Chapter Text
Something Just Like This - Part 1
It was a brilliant idea. Surprise Bluey for her birthday with Jean-Luc. It was still a couple of days away, so they had time to plan. They built a list of things they had to do in order to make sure this would be one of the best surprises she’s ever had.
First and foremost, discuss the idea with their friends. So far, only the boys, plus Chilli, knew that he was back in Brisbane. Introductions should happen gradually, and they need to emphasize that this needs to be a surprise.
Second, talk with her family. As said already, Chilli knew Jean-Luc was in Brisbane, and considering that they got along well during that camping trip months ago, he was sure that she would be on board with the idea. Bandit and Bingo would also be, one hundred percent.
Third, the actual location. Where would they hold this party, and how will they get there?
Fourth, what would they do at the party?
Fifth… how will the reunion itself go?
Jean-Luc and Mackenzie both felt headaches coming on from the sudden planning of everything. The former had barely arrived in Australia and his mind was already racing on a thousand and one ways to let his crush know that he was back. Mackenzie had so many smug looks on his face… but he didn’t mind.
He had just met Mackenzie in real life. And already, Jean-Luc grew a big liking to him, as well as his family. They were so nice . Any bickering he had with Mackenzie never felt like it was meant to be rude, rather… in a way like siblings. And the same went for the rest of the boys.
He still remembered how once, when Mackenzie brought up an uncomfortable topic for him, he and the rest and the boys were very apologetic. So yes, Jean-Luc felt like he was part of them.
He couldn’t wait to see them again.
And Mackenzie’s place was awesome! It used to be a single story house, but renovations happened as the boy grew older, and an extra floor was added, which had the parents’ room, a bigger room for Mackenzie, as well as a guest room. One of the rooms on the bottom floor was even converted into a game room, which Jean-Luc felt stupid for for not realizing. There were darts, gaming consoles, and even a pool table in there!
It’s going to be an enjoyable couple of months, for sure.
The first day, Jean-Luc spent at the house, not really going outside. He didn’t want to risk accidentally getting spotted by Bluey. Mackenzie’s parents were at work, so the boys came over later that day, and Lucky even came along as well to say hello. Lucky pretty much sprinted towards Jean-Luc the moment he saw him, excited beyond belief. A little thing he figured out is that, ever since the renovation and the addition of the game room, Mackenzie’s house became a hotspot for the boys to hang out at.
A day with the boys. Jean-Luc had wanted that for so long, to spend time with a group he could refer to as “the boys.” They played video games, ordered pizza, played card and board games (he will forever laugh at the absolute obscure card combinations in Cards Against Canines), and they closed off the afternoon with some pool.
Mackenzie… was crazy good at the game.
“I played a lot of pool with my old man once we got the table. I’ve gotten pretty decent at it.”
One thing Jean-Luc realized about his roommate is that he doesn’t like to brag. But he wasn’t just decent, he was incredibly good. He nailed nearly every shot, he had an accuracy that was through the roof, and he had tricks that the boys could marvel at. Any awkward position the cue ball was in, Mackenzie brought it out with in-head calculations that rivaled a mathematician’s. Never once did he have a “better than thou” outlook.
“I just got lucky, is all.”
Everybody wanted to team with Mackenzie, it was overwhelming, really. So they decided on coin flips to sequence the order of teaming, and they created a mini tournament on it.
Jean-Luc was… not good at the game. He kept missing, he had a bad aim, and he was unable to calculate where he wanted the cue ball to go. Obvious shots, he could hit, but even those were fifty-fifty. Mackenzie kept trying to help him, but even then, not every shot hit.
It was around dinnertime that the boys left. They had to get home, so they couldn’t stay for dinner. Digger dropped all of them off. In the car though, he also saw a great dane in the passenger seat. That was probably that Tiny guy Rusty mentioned a couple days back. Tiny gave him a wave through the window, Jean-Luc felt less than elegant waving back.
That evening during dinner, he felt so tired . He almost fell asleep while he was eating.
“Jean-Luc? Are you okay, sweetie?” Loren’s voice woke him up. Richard and Mackenzie were discussing something about a pool game they were watching on TV during dinner.
“Oh, uh… yeah, yeah… I’m…” He yawned. “I’m feeling so tired…”
“How much did you sleep on the plane?”
“Enough… I slept…”
She smiled at him. “You haven’t adjusted to the time zones yet. Look, how about you turn in early tonight? You can eat your food tomorrow as well.”
His eyes widened slightly. They looked so bloodshot, Loren got a little more worried. “Are you sure? You already worked on it, I respect you enough to finish the meal you prepared…”
“Pish posh, Jean-Luc. It’s no trouble, really. Besides… what time is it in Canada right now?”
“I’d say around…” Jean-Luc gestured with his fingers a bit. “Nearly 6 a.m., maybe?”
“Goodness, you practically stayed up all night that way. I understand you want to adjust quickly, hang out with Mackenzie and your friends as much as you can, but you have time. Focus first on adjusting, okay?”
“Alright. Thank you, Mrs. Border-Collie.”
Loren gave him an amused smile. “I thought I insisted you call me Loren?”
“Ah, right! Sorry!” Jean-Luc scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, making Loren giggle.
“Go ahead and sleep, Jean-Luc. We’ll see you tomorrow, kid.”
“Okay. Thank you, Loren.”
Jean-Luc didn’t sleep as well as he hoped he would. First he woke up at 4 a.m… around 2 p.m. in Montréal right now. He went back to sleep, to allow himself to adjust better. 5 a.m… 6:30 a.m… 7 a.m… by around 8:30, he gave up and went to freshen up.
Showers woke him up properly, at least. He was used to cold showers, luckily. So while it would take a toll on him later on, at least for now, he can plan a day without worrying about fatigue.
It’s too bad he didn’t bring his speaker to the shower. He didn’t wake to wake the others, though. Still, this would’ve been a good time to listen to some music.
…
…
… for dog’s sake, of all the places to think about Bluey…
The thought of music made his thoughts drift to her again. Bluey loves music. If only he could hear her sing. He’s heard from the boys that she has a wonderful singing voice. The way Mackenzie described it, though…
“It’s like listening to an angel’s chorus.”
… weird choice of words, but okay.
Jean-Luc couldn’t help but start singing as he thought about her.
“You’re like gold dust… it rains over me…”
He wouldn’t call himself a good singer, but he did have a pitch. He was… decent, at best.
“A foreign sun that I thought I’d never see… You’re like gold dust…”
Their song. Oh, how he couldn’t stop listening to it over the past couple of months.
“Oh, don’t change, ever. No, don’t change. There’s a hollow in this house, whenever you go…”
He continued singing after he was done, humming the melody to himself, allowing his thoughts to be of the cute blue heeler who’s captured his heart. After he was done and went back to his room to regain his bearings, he went downstairs. He already saw Mackenzie downstairs with a coffee, the border collie sent a smile his way when he saw his roomie.
“Hey, morning, JL!”
Jean-Luc smiled back. “Bonjour, Mackenzie.”
“Sheesh bro, you sound tired. Want me to make you a cuppa?”
“I would appreciate that, thanks.”
“No worries. How do you like your coffee?”
“Shot of milk with a teaspoon of sugar, please.”
“You got it, mate. What’s up with you? Didn’t sleep well?”
Jean-Luc shrugged as Mackenzie prepared a coffee. “Time zones.”
“Feel ya. Sure, it’s only two hours on my end when I visit my family back in New Zealand, but man, does it mess up my sleep schedule.”
“Heh, then try fourteen hours.”
“Holy crap, how are you alive?”
“I have motivation for that.”
Mackenzie smirked. “What kind of motivation? Maybe one in the form of a certain blue heeler?”
“Ha ha, very funny, Mackenzie.”
A loud snort from the border collie. “Like I said, you’re totally in love!”
“I am not!”
“So is that why you’re stalking her Instagram whilst looking at her again?”
He flushed red and put his phone away. “… noooo?”
“Well.” Mackenzie put a cup of coffee in front of his roommate. “While you handle your existential crisis about whether you’re in love with Bluey or not - spoiler alert, you totally are - I’ll contact the boys and see if they want to hang out.”
And without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving a flustered Jean-Luc alone with his thoughts. He growled in annoyance once his mind fully rebooted. He had to admit though, Mackenzie made good coffee.
… Mackenzie seemed to do a lot of things right. He saw that guitar in his room.
And he even played pool so well… and he just had this direct style to him. Like, he could walk into a room and everyone would be happy to see him. From what he’s heard, he was even a pretty good dancer.
What could he offer? Corny jokes and an awkward attitude?
He didn’t think he’d have a chance with her.
The good thing about meeting with the boys is that it took Jean-Luc’s mind off of things. It was easy to warm up to them, and frankly… it felt like something that was missing in his life felt filled up by these guys.
It felt a bit weird being dressed up, though. He wore a beanie and some sunglasses. Jack and Lucky insisted he does this so he doesn’t get recognized by any unwanted individuals, though everyone knew they were referring to Bluey.
They agreed to spend a day at the arcade. One thing Jean-Luc would admit he was quite good at was arcade games. He spent so much time in arcades when he was younger, he was even a regular at one of the local arcades. He spent so much money at those cabinets…
He felt right at home as they walked in. The best thing about the arcade was that it was even a café, so they took a seat after they placed their orders.
“So boys…” Mackenzie started. “Do you know why we’ve called you here?”
Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t question it.
“Why have you called us here, M?” Lucky asked.
“This guy…” Mackenzie grinned as he put an arm around Jean-Luc. “Wants to surprise Bluey for her birthday.”
Rusty, Lucky and Jack all let out collective gasps.
“Oh my god, yes!” Jack exclaimed, only to get shushed by the boys.
“Not so loud, Jack!” Rusty said.
“Sorry!”
He then turned to the Canadian. “Got any ideas, Jean?”
“Well…” he started. “I do, actually.”
The boys leaned forward as he started explaining.
“There’s this area not far from Brisbane, a perfect place to go camping. Bluey and I met there when we were kids, you know, the place I told you about back on call?”
Collective nods.
“Well… I thought maybe we could bring her there. Maybe bring along some other people, have a picnic, spend a day there…” He looked down, blushing. “Maybe… feel like we’re kids again.”
“That… is a brilliant idea.” Rusty said, pointing at Jean-Luc. “I’m in. Let’s do it.”
“This is a brilliant idea, and you know why?” Lucky asked, prompting Jean-Luc to tilt his head in curiosity. “Bluey’s happiest memories are from her childhood, she’s always told us. So if the surprise would be to help her feel like a kid again… mate, you are a genius.”
Mackenzie continued. “It’s a great idea, for sure. Of course, we’ll have to decide who exactly to invite, but we can figure that out.”
“I was thinking we could maybe…” Jack’s eyes widened as he saw who came inside, and he quickly hid under the table. It was a dalmatian, and she looked familiar to Jean-Luc. He then realized she was one of Bluey’s friends. He quickly put on his beanies and glasses.
“Dude, it’s cool.” Lucky said. “Chloe won’t blow our cover if we tell her.”
“Oh. Then, uhh… why did Jack…?”
“Don’t. Ask.”
Rusty smirked. “Jack’s got a huuuuge crush on her.”
“Dude!”
“Literally everyone knows, except for her.”
“And I don’t need her figuring it out!”
Jean-Luc leaned over to Mackenzie. “Maybe we could ask her to help us plan things out?”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. We should call her over here.”
“Bro, my mind isn’t gonna work properly if she’s around!” Jack whined.
“Your mind isn’t ordinary by default.” Rusty teased, earning him a punch on the shoulder by Jack.
“Hey, Chloe!” Lucky called, making Jack ‘eep’ and hide under the table. Her eyes lit up and she waved.
“Hey, boys! Fancy seeing you here!”
“Fancy seeing you here, Chlo. Since when were you into video games?” Rusty asked with a teasing tone.
She looked a little embarrassed as he asked that. “Oh no no, I’m not much into video games! I only came for a tea. They make the most amazing tea here.” She then noticed Jean-Luc. “Oh, who’s your new friend?”
“Listen. Chloe.” Mackenzie whispered and gestured to her to come closer. Confused but still curious, she sat down to listen. “This is a secret you can’t tell anyone, okay?”
She tilted her head in curiosity. “What’s up?”
Mackenzie nodded to Jean-Luc, and the labrador revealed himself to the dalmatian.
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. “No. Way.”
“Bonjour.” Jean-Luc awkwardly waved. “I, er… don’t know how much you know about me?”
Her surprised look morphed into a look of excitement. “Of course I know about you! You’re the mysterious guy who swept Bluey off her feet!”
“I’m that special to her…?” Jean-Luc couldn’t help but be a little flustered.
“More than you believe. And the way I see it, the feeling’s mutual. You came all the way from Canada for her?” Chloe had stars in her eyes as she said that.
“Oh, so what are we, chopped liver?” Rusty asked with a light-hearted tone.
“Chopped liver sounds delicious…” A mutter was heard from under the table, grabbing Chloe’s attention. Was her tail slightly wagging?
“Oh, was that Jack? I didn’t know he was here.”
Lucky patted Jack’s back. “Come on, Jack. Stop messing around, mate.”
The terrier appeared, having a reddish face upon seeing the dalmatian. “S-S-Sorry about that, I-I, uhh… dropped something under the table. I kinda, er… hyper-focused on trying to find it, y’know? Yay for neurodivergence…”
Chloe giggled a little. “Well, I hope you found it.”
“Before we get off-topic…” Mackenzie diverted the attention onto him. “Chloe, I think you know Bluey’s birthday is coming up, right?”
“Yeeees…?”
“And we know that she’s been dearly missing the guy, right?”
“Mmhmm…”
“And I believe Bluey’s also told you about how she met him and where, correct?”
Chloe’s grin was widening. “I think I see where you’re getting at, but go on…”
He turned to the Canadian. “Do you want to say it?”
“Sure.” Jean-Luc turned to an excited looking Chloe. “I’d like to surprise Bluey for her birthday. Surprise her with a trip to the place where we met first as kids, then again a couple of months ago. I’m still thinking about how exactly to do it, but… I think it would be a fantastic surprise.”
Chloe was quiet… before she let out a quiet squeal. “It’s a brilliant idea, mate! She’s going to absolutely love you- IT! I mean IT!”
Mackenzie, Rusty and Lucky burst into snickers from Chloe misspeaking, leading to her being flustered, Jean-Luc being flustered for another reason, and Jack to feel very annoyed.
“Knock it off guys, it happens to you too. Idiots.”
“Vous allez me tuer, les garçons…” Jean-Luc had a playful smile on his face as he facepalmed.
“Sorry, Chloe, but damn. That’s another person to try to convince JL.”
Chloe’s mood 180’d from embarrassment to excitement again. “I knew it! I knew he felt the same!”
“Shhhh!” The boys shushed her. “Not so loud, please!”
“Oh, right! Sorry! Undercover.”
Her awkward little movement with her hands made Jack’s heart flutter. And Rusty to be amused by how his tail began to wag.
Chloe cleared her throat. “Erm, anyway! That sounds like a great idea, Jean-Luc! Who do you want to invite?”
“Well, umm… I was thinking maybe you could help us with that? I don’t really know Bluey’s friends apart from you guys.”
“Hmm… I have a few ideas…”
So many great ideas were discussed. It didn’t take long to settle on one.
Step one: decide who to invite. Chloe created a group chat with a few people who are close to Bluey, and she threw in the idea. No responses yet, time was needed for that.
Step two: rent a vehicle and ask for a driver. Rusty suggested Digger, Mackenzie thought about his parents, Jean-Luc thought about asking Bluey’s parents. Who exactly to ask was debatable, so it would be a topic to further discuss later. Maybe an RV could be rented so everyone could fit? Money was also a topic.
Step three: prepare everything at the area, before and after arrival. Decorations, presents, cake, activities…
Step four: get Bluey to the area without her spotting Jean-Luc. Overall, the idea was simple in theory - at a certain cue, Jean-Luc would appear and reunite with Bluey.
Celebrations would commence afterwards. As for what kind of activities, well, before it could be discussed, the boys decided they wanted to do what they came here for, and that was to play. Jean-Luc decided to stay back though.
“Go ahead and have fun, boys. I’ll join you in a bit, I want to give these ideas some more thought.”
That, and he didn’t want Chloe to feel awkward, being there on her own.
For the first few moments, they sat there, feeling a little awkward regardless. Jean-Luc always had lots to talk about, but initiating conversations wasn’t always his strong suit. Especially when the other side was more introverted.
He playfully scoffed as he watched the boys at an arcade machine, Mackenzie and Jack competing in a game of Tetris to set a high score. It was so rare to find an arcade cabinet for that game nowadays! It filled the labrador with a sense of nostalgia.
It was also laughable at how bad they were at the game. How did they not know how lines worked?
He shook his head with a smile. “Imbéciles.”
“Well, they’re our imbeciles, aren’t they?” Chloe asked, taking a sip of her tea.
“Yeah, I suppose they are.” He chuckled.
A few more moments of silence, broken only by the cheers and mock insults of the boys every now and then.
“How… did you guys meet, by the way?” Chloe asked, after a few seconds. “If you don’t mind me asking…”
“Honestly? Completely by chance. I hopped onto a game a few months ago, and there they were. I got invited into their server, where it was revealed they knew Bluey.”
“Kind of like… the stars aligned, huh?”
He shrugged. “You could say that, yeah. I always wondered when and how I’ll get the chance to be back, so… this works out perfectly.”
“How long are you gonna be staying?”
He looked at her. “They didn’t tell you, did they?”
“Tell me what?” she asked, tilting her head.
Jean-Luc grinned. “I’m gonna be an exchange student here.”
“No way! That’s amazing!” Chloe’s excitement was back. “So you’ll be here for a while!”
“Mmhmm! I’m gonna be a student at Waldorf High for the next few months.”
“Wait, at our school?!”
Jean-Luc shushed her again. “Chloe, please!”
Her face went very red. “I’m sorry! I just… I’m excited for you!”
“I’m really excited too! I’ve done exchange student programs before, but never one this far away. Personally, my most memorable one was the program I did in Mexico.”
“Wow, you’ve seen a lot of places then, huh?”
“Mmhmm! Traveling is a big hobby of mine, and my parents as well.”
“Was that how you met Bluey?”
“Yep. A camping trip with my parents, first one was when I was a kid. We, uhh… came back a few times after that, actually.”
Chloe’s eyes had stars in them. “Is that how you and Bluey grew so close?”
“On the contrary…” He scratched the back of his head. “The trip from a few months ago was only the second time I met her. I always, uhh… looked for her. But I never found her until now.”
Her look suddenly became dejected. “Oh… I’m so sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it. The wait was worth it in the end. She inspired me to learn English, you know?”
“And to come back?”
“Yeah, but not just her. I was excited to meet the boys too. They’re-”
He suddenly gasped. “Get down!”
Chloe was confused at why they were suddenly hiding, but after a few seconds, she saw why.
Jean-Luc saw Bluey.
He watched her as she walked away from the window. Chloe couldn’t help but observe the labrador’s behavior as he watched Bluey.
Wagging tail? Silly grin? A bright red face? The way his eyes lidded?
Pure affection. Jean-Luc looked back only to see Chloe with a big smile.
“I… okay. I’ll… I’ll admit it. I… may have a massive crush on her.”
“How big are we talking?” she asked, excited. “I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”
A little voice rang in his head that told him to trust her.
“I’ve… never felt like this towards anyone, ever in my life. I already felt drawn to her as a kid, and she… inspired me to really expand my horizons. Not just language learning, but… be more bold.”
Jean-Luc looked down, smiling as he thought back to the past.
“We didn’t understand each other, yet we had so much fun. It taught me that things can really work if you just try hard enough. For years, all I had were her memories, but… she appeared in my dreams sometimes. I always thought it was an illusion, but her face, i-it was there. We don’t make up faces in our dreams, so I knew she was real. I knew I had to keep trying. And… it paid off.”
He opened up his phone, seeing the lock screen wallpaper he had of Bluey. The photo they took a few months back, when he was with his family in Australia.
“I got to see her again. And the separation hurt so bad. I wanted so badly to at least just… see her in person again. It hurt more than ever. Fate smiled upon me when I met the boys that day… and thanks to them, I get to be a part of all of this, and… for them, and, no offense to them, but especially for her… it made all those months of longing so worth it. And I’m so excited to see her reaction.”
“Oh…” He heard a coo. Chloe had her hands on her heart, with a warm smile. ”You’ve got it so bad for her.”
“I don’t want it to ruin things between us, though…”
“Trust me. She’ll be absolutely overjoyed. I know her. She’s my best friend. And while she is the kind of person to not open up about these kinds of things, I know how to coax it out of her. Believe me… she’ll accept you with open arms.”
Jean-Luc couldn’t help but start grinning like a lovesick puppy and blushing like a schoolgirl. His tail wagged so much.
“Yo, JL! Come join us for some Tetris!”
He looked at Chloe. “Go right ahead. I’m done with my tea anyway.”
“Alright. Thank you so much again for your help.”
Her face lit up. “Think nothing of it, mate! Besides, I’ve always wanted for her to be happy. I’ll set up a group chat later today. Can I get your number?”
“Oh, er… it’s a Canadian one, is that okay? I still need to get an Australian one.”
“No worries! Here, I’ll give you mine instead.”
After a phone number exchange, she took her leave, but not before waving to the boys. Jack was the most enthusiastic out of them when waving. Chloe couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.
Feeling more at ease and anticipating the upcoming day, he went to join the boys, ready to kick their behinds in Tetris.
He was glad he talked to Chloe about things. It was going to be a good surprise.
A few days later, preparations began. The group chat was formed. In the chat were him, the boys, Chloe, and a couple of Bluey’s friends. She started a group call at one point with a few unfamiliar people, though he remembered seeing those faces on Bluey’s Instagram posts. A poodle, a beagle, an Afghan hound, a chow chow, and a chocolate labrador, the latter two on the same video.
The moment Chloe gestured for Jean-Luc to come over, he felt a little antsy, but he did it anyway.
“Do you girls know who this is?”
They all looked at him curiously, which prompted him to introduce himself.
“Erm, bonjour! My name is… Jean-Luc.” He felt so awkward. He felt like a laughing stock.
But instead of laughing, the girls started happily exclaiming their enthusiasm.
“Wait, what?!”
“You’re the Jean-Luc?!”
“The guy Bluey has the hots for?!”
“No way! Bluey chose well!”
He couldn’t help but cover his face in embarrassment, feeling it go so red. “It’s still so hard to believe she talks that highly of me…”
“Bluey has said nothing but nice things about you. It’s going to be so nice to finally meet you!” The poodle - Coco, was it? - said to him.
“Speaking of meeting…” Chloe looked at Jean-Luc. “You want to tell them your plan?”
“Well… Bluey’s birthday is coming up, so I figured we could surprise her. At the same camping ground where we first met. There we let her know I’m back.”
“That sounds great!”
“I’m down with that!”
“Defo in!”
“Let’s do it!”
The overwhelming support made the labrador’s heart swell with pride.
“Hey.” Chloe said to him after they hung up. “You want to keep the whole exchange student thing a surprise as well?”
After a few moments, he grinned. “Yeah… yeah, let’s do that.”
Later that day, he was even able to get Chilli’s phone number from Loren. It didn’t take long for her to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Hi Chilli, this is Jean-Luc!”
A light gasp came from the other side, followed by a few seconds of silence.
“Sorry, I had to move outside so they wouldn’t hear me. Bluey was right there with me!”
“Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?”
“You’re fine. Let me guess, Loren gave you my number?”
He chuckled a bit, nervous. “Yeah…”
“And you’re calling to let me know you found a way to surprise my daughter?”
“… yes?”
A squeal was heard on the other side. “Tell me all about it!”
“I want to take her to the camping ground where we all met. Spend a day there. Let her relive a part of her childhood with friends and family. Is, er… that a good idea?”
“It’s a brilliant idea! Do you need us to drive Bluey there?”
“I would greatly appreciate it.”
“Consider it done. Lucky for you, Bandit and I took a day off for her birthday. It’s gonna be nice to return, and see you again!”
“The feeling is mutual. Thank you so much, Chilli!”
“No worries, sweetie. Text me the details once you have everything sorted, okay?”
“Of course. Thank you again!”
On the day when Bluey’s birthday finally came, Jean-Luc was up very early. The camping ground wasn’t far away, luckily. Still, Rusty insisted they get a ride with Digger. Everything was going according to plan.
Bluey and her family would be arriving later that day.
Jean-Luc was beyond excited. The day was finally here. The day he would finally officially see her again. He practically hopped into the rental minivan Digger and the boys were in. It wasn’t a long drive thankfully, they reached their destination quick enough.
At the area he saw Bluey’s friends preparing, along with two other familiar faces.
“Jean-Luc!”
The energetic sound of Muffin ringed through the field, getting everyone’s attention. Near Muffin was Socks, who gave him a shy wave.
“The man, the myth, the legend!”
Jean-Luc then heard the yell of one of the girls from that group chat once he arrived in the area. If he recalled correctly, that was Winnie. A small commotion began around him, but by now, he was starting to get accustomed to the attention. He hoped it wouldn’t go to his head, being treated a bit like a celebrity among her group.
Everything was looking so good. Tables and chairs were set up around a campfire, streamers and balloons decorated the nearby trees, along with a big banner reading “Happy Sweet 16 Bluey!” Jean-Luc soon found out that that was Muffin’s idea.
The whole time was spent coordinating and decorating.
Only one thing left to do… wait.