The Love Triangle: Mackenzie Meets Jean-Luc

Chapter 5

Bluey woke up the next morning feeling much better, and since she hadn't thrown up once since yesterday, Chilli judged that it was just food poisoning. 

The Heeler family got ready and out the door in record time, and soon Bingo was dropped off and Chilli was pulling up to Bluey's high school. "You sure you'll be alright?" Chilli asked.

"Yeah, and if I throw up or something, I can just call you," Bluey said, waggling her phone in front of Chilli's face.

"Okay," Chilli said with a smile. "See you after school."

"Bye! Love you!" Bluey called, before she vanished into the crush of kids leaving their parents' cars or their own.

Chilli called, "Love you . . . " but Bluey couldn't hear her.

When Bluey arrived at her first class, English with Mr. de Fortuna, she winced. Rusty was having a fight with Jack. They rarely ever fought, and this fight was about her.

"You can't have a thing for Indy!" Rusty hissed. "Indy is my girl, you know that!"

Never mind, then, Bluey thought. Wait. Jack likes Indy??

"Indy isn't your girl," Jack snapped. "You don't have a girl. You need to ask her out, and she needs to accept, before you can have her. Until then, she's fair game. And since I asked Indy out before you did, and she accepted, then she isn't your girl. Indy's mine."

Bluey listened with rapt attention, and it looked like Honey and Chloe, who were in that class, were listening, too.

"I've had a crush on her since I was six!" Rusty exclaimed. "I was going to ask her out, until you beat me to it!"

"How is that my fault? Indy is my girlfriend, and nothing you can say or do will ever change that." Jack said angrily.

Bluey slid into the seat next to Honey, and instantly began to discuss what she'd seen.

"First off," Chloe said, looking past Honey and at Bluey, "It was obvious."

"No, it wasn't," Bluey said.

"Chloe, I don't think that's true," Honey said. "Indy likes Rusty, and she would have told us the second she accepted. Don't you think?"

"I agree with Honey," Bluey said. "They were always playing together when we were in Calypso's school, remember?"

"Hmmm," Chloe said thoughtfully. "She might not have gotten to tell us. Indy doesn't have a phone, remember?"

Rusty, who was sitting in front of Honey, turned his chair around. "Hey, girls, you're friends with Indy, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Chloe asked.

"Is she really dating Jack?" Rusty questioned.

Bluey looked sideways at Honey, who looked sideways at Chloe, who looked sideways at Winton, who was sitting next to her. Winton didn't notice the drama.

"Weeeeeeeeeell . . . " Honey exaggerated.

"We're not sure," Chloe finished.

"Ah," Rusty said, a little disappointment flashing through his face. "Can you find out for me?"

"Of course!" Bluey said. "Can you do us something in exchange?"

"Yeah, alright," Rusty said suspiciously. "Am I going to do something potentially embarrassing, like when I had to jump in a swimming pool filled with bubbles in my winter jacket for a dare?"

"No, of course not," Bluey said. "I was wondering . . . do you know who Jean-Luc is?"

"The French guy? Yeah, he's in some of my classes. Why?"

"Do you know if he likes me?"

Rusty looked at Bluey incredulously. "Does he like you? Of course he does! His eyes actually light up whenever he sees you!"

Bluey froze. "Do . . . do you know if he's going to ask me out?"

"Yeah, probably." Rusty noticed Bluey's worried face. "Don't worry. Mackenzie won't hurt him."

                        ----------------------

Mackenzie was ready to hurt Jean-Luc.

The Frenchman was holding a large bunch of flowers. The irony was that those flowers were the exact kind that Mackenzie had tried to give to Bluey. 

Jean-Luc was talking to Bluey, and the two were smiling and laughing together. Jean-Luc said something to Bluey and gave her the flowers, which Bluey accepted. Then Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around Bluey and kissed her square on the mouth, and Bluey kissed him back.

Mackenzie clenched his fists until they glowed red, and he started to snarl when Bluey's friends cheered. Bluey just kept kissing Jean-Luc, and they clearly didn't want to stop.

"Mackenzie?" A voice called. "Mackenzie?"

"Bluey . . . Jean-Luc . . . " Mackenzie mumbled.

"Mackenzie!" A voice snapped.

Mackenzie woke up immediately, and slammed his head against Coco's, because she was leaning over him. "Ow!" He said grumpily, rubbing at his forehead.

"You were asleep," Coco said. "You were mumbling something about Bluey and Jean-Luc and flowers and . . . kissing?"

"It's none of your business what I dream about," Mackenzie mumbled. 

"The reason why I woke you up was because it's time to leave," Coco explained.

"School?" Mackenzie muttered, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

"No, the arcade," Coco said sarcastically. 

Mackenzie chuckled, and Coco smiled.

"Well, bye Coco," Mackenzie said, leaving the classroom. "It was nice to laugh."

Coco blushed. "Thanks, Cockenzie."

"Co-KEN-zee?" Mackenzie asked, his tongue tripping over the new word.

Coco's fur turned scarlet. She looked cute when she was embarrassed, Mackenzie realized. "It's nothing," Coco said, then rushed out the door.

"Cockenzie," Mackenzie mused. "Cockenzie . . . oh. Coco and Mackenzie."

He sighed. It was nice that he had a beautiful girl who liked him. But she just wasn't the one that he liked.

He thought again about his dream about Bluey and Jean-Luc, and he growled. That will never happen, he promised himself. It was Blukenzie for life, and he would make sure it stayed that way.