie!)" in her phone.
Bluey paused for a moment to think before she added Chloe to the group. She began to remember that Bluey hadn't seen Chloe all summer long. There were no attempts to reach out to her, that she knew of. Perhaps she and her family were busy doing their own thing this summer? But if that were the case, why didn't Chloe think to invite Bluey to tag along? Usually, Bluey was the first person that Chloe thought of when inviting people to an event, but it seemed like she had just forgotten all about her best friend. What was even stranger was that Bluey had seen Chloe on the bus earlier, but Chloe didn't say a word to her or invite Bluey to sit next to her before Lucy did. She appeared to be by herself as well, which wasn't very characteristic for Chloe unless she was upset, and that didn't happen too often. All of this only convinced her to add Chloe to the group even more as she tapped on her contact and concluded her invitation spree. Bluey made one final check to make sure everyone that Judo needed to add was in the group.
"Lucky, Rusty, Mackenzie, Lucy, Coco, Indy, and Chloe," Bluey recounted. "Yep, that's everyone!" She began to type out the first message of the chat, starting off with a simple "Hi!" However, the responses she got in return weren't many, and those who did respond weren't too positive. Chloe straight-up left the group without any hesitation, Indy and Lucky remained offline, and Mackenzie was initially annoyed.
"Bluey, what is this?" he texted back, not very enthusiastic about being suddenly added into a group chat when he should be asleep. "We're supposed to be trying to go to sleep. Why are we all here?"
"Chill, Mackenzie," sent Lucy, who was more enthusiastic about the situation than him. "Maybe it's about earlier."
"I don't think so," Rusty put in, more confused than anything else. "I thought it was just going to be between us four."
"What are you guys talking about?" Coco worked her way into the conversation, just as perplexed as Rusty.
"Actually, this is about Judo," Bluey clarified. "She got a new phone and I wanted to make sure she was able to add all of her friends.
"Thanks, Bluey, I appreciate it," Judo finally texted. "But couldn't we have done this tomorrow?"
"But I'd rather you have everyone added now in case something does happen tomorrow," the Blue Heeler coaxed her friend.
"Why is Indy here?" Rusty asked. "She's going to get into trouble if her mum hears her phone going off!"
"Oh! You're right!" Bluey realized as she hurriedly removed Indy from the group chat. Bingo simply held her head with her paw, shaking her head as she made her way back to her bed.
"If we're talking anomalies, why is Mackenzie here?" Coco added, unaware of Judo and Mackenzie's current status. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but I don't remember him ever talking to Judo.."
"We just started talking earlier today," the Chow Chow cleared up. "He's pretty fun, I see why you guys like him so much."
"Yeah, he's a sweetheart," the Poodle added, accompanying the message with a smiley emoji with heart eyes.
"Can we not, please?" Mackenzie requested, feeling very uncomfortable once more.
"I guess while we're all here," Coco changed the subject. "I suppose now would be a good time for gossip."
"Can't it wait until morning?" Mackenzie sent, still not in a good mood.
"I guess," Coco replied. "But I think it would be better if I told you now, so you'd be prepared.." Everyone who was currently active in the chat was intrigued, even if they were on the verge of passing out. They wouldn't feel drowsy for long, however, as Coco sent her next message, "You'd never believe who I saw today.."
"Who was it?" Bluey asked her fluffy friend.
"Hercules," she reluctantly continued. "He's attending this school too."
"Oh no, not him," Mackenzie replied, thinking back to the time Hercules flailed him around like a toy when he and his friends played Circus all those years ago.
"I caught him in a good mood today," Coco proceeded. "He didn't say anything mean or pushy when I spoke to him, but I did see him talking to a group of mean-sounding dogs not long after. I thought I heard one of them, the big, black one, say something about Jack?"
"Aw biscuits," Bluey swore under her breath and soon repeated over text.
"What did they say?" Rusty asked, intrigued.
"I couldn't hear all of it, I was in a hurry to swap between classes," Coco apologized. "But I could make out something along the lines of 'He got what was coming to him,' and 'You knew him, right?' and I think Hercules said 'No, I can't' and later, 'I'll think it over'?"
Bluey was horrified and heartbroken by this revelation. The kid she met all those years ago and had helped become a better person was supposedly considering reverting back to his old ways. Not only this, but Coco, and subsequently Judo and Lucky (if the latter were to ever come online and see it) were now in the know about the bully situation.
"So much for limiting our numbers," Mackenzie commented, even more annoyed than he already was.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," Bluey apologized, realizing that she had botched the oath they had taken only earlier that day.
"It's alright," Lucy accepted her apology. "Maybe this was for the better, because now we know that Zeus's crew might get another member."
"Who's Zeus?" Coco and Judo sent simultaneously.
"The Cane Corso that leads the group of dogs Hercules was probably talking to," Bluey answered. "He's nothing but bad news."
"He beat up Jack," Rusty grieved, leaving the girls, who were then out of the loop, in shock.
"Oh my gosh, is he ok?!" Coco asked, worried for her old friend. Coco didn't get to talk to Jack often, but whenever she did get to play with him growing up, she saw how purehearted he was. She could vividly remember playing Explorers with him a few times growing up, as it was through those games she began to grow attached to him.
"He's fine, besides a sore stomach and a bad cut under his eye," Mackenzie replied. "He's going to be out for a few days while he recovers.. All of this because he accidentally stumbled into them.."
"Jack's a strong young soldier, he'll be fine," Rusty added. "But if he got taken out by Zeus alone, imagine what his whole crew could do against someone,"
"Worser still, imagine what they could do with Hercules on their team!" Mackenzie began to worry about his and his friends' well being.
"We're not going to let that happen," Bluey confidently texted. "We're going to talk him out of it when we get the chance tomorrow."
"Let's all sit together at lunch tomorrow and discuss from there," Lucy proposed. "It's almost 10:30."
"Right, goodnight, sorry about all of this," Bluey apologized and bidded her friends farewell.
"Goodnight, Bluey!" her friends all replied to her. Bluey put her phone back on the shelf and tucked herself in.
The dream Bluey had that night was nothing short of confusing. Bluey found herself at her dining room table, albeit the room was poorly lit and it was pitch black outside. On the table was a paper plate doll that resembled a person. The only colors that were used for the doll were white and black, the plates obviously being white and the accessories - string, ribbon, pipe cleaners, etcetera - were black. The plates had black circles scribbled in as well, resembling polka dots. Something about the doll seemed eerily familiar to Bluey, but she somehow couldn't figure out what it was on the doll that she saw elsewhere. Interestingly enough, there were no other supplies or tools on the table besides a pair of scissors with a light blue handle. Bluey, out of pure curiosity, looked around the room to see her surroundings. She soon wished she hadn't, as the rest of her house was the same poorly lit, liminal space as the dining area. In the room next to her, however, she could barely make out the silhouette of a slender, feminine dog. The shadow didn't make any sudden movements. It only stood where it was and remained there, no matter what Bluey tried to do to get its attention. She eventually turned back to the doll and the scissors, and out of curiosity and boredom, she started cutting away at the plate that made up the torso. In the room next to her, she heard whispering, whispering that sounded eerily familiar. "It has to be done," "I'm sorry," "You're better off without me," it cried from the darkness. When Bluey looked over to see where the noise was coming from, the silhouette was gone and the whispering ceased. She continued to make the final few cuts of the paper, and before she could make the final snip of the plate, the lights flickered on, and sitting next to her at the table was a very sad Chloe Dalmatian. Bluey looked up to her best friend, and as they made eye contact, Chloe forced a smile as she waved to her friend one final time before the dream concluded and Bluey woke up to the rain pouring outside of her window, smacking the roof as it fell from the neverending grey void in the sky.
"That was a weird dream," she said to herself, very perplexed by what she had just witnessed. Bluey looked at the clock and noticed she had an hour before she had to leave. She turned to look at Bingo's bed, only to realize that she had already left the room. Without a second longer of thought, she got out of bed and started to get herself ready for school.
The young Blue Heeler didn't take long to prep herself, despite the uncanny dream she had that was etched into her brain. She made good time as she sped through showering, brushing her teeth, and combing her fur, all the way up to eating her bowl of cereal. As she was finishing up, Bandit limped into the room, holding himself up against the wall as he hobbled over to his daughters
"Righto, let's motor!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.
"Bandit, what are you doing?!" cried his wife, who ran over to give him extra support.
"Relax, Chilli," he reassured whilst fumbling for the wall. "I'm fine! My leg's better now! I'll drop the kids off and you take care of whatever you have to do here."
"No, you need to rest!" Chilli argued. "I'll take the girls today. You get back to the couch and stay off your foot." Bandit sighed and reluctantly hobbled back to the couch. There was no arguing with Chilli. Whatever she said usually went, one way or another, and she would make sure that was so.
"Mum," Bluey asked while putting her bowl in the sink. "What will happen if you or Dad can't get me to school?"
"You'll have to take the bus those days, I'm afraid," her mum reluctantly replied. "Hopefully it won't be as bad for you as it was for me growing up."
"Well, yesterday Mackenzie fell and a bunch of others laughed at him," her daughter added. "He's alright, but it was pretty upsetting."
"Some things never change," Chilli said to herself, disgusted.
Bluey thought back to her dream last night with Chloe. She and her had been best friends since Kindy, and to her knowledge, neither of them had ever dared think of what they would do without each other. Nevertheless, the dream provoked the thought, and if she hadn't thought of it before, it was here now, and it was here to stay unless she did something about it. "What if some things did change?" she asked. "Like relationships?"
"Yeah, relationships with others can change, for better or worse," her mother answered. Though she didn't make it apparent, she was curious as to what her daughter meant. Did something happen between her and a friend yesterday? Did she have a crush on one of her friends? Did she and someone else have a squabble? Before Chilli could ask for a specification, Bluey elaborated on her question.
"I had a weird dream last night," she began to explain. "It was about Chloe. The house was dark in my dream, and there was a paper plate doll of her on the table. The only thing else on the table was a pair of scissors. She was in the other room watching me from the shadows as I cut it in half without a second thought. She looked and sounded really sad. I didn't know what else to do, but somehow, cutting the doll felt.. Right, in a sense.."
"Oh dear," Chilli said to herself, stunned by Bluey's description of her eerie dream. "Well, I don't think it's anything to worry about, sweetie. Not all dreams have to mean something."
"I guess you're right," Bluey shrugged. "Thanks, Mum."
"It's what I'm here for," Chilli smiled as she fluffed Bluey's hair tuft. "Now, go ahead and wash up and head to the car. You too, Bingo."
"Yes, Mum!" the Heeler girls said in unison as they began to do as instructed.
Chloe was dropped off early that morning by her dad, who had been relentlessly encouraging her to do her best. She wanted to make her dad proud, of course, but she felt like acing her classes was all he seemed to talk about nowadays. She didn't tell him, though, because she didn't want her dad to feel like a stuck-up because he was excessively cheering her on. If anything, she needed the support this year, because she knew from what Mia told Bluey about secondary school that it was going to be hard at times, if not all the time.
"Oh no!" she thought to herself, facepalming. "I didn't get to talk to Bluey this summer! I hope she doesn't think something bad has happened!" Chloe pulled out her phone and frantically began to search for Bluey in her contacts, only for - to Chloe's shock - her not to be added. To make matters worse, she had long forgotten Bluey's number, since she had gotten so used to simply tapping on her name whenever she needed something, and she wasn't acquainted with anyone else at the school, so she was out of luck in every department. That was, until an orange muscle car pulled up into the lot and out of the backseat stepped a Bloodhound. After waving goodbye to his father, who was driving the vehicle, he began to walk forward up the path, heading towards Chloe with a swagger in his step.
"Morning, Sunshine!" the Bloodhound called out to the lonesome Dalmatian. "You're looking kind of cloudy today. Is the curry still getting to you?"
"Jock!" Chloe cheered as she ran up to him and hugged him. "No, I'm feeling better, it's something else.."
"Well, what's bugging my lovebug?" Jock flirted as he stepped back from Chloe to look her in the eyes.
"I forgot to text my best friend this summer, and now she's somehow gone from my contacts!" Chloe began to panic.
"You mean the Blue Heeler, right?" Jock asked the worried Dalmatian, who frantically nodded in response. Unbeknownst to Chloe, Jock rolled his eyes dismissively, but immediately put on his best guilty face. "Aw, shoot, babe! I think I know what happened," he sorrily exclaimed. "When you were in the bathroom last night, someone rang your phone and tried to scam you, but when I tried to block their number, I accidentally removed your friend's instead! I'm so, so sorry!"
"It's alright, I'll ask for her number when she gets here,"
A confident smirk grew on Jock's face. A smirk that, if one were to look at it, they may not be able to tell straight away if it was flirtatious or devious. "You know," Jock slyly said to Chloe. "You are almost 13 years old, right?" Chloe nodded in response. "And all of the people you know are from way back when, right?" Chloe nodded again, unsure as to where Jock was going with this. "How often do you talk with these chaps?"
Chloe thought back for a moment on her recent memory. The last time she had spoken to Bluey, or anyone else she was close to, for that matter, was the last day of primary. Since then, she had been busy preparing for secondary school with her dad and hanging out with her newly found acquaintance from a leisurely trip to the park, Jock, who she had, as of a week ago, accepted into her heart as her partner. She couldn't ever find time to say hello to Bluey, mainly because her boyfriend had proven to be a little clingy, but at the same time, she couldn't have been any happier with someone special enough to call her partner. She enjoyed every second she had spent with Jock over the summer, and she was thrilled to learn that they were attending the same school. Though, she wouldn't consider last night their finest hour together, as her stomach was upset by the dinner he invited her over for. On this train of thought, Chloe thought back and wondered why she left her phone on the couch in the first place. She could have used that opportunity to text her friends, and maybe she could have taken care of the telemarketer herself. Nevertheless, what was done was done, and the bottom line was that she hadn't said a word to her friends in months.
"We haven't had a chance to speak recently," Chloe confessed. "I've been super busy lately and I feel bad for not making time for them. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it might not be your fault," Jock continued. "Sometimes, people just naturally grow apart from one another without any reason. You're nearing your teenage years, you may be growing up and seeking new interests without realizing it."
"What are you on about?" Chloe questioned her boyfriend, perplexed by his assumption.
"Respectfully, dear," Jock sympathetically spoke. "There was plenty an opportunity to call this Bluey of yours and talk with him."
"Bluey's a girl."
"Right. Anyway, you could have talked with your friends at any time and I wouldn't have minded. You could have said you needed a minute or two, I would have understood."
Chloe thought about what he was saying, and she realized that he was right. She could have stopped to take time to say something to her friends, but she didn't. "Yeah, I guess you have a point," she agreed.
"So why didn't you?" Jock asked with a sweethearted tone in his voice.
"I dunno, I guess it just slipped my mind when I was with you."
"Because I make you happy, don't I?"
"Of course you do!" Chloe latched onto Jock again, hugging him tightly. Jock's grin became wider and more sinister than before.
"Then maybe it's time you made some more room, wouldn't you say?" Jock cooed into her ear. "You are a growing girl, after all. It's only appropriate that you find yourself a more appropriate crowd." Something about Jock's voice tickled Chloe, though she couldn't necessarily tell if she liked the sensation. His voice was dark, silky, and smooth - almost alluring or hypnotizing, in a sense. She knew that she couldn't just abandon her lifelong friends like that, but something inside of her wanted to comply.
"I'm not so sure about that," Chloe hesitantly declined her partner's suggestion. "I've known them for over six years now, I don't think I could just abandon them like that."
"Take your time to think on it, dear, no rush," said Jock as he backed away from Chloe again. "Just try to consider what you think would be best for your future."
Without further notice, Chilli Heeler pulled into the lot with Bluey stepping out of the car. As soon as she saw Chloe, she sprinted up to her best friend, tackling her in Bluey's signature friendly embrace, something Chloe hadn't felt in months.
"Chloe!" the Blue Heeler cried out in excitement. "Where have you been all summer?! I've missed you so much!"
"Hey, Bluey! I'm so, so sorry for not saying anything!" Chloe replied, equally as excited, albeit mixed with guilt. "This summer's just been super busy for me! My dad's been making me study for school and my mum's been taking me and my brother out all the time for walks. Plus, I've met somebody new that I've been spending a lot of time with!" Chloe pointed towards Jock to introduce him. "This is my boyfriend, Jock! We met at the park not too long ago, and we got really close to each other from our morning walks!"
Jock looked at Bluey with a face that could only be described as hidden resentment. His lips didn't show it, as they were curved into a forced smile, but his eyes were colder than ice. Something about Jock felt odd enough to give her a bad vibe from him. In fact, if Bluey could read minds, she was almost certain he would be thinking 'Back off, she's mine!'
"Hello, Bluey," Jock said almost monotonously. "I've heard a lot about you from Chloe. You're best friends, correct?"
"Yep, been friends since Kindy!" Bluey proudly - albeit, a little awkwardly - announced.
"Hm, I see," Jock put his paw on his chin, grabbing it with his thumb and index finger, as if he were thinking about something. "Tell me; how did you two become such great friends?"
"Well, it all started on our first day of Kindy," Bluey began to explain. "This was my first time going somewhere without someone in the family by my side, so I was a little nervous, and everybody else already had a playmate. Chloe came up and showed me around, and then we played and talked with each other for a bit, and it's grown from there!"
"I see," Jock continued to stare coldly at the Blue Heeler, the subtle tension slowly building up for Bluey, while her best friend was none the wiser.
"Hey, babe?" Chloe asked her partner. "Is it alright if I talk with Bluey for a bit?"
Before Jock could say anything in response, a bus pulled into the yard, and through the window, Jock could make out the silhouette of a bigger, stockier dog, similar to that of a Mastiff. "Sure thing," he accepted. "I've got some mates of my own to catch up with, too." Chloe and Jock shared one last hug together before Chloe and Bluey walked off to the side to await the doors opening. Meanwhile, Jock snuck off to the side of the building and rendezvoused with his friends; a muscular Bulldog, a lanky German Shepherd with raggedy fur, a Rottweiler with a red spike collar, and in front of them, a Cane Corso with notably sharp and stained claws.
"Well, well, well!" he tauntingly called out to the Bloodhound before them. "I'll be darned if it ain't Jock Bloodhound!"
"In the fur, Zeus," he returned in a similar manner.
"Where were you yesterday?" Jasmine demanded.
"I was with my princess," Jock explained. "Not that you'd know what a healthy relationship is like."
"Yours isn't any better!" Jasmine snapped at the snarky Hound. "You obsess over her to the point where you have to always be at her side!"
"Relax, I give her breathing room when she needs it! I know how to respect women!"
"Apparently not," the Rottweiler scoffed, disgusted by Jock's attitude towards her.
"So, her name's Chloe, right?" Zeus asked out of curiosity.
"Yeah, she's a sweet thing," Jock confirmed. "I'm pretty excited for whatever's next! We could go to the movies, eat at fancy places, ride around in my dad's car.."
"She kind of looks like a twig," commented Butch, arms crossed.
"Hey, you watch your mouth! At least she's not a piece of lard like you are!"
"Oh, you English twit!" Butch punched his palm as he stepped closer to Jock, who was ready to throw down as well.
"Ladies, ladies! Cool it!" Zeus semi-sarcastically said to his comrades as he pushed them apart from one another. Hurricane was already laughing hysterically at the chaos. "While I agree that this Chloe isn't Jock's type, we shouldn't discriminate against each other! Save that for the chumps who deserve it, like that Rusty guy!"
"Yeah, who's he think he is, trying to stand against you?" Butch growled in Zeus's defense.
"Hold up, did you say Rusty?" Jock asked, taken aback. "As in, Rusty Kelpie? Son of Sergeant Kelpie?"
"So, what? The kid's got a reputation," Zeus dismissed the thought. "What's he gonna do? Call his daddy to kick our tails?"
"Mate, you don't understand," Jock spluttered frantically. "Chloe knows him. She told me all about him. He's a mastercraft at Cricket, his dad taught him military tactics, he's practiced martial arts in his free time.."
"I don't care if he's seen all of the John Wick movies back-to-back, fifty times over!" Zeus snapped. "He's a nuisance that's going to be put in his place if he crosses me again!"
"Zeus, I'm warning you;" Jock put his paw on Zeus's shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes to show how sincere he was. "If everything I've heard from Chloe is true, you do not want to mess with Rusty!"
Zeus simply pushed Jock's shoulder off of him, then raised his paw and unsheathed his claws before rotating his hand to show them to Jock.
"I got these blood stains from cutting up his friend yesterday," Zeus bragged smugly. "He didn't do anything to me besides tell me off. He's more scared of me than I'll ever be of him." Zeus retracted his claws and lowered his arm, only to raise his other arm and put it under his chin. "Though, what you said about Chloe gives me an idea.."
"What do you have in mind?" Jasmine asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.
"We're gonna use Chloe to spy for us," Zeus began to elaborate. "She reports to Jock everything interesting that happened and if she heard anything of the Kelpie, then we use that to be a step ahead of him and whoever else he plans to get involved." At first, Jock wasn't sure how he felt about the exploitation of his relationship, but if it meant keeping tabs on Rusty to save himself at the very least, then it was worth it to him. The rest of the gang nodded in agreement. All but Jasmine, of course, who sat in silence with her arms crossed and a very disgusted face on display.
Meanwhile, Chloe and Bluey were off to the other side of the building, catching up with each other on their summer adventures, talking about the places they've been, the things they've done, and the people they've met. Bluey was especially excited to tell Chloe about reuniting with Jean-Luc and him moving to Brisbane. Before she could get a chance to say anything of him, however, a yellow car pulled up to the lot and dropped off the aforementioned French Labrador. He waved goodbye to his parents and then rushed over to Bluey.
"Bonjour, Bluey!" Jean-Luc greeted as he went up to Bluey for their friendship hug.
"Hey, Jean-Luc!" she greeted back, excited to see her foreign friend again. "There's someone I'd like for you to meet; my best friend, Chloe!"
"So, you're this Jean-Luc guy Bluey's talked about for years on end?" Chloe remarked.
"That would be me!" Jean-Luc replied in his typical friendly manner. "You must be Chloe! Bluey has told me a lot about you, as well!"
"Well, now we just have to get you and Jock to meet, and then maybe we can have a double date!" Chloe teased. Bluey and Jean-Luc laughed at Chloe's joke, dismissing the thought of falling in love.
"To be honest, I don't think a romantic relationship is right for me, personally," Jean-Luc confessed. "It's never really been of my interest. What do you think, Bluey?"
"About romance?" Bluey asked to clarify.
"Oui, would you be interested in a relationship with someone?"
Bluey had to think about this one for a moment. Sure, there were people she was very close to, but she couldn't recall having a crush on anyone. Sure, there had been plenty a time where she, Mackenzie, and a few others have joked about being a couple, and even Calypso made a whole analogy about how their friendship could grow into something more, but she and Mackenzie never really saw destiny as others did. However, the last time either of them checked in with each other on the topic of romance was quite a while ago. Bluey wasn't sure what to make of a full time relationship, but if it meant spending her life with someone she cared for, perhaps it would be worth a shot. "Maybe someday down the road, but not right now, I don't think," she eventually decided.
"That's understandable," Chloe replied empathetically. "I've heard some people choose to go against a relationship because of how hard it can be, and that's totally fine, I think I can see where they're coming from."
"That, and little children are too loud for me," Jean-Luc chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"We were loud little children once, Jean-Luc," Bluey teased. "Remember when we chased that wild pig together?"
"Ah, le cochon sauvage," Jean-Luc sighed as he began to reminisce of the week he first met Bluey, running around the campsite and chasing their dad, who was pretending to be a wild pig.
"I've done my fair share of chasing piggies as well," Chloe added, thinking back to all of the times she, Coco, and Indy played Wild Girls and Farmers together and had to chase around Winton.
Before any further conversation could continue, the doors swung open and the students were all summoned inside. Gradually, more and more students showed up, but Bluey, Jean-Luc, nor Chloe had time to talk with any of them until lunch. Most notably among them was Judo, Lucy, and a very distraught Rusty. As much as they wanted to help him, the trio couldn't look at him for too long, as they had to organize their lockers, but from what they could of gather from the glimpses they got of him, he looked like he was either plotting to hurt somebody beyond repair or on the verge of unleashing a waterfall of salty tears. Perhaps he was upset enough to do both. Jean-Luc and Chloe didn't fully understand the current circumstances, but Bluey knew full well what was going on in Rusty's mind. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to worry for long, as Mackenzie burst through the door, breathing heavily, as if he had been running.
"Hey Rusty! Hey Bluey!" he hurriedly called out, nearly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late!"
"No, you're not late," reassured Bluey. "The doors just opened."
"My clock must be broken, then," he panted, trying to catch his breath. It was in that moment that he noticed that Bluey was standing with an unfamiliar French Labrador. "Who's that?" Mackenzie asked his feminine friend.
"This is Jean-Luc!" Bluey excitedly explained. "He recently moved here! We met on a camping trip years ago!"
"Bonjour!" the French-Canadian dog greeted. "You must be Mackenzie! Bluey's told me a lot about you!"
"Has she, now?" Mackenzie rhetorically asked, arms crossed. Something was bending inside of Mackenzie in that moment, and it wasn't far away from snapping. He could feel it gradually breaking. He wasn't sure what it was or why he was beginning to feel so off-put by Jean-Luc, but there was something about him that he didn't like, he knew that for sure.
Suddenly, there was a small, hollow, metalic thud not too far down the hall. Mackenzie shook his head to clear his mind before his emotions could ramp up any further, and then went to go check on Rusty, who had his .7arm against the locker and his head resting on top of his arm. When Mackenzie got to him, he noticed his eyes were shut tight and his mouth formed a grimace, as if he were in pain. Mackenzie didn't bother asking what was wrong, because he already knew everything that was going on in Rusty's head.
"Why?" Rusty muttered, trembling with despair. "Why, on the first day of school, did something bad have to happen?! To Jack, of all people!" The grief present in Rusty's voice was heart-wrenching to Mackenzie. The boys had known each other for a long time, and had been through plenty together, and had grown to see each other as brothers, in a sense. Now that Jack was out of commission for a few days, one could only imagine the inner turmoil they were feeling, knowing one of their closest friends was stuck in bed, feeling miserable, thanks to some no-life bullies. All on the first day of school.
"Rusty, I'm sure Jack will be feeling better in no time," Mackenzie assured, putting a paw on his red friend's shoulder, whose face was redder than usual.
"I know Jack's gonna be ok," Rusty sternly responded. "But the fact it even happened in the first place.. Jack didn't deserve that, and he never will! He's the most purehearted man I know, and to see him be overpowered by those monsters.."
"They're going to get what's coming to them, we'll make sure of it," Mackenzie declared with the same amount of rage present in his voice. "But we need a plan first. We'll talk it over at lunch."
"If I'm being honest with you," Rusty spoke sincerely to Mackenzie, looking him dead in the eyes. "I don't know how I'm gonna get through today without Jack,"
"You're a soldier, Rusty," Mackenzie spoke determinedly. "We both are. All three of us are. It's all thanks to you, really. You were always the bravest of us."
"You and Jack have your merits," Rusty added. "I'd say you're stronger than me! You conquered that black hole like it was nothing, Chief Scientist!"
"Didn't you tell me Jack solo-navigated a whole ship back to Australia when he was six years old? I would have had a breakdown if it was up to me!"
"Only wish I could have been there to help him," Rusty reminisced. "I know he can hold his own, I trust him with all my heart, it's just.."
"He's very vulnerable?" Mackenzie finished his friend's sentence, to which Rusty nodded to confirm his thoughts. "I get it, you want to protect him, I do too. He's a sweet, innocent guy who doesn't deserve to be let anywhere near Hell's fire. But Jack's courageous enough that he would dive headfirst into the inferno if it meant he'd be helping us, because he knows we'd do the same for him."
Rusty had to take a moment to take in what was just said. Mackenzie was right, one hundred percent. No questions asked. Jack was probably the bravest of all of them, if he were to be honest with himself. The day they first played Army together, he saw Jack's potential to be something great, something Jack didn't even see in himself at the time. Rusty took a deep breath and began to smile, feeling at ease. "You're right. We have to keep going for him," said Rusty, feeling more confident than before. "Thanks, Mack. I needed to hear that."
"Anytime, Red," Mackenzie held out his arm for a fistbump, to which Rusty did the same. Before their arms could connect, however, Bluey - who had been watching from afar this whole time - spoke up.
"Mackenzie, your Calypso was just showing!" she said melodically, causing Mackenzie to blush as he whipped around to look at her.
"Bluey, this is a bro conversation!" he snapped embarrassedly. "Men only! Brotherly heart to heart!"
"I care for Rusty too, you know?" Bluey argued, paw on her hip.
"I didn't say you couldn't, I'm just saying we're in the middle of something!"
"Mackenzie, it's ok," Rusty soothed his friend. "She's right. It almost felt like I was talking to Calypso again."
Mackenzie couldn't help but smile and blush at Rusty and Bluey's words, though he wasn't fully sure what he was meant to make of it. He didn't really see himself as a Calypso-like figure, and he wasn't too sure what others saw in him that he didn't, but the words came out of Calypso herself's mouth first, and Calypso was usually right, and if it was repeated numerous times by different people, surely that meant something. Before Mackenzie could thank his friends for the encouraging words, the traumatizing sound of the bell echoed throughout the hall and everyone in the area rushed toward their designated first period classrooms.
Somehow, today was even less eventful than the day prior. The teachers rambled on and on about their personal lives, continuing yesterday's topic of the class introducing themselves. It was decided that the first day would be focused on the students and the next would be on the teachers. The most interesting thing anyone said was recently overcoming a bad case of bum worms that spread to their whole immediate family. Outside of that, one of the teachers had a pet bird named Lassie, and another one of the teachers had five children. It was fascinating to a degree, sure, but the students would rather have been anywhere else during that time. After four excruciating hours of listening to teachers ramble on and on about their partners and children, - among other things, like kids fluffying in class or making weird noises for attention - the students finally made it to lunchtime.
As initially planned, Lucy's gang was all sitting together at a table. Bluey, Rusty, Mackenzie, Judo, and Coco were all present and accounted for.
"Right," the Husky announced, putting her hands on the table. "Now that we're all here, let's recap on what's going on; Zeus and his blokes have been at it again. They recently took out a close friend of yours. They also plan on convincing another old friend of yours - a very mean one, from my understanding - to join as well?"
"Sounds about right," Mackenzie confirmed, lightly shrugging his shoulders.
"So, you said we should use cameras to stop him, right?" Rusty asked to confirm Lucy's plan.
"Yep! I'm pretty sure we all have phones with cameras, right?"
"I mean, why would we not?" Mackenzie replied sarcastically. "Do you know what year it is, mate?"
"Oh yeah, fair point," Lucy realized her rather nonsensical question. "Anyway, we gotta stop Zeus before he hurts anybody else! Would anyone like to volunteer to do the first recon?"
"I'll go," Judo offered. "I haven't really gotten a chance to test my new phone yet, so this'll be perfect."
"Judo takes amazing pictures!" Bluey exclaimed. "You should see the ones she took on all of her holidays with her-," Bluey had to stop herself from continuing that sentence and take time to reword it. "...Someone we do not speak of anymore!"
"It's alright, Bluey," Judo replied understandingly. "I think I'm almost over it now."
"I still don't want to risk it," Bluey worried for her friend's mental health.
"So, how did Jack get beaten up?" Coco reluctantly asked, concerned for her friend.
"He bumped into Zeus by accident," Bluey began to explain. "He put him against the wall, but dropped him before he could do anything."
"Then he went after him around this time yesterday," Rusty continued. "He kicked him in the gut really hard, causing him to keel over onto the floor, and then he scratched his face, leaving a deep cut on his cheek.."
Inconveniently enough, Chloe was walking by and heard a small portion of the conversation. Jack getting beat up by some bully named Zeus sounded like a nightmare to her, one she had a hard time believing. "That can't be right," she thought to herself. "Surely if there was a bully, the teachers would have done something about it!" Chloe couldn't be lost in thought for long, though, as she saw Jock at his table, on his phone instead of eating. Chloe sat down next to him and began to eat away at her food.
"Be careful," Jock warned, not turning away from his phone. "You did just get over a weak stomach."
"I'll be fine, love," Chloe stopped to say before continuing to eat. However, she soon began to regret not heeding her boyfriend's advice, as she began to feel her stomach churning and her head became heavy. Chloe then leaned on Jock's shoulder for comfort, groaning in discomfort.
"I did try to warn you, dear," he said empathetically, putting his shoulder around her, still not looking away from his phone, continuing to text whoever was on the other end. Chloe didn't want to be nosy, but all the same, she was curious about what was going on. From the glimpse of his screen she could make out, she read, 'Meet in the…' and '...be there shortly.' She didn't think much of it, however, as she soon felt her stomach churn more.
"I'll be right back," announced Chloe weakly as she began to hurriedly struggle her way to the bathroom. Jock waited a few moments, and then got up and followed her, not too far behind. Across the cafeteria, Bluey noticed Chloe and Jock leaving, and she began to grow worried for her friend.
"Guys, I think Chloe's sick," she voiced her concern, pointing to where her friend was sitting. "I saw her wobble out of the room with her boyfriend, Jock."
Lucy spat out her drink in shock. "Jock?!" she cried out in what sounded like a fit of rage and disgust. "You mean Jock Bloodhound?!"
"Yeah, they met over the summer. She got sick when they were on their date last night."
Lucy looked appalled by this information, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Who is this Chloe to you, Bluey?" the Husky asked in a much calmer manner, albeit with a slight hint of panic in her voice.
"She's my best friend," she explained. "We've known each other since Kindy."
Lucy's face went pale and her pupils shrunk in horror, as if she had just seen a ghost. "Bluey, your friend is in danger!" she panicked. "We have to stop him before he hurts her!"
"What do you mean? He seems like a fine enough guy-"
"He is not a 'fine' guy!" Lucy shouted. "If you knew the things he-!" Lucy had to take another deep breath to regain her composure before continuing. "Jock is one of Zeus's mates. He was a close friend of mine's ex. He was the most toxic, pathetic excuse for a boyfriend you could ever find. The things he said to her, I'll never forgive him for.."
"I don't understand," Bluey began to become worried for her friend. "She seems so happy with him."
"He's manipulating her! Your friend is being used! If we don't break them up, your friend might end up like-!" Lucy stopped herself before she could get any further. She took yet another breath before briefly looking at her ring yet again, only this time, cringing at the sight of it. She shook her head to recalibrate her thoughts and turned back to Bluey. Before they could do anything else, a teacher walked over and motioned for everyone at the table to start cleaning up. Lucy slammed her paws on the table again, only this time, out of frustration.
"We're too late!" she yelled in frustration.
"Lucy, what are you on about?" Coco spoke up, starting to become panicked as well. "What is going on? What does any of this mean?!"
Lucy didn't say anything as she got up with her tray and left the lunch table, leaving everyone panicked and puzzled.
Chloe rushed toward the bathroom as quickly yet cautiously as she could. However, before she could reach the bathroom, she was intercepted by Zeus and his friends. "Excuse me," she tried to convince them to move. "I'm not feeling too well, can you please step aside?"
"Hang on a second," Zeus said almost tauntingly. "We have a proposition for you, Chloe. That's your name, right? My friend told me all about you."
"Sweet, I have a fanclub, good to know," she briskly replied. "Can we please save the talk until after I use the toilet?"
"Chloe, please don't make this any longer than it has to be," a voice trembled from behind her. Chloe slowly turned back to see that it was Jock who said that to her.
"Jock? What's going on? Who are they?"
"I'll explain later," Jock stuttered. "Please, for your safety, just do whatever they ask of you, okay?"
"Now that that's sorted," Zeus said as he put his hands together, gesturing downward. "Let's talk business; I'm a very considerate guy, just so you know, so I'll make this quick, considering your current condition. I'm sure you're aware that Jock's told us a lot about you by now. He's been our liaison of sorts. We want you to do the same for us." Chloe was baffled and her stomach hurt even more than before. "A few of your friends were a little problematic for us yesterday and we want you to keep an eye on them for us. We've heard you've had plenty of experience in the field."
"That was a game we played years ago," Chloe groaned. "I was just a guard anyway."
"Well, consider this a promotion," Zeus chuckled. "You keep tabs on your friends for us and you won't be grouped in with the rest of them when the time comes for them to pay up."
"What are you even talking about?" Chloe clutched her stomach tighter. "Please just let me go to the restroom!"
"Well, I'm sure you know a Jack Russell, right? You can ask him what's up."
"Yeah, he got hurt yesterday. He's not here. Some bullies got to him."
Zeus began to laugh, followed by Hurricane and Butch joining in. "Is that what they told you?" he calmed down his laughter for a moment and looked Chloe dead in the eye. "Oh, I'm sorry, I never did introduce myself, did I?"
Chloe had a sickening sudden realization that almost made her vomit on the spot. "You're Zeus, aren't you?!" she cried, voice trembling with fear.
"In the fur, mate!" the Cane Corso exclaimed, dramatically holding his arms out, as if he were about to give Chloe a big hug.
"You beat up one of my friends for no reason! Why should I help you?!"
"Well, jeez!" Jasmine sarcastically exclaimed. "Just a thought, but maybe you'd have better luck convincing her if you actually told her your plan?"
"Shut it, Sheila!" Zeus snapped at Jasmine. "Anyway, I think it's high time I told you my thought process, just so we can be on the same train of thought." Jasmine growled and facepalmed. "You see, I want to be famous here and have a good reputation. To make it easier, I want to assert my dominance and let people know who's top dog. It's risky, sure, but if me and the boys pull it off, no one will be any wiser. I can't keep a good rep, however, if I have loudmouths like Rusty going around. That's why we need you, so we can know ahead of time if somebody's planning something."
"And what happens if I don't join your crew?" Chloe sternly asked, standing her ground. "You going to beat me and my other friends up too?!"
"I'll do whatever it takes to get to the top," Zeus smirked sadistically. "Even if it means putting you and the others out of commission, too." Without warning, Zeus thrusted his knee into Chloe's stomach, causing her to keel over and vomit on the floor where she currently stood. Jock and Jasmine watched in horror as Chloe helplessly coughed up fluids on the floor, not knowing what to do in the moment. "Just so you know," Zeus threatened. "That's nowhere near what I'll do to anyone who tries to get in my way."
Chloe weakly looked up towards Zeus, feeling more miserable than before. "Please," she spluttered. "Don't hurt them! I'll do anything!"
Zeus snickered and rolled his eyes, seeing how pathetic Chloe looked now, when just moments ago, she was trying to stand him off. He took a few steps up to her and kneeled down to get near eye level. "Tell you what," he began to propose. "I'll alter the deal; You join forces with us for a bit, and after I've made my rise to the top, I'll go easy on your friends from there. Sound good?" Without warning, Chloe spewed out more chunks and fluids onto the floor. Hurricane and Butch were once again laughing hysterically at the discord occurring before him, whereas Jasmine and Jock couldn't have been any more of the opposite, staring at the scene almost motionless, near petrified, unsure of what to do. Zeus got up and backed away. "I'll give you some time to think on it," he said sweet-heartedly. Though, he immediately turned to his cronies to give them instructions in a less friendly manner. "Jasmine, get the janitor, and Jock, alert the nurse," he ordered sternly. "Tell them the food was undercooked. If either of you say anything extra, you know what happens next." Zeus unsheathed his blood-stained claws to emphasize that he was not playing around. Jasmine and Jock silently nodded, then looked down at poor Chloe, who was coughing and whimpering on the floor, and then rushed off to get help, all simultaneously. Butch and Hurricane helped Chloe onto her feet and into the bathroom to get washed up, while Zeus walked on to the cafeteria to eat, feeling very proud of himself.
AN2: So, this chapter was way longer than I thought it was going to be. This is officially the longest chapter so far, capping at over 12.5K words! Once again, I really hope you all enjoyed this one, feel free to leave your thoughts, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
I will NOT be making any promises or estimates this time, as every time I do, it gets delayed way more than it should.