Bluey sighed as she looked out the window of the moving car. Next to her, Jack sat there, driving them down near the beach. It was their free day, and the two had decided to spend some time together as a couple. Two years had passed ever since the two had begun dating and, although they had started out well, Bluey seemed to have changed lately. It baffled Jack, to the point that he had visited the Heeler's often, trying his best to be there for her when she needed him.
"You okay there Blue? You've been silent this whole ride," Jack asked, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road, surprising Bluey slightly. Rather than responding, Bluey turned to face Jack, her expression being a mix between anxious and tired. "Bluey, I'm worried about you… you've… changed. Please talk to me."
"I.. There's just too much to think about… I'd rather not burden you Jack, I'll be o-"
"No! You're not okay Bluey," Jack cut her off, beginning to drive forward again slowly, coming to a nearby parking spot and parking on the edge. As he did this Bluey stayed silent, knowing where this was going. As soon as they parked, Jack turned off the car, hopped off, and made his way to Bluey's side, opening the door and holding a hand out. "Please, let's talk about this." Bluey hesitantly took his hand and hopped out of the car. She knew that Jack had always been quick to act, as if he needed to do something at all times. It was something she adored about him, but as of right now, it gave her mild annoyance. Jack dragged her to a secluded bench, away from most of the people wandering about. He then sat her down before sitting down with her, turned to face her. "Something's bothering you, and as your boyfriend, I will do whatever it takes to help you with this. You know I will, so please."
"I.. I don't even know where to start," Bluey weakly responded, fidgeting with her tufts of hair on the sides of her head, which she decided to let grow.
"Then," Jack grabbed one of her hands, holding it with both of his, "how about we start around the time of Bingo's graduation. I knew something bothered you before, but after that, it was more obvious."
"Alright." Bluey took a deep breath. "You're right Jack, about when it became more obvious, but what you don't know is that it's mainly about Bingo.."
"Mainly about Bingo? What do you mean?"
"It's just… she seems to have everything figured out. She has grades I could only dream of, a scholarship to her dream college, a boyfriend dedicated to her despite them being separated for the time being… I just feel like a mess. After seeing her graduate, it's like my walls just came… crashing down," Bluey raised a hand up to the side of her head, her eyes starting to tear up, "I know I shouldn't feel this way. She's my sister, my precious little sister and yet… Why do I feel this way?! Am I really this jealous of her?? Or am I just not good enough?? I barely graduated! I spent too much time with my friends, and never enough time studying. And yet, Bingo did both… How?? I'm the older sister… Shouldn't I be the more capable one??" At this point Bluey's tears began running rampant as she let out all her thoughts, thoughts she hid away due to her feeling guilty. She jumped at the feeling of one of Jack's arms reaching behind her, his hand rubbing her back gently. After wiping most of her tears away, she noticed Jack looking down to the ground, eyes half closed and a sad expression on his face. It scared her. She began to panic, the thought of losing the guy who worked up the courage to ask her out brought more tears to her eyes.
"Bluey.." Jack said softly, his head rising slowly, turning to face her, causing her to stiff up. "I.. understand that feeling all too well." Bluey sat there, still, thinking of what he could mean. She thought of Lulu, but throughout the years, she had always believed they were the best of siblings, more so than her and Bingo.
"What do you mean…? Are you talking about Lulu..?"
"Yea, I am. As you know, I had Adhd growing up, and I still do but I can somewhat manage it now. Growing up… Lulu was always the more serious, mature one out of us two. Her grades were almost flawless, she was a good listener, always did what she was told to do, the exact opposite of me. Even as a 3 year old, she would complain about me and my inability to follow directions. It didn't bother me much back then… but once I was a teen, that's when I broke. I felt so… outclassed by her in everything, I was jealous of her and even resented her for a while. As it turns out I couldn't even resent her correctly either, the feelings would appear then go away as soon as I got distracted by something else. Actually… what I'm doing with you right now… is what Rusty did for me back then. So I'll tell you what he told me." Jack reached forward and raised his hand, wiping more tears off of Bluey before grabbing both of her hands. "I'm sure you're familiar with this saying, at least somewhat from what I heard from Chili. You are your own person, and you live life however you want and at whatever pace you want. Life is not a competition and never will be. Don't compare yourself to Bingo, you two are not the same person. So what if she accomplishes things that you haven't? Does that invalidate all of your life?" Bluey could only shake her head gently. "Exactly. Bingo has traits that make her special. But never be jealous of that, you know why?" Bluey sniffled, her ears perked up listening intently. "You have your own traits, traits that make you just as special as her. Why do you think I fell for you?" Bluey's blue cheeks turned a soft shade of red.
"I.. I don-"
"Wrong," Jack reached up and poked her cheek. "Try again."
"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" Bluey's face turned more red by the second.
"Sure I do. You were gonna say that you don't know, but you do."
"But I do-" Jack interrupts her by making a wrong buzzer noise.
"Wrong again, you get one more try."
"I'm being serious!"
"As am I, now try again."
"Ok fine! Is it because I'm creative!? Is it because I'm extroverted and make friends with everyone I see!? Is it because I make sure you and everyone around me get along with each other!?"
"There you go. You missed a good few points but I think you get the idea," Jack chuckled as he got up from the bench. Bluey also got up, face beet red as she pouted.
"So what, are you saying I'm special because of those??" Bluey asked, her fierce energy inherited through Chili showing itself. "Well you're wrong! That's just who I am, nothing spe-" Bluey was cut off by Jack grabbing her arm and pulling her to him. Then he kissed her, Bluey now taken aback, the fur on the back of her head as well as her tail flaring up. The kiss was broken a few seconds later.
"You're right about it being who you are. And you yourself are special, got it?"
"Yeaokay.." Bluey weakly responded, as the kiss put her in a daze, her tail and fur still flared up. As she was recovering from her daze, Jack held her hand and led her back down to the car, being careful on the way back as well as helping her get in before hopping into the driver's seat. Jack decided to stay quiet and let Bluey recover out of the daze herself, playing light music in the background. Bluey's mind raced back and forth, one side trying its best to fight off all the words Jack had spoken, while the other side repeated all the words Jack had said. After a few minutes, she turned to face Jack, her face still red as she thought, "has Jack always been this… handsome..?" It was clear which side had won in her head.
