For the first time in three days.
Bingo is excited to go to school. Because now she has a reason to go.
Help Dougie in math class.
Her heart pounds against her chest, and her feet twitch as she anxiously waits for her father to drop her and her sister at the school's drop-off area. When it was time for the Heeler Family, Bandit turns his head to the back seat and says, "Have fun, girls!"
Chilli turns her head back and says wisely, "Remember to be kind to everyone."
"Yes, Mom!" Both Heeler sisters answer happily as they hop down from the vehicle and make their way to the school entrance.
Bingo's first thing to do? Meet up with Dougie.
Luckily for her, Dougie was already in Mr Rhody's classroom…dealing with someone else.
"Sooo, you are, going to be, with me, the entire time?"
A stand-up Dougie inquiry with both hands together, surreptitiously pointing at the light blue Heeler sitting in front of him inside Rhody's mathematics classroom.
"Yes?" Diamonds nods and responds quicks but unsure
"All of, my classes?"
"Yes?"
"Oh boy," Dougie rubs his forehead feeling stress-out
"What's the problem?" Diamond asks with an innocent, curious nature
Dougie inhales with open eyes and lets the air out before explaining, "Cuz I have, one of my friends, helping me, this class."
"But I'm already helping you," Diamond answers back. "There is no need for your friend to help you."
"Well…" Dougie sounded unsure, balancing himself with his feet, trying to come up with something. "She is, a special friend."
"A special friend?" Diamond says with one raise eyebrow, "You mean a girlfriend?"
"Nonononononono," Dougie burps rapidly and shakes both palms up. "She is not, my girlfriend; she is just, my best friend."
"Ah haaaa…" Diamond slowly nods her head. "Sure…"
"Two days here and you already got a 'best friend,'" Mr. Rhody makes his presence known from the teacher's desk, making sure to say best friend with a slightly teasing tone. "That's impressive."
"Yeah?" Dougie uncomfortably looks at his teacher
"Well!" Rhody finally yells, impulsively stepping out of his chair and stretching his muscles. "You guys better get prepared. Classes are about to start."
Dougie reluctantly sits next to Diamond. Because of his condition, Dougie has to sit in front or next to the teacher's desk, meaning there is only one spot next to him, a place he tried to save for Bingo, but his interpreter is now occupying the spot.
RINGGGGGGG*
The school bell finally rings in the hallways and classrooms; it didn't take long for the students of Mr. Rhody's first period to arrive.
With each arriving student going through the door. Dougie's heart beats with power against his chest, his throat tightens, and his breath loses coordination. All of this while trying to figure out how to inform Bingo about the new interpreter
Is she going to get angry at him?
Is she going to stop talking to him?
Is she going to stop being her friend?
Dougie wishes for Bingo to go through that door and get this over with, but he immediately regrets it when he spots the familiar apricot fur of Bingo going through the open door, with a radiant, exotic smile before her eyes widen when her gaze lands on him.
"Dougie!"
Bingo shouts and quickly walks over to him. On the other hand, Dougie stands up to meet her with both palms up…already trying to calm Bingo down.
"Where are we gonna sit?" Bingo beams with enthusiasm and a wagging tail as she stands before him.
"I don't, think, that's possible," Dougie states, nervous.
"Huh?" Bingo's smile fades quickly, she tilts her head to the side and her tail stops moving to stand still.
"Soo…" Surprisingly, Diamond's massive size shows up to stand next to Dougie. "Is she your best friend?"
"Who are you?" Bingo questions with a mild furrow and an unpleasant tone at the newcomer
"She is D-D-Diamond," Dougie stutters, holding himself together the best he can in response to Bingo's adverse reaction. "She is g-g-gonna be my i-i-i-interpreter in a-a-all my c-c-c-classes."
"What!?" Bingo blurts out, shaking her head back in disbelief, her ears fall behind her head and retorts sadly, "But you told me we are going to sit together, that I was gonna help you."
"I-I-I…"
Dougie hits a mental muddy patch, stuttering over his words like wheels on mud, desperately searching for something to say to his best friend, whose sad, near-crying face shivers him to his core.
"Look," Diamond steps in between the apricot and the brown dog with authority to forcefully address Bingo. "I get you guys are good friends and your intentions are good. But Dougie needs me to sit next to him for this class; he needs someone qualified to support him."
"But I'm helping him," Bingo stammers in fear, shirking and shaking upon the massive Heeler before her. "He told me im helping him
"Right now, the best you can do is to sit somewhere else," Diamond authoritatively says, leaning slightly toward Bingo.
Bingo bounces her sight between Dougie behind the Heeler and Diamond close to her a couple of times, completely stunned in fear without knowing what to do.
"Bingo," Rhody calls her after he stops to write on the whiteboard behind Dougie. His tone forces Bingo to look straight at him. "You gotta take a seat; class is about to start."
'I, I, I"
"Bingo…"
The red Heeler stops shaking and her sight finally stabilizes and lands on the young Cavapoo.
"Just…go, we will, see each other, at lunch," Dougie says gently.
Bingo keeps looking at Dougie for a few more seconds, stunned…until finally, a tear comes out of her left eye, shuts her eyes and she faces away to walk back to a seat in the middle of the classroom.
Rhody returns to write on the board unfazed, Diamond returns to her seat indifferently, and Dougie looks at how Bingo sits and ducks behind her arms to hide herself…and probably cry. Dougie's heart sinks in sadness as he strolls to sit next to Diamond.
The professor finishes writing an explanation of their first topic and addresses the class "ALRIGHT CLASS, today we are going to see-
…
…
…
Completely annoyed with himself, Dougie turns off his right implant and figures Diamond can explain the lesson to him later. He rotates his head around, standing out between the students looking forward to spot Bingo, still hiding behind her arms in a resting position but peeking out to see Rhody explaining to his class. The guilt invades Dougie again, feeling dejected about not telling Bingo sooner about the new interpreter.
He remembers in pain at how happy Bingo expressed herself at the idea of her being able to him during class.
He still remembers how they opened up about their struggles, him with his missing father and Bingo with her dislike of the school.
He figured that spending time together at school was the sole reason she woke up happy.
And he ruined it for her…
Dougie exhales heavily and looks forward to see Mr. Rhody explaining, doing his best to pay attention to make it easier for Diamond to explain to him
But as the blue ink of the marker glides across the whiteboard…
"!"
Dougie felt something pointy touching his back three time, he quickly turns his head around to meet what was it, but something white fly past him and landed on his table, its a piece of paper folded several times, its a note and with curiosity, Dougie focus his sight to the paper and opens it up to read the note
"MY NAME IS LUNA, DOCTOR ACOSTA IS MY UNCLE, HE ASKED ME YOU CHECK ON YOU AND TO UPDATE YOU ON THE PROGRESS ON THE FIX"
Now with a stronger feeling of curiosity, Dougie finally looks behind him to spot a Black Labrador with white chest and white strings of hair on her face and nose. Luna's white eyebrows jump when she notices him looking at her and quickly points forwards, something Dougie does snappily and looks back at Rhody explaining to the class with a dejected demeanor.
Dougie might wanna talk to Luna later, but as of right now, he cannot wait until lunch to amend things with Bingo. To finally share time together like late at night yesterday.
But as Dougie observes the teachings of Rhody…
A certain older blue Heeler is looking at him from the back of the classroom…
With eyes full of hate…