Squeak

Strawberry Milkshake

Jezebel

I parked in a parking spot at the pet store and answered a call from Erik.

"Hello?"

"Where did you go?"

"I told you I was going to the pet store."

"No, you didn't."

"I did. I came to the game room and told you I needed to run to the pet store to get a few things for Sophia. To which you said, uh-huh."

"Squeak, I wasn't listening to you. I was in the middle of a game."

"Oh, well."

"Oh, well? I don't like this little attitude of yours."

"You don't like it; you love it because you wouldn't have been begging to come home if you didn't. If my attitude ever gets too much for you, you know where the door is."

I smirked when he smacked his lips.

"What are you at the pet store for anyway? I got everything for Sophia."

"You didn't get her cute outfits."

"Cute outfits? Squeak, she's a fucking kitten."

"She's my baby," I cooed, scratching under her chin.

"Your baby? Squeak, it's a cat. If it's a baby you want, you know where to get one."

"Not from the guy with a busted knee," I murmured.

"Fuck you, Squeak. I'll be 100% by Homecoming, and we'll see who's making jokes then."

"That sounds like a threat."

"It sounds like we have a mutual understanding."

"King, is there anything else you need before I go in the store?" I asked, flipping open his wallet. I was in the middle of counting the crisp twenty-dollar bills when something slipped out, falling onto my lap. I giggled. It was a picture of me sleeping with Muffin. Erik had childishly drawn a pair of devil horns on me and a tail.

He must've done this when I kicked him out.

I flipped the picture over. He had repeatedly written 'I hate her' over one hundred times in the tiniest handwriting. I should've been disturbed; however, the last sentence read 'I love her' and was underlined several times. I returned the photo to his wallet and dumped it in my purse.

He's such a sweet boy.

"Squeak, are you listening to me?"

I hung up. I didn't want to lie or hear his lectures.

"Let's go, Sophia. We have to spend all of Daddy's money. Yes, we do," I purred. Sophia was adorable, and I was in love. If I weren't careful, I'd have a house full of cats, and each one would be an 'I'm sorry. Can I come back home?' gift.

***

I studied my shopping cart and tried to determine what items weren't essential and could be replaced. I may have gone overboard, but it was prudent for Sophia to have a leather-spiked collar in every color. Sophia meowed, grabbing my attention.

"It's fine, Sophia. He'll complain for a little bit, but all I have to do is sit on his face. He'll shut up then."

I pushed my cart towards the checkout lanes when I heard a voice I wished I could forget.

"Ew! That's such an ugly fucking cat," Ashlynn exclaimed. It wasn't funny, but that didn't keep her two-faced friends from laughing like idiots. "But I've heard people say that pets can resemble their owners."

"You must have a pug at home," I replied. They gasped as I entered checkout lane #3 and loaded my items onto the conveyor belt.

"Fuck you, bitch!"

Ashlynn's verbal assault continued as I checked out. Like most people, the cashier seemed concerned but was too timid to step in and figured she'd mind her business. Truthfully, it was for the best.

"Your total will be $447.35."

I counted out the cash and handed it to the cashier.

"Did you get all that money from fucking old guys?"

"Didn't you have sex with half the football team for free one night at a party? Or did someone make that up?" I challenged. I laughed as Ashlynn turned a ridiculous shade of red. She shook like a leaf, and from how she balled her fist at her sides, I could tell she wanted to hit me. But that would be a fatal mistake. "By the way, your friends hate you and talk about you behind your back. Ella, didn't you say that Ashlynn should stop dyeing her hair because she looks like Cynthia from The Rugrats?"

"No! I never said that!" she exclaimed.

"Mmmm. Yeah, you did. I was outside for lunch and overheard you and Makayla talking about her."

"That's not true. She's making it up," Makayla protested as she avoided Ashlynn's angry glare.

"If you say so. I gotta go. I'm going dress shopping for Homecoming, and Tucker wants to know what color I'm wearing."

I didn't pay any mind to their gaping mouths as I accepted my change and left the store.

"I'm sorry you had to witness Mommy's bad behavior," I apologized to Sophia as I loaded everything into the back of Erik's Mercedes.

"Jezebel!" I made the mistake of turning around and was splashed by a strawberry milkshake that Ashlynn threw at me from the passenger side window of Makayla's car. "Tell Tucker you're wearing pink to Homecoming!" she yelled as the car sped out of the parking lot.

Strawberry shake dripped from my head to my toes. Sophia meowed softly, and I gasped. She was covered in milkshake.

"Oh...that bitch is going to die."

05/15/2023