Tu m'as manqué
11 years ago*
Quebec City, Canada*
It was another sunny winter day at the French-descended city's elementary school. A blue sky with scattered clouds was painting the Canadian sky, a day with perfect weather for the school children who were running and playing in the yard.
"(You'll never catch me, Thatcher!)" Louis shouts, turning briefly to mock the Chihuahua he was chasing.
"(Not for long fool)," Thatcher shouted, still running to catch the Husky.
"(HEY! DON'T RUN IN THE YARD)," Juneau shouted, keeping watch near the field in an attempt to watch over the two children.
While the children were enjoying recess on a bench near the school walls, there was Alice with her blue headphones on, listening and tilting her body side to side to the rhythm of the music while chewing the sandwich that she had brought for breakfast.
As she watched her sister do her work, she could feel someone sitting beside her. When she finished chewing, she removed her headphones and looked to her right to find Jean-Luc with a book in his hands.
"(Oh)," Alice reacts, confused to see the boy with a book since usually children do everything during recess except read ."(How can I help you, Jean-Luc?)"
"(Oh…umm…I wanted to… know something…)" Jean-Luc speaks without conformity, looking everywhere except at Alice, trying to find the confidence to speak;
"(Jean-Luc)" the sweet voice of the young adult makes Jean-Luc stop talking to look at Alice ."(I am your friend; you can trust me)"
After listening to Alice, Jean-Luc sighs to relax, and with everything on the tip of his tongue, he looks at her and asks,"(How did you manage to learn English? I've been trying to learn, but I don't understand anything)."
"(Oh, is this because of my presentation a few days ago? You still have a long way to go before you can be an exchange student. You have a lot of time to learn)" says Alice.
"(I know, but I want to learn now)," implores Jean-Luc, still holding the English book.
"Ummm," Alice says, putting a hand over her mouth to think until she grabs Jean-Luc's book. "(First of all, a secret between you and me)."
Jean-Luc nods quickly, ready to listen to Alice. But in an action he never expected, Alice gracefully tosses the book away from the bench and says, "(Books don't work)."
Jean-Luc makes a confused face before Alice continues speaking, "(Books are things of the past; it's very difficult to learn from them; you're in a world where you can learn a language everywhere, like the internet, for example)."
"(How can I learn on the internet, if my parents only let me on the computer for an hour)" Jean-Luc asked
"(Well, you also have the TV, the radio, and...)" Alice grabs her headphones from her neck and places them on the labrador's ears. With everything ready, she grabs the phone and presses play on the phone"(...Music)".
Jean-Luc's eyes pop out upon hearing a female voice and the pop and hip-hop beat of the song. The Labrador let himself go as he closed his eyes to let the song reach his eardrums
Because
When the sun shines, we shine together
Told you I'll always be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath i'mma stick it out til the end
Now that It's raining a lot more now than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh
Even though Jean-Luc didn't understand anything, he couldn't help but nod his head slightly, following the repetitions of the chorus. When the song reached the second verse, Jean-Luc decided he'd heard enough, took off his headphones and said,"(It's a good song)"
"(I know, it's one of my favorites)" Alice said as she grabbed her headphones from the Labrador's hands." (I sang it at my graduation party years ago)."
"(Wow, I didn't know you sing too)"
"(No, not really, they chose me because I had the prettiest voice but It wasn't all that bad either)" Alice explained
"(So, what does the song mean?)" Jean-Luc asked, tilting his head slightly
"(It's about friendship, that no matter how bad things get, there's always someone who will support you)"
"Wow, (and you learned English first before understanding the lyrics?)" Jean-Luc asked
"Nope…(I kept listening to the song even when I didn't understand anything, it was only after that I understood the lyrics)"
"(The point is…)" Alice reaches out her hand to grab Jean-Luc's shoulder "(I was so passionate about the music I was listening to that I took my time learning what it meant, and from there, I learned little by little until studying from a book became easy)."
"(So…I have to find something I like…but in English)" Jean-Luc asked with his bright eyes filled with hope
"(Yes! It will take you time, but it is a good first step)" says Alice
RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG*
The school bell rings loudly, the signal for the children to return to their classrooms
"(OK, EVERYONE, I WANT YOU ALL IN A LINE IN FRONT OF ME)" Juneau orders standing in front of the school door. Little by little, the children form a line in front of their teacher.
Jean-Luc gets up from the bench and walks towards the line to return to the classroom, but is interrupted by Alice, who shouts, "(Remember, follow your heart, and you will learn easily)."
The labrador took his time turning towards the Eskimo and answered, "(Ok!)", and then walked towards the line.
Night*
House of the Labradors
"Suivez votre cœur et vous apprendrez facilement"
For Jean-Luc, it was easier said than done
All day long, that was all he thought about
At school and at home
Even when it was time to sleep…his mind wouldn't let go.
His eyes were open. He was staring into the night's darkness from his own bed, the ceiling of the family room, while his parents were in a separate bed.
"Follow your heart, and you will learn easily."
"(Dang it)" The Labrador curses in his head with his gaze still in the dark. "(How will I know what my heart wants? Hearts don't talk, right?)"
No matter how hard he tried in his head, his vision only saw darkness."(I don't understand. What did Alice mean at school? 'Follow my heart.' The more I think about it, the more confused I get.)"
"(Follow your heart? So should I let my heart go out and chase it?)" He kept thinking
"(What do I have to follow?)"
"(What did the heart mean?)"
"(What do I have to do?)"
"Ugh," Jean-Luc growls under his breath to not wake up his parents.
"(This is useless)" Jean-Luc thought with his eyes getting tired"(I will never learn English)"
Already exhausted, the Labrador closes his eyes, ready to sleep the whole night.
…
…
…
…
"Jean-Luc"
"Huh?" Jean-Luc woke up startled. His breathing was agitated, and his heart was racing a mile a minute. A girl's voice sounded in his head just before he fell into a deep sleep.
"(Who was it?)" Jean-Luc thought, hyperventilating. The room highlighted the sounds of his mouth breathing, but his parents were still in a deep sleep.
"(Jean-Luc, Jean-Luc)." The labrador repeated in his head the call of his name. It was a girl, he already knew that, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had heard that voice before
"(Where have I heard that voice from)" He began to formulate in his mind. "(I feel like I've heard it before, not long ago. It's not from school, no, of course not, that voice wasn't the teacher's or Alice's, they're too old… I heard that voice before… but not around here… I heard it… in Brisbane… at the camping site)
"!" Jean-Luc's eyes open entirely, in an action that took away all the sleep from him when he concluded.
"Bluey…"
That voice was little Bluey's while they were playing at camp weeks ago.
"(It's been a while since we played Bluey)," Jean-Luc thinks as his eyes relax, and he slowly lies down again. "(I miss playing with you… I miss you… A lot… I wish I could see you again…I have never played with someone like that… even if you don't speak French. you still played with me… you were the only one who played with me on that trip. Everyone rejected me because I was different… but you?... you're amazing Bluey… I wish I had a friend like you…)
And with that last thought, Jean-Luc closes his eyes to sleep peacefully.
"(No…I have to do this…I have to learn…If I want to go back to Brisbane I need to do this…I don't want to lose another friendship by speaking differently)"
Jean-Luc forces his eyes open and gets out of bed. The dim light from the street reached the room, but it was enough for Jean-Luc to get out of bed and stroll out of the room.
When the Labrador was outside, he slowly closed the door so his parents wouldn't notice what he was doing. And when the door closed, Jean-Luc walked into the living room.
Jean-Luc's family home was simple and humble, with a few expensive items for the average commoner. The wood-finished house had only one floor and three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a garage, and two bathrooms. All of this was located overlooking the St Lawrence River. Even when there was distance between the house and the river, Jean-Luc and his family could still smell the river.
When the Labrador arrived and turned on the lights in the living room, Jean-Luc found his backpack on the table to eat. Without wasting a second, Jean-Luc walked to the table, opened his backpack, and took out the English book that his father had given him before the trip to Brisbane.
And when Jean-Luc opened the book, even though he was sleepy, he started reading.
He didn't know it then.
But he was following his heart.
11 years later*
In the Glasshouse Club group chat*
Bluey: Guys, this is Jean-Luc, the exchange student who is going to live with Mackenzie this school year
Jean-Luc: Bonjour
Coco: Hi Jean-Luc, welcome!
Coco: Wait, what about Mack?
Sadie: Wasn't Mack going to introduce him?
Joe: Hi Jean-Luc
Adam: Hi Jean-Luc
Dan: Hi Jean-Luc
Dougie: Welcome to Australia, mate
Banjo: Bonjour France, Baguette, Paris, Eiffel Tower, Napoleon, white flag
Felix: Ignore him, he's a certified idiot
Banjo: Hey!
Chucky: Says idiot number 2
Chucky: Welcome to the group Jean-Luc
Felix: Hey!
Felix: 1 vs 1 in Shipment only snipers, Chucky
Chucky: Come on, no balls
Missy: Hi Jean-Luc!
Jean-Luc: Guys, I'm glad for this welcome but I'm from Canada, not France
Banjo: What? Don't start with the lies Juan-Lucas
Pretzel: Hi Jean-Luc, nice to meet you, but don't they speak English in Canada?
Adam: Yes, don't they speak English there?
Jean-Luc: In Quebec we speak French
Buddy: Quebec is a province of Canada, the only one in the country where the majority of the population speaks French
Chloe: Hi Jean-Luc! Welcome to Australia
Chloe: And thanks for the tip Buddy
Indy: Hey, hi Jean-Luc
Indy: Did you happen to see the previous messages?
Jean-Luc: Yes
Bluey: Yes, he was right next to me
Indy: Oh how embarrassing. I'm not usually like that
Jean-Luc: Don't worry. I still think you're a good person to spend time with
Rusty: Hey hi Jean-Luc. Welcome to Australia
Rusty: Sweetie, don't worry about my party, it was fun anyway.
Rusty: And Buddy, a little respect for the lady, please
Buddy: Sorry Rusty
Jack: Welcome to Brisbane, Jean-Luc!
Jack: And yes, it was still fun despite the mess you made
Indy: Thanks guys
Sadie: Hey, since you guys showed up
Sadie: I got a text from Bingo. She wants to talk to Mack Immediately
Jack: Mack isn't playing video games with us
Rusty: JACK!
Bluey: Wait, why does Bingo want to talk to Mackenzie?
Sadie: Don't ask me, I have no idea either
Jack: Bingo is upset with Mack for some reason
Rusty: Soldier!
Bluey: Bingo upset with Mackenzie and we've just returned from camping?
Bluey: What happened?
Dogie: I don't know, you know how she is; sometimes she has a great time with him. Other times she wants to put him 6 feet under
Rusty: Hey Jean-Luc, how's it going with you living with Mack?
Jean-Luc: It's Good, he's been showing me around the city these past few days. Brisbane is more beautiful than I thought
Rusty: Glad to hear it, Mack is a great friend
Jean-Luc: Yeah, I noticed
Bluey: Now it's my turn to show him around. We're on our way to the city center
Coco: Really? Why is it your turn to spend time with him?
Chloe: Why?
Sadie: Yeah, why are you hanging out with Jean-Luc?
Bluey: It's a long story
Bluey: We're arriving, I'll talk to you later
Jean-Luc: Yes, again, thank you very much for the welcome
"(What an interesting group)," thought Jean-Luc as he turned off his phone just as Chilli parked the car next to the sidewalk of the busy city crowded with dogs walking with the bright sun above, without a cloud on the horizon.
Downtown Brisbane*
When Chilli unlocked the doors, Bluey and Jean-Luc quickly exited the vehicle. With both feet on the pavement, "Hey!" Chilli shouted, causing Bluey to turn around. You can only spend a hundred dollars on the card, and for the love of my parents, I don't want to pick you up at the police station."
"At some point, I'll have to live my life like you did with Aunt Frisky and Aunt Trixie," Bluey jokes, holding the vehicle door while Jean-Luc walks towards the safety of the sidewalk.
"Trust me, you're already living it; see you later, guys," says Chilli, giving Bluey the hint to close the door
"See you later, Mum," says Bluey goodbye, closing the door. And right away Chilli drives off and reemerges into the street to go back home.
When Chili has gone far enough, Jean-Luc looks at the giant buildings with shiny windows that are around him and says, "So… We're in the center of the city."
"Correct"
"So…what do we do now?" Jean-Luc asks, confused, looking at Bluey
Bluey giggles, and she says, "Follow me," before starting to walk down the wide corridor between two buildings, something Jean-Luc also does.
While Jean-Luc was walking right with Bluey, a familiar smell reached his nose…a scent that he usually smells in his home in Canada…A scent of water…the scent of a river. At the same time he realizes what he smells, Jean-Luc stops when he has some stairs at his feet to find himself in front of him, the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge in the background
"Jean-Luc," Bluey manages to catch Jean-Luc's attention. "Come on, the Ferry will soon arrive."
"Ferry?" Jean-Luc wondered. It was there that he realized that there was a pier that sticks out into the river like a port.
"Do ferries make you seasick?" Bluey asks mockingly, looking at Jean-Luc behind her
"No," Jean-Luc shakes his head. "I'm not that soft."
"Glad to know," Bluey says, moving her arm back and forth, indicating Jean-Luc to follow her. "Let's go"
Jean-Luc obeys and starts to walk down the stairs towards the ferry platform. Just before entering, Bluey takes out a card from her hip and easily passes it through a scanner that lights up green. "Thanks, Dad" Bluey talks to herself while she and Jean-Luc walk freely toward the boarding area
Bluey and Jean-Luc were standing with other canines, where the ferry could be seen sailing slowly towards them. In the waiting time, Jean-Luc asked again," So, where are we going?"
"To a park, happy?" Bluey answers, looking at the ferry, although Jean-Luc could notice that she responded pretending to be annoyed
"Well, yes, I am happy," Jean-Luc answers sarcastically. "I can't handle the nerves every time a blue Australian Heeler takes me to places I don't know."
"Did you practice that? " Bluey answers, looking sideways at the Labrador
"Once, in a mirror and with my best friend," jokes Jean-Luc
"I feel bad for your friend," jokes Bluey, still keeping that low tone of voice
"I made up for him," answers Jean-Luc, "With a piece of pizza and a movie ticket."
"You're cruel, Jean-Luc," says Bluey at the same time that the ferry arrives at the platform
"Cruel but fair," answers Jean-Luc as the ferry stops next to the boarding area
"No, just cruel," says the last word Bluey when the ferry opens the doors to let Jean-Luc, Bluey, and the rest of the passengers get on
Mackenzie's room*
"He seems like a nice guy," says Jack, still on the call from "Disclaw" with Mackenzie and Rusty
"Well, he's not," protests Mackenzie." He can be manipulative if you let him.
"Ah," Jack starts talking sarcastically. "The typical 'I'm a good person to everyone on the surface, but a piece of shit in the shadows' Perfect, what we needed… Huh"
"Is Mack playing with you?"Mackenzie could hear a distant female voice coming from Jack's microphone,
"No," Jack answers
"Liar, give me that," The voice of a teenager says
"HEY!" In the background, sounds of struggle and growls can be heard until a female voice speaks clearly, "Mack?"
"Oh," It was Lulu, Jack's 14-year-old sister. Mackenzie doesn't hesitate to answer, "Hi Lulu, how are you."
"Not very well, asshole," Lulu says mercilessly. "Bingo called annoyed; why the hell did you block her!?"
"Oh, that" Mackenzie relaxed in his chair, raised his hands slightly, and explains "She knows very well that I'm not going to talk to her if she loses her screws, so I'm going to wait, calmly, for her to calm down, and then I'll talk to her."
"She doesn't want to wait," Lulu keeps insisting. "She wants to talk to you NOW."
"Jack was kicked off the call."
"Eh," Mackenzie reacts, confused by the electronic voice of "Disclaw."
"Knowing him," Rusty speaks," he would have proposed this sacrifice."
"Yes, a minute of silence for Private Jack," Mackenzie suggests, staying silent to honor the memory of the Jack Terrier.
…
…
…
"Do you want to play another Mack?"
"Let's go"
Brisbane Center*
Brisbane River*
Once inside the Ferry, the two teenagers sit on the white plastic seats inside the boat, and when they are both relaxed, Bluey is the first to speak, "So… How did it go with Mackenzie these days?"
"It went well," Jean-Luc answered, even though he was still in the shadow of what happened to him after the trip to the camp. "I did what you told me in the camp to give him space if necessary, but he took me to many places in Brisbane."
"Which ones?" Bluey asks curiously
"The observatory, the beaches north of Brisbane, the botanical garden, the museums, the warship Diamantina, the shops in the city center, and he even took me to the Brisbane sign."
"It seems that Mackenzie did his best, but I'm going to take you to a place that I probably haven't taken you," Bluey said with self-confidence.
"I hope so, Bluey," Jean-Luc said as the ferry finally pulled out of the dock to sail down the river. But a doubt came to his mind. A doubt about Mackenzie's name. "Hey, Bluey, why do you always refer to Mack as Mackenzie?"
"Huh? Because Mackenzie is his real name," Bluey replied without importance.
"I know, but Mack said that his best friends call him "Mack," why don't you?"
"I never liked calling him Mack," Bluey began to explain. "When I met him in elementary school, he was always called Mackenzie. It was when we went to Southern Stars that he wanted to change his name to "Mack" because he was getting teased a lot about his name. He may have convinced all my friends to call him Mack, including my sister, but not me. And when he told me again to call him Mack, I didn't want to, and I said, "You will always be Mackenzie to me," I have a man's name, and I was teased for it, but I'm not going to go to the extreme and change my name to Christine."
"Yes, Christine doesn't sound very good," Jean-Luc comments, squeezing his eye with his cheek. "The blue fur doesn't help."
"That's why I embrace my name with pride," Bluey says. " And nothing will change that fact. Over time, Mackenzie accepted that not everyone can call him what he wants, so he just limited himself to having his best friends call him Mack."
"I'm glad to know that you two are okay with your names," Jean-Luc comments, relieved
"Why?" Bluey looks at him, barely moving her head so that her gaze connects with Jean-Luc's face; perhaps his comment seemed strange to her
"Because one of my friends also changed his name," Jean-Luc says. "But unlike you guys, he is determined that everyone calls him what he wants."
"Wow… By the way, what is his name?"
"His parents named him Theodore, but he changed his name to Thatcher."
"Oh… what breed is he?"
"Chihuahua"
"Oh"
…
…
…
"Oh," Bluey is surprised. With her eyes wide open, she looks at Jean-Luc." No wonder he changed his name. I would hate to be a Chihuahua named Theodore."
"Yeah…honestly, me too, "Jean-Luc answers, ending the small conversation as the ferry sailed down the river toward the destination that Bluey chose
Mackenzie's room*
"Huh?"
"But what?"
"DEFEAT"
"TASK FORCE:2 MILITIA:3"
"Shame on you, retreat," the announcer speaks with sadness before the game sends Mackenzie and Rusty to the main menu.
"What happened?" Mackenzie asks, defeated, with a hand over his eyes
"I don't know, "Rusty speaks with a defeated, confused, and sad voice. "I thought…I had it…it was just a mistake. It won't happen again."
Suddenly, the sound of the hinges of a door sounds off in Mackenzie's headphones, followed by another female voice, "Rusty, I need those headphones."
"Not now, Dusty. I'm busy playing alone."
"Liar! Give me that!"
"Dusty, leave me alone!"
"Never!"
"Ugh"
"GIVE ME THAT!"
Despite Rusty's valiant effort to cover for him, Mackenzie hears the familiar sounds of scuffling and growling until Rusty's 14-year-old sister speaks through the earpiece," Mack! Talk to Bingo."
"Nope," Mackenzie says as he looks away from the screen like a sassy girl.
"Im serious!"
"Rusty was kicked off the call."
Following his loyalty to the red kelpie, Mackenzie kicks Rusty off the call. After a loss in the game and Rusty's fall to Dusty, Mackneize lets himself fall back into his chair, letting gravity take him lower and lower without any resistance. "What the fuck does Bingo want? Reminding me how happy Jean-Luc and Bluey look? I don't need this today," the Border-collie murmurs.
"Jack joined the call," the electronic voice of the disclaw sounds, making Mackenzie compose himself in the chair.
"Im back…" Jack announces excitedly, "What happened?"
"We lost Rusty," Mackenzie says. "Bingo called Dusty too, and I had to sacrifice him."
"Ouch, he would have suggested it anyway," Jack says with condolences in his voice. "A minute of silence for the sergeant."
…
…
…
"Do you want to play invasion, Jack?"
"Yes! I want to blow up some tanks."
Downtown Brisbane*
After a short trip down the river, the ferry speakers announce with a male voice.
"All passengers, we have arrived at Captain Burke Park."
"We have arrived," Bluey warns as she stands up to exit the boat, with Jean-Luc behind her, and heads toward the platform.
After jumping from the ferry to the platform and crossing the bridge to the mainland, Jean-Luc finds a view of the south side of the Story Bridge, with a park to the left of the entrance to the ferry platform and brightly colored apartments to the right.
"I will never get used to these views," says Jean-Luc in amazement
"Huh," Bluey mutters with both hands on her hips," The ice cream cart isn't here."
"Quoi?" He reacts confused, looking at Bluey
"Normally, there is an ice cream cart in this park," Bluey explains, confused, still Looking at the park for the cart.
"So we took a ferry to this park just for ice cream?" Jean-Luc asked frowning
"Those ice creams are the best I've ever had, so yes, I took a ferry for some ice cream."
"Well, you're the tour guide here." Jean-Luc shrugs his shoulders.
"Look," Bluey points to an empty bench beside a children's park. "We can sit there in the meantime. I'm sure the cart will arrive soon."
"Good idea," Jean-Luc agrees with the Heeler, and the two walk across the grass towards the empty bench. There wasn't much going on in the park; there were just a few kids playing on the playground, a family of Koolies having a birthday party in a pavilion, and a couple of Australian shepherds having a picnic.
Bluey and Jean-Luc sit down on the bench where they can see if the ice cream cart has arrived. It is then that Bluey asks, "So…what have you been doing these last ten years?"
"Uff," Jean-Luc lets his body fall backward, hitting the back of the bench before answering, "Not much, I guess. I graduated from elementary school, went to high school afterwards. I traveled all over Canada, my family is still my dear family, and I went through endless silly things with my friends during all that time. I guess the only important thing was learning English, joining the school hockey team, and being an exchange student."
"Hockey?" Bluey looks at Jean-Luc with a smug face. "I never saw you as a hockey player when you went to camp."
"Because I wasn't that big of a fan back then. It was after that I managed to get an interest in the game," Jean-Luc answers.
"Ah, I see. You grew up."
Jean-Luc tilts his head from side to side "Yes."
"It's okay; I know how you feel."
"Really? What do you mean?"
"Months after the trip to camp, my parents put me in some Karate classes."
"Karate?" Jean-Luc repeats, amazed, with his eyes wide open. He speaks at the same time as he improvises some karate movements with his open palms." So you can do a flying kick like that movie?"
"Pff, that's Hollywood…" Bluey shakes her head, rolling her eyes. "...Although yes, I can do a flying kick."
"Ohh, that's amazing. So, what belt do you have? " Jean-Luc asks
"Brown"
"Ahhhh, I only know Black and White"
"Brown is the level before Black."
"I mean… You've been doing this for a while."
Bluey nods proudly. "Yes, since I was six years old"
"Wow, and when are you going to be promoted to black belt?"
"My teacher said in December, beginning of December."
"Karate masters aren't called sensei? "Jean-Luc asks with a raised eyebrow
"Yes, but in my dojo, he wants to be called master. You still have a lot to learn, little grasshopper" Bluey says, giving Jean-Luc a friendly nudge.
"Where is… Wow"
"Arghhhh"
"DEFEAT"
"Taskforce: 1 Rebels: 3"
"How the hell did I not hear that?" Jack wandered through the call
"Rusty joined the call" Disclaw announces
"Hey guys, Dusty is already dealt with," Rusty announces
"Hooray," Mackenzie says without enthusiasm." Do you want to keep playing?"
"Let's go," Rusty and Jack say at the same time
"So, besides being in karate classes… What else did you do in all this time?" Jean-Luc asks
"Being a girl," Bluey starts talking," I grew up, I learned, I traveled to many places, and I am still friends with my friends from elementary school."
"You mean the group?...Glasshouse?"
"Yes! We've been together for over ten years now," Bluey says with a smile.
"It sounds incredible. I've known my two best friends since elementary school too. But a group that big, considering that elementary classes usually separate, is incredible."
"I know, I even surprised myself sometimes. If it weren't for Tommy, we would have separated to different schools."
"Tommy? Principal Thompson?" Jean-Luc repeats
"Tommy and us, we've known each other for a long time. He visited us one day at our elementary school when I was 12 years old. When we had to choose where to study, he visited us right on the day of the parent-teacher meeting. He told us all about how…"Bluey waves her hands and says sarcastically, "... 'impressive and amazing his school is.' After a meeting with my friends, we all decided to go to Southern Stars."
"Sounds amazing. I guess it was easy with so many friends," Jean-Luc asks.
"It wasn't," Bluey answers immediately. "It was hard. No one thought it would be this hard…"
"How so?"
"A lot of things happened: classes were difficult, making friends there was complicated, many made fun of us for coming from a 'different' school, there were…"Bluey whispers the following:"...a lot of fights. We all wanted to do other things, and over time, we drifted apart…" Bluey sadly told her story, which Jean-Luc listened to with interest and empathy:"... It was during the last week of our first year that we met by chance in a classroom, and we… let everything out from our chests."
"Many…" Bluey continued, "... No, we all confessed that life was difficult apart. We missed each other a lot. It was there that we made an oath. From that day on, we will all be together until the end."
"How inspiring," Jean-Luc says humbly. "Mack told me a little about you guys. 'Even if we are not on the same page, we end the day laughing or sharing ice cream'"
"Did he say that? Although he is right, we all know each other as brothers…" Bluey's voice lowers. She glances out of the corner of her eye at the outside of the park and shouts excitedly, "HEY, ICE CREAM!"
Bluey points to a small pink cart with a chocolate ice cream cone print on the umbrella, "Let's go, Jean-Luc," and quickly gets up to run toward the cart.
"Hey, attendez-moi. "Bluey's reaction was so fast that Jean-Luc spoke in French before standing up and following Bluey.
"DEFEAT"
"Taskforce: 0 Rebels:3"
"Huh?" Mackenzie reacts with a confused grimace at the screen to another defeat in the game
"Well, nothing happened,"Rusty says quickly." Let's go again."
After running through the grass, Bluey slows down and says as she advances towards the cart with the ice cream dog on his knees on the other side, "Hey! I'm glad…" Suddenly, a girl, a light blue and white teenage Heeler in an ice cream woman's uniform, stands up upon hearing Bluey's voice. But for Bluey, the excitement in her voice faded as she recognized who it was and finished what she wanted to say in a low voice:"… seeing you here…"
When the light blue Heeler's gaze lands on Bluey, the girl frowns and murmurs menacingly, "You…"
Bluey doesn't waste time repeating the reaction "You…"
"Ok, here I am," Jean-Luc warns, coming up behind Bluey and innocently asking upon seeing the display with the ice creams on top of the cart, "What ice creams do they have?"
…
…
…
"Bluey?" The Labrador asks, looking bewildered at Bluey, whose gaze remained fixed on the other Heeler in an environment where only the growls of the two could be heard, but when Jean-Luc looks down, he notices how Bluey's hand is forming a fist… ready for a fight
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, with tension increasing by the second, Jean-Luc grabs Bluey's wrist and says worriedly, "Bluey, let's get out of here," but Bluey kept looking at the other Heeler.
"Bluey, seriously, she's not worth it." Between Jean-Luc's concern, there were traces of panic in his voice, and with that same panic and with his hand on her wrist, he pushes Bluey with his body to get away from the cart, but even with that, Bluey kept looking at the girl, every so often he looked back to make sure that the heeler was still next to the cart, fortunately for him, the Heeler only looked at Bluey with her eyes full of hate, eyes that manage to make Jean-Luc's fur shudder
When Jean-Luc manages to push Bluey far enough away, with her free hand, Bluey points at her own eyes with her index and middle fingers and then points with the same fingers at the Heeler, the international sign for "I'll be watching you." Jean-Luc looks back to see the Heeler one last time, curious about the ice cream vendor's reaction, but the Heeler responds forcefully, showing her middle finger to Bluey
"(These two have a history)," Jean-Luc thought, still pushing Bluey toward the Brisbane River.
When the two are far enough away that the Heeler can't see them, Bluey turns to walk straight and places her hands over her face embarrassed.
"What was that, Bluey?" Questions Jean-Luc stunned
"Nothing, nothing happened…"Bluey angrily says, then mutters with anger and sadness,"…Does she really have to ruin my day like this?"
"Hey," Jean-Luc moves ahead of Bluey to be before her. "It doesn't matter; I'm having a lot of fun with you Bluey."
"I know, but I did want to share an ice cream with you," Bluey answers sadly as if she had tears in her throat.
"I'm not interested in ice cream. I just want to spend the day with you," Jean-Luc answers without thinking.
"(Wait…)" Jean-Luc thinks "(...That sounds romantic)"
"I'm glad to hear that," Bluey says, passing a hand over her eyes to wipe her tears. "It's just that…I'm sorry."
"About what?"
"What happened… We…We don't get along very well at school," Bluey says
"I noticed it. She showed you the middle finger."
"I don't care, but do you realize how low she can go?" Bluey says in an annoyed tone
Jean-Luc just nods, and Bluey continues, "I would have shown her the middle finger too, but at least I'm not a dirty, crazy girl like her."
"Wow," Jean-Luc reacts, pretending to be surprised, and jokes "Watch your language, girl."
"Eh, I hate her that much," Bluey reveals in a low, angry voice.
"You know what…I'm going to make your life easier," Jean-Luc says. "I'm not going to ask you what your story is with her. You'll tell me when you're ready."
"It's obvious that you're part French," Bluey says, attempting to sound normal. Jean-Luc's words did magic with her: "You behave like a gentleman."
"You know how I feel about being compared to a Frenchman," Jean-Luc says, pointing at Bluey in a friendly way. "But I'll let it go this time."
"Oh vraiment?" Bluey asks in French
"Seriously," Jean-Luc answers in English, nodding his head slightly. "Hey, do you want to sit on one of those benches overlooking the river?"
"I'd love to," Bluey says with a sparkle in her eyes before walking with Jean-Luc toward an empty bench.
"DEFEAT"
"TASK FORCE FAILED TO CAPTURE THE SECTORS"
"WHAT?" Jack shouts
"That wasn't fun," Mackenzie says, disappointed with his eyes covered with his fingers. When he slightly moves his hand from his eyes, he manages to see his phone with notifications of
MISSED CALL FROM INDY
MISSED CALL FROM POMPOM
MISSED CALL FROM CHLOE
MISSED CALL FROM ADAM
MISSED CALL FROM WINTON
MISSED CALL FROM LUCKY
MISSED CALL FROM SADIE
"What the hell is wrong with you, Bingo?" the Border Collie whispers, annoyed seeing the amount of calls he didn't see coming while playing.
"Another one?" Rusty asks on the call, "I'd like to win one before finishing."
"Sure," Makenzie gets up and grabs the mouse and keyboard. "Let's go for that victory."
"I have a question," Jean-Luc says, turning his head towards Bluey, who is sitting next to him.
"Me too," Bluey says, also turning her head to look at the Labrador.
"I was wondering…" The two teenagers speak at the same time but stop when they hear the voice of the other
"Your first…"
"No, your first…"
"I was wondering if…"
"Ugh…"
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Bluey suggests showing his fist to Jean-Luc
"D'accord" Jean-Luc agrees, showing his fist to Bluey.
"Ok," Bluey prepares by placing her other hand under her fist and begins.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors SHOOT"
Bluey shows scissors, and Jean-Luc shows paper. Bluey won
"Hooray!" Bluey celebrates with her arms outstretched
"Aww," Jean-Luc expresses defeat to compose himself and say," Ok, your first."
Bluey inhales air and then asks, "I wanna know more about your hockey games.
"Somebody interested?" Jean-Luc jokes with a smug smile
"I'm a very curious girl, okay? I was wondering cuz my sister Bingo also plays hockey."
"Oh yes, I remember… but Bingo said she plays field hockey, not ice hockey."
"And what is the difference?" Bluey asks, shrugging her arms
"Well, to start with, ice hockey is played on an ice rink, a very small rink compared to a hockey field. There are also fewer players: a goalie, two defenders, two wingers, and a center. "The protagonist," as we would like to call him, There are endless rules, but it is a very fast and brutal sport."
"I see…"Bluey has her eyes half closed, gathering all the information Jean-Luc told her. "It's a very different game than what my sister plays."
"I know, it's a very different sport with a very similar base."
"Yes, I understand, but there's a version of hockey that's played without ice, right?" Bluey asks
"Yes, in places where there's not much ice, the rules are the same, but you use normal roller skates and a ball instead of a puck."
"So my sister practices both," Bluey reveals, surprised. "I remember that she went to play hockey, but she also took roller skates with her. I always wondered why."
"Really? I could play with her one of these days," Jean-Luc says excitedly with his tail moving and then pretends to have a hockey stick in both hands and says, "I can show you my moves with the stick."
"That sounds amazing," Bluey says excitedly. "You should spend time with her. After all, she never met you at the camp."
"Yeah, what happened to her those days?" Jean-Luc drops the act and asks
"If I remember correctly," Bluey says, putting her finger in her mouth to think, "she preferred to be stinky and spend time with my family."
"Auck," Jean-Luc reacts disgusted.
"She was four back then," Bluey defends her sister. "Now she is a fairly independent teenager."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Anyway, what else can you tell me about your team?" Bluey asks with curious eyes
"Ohhhhh," Jean-Luc leans back, feeling the wave of nostalgia that hit his body. "'The Guardians of Tyler Allard High School'…I can tell you a lot."
"We have all day, Jean-Luc." Bluey leans towards Jean-Luc, ready to listen to the Labrador's adventures on the hockey rinks.
"What is this shit" Rusty complains on the call
"I swear, that bastard used wallhacks," Jack complains in denial
"Shit…" Mackenzie mutters, annoyed, as he watches another defeat screen on his monitor
Ting*
"!" Mackenzie turns his head towards the phone that say on the screen.
MESSAGE FROM HONEY
"Seriously, Bingo!" Mackenzie shouts when he grabs his phone and sees the notification with his eyes open
"What happened?" Jack asks. Mackenzie must have left the microphone on.
"I think Bingo texted Honey to convince me to talk to her."
"What!?" Jack blurts
"Is she crazy!?," Rusty expresses annoyance. "Is she seriously trying to get Honey into all this?"
"Thats just low, even for her!" Jack expresses annoyance too
"I'm going to check the message. I don't think she went that far," Mackenzie warns as he unlocks his phone and opens the message.
Honey: Hi Mack, I'm going to bake cookies with my parents tonight, if you want I can send you some for you and your family
"Oh," Mackenzie reacts, relieved, and writes back.
Mackenzie: Yes, I would like to. I love the way your mother prepares them.
Honey: I know, that's why I'm going to try to follow her recipe
Mackenzie: Good luck!
Honey: Thanks Mack
"Phew." Mackenzie relaxes in relief, letting his body hit the back of his chair. "False alarm, Bingo didn't text Honey."
"Uff." The two relieved teenagers could be heard on the call.
"Come on, we still have to win one," Rusty breathes before playing another game.
"This is McKnight, another Canadian Eskimo and the main Goalie of the Guardians. Besides my friends, he was the one I got along well on the team."
Jean-Luc said while showing a selfie of him and McKnight to Bluey with his phone, who was attentive to what the Labrador was saying
"Too bad he graduated last year, but I'm sure I'll see him in the professional league," Jean-Luc says while moving on to the next photo. "HEY, look at this ugly perdant
The Labrador shows him a photo of Louis at school with a surprised face as if he didn't expect Jean-Luc to take a picture of him: "This is Louis, my best friend, center, and captain of the Guardians. He was the one who convinced me to join the team."
"Wow, but he looks good," Bluey says, still looking at the photo.
"What?" Jean-Luc looks at her strangely as if she had just said the unthinkable
"I mean, I'm not saying I want to go out with him, but he looks handsome enough to have a girlfriend," Bluey explains with her palms slightly raised.
"There's a reason why I say he's ugly," Jean-Luc says with his eyes half-closed at Bluey.
"Oh, I see," Bluey agrees as Jean-Luc moves on to the next photo.
"And this one…" Jean-Luc says, pointing at Thatcher, who was posing for Jean-Luc with a yellow cap he held like a fedora in the locker room. "...It's Thatcher, my second best friend, Winger and designated Duelist of the Guardians. You put him in front of the opposing goalie, and, He, will, not, miss. I took this photo after he scored three in the game; as tradition, the fans started throwing caps on the rink, and well, he grabbed one for himself."
"Well, I can see that he has a Theodore face" Bluey says, squeezing her eye with his cheek
"And this one…"Jean-Luc brings his phone closer to his face and moves on to the next photo, but upon seeing the next image, Jean-Luc remains silent to look at the picture in detail
"What happened?" Bluey asks when she notices Jean-Luc's reaction
"I saved a lot of photos last season," Jean-Luc starts talking, still looking at the photo." We won, lost, traveled, cried, and celebrated as a team. But this photo… " Jean-Luc finally moves his hand to show the photo to Bluey, "Tells the story of the 20 Guardians of Quebec City."
The photo was of a lone, stocky player in a white helmet with his back to the camera with a hockey stick in his right hand, on an ice rink with a light projected on him as he looked up at the dimly lit stands of a large stadium packed with spectators, phones up with flashlights on simulating fireflies in the night. The camera was pointed perfectly at the red back with white and blue sleeves of the jersey that had the name and numbers big and white.
"JEAN-LUC"
"16"
"I don't know who took this photo," says Jean-Luc, "But it's my favorite. It reminds me of the odyssey we went through to get to the final in Montreal."
"Final?" Bluey asks with a raised eyebrow." Like… the grand final?
"Yes," Jean-Luc says, although a certain sadness could be heard in his voice. "It was the final for the national championship against the Comets of North Montreal."
"And you won? "Bluey asks the obvious with hopeful eyes, to hear Jean-Luc say yes
"No," Jean-Luc disappoints Bluey "We lost in the shootout."
"Aww." Bluey lets her shoulders slump in sorrow, but stands up to ask, "And who is that, the one in the photo?"
Jean-Luc glances at Bluey and immediately understands what she is referring to, so the Labrador begins to explain with ego on his tongue, "He is Jean-Luc, a handsome Labrador, defender and designated sharpshooter for the Guardians, the best player in the league with the most powerful slap shot in the world, the worst nightmare of the Goalies."
"Bah," Bluey denies making a rejection movement with her hand, and then jokes, "Lower your ego. You're just telling lies."
"But it's true," Jean-Luc lies on the verge of laughter to continue the joke. "All that is true"
"No, no," Bluey shakes her head, still keeping the joking tone, "I can hear the pats on your own shoulder, Jean-Luc."
"At least of all the things I said, I'm going to insist that I'm handsome," says Jean-Luc, placing a hand where his heart is. "Let me sleep with that,"
"You had a girlfriend then?" Bluey says quickly
"!" both dogs' eyes open immediately at what the blue Heeler said.
"(She must have said it without thinking)" Jean-Luc thinks
Before Jean-Luc said anything, Bluey answered first with a light red on her cheeks, " I mean… since you said that your friend never had a girlfriend because he is "ugly." I was wondering if you had a girlfriend since you think you're handsome."
"..." Jean-Luc remains frozen, looking at Bluey, but after a few seconds, he looks towards the river in front of him and confesses, "It's… Complicated"
"What do you mean?" Bluey asks confused
"I had something with this girl," Jean-Luc says, looking at the river. "We were spending time together, but it never felt like a relationship. She just wanted to spend time with me because I had good grades."
"Ow…I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, something like that had to happen, Right? How was it said?" Jean-Luc snaps his fingers, trying to think until he finally says "développement du personnage"
"Ah, I know," Bluey says, embarrassed, probably for making Jean-Luc reveal something like that to her.
"I only said I am handsome because I feel that way," Jean-Luc explains,"Not because I had a girlfriend or anything. My friend Louis never had any luck with girls, so I started saying he's ugly."
"How sad of him," Bluey says sadly
"I know. I always tell him that he'll find someone out there."
"You too, you know?"
"Huh?" Jean-Luc looks back at Bluey
"You're going to get someone too," Bluey says as she places a hand on Jean-Luc's hand that was on his leg.
"Thanks, Bluey," Jean-Luc says as a soft smile appears on his face." Enough about me; I don't want to be the stereotypical hockey player with his ego in the clouds. I still have to ask you something."
"Oh yeah, what are you going to ask me?" Bluey says as she retracts her hand
"What else can you tell me about your friends? I was thinking about meeting them at school, but I'd like to know more about them."
"Oh of course," Bluey says excitedly before taking the phone off her hip." I'm sure I have a picture of everyone. Let me look for it first.
"WHAT IS THIS!"
"NOT AGAIN"
"DEFEAT"
"TASK FORCE: 1 REBELS: 3
"You guys are embarrassing. Retreat." The video game announcer rubs salt into the losers' wounds and then sends the group to the main menu.
"Guys…"Mackenzie starts talking with his fingers on his eyes "I think that's enough. I'm not feeling very well"
"Come on Mack" Jack implores
"Just one more" Rusty also implores" We were so close to winning
"Losing 3 to 1 doesn't count as close"
"It doesn't matter, "Jack says "Just one more Mack
"Argh" Mackenzie complains, moving his gaze to the ceiling of his room and then back to his monitor "Okay, one more"
"Hooray!" Celerban Rusty and Jack then enter another game
"Here it is" Bluey announces who was looking for a photo on her phone "This is the whole group. We took the photo months ago at the end of school year party"
Jean-Luc leans to the side to see the screen of Bluey's phone. In his head, he was expecting a group of 6 or 12 friends, considering the conversation he saw earlier, but he is surprised to see his eyes wide open at the giant group of dogs of different sizes and colors looking at the camera in a group photo in some kind of park. "THAT'S THE GROUP!?"
"Yes, there are my old friends from elementary school, some of my neighbors and there are also my sister's friends" Bluey explains while Jean-Luc counts the dogs in the photo with his fingers in amazement
"There are like…"Jean-Luc continues counting until he counts the last dog, "more than 30 dogs there, THAT'S MORE THAN A HOCKEY TEAM!" Jean-Luc says stunned as he immediately looks at Bluey"
"Yes…"
"Of all the dogs there, I only know Mack, you, and your sister," Jean-Luc says, pointing to the center of the group, where the three of them were on the floor looking at the camera. It's hard for me to remember the names of 20 guys. How am I going to remember 30? "
"I guess spending time with us," Bluey answers, shrugging her shoulders.
"It's going to take me forever to meet them all."
"Ok, I'll explain it to you quickly," Bluey says and starts pointing at the photo.
"This one, this one, and these ones here are my friends from Glasshouse, the ones I told you about before. The yellow labs and the brown lab, along with the Chow Chow, are my neighbors, and these ones, plus these four ones here, are Bingo's friends from Glasshouse who are also going to Southern Stars this year"
…
…
…
"Quoi?"
"Ugh," Bluey reacts, annoyed. "There has to be a better way to do this."
"I can wait to meet everyone at school. I think it would be easier this way since everyone is going to be there."
Bluey looks at the floor, her eyes bouncing to every corner until she immediately looks ahead as if a light bulb turned on above her head. "That's it!…"
"Huh?"
"A party… That's it!" Bluey looks at Jean-Luc with a smile and with her eyes wide open. "I could organize a party at my house"
"Huh?...for a group that big?" Jean-Luc asks with a face of astonishment at what he was hearing
"Yes, my house is big, so it won't be a problem."
"Ok…"Jean-Luc nods his head slightly."...we'll have a party."
"Hooray!" Bluey exclaims with her arms open. Then she turns on her phone and starts texting. "I'm going to tell my parents and the whole group. When do you want to have the party?"
"What do you think…Wednesday, in two days"
"Perfect," says Bluey, still typing on her phone, but she stops for a second to ask, "Do you want to take a picture of us for the memory?"
"Of course," She says, Jean-Luc, causing Bluey to snuggle close to him and hug him with one arm around the Labrador's shoulders.
"(You know…)" Jean-Luc thinks as he feels the Heeler's fur "(I'll never get tired of this)" and after finishing thinking, Jean-Luc moves his arm to get him out of Bluey's embrace, and when he succeeds, the Labrador places his arm on Bluey's shoulders and brings her closer to him. He grabs Bluey's phone to extend his arm and take another selfie with a giant smile on their faces
"Oh no…"
"OH NO"
"DEFEAT"
"TASK FORCE:2 REBELS:3"
"That wasn't how we planned it, retreat," The announcer speaks for the last time.
"Ughhhhh." Mackenzie places both of his hands on his tired face.
"Hey, BorderCollie17," One of the boys' teammates speaks. "You have a shitty aim, did you know that?"
"And what about you?…" Rusty comes to the rescue. "You stay in the back of the map You damn camper"
"The one whose dad abandoned him appeared."
"Look at yourself in the mirror, you dirty virgin." Jack gets into the mess.
"Shut up"
"Shut the fuck up"
"Son of a bitch"
That's exactly how the vocal chaos that was coming out of Mackenzie's red headphones started as he reluctantly took them off. "I'm already starting to hate this day," The Collie murmured.
"Ding"
"Huh," Mackenzie's phone rings, igniting the curiosity in his head, which moves it to see the notification
"Bluey sent a photo to: The Glasshouse Club."
"Huh…" Now Mackenzie's curiosity was through the roof, and unfortunately for him, curiosity was going to destroy him
When Makcneize opened the notification, he found a photo of Bluey and Jean-Luc, arm in arm, looking at the camera with a smile. Bluey also added a message below the photo.
Bluey: GUYS. You are all invided to a Party at my house on Wednesday to welcome Jean-Luc
Before he could see the answers of the members of the group, Mackenzie turned off the phone and with the same grip, he squeezed the device tightly and furiously letting out an annoyed growl from his soul. The collie growled and growled until Mackenzie threw his phone at the wall with force and grabbed the keyboard to…
"BANG"
"BANG"
"BANG"
Mackenzie slams his keyboard on the table, the sound of plastic hitting the wooden table resounding in his room along with the sound of keys flying in all directions. After hitting the table three times, Mackenzie throws the keyboard on the table, gets up, and presses the button to turn off the PC
"Mackenzie!" Rusty's voice is heard in the headset, but it is too late
9K in this one…Of all the chapters that could be 10K, I don't really mind this one being so long.
We have the first antagonist of the story…it's about time
The song in Jean-Luc and Alice's flashback is Umbrella by Rihanna, an "in a nutshell" of what the relationship between those two is like
There are no references, but there is an anecdote
When BlueyxSpy told me that he found it cute that Jean-Luc and Alice's first interaction in chapter 2 is the reason why Jean-Luc learned English… I was sure I squinted my eyes really hard until my eyelids hurt and thought "But bro, that wasn't even the designated 'Jean-Luc is inspired to learn English' scene." It was hard to write what I wanted to convey, but I'm glad I managed it
Its going to be a little bit before the next chapter since im going to be writing other projects, but also next chapter is not going to be as long, I wanna try something different with Mackenzie
until next time