Chapter Text
“Ok, last question. I’ve got this!”
”Which of the following correctly sequences Sino-Tibetan languages from largest to smallest in terms of the number of native speakers?”
After carefully reading the question in his head, the young, male Border Collie checked his answer choices.
”Mandarin, Wu, Min— HOLY CRAP! I didn’t even know all of those were languages!”
Once done scanning over the unfamiliar names, he decided to not dwell on the choices. He knew that once he answered the question he would be done with his final exam, and all of his anxieties would be washed away by carefree days, lack of responsibility, and trips to the beach. It was finally time for Summer break.
”Ok class, time is up!” announced a tall, female Boykin Spaniel. “Please turn in your exam, and close the tab. In five minutes you are free to leave, but before then you can talk amongst yourselves. Oh, and have a good summer!”
“Screw it, I’ll just choose C” thought the defeated dog.
After swiftly clicking the extemporaneous answer choice, he turned in the test, and closed the tab.
Sighhhhhhhhh
After letting out a sigh of relief, the monochrome teen packed away his things into his green bookbag, and looked around the classroom he was sitting in. White walls striped with purple were covered by posters displaying cliche phrases, and standard school desks covered the tiled floor. Sitting across from him in one of those desks was the most beautiful girl he had ever met. A Blue Heeler with a name to match; Bluey.
”Hey Mackenzie” she called out amongst the sea of chatter that the rest of the class emitted. “That was pretty easy, don’tcha think!
“Maybe for you, I’m just hoping that I score high enough to keep my mum off my back.”
”Oh please, you couldn’t have done that bad. I mean, I did help you study for a week.”
It was true, Bluey truly was the reason Mackenzie was even in advanced classes. Her ability to teach and willingness to help him with his schoolwork were just two of the things he loved about her.
“Well, we’ll see. So, what are you doing after this?”
”Did you not check the GC? We’re meeting up at Munch-Box. A few people won’t be able to make it though.”
”Who’s all going to be there?”
“It should be Indy, Rusty, Jack, and us.”
”Are we dropping off Bingo and Dougie off first, or—“
RINGGGGGGGG
Just then, the school bell rang, and a wave of students made a mad dash for the door. Mackenzie and Bluey grabbed their bags, and followed the crowd.
Once in the hallway, the duo ran out of the large school building dodging the mess that the hallway had managed to become in less than a minute. Papers were flying, purple lockers were left wide open, desks had found their way into the hall, and a large bin from the boys bathroom had been purposefully thrown onto the floor.
“Hurry up, or the line of cars will keep us here for at least ten minutes!” exclaimed a winded Bluey.
Mackenzie reacted to her words by picking up the pace. He didn’t want to get stuck in traffic, but even more so he didn’t want to deal with Bluey’s Red Heeler sister. Once Mackenzie's Jeep was in sight, they could already see Bingo and Dougie, waiting beside the back doors.
“How the heck are you two already out here?” Mackenzie asked with a confused look.
”We had study hall, so we just snuck out,” Bingo snickered back. “Just get in before we have to sit here all day!”
Mackenzie grabbed the handle of his Jeep Wranglers trunk, and put Bluey and his bags inside. Then, he jumped into the driver-side seat, and immediately pulled out.
”Does everyone have their seatbelts on? I’m looking at you Dougie.” Mackenzie teased while looking into his rear view mirror.
The young Cavapoo rolled his eyes, and did what he was told. Hearing Mackenzie ask him that all the time made him almost wish he hadn’t gotten neuroprosthetic surgery two years prior to reverse his hearing loss. Even so, he knew that thinking that way was a bit drastic.
Once Mackenzie finished laughing at his own remark, he looked over to Bluey who had already pulled up music on his phone. Immediately, Mackenzie heard the familiar sound of “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter.
”Really Bluey?” Mackenzie quipped. “We listened to Sabrina Carpenter on the way to school.”
”Awww come on I know you secretly love it!” Bluey responded with a grin on her face.
”Yeah, whatever.”
Mackenzie smiled, and focused on the cars ahead of him. Meanwhile, Bluey sang the words to the song.
”I heard you’re back together and if that’s true you’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you—” Bluey vocalized.
As they left Winsome Prep, Mackenzie looked at it gleefully. The school consisted of two-story, light-gray buildings. Thick purple stripes circled the entirety of the school, matching with the walls on the inside. Breezeways with glass roofs, and cement floors connected the structures to act as refuge from the harsh, Australian Sun. In front of the main building, there was a large cement circle with a large wallaby statue in the middle that was circumnavigated by students. The wallaby statue sat in the middle of a large fountain and represented the school's mascot. Lush trees, bushes, and a large greenhouse provided a verdant atmosphere around the vicinity.
Mackenzie was more than happy to leave. He did love his school, but after months of work, he was excited to spend more time with friends. He was also hoping to secure the bag with Bluey (Hint hint wink wink). They did almost everything together, but he was not sure what that meant exactly. The Heeler’s were practically his family due to his dad being best friends with Bluey’s dad Bandit, and him being so close with Bluey. He spent a lot of time at their house since it was designated as the “hangout spot” on account of its size.
After making it out of the long line of cars and onto the highway, Mackenzie drove towards the direction of both Munch-Box, and the Heeler home. The streets were surrounded by tall, overhanging trees, colorful buildings, and a plethora of dogs.
“So, are we bringing those two?” Mackenzie asked Bluey while pointing behind him at Bingo and Dougie.
Before Bluey could answer, Bingo chimed, “Of course we are, and we have to pick up Lila.”
“Really? You could’ve told me that before I turned in the wrong direction.”
“My bad.” Bingo answered with zero remorse.
After turning around into a gas station parking lot, Mackenzie drove to Lila’s neighborhood. Once outside her house, Bingo called her, signaling their arrival. Lila was already good to go since she had also just arrived at her house from school. Bingo scooted to the middle seat allowing Lila entry, and they were off.
”Why didn’t we just pick you up while we were still at school?” Bluey asked.
”I had to get my wallet, and ask my mum if I could come.”
“Why would she care? Mrs. Maltese loves us.”, Dougie stated with confidence.
”I know, it’s just nice to ask beforehand” Lila said back simultaneously.
Lila was definitely the most considerate of her friendship trio. On the other hand, Dougie was the smart one, and Bingo the wild card.
After a twenty minute drive, Mackenzie's four-door, green Jeep pulled into the parking lot of Munch-box, your average “Burger and Fries” establishment. The restaurant was characterized by brick walls, large windows, a tiled roof, and a tall sign sporting the “Burger Dog” mascot.
The crew exited Mackenzie's car, and walked through the push doors. Once inside, they scouted Rusty, Jack, and Indy at their usual spot. The group of friends preferred to sit in the corner booth due to its comfortable, and large environment that it provided.
“OMG Bluey, what’s up!” Indy, the Afghan Hound, cheered.
”Hi Indy!” Bluey cheered back, before settling in next to her, and continuing on with their conversation.
“Sup guys,” Mackenzie said, while sliding in the seat beside Jack.
……..
”Ummm hel-“
”SHHHHH”, the Jack Russell and Kelpie duo thundered back.
Annoyed, Mackenzie took notice of the lottery ticket announcement being played through Rusty’s phone.
After Bingo, Lila, and Dougie followed Mackenzie into the comfortable seating, a Greyhound waiter took their orders. The party ordered a variety of burgers, chicken, fries, salad, and sodas. The meal was meant to be a celebratory end to the school year that seemed to last a lifetime.
“Ok folks, our winning numbers are: 9-17-23-34–” spoke a female announcer voice coming from Rusty’s phone.
Rusty and Jack, meanwhile, had a dozen lottery tickets laying out on the round table the group shared. As the numbers were spoken, they would remove any that didn’t qualify.
The announcer continued, “46-56–”
”DANG IT/ S***!” they exclaimed in unison.
”I told you spending sixty bucks on lottery tickets was a bad idea.” Jack scolded.
“Eh whatever.” Rusty responded while slumping back in his chair, and crossing his arms.
”Ok, now that that’s over.” Mackenzie began. “What are our plans for tomorrow?”
“Well Chloe doesn’t have a shift at the aquarium.” Jack answered.
”And, Honey should be free.”, Bluey added.
As the table talked about what they would do on the following day, Mackenzie only had one thing on his mind. After February, summer will be over. It was December tenth which gave him just under three months to confess to Bluey. He really wished he was a fool not afraid of rejection, but he had always been unsure of himself.
“We could hit the tennis courts, or maybe go to the mall.” Indy suggested.
”We’ve definitely got to have a house party.” Rusty said with a cheeky look on his face.
“Is that just an excuse to get drunk?” Bingo questioned.
”Maybe…”
”Sounds good to me!”
”BINGO!” Bluey exclaimed with a disapproving look on her face. “I’m not letting my fifteen-year-old sister get drunk at a house party!”
”Too late” Bingo retorted while simultaneously sticking out her tongue.
Just then, the same Greyhound returned with their food, and passed out plates. Due to the food’s arrival, the usually loud crew became much less loud. After five minutes of eating, they continued on with their conversation.
”We should check and see who is free tomorrow.” Dougie proposed.
”Great idea!” Bluey chimed. “I’ll text Lucky!
Hearing that left a bad taste in Mackenzie’s mouth. Bluey’s neighbor, Lucky, had always been close with her. Admittedly, this made Mackenzie jealous. Lucky was popular, athletic, and confident. All three being things Mackenzie wished he excelled at. Recently, Bluey had become a lot closer to him, and this made Mackenzie’s situation even harder.
—————————————————————————————————————
(Bronze Back Gym)
”Huff…Huff…Huff…”
“Done,” a yellow Labrador Retriever said to himself. After sitting up from the bench he was laying on, the muscular dog re-racked around two-hundred pounds of weight off of a forty-five pound bar. He then, promptly, wiped down the workout station, and walked towards the showers.
As he walked across the familiar gym, he dodged treadmills, ellipticals, and a variety of machines. All the while, he listened to “Master of Puppets” by Metallica. Once out of the larger, gray workout area, the young athlete was in the male locker room leading to the showers. After putting his earbuds away, he shuffled through his maroon bag, and grabbed a towel, shampoo, body wash, and deodorant. Now prepared for a nice hot wash, he heard his phone buzz.
Buzzzzzzzzzz
He picked up his maroon phone, matching his bag, and then took notice of a text that filled him with excitement.
”A text from Bluey!” He thought with joy.
“Hey Lucky! Are you free tomorrow? :p” Bluey’s text read.
“Only if you want me to be ;)” Lucky typed back.
“Good, I’ll keep you updated!” Bluey sent.
After reading the message, Lucky threw his phone in his bag, and walked to the showers. During his shower, all he could think about was spending time with Bluey the next day. Lucky had dated a lot of girls at their school, but he was sick of dating based on popularity. He wanted something genuine. Something that would last. He was practically a part of the Heeler family. His parents were super close with hers, and even Chucky, his little brother, was good friends with Bingo. After years of mistakes, he was sure of it. He was destined to be with Bluey, and not any other girl.
Lucky dried himself off with his towel, reapplied deodorant, and grabbed his bag. Following this, he headed for the front door while finishing his third Rustborn Energy Drink. After holding the heavy door open for two ladies, he got into his gray Volkswagen.
During his drive home, Lucky continued to think about Bluey, but he also was thinking about someone else. The black and white dog that made him nervous: Mackenzie Border Collie. He was smart, funny, and always hanging around Bluey.
“It’s weird,” he thought. “They’ve been close for years, and he still hasn’t asked her out?”
Honestly, the Labrador had no idea if Mackenzie even liked Bluey. He acted like he did, but after years of never making it to first base, could it be that he doesn’t? Lucky knew Mackenzie, and anyone who knew Mackenzie knew that he was completely unsure of himself. That must have been the reason he hasn’t confessed to her.
Lucky turned on his car’s Bluetooth audio, and played “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by BeastieBoys. During his drive home, he imagined what would come the next day. He knew that he had to ask her out when the time was perfect. Once Lucky reached his driveway, he looked over to the Heeler residence with a confident look in his eyes. He knew that when the time came, he would make his move.
“I’ve got this!”