Chapter Text
My name is Bingo April Heeler.
And my life… could be defined by the word… Courage.
I'm the youngest of a family of four. I have a lot of friends; I have two best friends, Lila and Dougie.
Today you see me as this crazy, not-giving-a-shit-about-others' opinions witty teenager.
But… that's a totally different Bingo from before my first year in middle school.
I wasn't shy by any means, but I was looking for a voice to project to the world, my big girl's bark.
It took me a bit to finally find it.
I thought that was it; I was ready to face the world.
But…
I soon realized that just my big-girl bark wasn't enough.
Border Collie's home*
Mackenzie's room*
3 hours later*
"Ughhhhh."
"Errgggggggg."
Groggy groans sound off in the darkness of Mackenzie's room. A faint rustle follows from under the covers as something begins to wake.
It's Bingo, sluggishly taking the blanket off her face; her throat is dry, her eyes are red, and her head hurts like hell.
"ERRGGGGGGGG"
In an act of strength, Bingo rose with a hand over her forehead, teeth grinding, and eyes shut.
"Fuck…" She murmurs, rubbing her forehead in pain, and swears to herself, "I'm never drinking beer again."
Still with a face of sorrow, she looks around Mackenzie's room. It's messy, bed untidy, and things are out of place, but that's to be expected from a male teenager, something she unfortunately learned from being in Dougie's bedroom.
Bingo gets her legs off the bed to plant them on the floor.
"Brrrrrrr"
But she shivers in the cold; she grabs the blanket and covers herself. It was there that she noticed Mackenzie had left the window open, letting the light wind in.
"Geez… it must be colder than usual."
"Brrrrrr"
Bingo shivers again, but she is still too tired to move a muscle, so she stays there, with an empty look on her face.
And there, she reflects.
The only reason why I'm in Mackenzie's room is that I dumbly decided to drink the secret bottle of liquor buried near the treehouse.
But the reason I did that in the first place was that I was feeling stressed about Bluey's love-triangle situation.
This has been going on for a couple of weeks now, ever since Bluey reunited with Jean-Luc at the camping site.
But I have been dealing with Bluey and Mack's weird love situation since I was twelve, ever since both of them confessed to me that they have feelings for their best friend.
Back then, I had a simple idea of love.
Something as simple as "Oh, I like this person because they're pretty; I'm going to be their girlfriend."
But it's not.
It's way more complicated than that.
And my best friend showed me how complicated it was.
4 months ago*
Water park "Sand Island"*
Gold Coast, Australia*
It was a hot day in Queensland's most glamorous city, 1 hour south of Brisbane. The city skylines and water canal give the place a rich look, something that attracted many dogs from all over Australia, especially Bingo's grandparents, who chose that place to retire.
Near the water line to the Pacific Ocean lies a massive water park with big and small slides and immense pools, with a lazy river going through it all.
It was the water park "Sand Island," and they were in the middle of the busiest season of the year.
Adding to the chaos, lines of buses of different liveries arrived near the park's drop-off area, a good walking distance from the entrance.
Inside one of the buses, it's rife with teenagers and the deafening sound of their voices in conversation; it's the end of the 9th grade, end-of-the-year school trip before moving to Southern Stars High School in the next building over.
Among them are Bingo and her friends, Lila, Dougie, and Chucky.
Chucky was up and leaning forward towards the seats of his three friends, with his stomach pressed against the back of the seats as he amicably talked to Lila.
Next to them were Bingo and Dougie.
Not talking, communicating in Australian Sign Language.
"[Im, super, excited]" Dougie signals with his hands in joy, "[I have, been, waiting, for this, in a, long, time]"
"[I, Know!]" Bingo also signals with joy, "[I, can not, wait, to get on, the water slides]"
"Hey!" Lila bugs Bingo next to her. "You wanna go to the lazy river first!"
Bingo's face lights up with joy and nods. She turns to Dougie to signal to him what Lila said, and he too lights up and nods in affirmation.
In front of the bus, an adult male white and brown border collie, Professor Watkins, stands in the aisle of the bus and shouts.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE LISTEN UP."
Watkin's shouts make everyone stop talking and look forward.
"We are next to disembark, so please, we are going to get off this bus, form a line, and go to our designated spot before setting you free, understood!?"
"Yeah!" "Sure!" "Ok!"
Everyone agrees and nods.
In Bingo's seat, she giggles and kicks her feet in excitement.
"Oh, this is going to be awesome!"
It's been 3 years since the first time I met Dougie on my first day of middle school, and from there, it's been 3 years since I learned AUSLAN thanks to some shenanigans with Diamond.
It's a story for another day, but when it got resolved…
Dougie and I became inseparable.
Like… Inseparable, people really thought we were a couple.
But we weren't; we were just really best friends.
Although…
I did feel something for Dougie, I have to admit, he is cute and all.
But something inside of me wasn't sure, like I never gathered the will to go out of my way to tell him how I feel.
I was just comfortable being his best friend.
That day in the water park wasn't the exception.
Water park "Sand Island"*
The sun had only gotten harsher as the day went on, turning the water into glittering sheets of light. The air smelled like sunscreen, chlorine, and fried food, and the constant sound of splashing, laughter, and lifeguard whistles filled every corner of the water park.
After 2 hours since they started, Bingo and Dougie sat side by side by the table under a pavilion, the designated place for the school trip. Each of them was wet and had a towel around their hip to not wet the seat and held a slightly squished sandwich wrapped in paper.
Dougie, with his cochlear devices stored away, put his sandwich down and signed to Bingo.
"[Best, school trip, ever]"
Bingo grinned, cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed. She nodded quickly, put the food down, and then signed back.
"[We haven't even, done, half of it yet.]"
Dougie nodded, and before either of them could take another bite.
"HEY!"
Lila's voice cut through the noise as she jogged over, already half-soaked, her fur clinging slightly from the water.
"You guys are STILL eating?" she said, hands on her hips, mock disbelief on her face. "Come on! There's a pool with a ball game going on! Chucky is in there, too."
Bingo perked up instantly. "A ball game?"
"Yeah!" Lila pointed over her shoulder. "Like, a bunch of people are playing keepy-uppy or something. It's fun!"
Bingo turned quickly to Dougie, signing fast. "[Pool, game, with ball, you want to go?]"
Dougie didn't hesitate. He nodded eagerly before signing back. "[Yes, let's go.]"
"Let's go!" Bingo echoed, already standing.
They tossed their wrappers and followed Lila toward the pool. It was lively, water churning with movement, voices echoing, and a bright-colored inflatable ball bouncing between Bingo's classmates, forming loose teams without rules or structure.
As Bingo, Dougie, and Lila run towards the pool to throw themselves in there together and join their friends.
"!"
Bingo's foot got caught; without her knowing, her foot went down a skimmer opening next to the water.
"AHHH!"
The sudden drop caught the rest of her body off guard, feeling the bone of her leg bend as momentum threw her violently forward into the water.
She, Lila, and Dougie crashed into the water.
SPALSH!*
Lila and Dougie quickly surface, shaking their heads to clear the water from their head fur to see.
"WOW!" Lila screamed, "THIS WATER IS COLD!"
Near the Cavapoo and the Maltese.
"AHHH!"
Bingo also surfaces and shakes her head to remove the water, revealing a face twisted in pain. "MY LEG!" Her voice cracked as panic mixed with the pain.
"Bingo?!" Lila reacts alarmed with wide eyes as she hops to get to her.
Dougie also saw Bingo in pain and hopped to help her, also noticing that underwater, Bingo was holding her leg to her chest in distress.
"It hurts!" Bingo cries out, "Can't put it down! It hurts!"
"I got you! I got you; don't move!"
Lila shouts in agitation as she and Dougie quickly get by both sides of Bingo to put her arms around their shoulders to take her to the artificial shore of the pool.
Bingo winced, tears spilling freely now. "It hurts, it really hurts…"
"Careful!" Lila said, her voice tight. "We've got you."
"My leg hurts like a bitch."
"I know, I know, just hold on!"
Lila reassures her as they walk in the pool, passing by their classmates, who are still playing or curious about what's happening to the trio of best friends, and also passing by families or whoever wants to enjoy the hot day in Gold Coast.
Slowly but surely, the water level descended from their chest to their feet as they finally reached the rocky artificial shore, something to simulate a beach. Lila and Dougie glide down Bingo until she finally lies out of the pool into a sitting position. Still, the pain stays the same, as demonstrated by Bingo having her leg closer to her chest instinctively and her teeth grinding.
Lila knelt beside her. "Don't move it, just… just stay still."
Dougie crouched on her other side, eyes locked on her, concern written all over his face.
Bingo sniffed, her voice small now. "It really hurts…"
Lila's head snapped up, scanning the area for lifeguard chairs, friends, adults anything.
"Dougie! Go get help!" she shouted, turning her head sharply toward him. "Get a lifeguard! Hurry!"
Dougie didn't move but looked at her when he noticed she was talking to him. He has an aghast expression on his face. Could it be the heaviness of the situation, or simply that he couldn't hear Lila without his cochlear devices, regardless, Dougie stays still.
"Aw shit," Lila curses under her breath; she finally figures out Dougie can't hear her. She looks down at her shaking hands; she did take AUSLAN classes to catch up with her friends and figure out that it was time to use them.
Lila raises her hands and signals to Dougie sharply in her best possible AUSLAN.
"[GO, HELP. LIFEGUARD. NOW!]"
Dougie blinks and shakes his head, reacting; he nods and gets up to run away to get help. With him on the way, Lila now focuses on Bingo.
"Okay… okay…"
She gets her attention back to Bingo, who is still crying, her hands gripping her leg, her body tense.
"Hey, hey, don't move it," Lila said quickly, trying to keep her voice steady. "You're okay. You're okay; I've got you."
"It hurtsssssss," Bingo gasped, her voice breaking. "Lila, I think I broke something."
"Hey, hey, don't say that," Lila said, brushing damp fur from Bingo's face. "Just breathe, okay? Slow breaths. In… and out…"
Bingo breathes in and out; she breathes shakily at first, but slowly her breathing stabilizes, even with her leg hurting.
"I'm right here," Lila said calmly.
Bingo's eyes lifted and locked onto Lila's.
For a moment, everything…
Stop.
The pain was still there, sharp and insistent, but something else cut through it.
Lila's face.
Close, concentrated, concerned.
Her brows were drawn together, her voice soft but steady, her hands hovering like she didn't know where to help but refused to pull away.
And suddenly.
Bingo felt… something.
The pain became an afterthought. Something deeper, stranger, like a spark catching in the middle of all the chaos. Her chest tightened. Her thoughts stumbled over themselves.
Why is she looking at me like that?
Why does that feel… different?
There was warmth, unexpected, out of place, spreading through her chest, clashing with the panic. Her stomach flipped, her breath catching for a completely different reason now.
Bingo's thoughts raced, then tangled, then… stalled.
Oh…
Oh.
A sudden, overwhelming awareness that hit all at once, confusing and impossible to ignore. Her face flushed faintly despite everything. Her body went still, not from the pain this time but for the revelation.
Lila was still talking.
"…you're gonna be fine, I promise, just—"
Bingo didn't respond. Didn't blink. Just stared dazed
Caught somewhere between pain and something entirely new, her world narrowed down to the girl in front of her while everything else faded into the background.
Finally, a blur of motion cut through Bingo's feelings.
It was Dougie who arrived and stood next to Lila as two female lifeguards made their appearance. A brown Labrador retriever and a brown chow chow with their lifeguard t-shirts on.
"Hey there," the Labrador retriever said in a voice calm but firm. "I'm Brownie." She gestured briefly over her shoulder. "And that's Huxian. We're going to take care of you, alright?"
The second lifeguard, quieter and more lenient, stays up to watch from above as Brownie attends Bingo.
"Ok, listen." Brownie hovers a reassuring hand near Bingo's shoulder. "Can you tell me where it hurts the most?"
Bingo blinked, caught off guard, her eyes refocused slowly, landing on Brownie's face, but there was still that distant, dazed look behind them.
"…Yeah," she whispered lossily.
"Ahhhhhh." Brownie gets confused and turns around to see Huxian shaking her head in disappointment. The lab turns her head back at Bingo. "Well, we are going to take care of you, just—"
As Brownie keeps talking, Bingo just stays dazed, looking beyond the lifeguard and her friends as her feelings are still mixing.
I got helped in their little first aid room to discover it was just inflammation in the muscles; luckily, I didn't break any bones.
But that day, I discovered I am bi.
A person who likes both guys and girls.
It was a shock, but nota blurely.
I always liked Lila, but I have never thought of her in a romantic way.
But after that day, I simply couldn't stop thinking of her.
Those eyes, wow, those eyes.
I never knew those eyes were that pretty.
That would make me feel alive, that would make me feel a mess inside my stomach.
alive;
From that day on, I knew something deep within me.
I want to be Lila's girlfriend.
Someone whom I knew I wanted to have many adventures with.
But, on the other side, I have Dougie.
It's undeniable how close we were.
Even after everything we've been through.
I was scared he might have caught feelings for me and, therefore, hurt his feelings.
But at some point, I have to … gather the courage and tell him about Lila.
3 months ago*
Dougie's home*
The obscure night surrounds the humble home of the Cavapoos, beside the illumination of the streetlights; only white and blue colors come from one of the rooms.
In the living room, Bingo and Dougie are sitting on the couch, with the heeler leaning into the Cavapoo while the latter softly caresses the back of her head, provoking purrs in her (a common weakness of the heeler sisters Mackenzie and Dougie discovered), watching a movie in mute, with only the subtitles on the screen.
Dougie didn't have his cochlear device on while Bingo was wearing a large pair of headphones to cover her ears, something to relate to Dougie's lack of hearing and to not hear Dougie's mom, Mariella, playing the violin in her room, both Mariella's and Dougie's hobbies.
The TV flashes with a romantic movie from a streaming service. bright lights, fast movements, subtleties going from line to line, expressions sending emotions.
Bingo shifts her weight to be closer to Dougie, unknowingly purring at his touch. The scare of the water park a month ago disappeared, but her feelings for Lila are still there, and yet Bingo thoroughly enjoys the moment with Dougie, who invited her to see a movie together yesterday. Dougie also invited Lila, but she committed to her family that night.
It was just Bingo, Dougie, and the movie on display.
The movie reached the end; after lots of shenanigans, the main couple finally gets together, and at a party in Los Angeles, the female golden retriever and the male German Shepherd finally kiss to end the movie, transitioning into a black screen.
While the credits roll, Bingo lifts her head and looks at Dougie. He was visually tired, but even under that face, he was happy to be with her.
"[So, what, do you, wanna do, now?]" Dougie signs to Bingo.
"[I don't know]" Bingo signs back, twisting her mouth in thought, "[I, don't wanna, go, home, yet]."
Dougie nods as Bingo looks around Dougie's home, which was inhabited by him and his mom, and it was a house Mariella could afford with her limited budget. The couch, table, chairs, and everything else were simple, low-cost, and humble, like Dougie.
Yeah… Dougie.
Bingo turns to see Dougie one more time. He is looking down and fidgeting, probably thinking of what to do with Bingo in the remaining time.
She swallows hard. Bingo knows that if there is a time to clear her situationship with Dougie and let him know about her feelings for Lila.
Is now.
"Here goes nothing."
Bingo thinks before gently shaking Dougie on his leg to capture his attention. Dougie lays his eyes on her, and Bingo starts signing.
"[There is, something, i wanna, talk about."]
Dougie's eyebrow jumped, his expression changed to one of curiosity, and he nodded.
Bingo takes a big breath and signals away.
"[Do you think…]"
"[What do you…]"
"[Do you?...]"
Dougie looks away from Bingo towards the table, where his cochlear device is, and reaches out for it, wanting to talk to Bingo after seeing her struggling. Bingo noticed it and intercepted him with a light hold on his arm.
Bingo let go of Dougie's arm and signals him, "[Its ok, i wanna, communicate, with you, like this]."
Dougie eases up and pulls his arms back, allowing Bingo to continue.
She swallows hard and signals.
"[What, do you think, we are?]"
"[What do you mean?]" Dougie signs, with a little curious confusion on his face.
Bingo keeps communicating, pushing herself foward "[If, we are, a couple, or, best friends?]"
Dougie stays still, not blinking or breathing, eyes open straight at Bingo's. until he finally shows signs of life by unsurely moving his hands and communicating.
["Now, we are, best friends..."] Dougie's hands stays up and then signal, "[even though, we had, that moment in—"]
"!"
Bingo lunges her arms at Dougie to make him stop signaling with an exasperated expression. After stopping him, Bingo goes back and then signals to him.
"[I know, what you, mean…. but still… that doesn't mean anything….]" Bingo signals with a light sadness on her, "[We, both, said that."
"[So what, about, now?]"
Bingo twisted her mouth thinking and then communicated, "[I still, see you, as my, best friend. and I, would like it, to stay, like that]"
A visible sadness washed over Dougie, downturning his mouth, lowering his eyebrows, and slowly rocking his head side to side until he looked up with a small spark on his face and signaled, "[I Agree, I still, would like, to be, your best friend.]"
Bingo exhales, as if a lot of weight got off her, but in reality, it was just a tiny rock compared to everything she has over her shoulders, and with that weight, she vents with Dougie after noticing his expressions.
"[I'm sorry for asking.]" Bingo apologized before continuing, "[Lately, my feelings, have been all over, the place]"
"[I understand]" Dougie replies, "[Mom, told me, feeling, get crazy, when we are, this, old"]
Bingo chuckled. It's not a secret that Dougie is a mama's boy to Mariella, but she doesn't mind it.
"[I'm, experiencing, that. I want, to put, my feelings, in order.]"
["What, do you, mean?]" Dougie signals, raising an inquisitive side of his mouth. "[Do you, like, someone?]"
Bingo feels her insides get shook, but after a second thought of what Dougie would think of her orientation, negative and positive, she confessed to him.
"[I, like, Lila]"
Dougie's eyes snap open and signal in astonishment.
"[Lila!?]"
Bingo nods with eyes closed.
"[Lila!?]"
Bingo nods again.
"[Really!?]"
Bingo nods again.
Dougie looks around, amazed. His face breaks into a huge grin, completely unfiltered this time. He leans forward slightly, hands moving fast, excited, full of life.
"[Im, so, happy, for you! That makes, so much, sense!]"
Dougie keeps signaling with emotion as Bingo shyly looks away from Dougie with a smile, but keeps an eye out to see him communicate.
"[You, two, are perfect! I thought, something, was there!]"
Bingo covered part of her face, groaning silently in embarrassment while Dougie laughed soundlessly to himself.
He kept going, unable to contain himself now.
"[this, is amazing, Im really, glad, you, told me, that you, trusted, me, enough, to tell me, you like girls too."
Bingo's ears lowered shyly as Dougie smiled with pride and signed
"[I'm proud of you.]"
Something in Bingo's chest loosened instantly.
All the anxiety. All the guilt. All the fear that this would ruin things between them.
Gone.
Her eyes softened, and she signed back a simple:
"[Thanks.]"
Dougie opened his arms without hesitation. Bingo immediately leaned forward into the hug. The two of them squeezed tightly together beneath the flickering TV light while the credits kept rolling, forgotten in the background.
For the first time in days, Bingo finally sees her road open for her.
She didn't have to worry about hurting Dougie anymore.
She didn't have to keep worrying about what would happen.
Now… she could finally focus on Lila.
Present day*
Mackenzie's room*
After a little over 5 minutes of drifting in the memories of months ago in the dark and with the blanket covering her, Bingo finally snaps to reality and thinks.
"I'm going home; I'm not spending the night at Mackenzie's."
Bingo shakes off the blanket and stands up.
"Brrrr…"
A rough shiver crawls through her body the second the warmth leaves her shoulders. Her arms instinctively wrap around her as she stumbles forward a step, ears twitching from the cold air flowing into the room.
"Why is it freezing in here…?"
Her tired eyes wander aimlessly around the dark room again until they accidentally land on Mackenzie's gaming chair. On top of the headrest perched a thick, dark hoodie.
Bingo stares at it for a second and murmurs.
"...Eh, it will work."
Still half asleep, she drags herself over and grabs it. The fabric is thick enough to act as a blanket while remaining light enough not to make her look like she is in Greenland. She puts it on without a second thought; the jacket fits her perfectly, as do the sleeves around her wrist. She immediately smells the faint scent of detergent and Mackenzie.
With the jacket on and now aware of what she was doing, Bingo thinks, "Whatever, I can give this jacket back to him another day."
She pulls the zipper up anyway, the texture of the clothing now hugging her.
From the window, another cold breeze smashed into the house and into the room.
"Brrrrr…"
This time, the hoodie blocks most of it, making her sigh in relief.
With one last exhausted rub at her eyes and ready to go, Bingo heads for the bedroom door and slowly opens it.
Creeeak.*
The hallway outside is dim, only barely lit by the faint glow coming from downstairs. As Bingo steps out into the hall, she notices the red sign hanging from Mackenzie's doorknob.
NOT AVAILABLE*
"How dramatic," she mutters under her breath.
Right across the hall, another door catches her attention; it doesn't have anything other than a tiny Canadian flag glued to it, making Bingo know it's Jean-Luc Room.
Bingo stares at it for a moment in silence before looking away again and starting to walk toward the stairs.
She slowly makes her way down the hallway, one hand dragging lazily along the wall for balance; her headache still pounds behind her eyes with every step, traces of alcohol still in her system.
Then the smell hits her hard.
Pizza.
Warm, melted cheese and greasy pepperoni filled the house.
As she reaches the stairs and starts going down the middle, the living room and kitchen finally come into view.
In the living room, the Border-Collie family sits around the table.
Mackenzie is leaning back in his chair with a pizza slice in hand, ears relaxed as he talks with his parents. Across from him sits Mel, while Fozzie quietly works through another slice with the focus of a starving collie.
Mel notices Bingo first.
"Oh! Hi, Bingo."
Mackenzie looks over, too.
"Hey."
Fozzie simply raises his head and gives a small nod while still chewing.
Bingo awkwardly lifts one hand.
"...Hi."
Mel's expression softens almost immediately once she gets a proper look at the younger Heeler and asks, "You alright, sweetheart? You looked completely knocked out when you got here earlier."
Bingo put her free hand on her forehead and let out a tired groan. "My head feels like it got hit by a truck… But I'm fine, mostly."
Fozzie swallows his bite. "First beer?"
Bingo slowly nods at him. "Worst idea of my life."
That earns a chuckle from both Mel and Mackenzie. The latter wipes his hands with a napkin before glancing toward her hoodie.
"Hold on, is that my hoodie?"
Bingo shrugs her shoulders. "I had to steal it from you cuz it was cold as fuck in your room."
"Well, it's not my fault we have a cold front tonight," Mackenzie complains.
Bingo rolls her eyes.
"Keep it, I don't need that old jacket anymore." Mackenzie dismisses it and then says, "You ready to head home?"
"Yeah," she smirks tiredly. "Besides, I don't wanna sleep in your smelly bed again."
Mackenzie snaps his eyes open. "SUMMER SUN!"
Mel chuckles, and Fozzie slowly lowers his pizza slice with visible interest.
Bingo gives Mackenzie the most exhausted, smug grin imaginable. "Keep your secrets; I don't want to hear it."
"Oh, okay, wow," Mackenzie mutters defensively. "Gotta wash them, geez." He pulls his phone out of his fur pocket and says, "I'll text Bluey so she can come pick you up."
Bingo gives a lazy thumbs up. "Thanks."
As Mackenzie starts typing, Mel picks up another slide and raises it for Bingo to see. "Want a slice?"
"No, I'm…"
Bingo stops talking as her tired eyes drift around the table again.
Pizza box and drinks.
Mel.
Fozzie.
Mackenzie.
Her ears twitch slightly.
"…Wait." Bingo looks around again and notices a certain someone isn't with the family; her ears lower slightly, and she asks away. "Where's Jean-Luc?"
Mackenzie looks up from his phone.
"He came back with Bluey earlier," he explains, unsurely. Bingo knows it might be difficult for Mackenzie to talk about his rival. "But… honestly, he seemed kinda pissed."
Bingo blinks, confused.
"Pissed?"
Mackenzie shrugs.
"Yeah. He barely talked to us." He scratches the back of his neck. "He stayed in his room for a while, then came downstairs and told us he was heading to the park nearby."
"And that was it?" Bingo asks.
"Pretty much."
Bingo frowns.
"Did he say why?"
Mackenzie shakes his head.
"No clue."
For a moment, the only sound in the kitchen is the TV quietly playing from the living room and Fozzie grabbing another slice of pizza.
Mel gently wipes her hands with a napkin before speaking.
"Sometimes people just need space to feel upset," she says calmly. "You can't really pull the feelings out of someone before they're ready. If Jean-Luc wants to talk, he will. And if he doesn't, that decision belongs to him."
Fozzie nods in agreement while chewing. "Mhm."
"Unfortunately, we are not his parents, so whatever he is going through is on his own."
Mel finishes talking, and Bingo quietly absorbs her wisdom; her tired eyes drift toward the floor.
Earlier today, she had talked things out with Mackenzie in the treehouse; it helped to shed light on the situation.
So maybe…
Maybe she should talk to Jean-Luc, too.
A spark of curiosity goes through her to know where Jean-Luc stands on all this; after all, she and Jean-Luc are on good terms.
Bingo slowly lifts her head again and finally steps off the last stair and walks toward the front door, dragging her feet slightly against the floorboards.
"Imma head outside; I'm going to talk to him and wait for Bluey," Bingo says
"See ya, Bingo!" Mel shouts as Fozzie gives a thumbs-up.
Mackenzie quickly wipes the grease off his mouth with a napkin before getting up from the table.
"Hold on," he says, catching up to her.
Bingo pauses near the entrance and turns her head slightly.
"Why do you even wanna talk to Jean-Luc?" Mackenzie questions.
Bingo shrugs casually. putting her hands on the hoodie's front pockets.
"'Cause I'm still on his good side," she answers. "And any information we can use to get you to become Bluey's boyfriend is good."
Mackenzie visibly cringes at the wording. "Ehhhhhh…" His fingers start fidgeting nervously together. "You should know that when I confronted him earlier…" Mackenzie hesitates. "He mentioned you, too."
Bingo blinks. "Eh?"
"I think he knows you're helping me."
Bingo's ears twitch upward. "What?"
"Yeah," Mackenzie says awkwardly. "Not just you either. He knows our friends are trying to help me get with Bluey, too."
Bingo stares at him for a second before groaning quietly. "How? How the fuck does he know?"
"I honestly don't know." Mackenzie rubs the back of his neck. "But he definitely knows."
Bingo exhales through her nose.
"Whatever," she mutters. "At least I can be straight with him."
She reaches for the doorknob…
… But Mackenzie suddenly speaks again.
"Hey."
Bingo pauses. Mackenzie sounds oddly serious now.
"About Bluey…"
Bingo slowly looks back at him.
"She's super pissed at you."
"…Huh."
"Yeah," Mackenzie says. "We had a long conversation earlier about the whole first drink thing. And most likely she's gonna have a very long conversation with you too."
Bingo snorts tiredly.
"It already happened." She opens the door slightly. "I don't mind her getting in my face about it; what's done is done."
Mackenzie shrugs. "Still had to warn ya. I even had to defend you a bit."
Bingo raises one eyebrow. "Why did you have to defend me? You didn't have to."
"Look… Honestly, everyone thought you would be a chaotic gremlin if you ever got drunk; that's why Bluey didn't want you to drink until later, but… you ended up being the opposite; you were so quiet and gentle back in the tree house."
"Ummmm." Bingo quickly recalls her visit to the tree house with Mackenzie. "Oh yeah, I kinda remember that."
"So I told Bluey that, but still, she is really pissed at you."
Bingo's expression softens a little. "Well…" she says quietly. "Thanks anyway, and thanks for letting me sleep in your room." She tugs lightly at the hoodie she is wearing. "…And the hoodie."
Mackenzie gives a small, awkward smile. "You're welcome."
A cold breeze slips through the open doorway. Without another word, Bingo puts on the hood over her head, steps outside, and disappears through the front door.
Jean-Luc…
That's a name that has been bouncing in my head for the last few weeks, ever since I met him at the campsite.
He is just an exchange student.
Well, an exchange student who is trying to date Bluey.
But something about him just keeps bugging me.
Something unfinished.
Something that I had to deal with.
Embarrassingly… I did spend one night thinking about him.
5 weeks ago*
Lila's home*
It was yet another night in the Australian city.
Crickets sounded, bats flew in the air, and the distant sound of cars echoed in the distance.
Inside Lila's home, in her room, Lila and Bingo are sleeping on the Maltese's massive pink bed under a singular blanket.
Lila was sleeping with her back to the wall while Bingo was facing her, both with eyes closed and sleeping. They had been doing this occasionally since they were 5.
Tonight was no different.
As Lila was sleeping peacefully,
"Mhmmmm"
Bingo groggily opens her red, tired eyes to find Lila's face close to hers.
It's been hours since Bingo and her family returned to civilization and 3 days since Bluey and Jean-Luc reunited. It was also hours later since Bluey and Jean-Luc had their first "date," the announcement of Jean-Luc's welcoming party, and for Bingo to talk to Mackenzie, Lila, Rusty, and Jack about what to do
Hectic day that was for sure.
But despite the heaviness of the day, Bingo still wakes up in the middle of the night with a foggy, disoriented mind.
The blanket on top of her felt uncomfortable, so she took it off, having Lila claim the rest of the massive blanket.
Bingo gets up to sit on the bed and stare into the darkness. Lila's room was colored in all kinds of pink, but she never minded it.
Her gaze landed on the tiny slip of light slipping through the pink curtain; with nothing to do with a clouded mind, she hopped off the bed and ambled towards the curtain to open it.
With the obstruction clear, the night sky shines in all its splendor, with stars light-years away, the lights of the airplanes flying over Brisbane, and the moon being the center of attention, a truly beautiful night.
Bingo leans forward to put her elbows on the frame of the window and puts her head on top of her hands like a platform to look up.
The night reminded her of her first night last camping weekend, the same one when she finally confessed to Bluey about her feelings for Lila and when she got proven wrong about what it's like to be in love.
It was a glad surprise that Bluey supports her orientation, something Bingo will forever be grateful for. But Bluey, with her infinite wisdom of being in love with the same guy for over 11 years, shared what it was like to be in love.
Weak feet.
Heart beating.
Feeling hypnotized whenever she sees Lila.
Bingo experiences all that with her best friend.
It was a no-brainer.
But something else happened at the camping site.
Whenever someone mentioned Jean-Luc…
She felt the exact same things… as if she were seeing Lila again.
Worse... it intensified.
It doesn't make sense at all; she barely spent like 2 hours max before he and the border family came back to the city.
And yet… she felt her heart do a flip when he held her and again when he was leaving.
It's impossible…she shouldn't have feelings for Jean-Luc.
And yet… her heart is telling her something else.
Could it be?
Bingo stops looking up and looks back at the bed with Lila still sleeping on it, so peaceful, so serene, and so fragile, which makes Bingo swear she will protect her with her life.
A pang of pain runs through Bingo.
How could she swear to protect Lila when her feelings are all over the place? especially when her feelings are also well defined for a certain dark blue Labrador.
Her own mental struggle translates into a distorted mouth showing discomfort.
Something that probably Lila felt since she started to move and finally opened her eyes to see Bingo by the window.
"Hey…" A hoarse voice comes out of Lila. "Are you alright?"
"Mhm."
Bingo hums to herself, putting on a strong, fake face to hide her turmoil to respond.
"Yeah, I'm good, just admiring the sky."
"Hehehehe," Lila softly laughs as she makes herself comfortable again in the bed, still leaving a space for Bingo. "C'mon, we still have to sleep; I don't want mum to catch us again late at night."
"Yeah… sure."
That's all Bingo replied before joining Lila on the bed.
She mentally reminded herself to deal with the feelings for Jean-Luc later; for now, she is gonna enjoy Lila's company, who still has no idea about the feelings of her best friend.
Present day*
Magpie park*
Bingo walks over to the park in near-complete darkness, a black hoodie doing its job of keeping her warm; she can only feel the spiky grass under her feet as she walks deeper and deeper into the darkness towards the tree of the magpie.
She finally finds herself in front of the tree, the black figure standing out in the dark; she can't see Jean-Luc but figures he might be near the tree, like Mackenzie does
Bingo gets an idea; she pulls out her cellphone from her fur pocket and turns on the flashlight.
And there he is.
Fully discovered by the light, sitting at the base of the tree, with no jacket against the cold and a pissed-off face on him, looking up at Bingo.
"Que veux-tu?" Jean-Luc angrily mumbles in French.
"What?
"Ugh, what do you want?" Jean-Luc repeats in English.
"To talk"
"About what?"
"About Bluey," Bingo leans her head to the side and slowly rolls her head to the other side, "and Mack."
"Mhm," Jean-Luc hums with disgust before talking. "You can turn around and go back to that loser and your friends to scheme; I know what you are doing, and you won't keep me away from her any longer."
Bingo frowns and clenches her fist. Jean-Luc reads her like a book, and she claps back with venom in her voice. "You will never be Bluey's boyfriend, not while I'm around."
"With Mackenzie needing help from all his friends, and after eleven years trying? Pfff" Jean-Luc mockingly blows a quick raspberry, "How cute of you."
"Bluey and Mack have way more chemistry than Bluey and you. You are losing this," Bingo says defiantly.
"Unfortunately for you, I don't give a shit what you say." Jean-Luc frowns at her. "I will be her boyfriend whether you like it or not."
"Tsk, in your dreams." Bingo scoffs, and despite knowing Bluey likes him, she shoots, "What makes you so sure Bluey wants to date you?"
"You should have seen me there," Jean-Luc boasts, making a swift and exaggerated hand movement. "It was the perfect date. We laughed, we talked, and we even sang a song from my childhood. Everything was going so well until you had to take your first beer."
Bingo rolls her eyes up and slightly shakes her head.
"How fucked up do you have to be to drink this young?"
"Not of your fucking business," Bingo angrily rebuts.
"Mhm, you ruined it… for Bluey and me; she couldn't stop mumbling about you."
Bingo shrugs. "Then I guess me drinking beer worked for something."
"Yeah, be on your way to be a total cat lady in your fifties that smokes 2 packs per day. How lovely, you broad."
"You are a real pain in the ass; you knew that?"
"Your nickname literally means annoyance. Shut the fuck up."
"This fucking asshole," Bingo thinks, rolling her eyes in irritation. "Why are you so sure you want to be Bluey's asshole boyfriend if you are leaving at the end of the school year? You will leave her here, and you will go back home… again…"
"Ever thought of long-distance relationships?"
"Mhm."
"I didn't travel all the way from Canada to break up with her at the end of the year. We will make it work. Just mind your fucking business." Jean-Luc brings his legs up to his chest and ducks his head in a fetal position. "Leave me alone; go drink another bottle. I'm busy thinking."
"Thinking about how to be Bluey's boyfriend," Bingo says with sarcasm. "No way, mate."
"Tsk," Jean-Luc raises his head, "It's not even about Bluey."
"What is it then?"
"..."
Jean-Luc looks down in his fetal position; the soft wind passes by his fur, unfazed by the cold, a benefit of being a Canadian-born dog. Bingo sees Jean-Luc shifting his jaw side to side until he finally confesses.
"I discovered today that my best friend was hiding the fact that he is gay."
"Oh…"
Bingo ease up, raising her eyes and relaxing her mouth, lowering her walls. Jean-Luc's voice wasn't defiant or hateful; it sounded more like disappointment.
"What do you mean by that?" Bingo asks in a more understanding tone.
"He…" Jean-Luc talks, unsure, with his walls lowered too, but continues, "He was hiding the fact that he likes another one of my best friends. He accidentally revealed that in a video call with Bluey. I got angry that, despite knowing him my whole life, he hides that from me. I thought he trusted me enough to tell me this stuff, but…" Jean-Luc lowers his head even more. "I guess thats not the case…"
"Mmmm"
Bingo stays up and looks away, thinking about her feelings as a bi person, about hiding her orientation from her parents, and about the times she would look at Lila with shiny eyes; those feelings flourish as if she could trust Jean-Luc with her experiences.
Wouldn't make sense…
She and Jean-Luc are like sworn enemies, trying to overcome each other to accomplish something, Jean-Luc dating Bluey and Bingo avoiding that.
But even in the heat of a rivalry, being someone in the same boat as Jean-Luc's best friend or helping Jean-Luc manage the revelation. It's too hard to ignore.
"It takes… some strength… to feel what your friend is feeling."
"Huh?" Jean-Luc raises his head to look at Bingo.
"Maybe your friend has his reasons to hide his feelings from you."
"Are you implying that I would hate him? I am homophobic?" Jean-Luc reacts, offended and defensive.
"Nonononono." Bingo quickly shakes her head. "What I'm saying is, he doesn't think that you are gonna hate him, but he probably wanted to tell you when he feels ready."
"But I'm his best friend. " Jean-Luc still acts defensively. "How could he keep it for himself?"
"Because liking someone is scary!"
Bingo blurts out with an exasperated face; Jean-Luc stays still with snapped-open eyes.
"It's scary to like someone very close to you and to think of the slight possibility that they might react wrong; that's something that eats people alive, especially if that someone is of the same gender as you. It could be worse; your family might dislike you, and your friends might dislike you too, just because your heart feels different."
"..."
"To love you need courage…"
Jean-Luc stays quiet; he lowers his head to hide it behind his knees.
"I can go on about my life without revealing my feelings to any other dog in the world, but that's not how you live your life; courage is handing out your feelings on a silver platter to someone even if they like it or not."
"..."
"You know what?" Bingo stops, stands tall, and finally confesses, "This is courage; I do believe with all my heart that you are the biggest asshole I have ever met in my life, and I WOULDN'T want you near Bluey or any of my friends."
Jean-Luc swings his head side to side, as if he were saying, "That's fair."
"But…" Bingo continues speaking, "I also believe you are probably the coolest dog back home."
As those words come out of Bingo, a slight blush shows up on her cheeks; she really let out what she thinks of Jean-Luc. The blue Labrador, on the other hand, quickly looks up to Bingo but looks away with a visible nervousness.
Bingo, noticing the heat on her cheeks and Jean-Luc's odd reaction, looks up and sighs, frustrated with herself.
"Look…" Bingo addresses Jean-Luc one more time. "I guess your friend means a lot to you and you care about him, so just give him a break, alright? He will appreciate it in the future."
"..." Jean-Luc still stays quiet, eyes down on his knees, and finally says above a whisper loud enough for Bingo to hear, "How do you know so much about this?"
"Huh?"
"This…" Jean-Luc looks up to Bingo's eyes with genuine curiosity, "homosexual stuff."
"Well…" Bingo says awkwardly; she doesn't want to tell Jean-Luc about her orientation despite how much she poured her heart out. Jean-Luc might also spread the truth about her to her friends and family, so she comes up with a carefully edited lie: "...One of my friends is bi; she told me all this since she also likes one of her friends."
"Mhm… those are some wise words. " Jean-Luc.
"Thanks," Bingo says, looking away with a light blush on her face. "It means a lot to her."
Jean-Luc looks down and pulls out his cellphone, illuminating his face, sighs, and utters, "I have to get back to my room; I've had enough of being out here."
Jean-Luc stands up, stretches his legs, puts his cell phone back in his fur pocket, and sets sail back to the border collie home, passing by Bingo.
"You are not gonna become Bluey's boyfriend. " Bingo reminded him again with an air of rivalry. looking straight.
"Fuck you, Bingo. Go drink another bottle, you broad." Jean-Luc says with venom in his voice, but a few steps later, he stops, looks behind him with the corner of his eye, and says in French, "Merci" before walking again
As he makes his way out of the park, he pulls out his cellphone and turns it on, hits the screen a few times, and then puts it to his ear and says in French, "Hé Louis, tu es là?"
As Bingo watches Jean-Luc walk back to the Border-Collie house
BEEP BEEP*
The horns sound in the distance, making her turn her head to the other side of the park; it's coming from a red car, it's Bobo, the family car, and Bingo sees a pissed-off Bluey stepping out and leaning her back against the car door with both arms crossed and a stomping foot. Chilli also steps out and waves her arms to Bingo.
Bingo sighs to gather strength to deal with her sister, turns off the light of her phone, and heads back to her family, putting her cell phone in the pocket of the hoodie that Mackenzie gifted her.
As she was walking, she displayed that determination of knowing what to do, but a thin layer of fear lay on her face due to her sister's wrath.
But inside of her
Her mind was in turmoil.
I love Lila…
With all my heart… I truly do.
But these feelings? These feelings towards Jean-Luc?
It's impossible to ignore right now.
He carries himself so easily.
He is so easy to talk to despite his accent.
He is the only person besides my mum who understands my passion for hockey.
He… is someone I want to spend more time with…
One Week later*
Southern Stars High School*
In a semi-dark locker room of long open compartments, Bingo walks in towards a set of lockers and stands in her designated spot, where her deodorant, comb, cleats, blue shorts, red helmet, field hockey stick leaning against the back of the locker, and a hanging red and blue tank top uniform are on display.
"Is my head alright?"
Bingo grabs her deodorant and starts applying it to her armpits.
"Am I doing the right thing by following my heart?"
"Am I really gonna do this to my sister?"
Bingo grabs her comb and starts combing her fur, especially the fur on her head.
"Am I doing this for the sake of Mack?"
"Am I going mad?"
Bingo grabs her shorts and puts them on, light and nimble enough for running.
"Am I really in love with Jean-Luc?"
"I can't run from these feelings forever; I need to make sure that this is real."
Bingo finally grabs her blue and red tank top and puts it on, proudly displaying her name and number "10" in the back and the team's logo in the front.
"I need all the courage I can get."
Bingo grabs her hockey stick, shorter than a regular ice hockey stick but still sturdy and long enough for her; it's a Christmas gift from Bluey last holidays, something Bingo is quite proud to be using.
"Jean-Luc is totally focused on being with Bluey; there is no way he is gonna be looking somewhere else."
Bingo grabs her helmet, a red outer shell of plastic and composite materials to shield her with the school logo, with a steel cage to protect her face, and a chin strap strong enough to maintain the helmet on her head. She sits and puts her forehead on the helmet and reflects in silence on the journey she took to get to this point, from the first time playing with her mother to the time she got accepted to play for the team.
"If I want a chance with him? I need to impress him here."
Bingo gets out of the locker room with a hockey stick in one hand and her helmet in the other. She stands in the darkness of the place she is in and looks forward to seeing the light of a bright day.
"After all… the only language a hockey player understands…"
"Is the puck and stick"
With courage, Bingo starts walking towards the light.
Seconds later, another figure walks behind and near Bingo, with the same uniform, a different name and number, and a hockey stick over her shoulder with confidence.
Then another figure walks towards the light, same uniform, different name and number, helmet on, while holding a hockey stick.
Then another figure starts walking towards the light, same uniform but with a different number and name.
Then another figure starts walking towards the light.
Then another figure starts walking.
Then another figure
Then another.
And another
And another.
And another.