The Devil on Her Shoulders

Ch. 2 ~ Puppy Love

My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. I was just so....frustrated. Sexually and mentally. Alex acted like he sat on a golden throne, looking down on me as if I were some peasant. I shook my head and let out an angry sigh.

The moon hung high into the air, the stars sparkling all around the black canvas of night sky. It was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around at my surroundings for the first time. I was in some sort of shopping center called Autumn Summit. Glancing around at the beautiful forest scenery,  I took a long look at the wild sunflowers growing beside the road.

Alex would like these. I wonder if he's mad that I left him there...

Just like that my lips twisted into a scowl.

He's probably sitting on the couch pouting like a baby.

A huff of breath passes through my lips and I find myself parked. When I look up, I've been placed in front of a building with 'Ana's Exotic and Domestic Pets' in big bulky letters. Hmmmm.

After some thought, I made a decision.
Why care for the whiny, pouting manchild at home when I can care for a puppy? Or...puppies...

And with that, a very rare, full teeth grin stretched across my face. I flung open the door and waltzed in, a bell ringing above me.

"Hey there!! How may I help you today?"

"I've been thinking of adopting a puppy."

The woman nodded, and gave me a soft smile. "Any breed in particular?"

My exterior crumbled slightly. "I... haven't decided yet..."

What the fuck am I doing? A puppy is a big responsibility, I haven't even graduated college yet. How am I even gonna take care of it? I can't even take care of myself. Mom was right, maybe I am no good at this...

I turned back towards the woman's desk, ready to tell her I changed my mind, but a series of loud barks and whines caught my attention.

There was a glass structure raised above the ground on top of a bronze colored pedestal. Inside were a bunch of puppies which were obviously huskies. They were all playing and rough housing with each other, all except one.

This little beauty was up against the glass, it's head on it's paws watching all the others play. It looked...sad.

Take it. Take them, they need you...

Static rang in my ears as I watched them. Something inside me seemed to call for the creature. If only I could get a little closer-

"Ma'am?"

I turned to the woman, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said that one right there is 200$" My face fell immediately. Well, it's not that bad... "But for you I'll charge a 100$ only. If you want his buddies, it'll be 300$ all together."

My eyes almost burst from their sockets.

Why was she giving me a discount?

"I am the owner of this place after all."
I glanced down at her name tag with an uncertain frown. Ana. How come I didn't see that earlier? Something is really off here. The woman smiled warmly and waved her hands towards the pups. "Go on."

My gaze drifted back to the puppy. It was now up and lapping at the water bowl. When the puppy glanced up, it looked around and began to whine, as if calling to the other puppies. Two others emerged, one black and one a creamy white. They nuzzled each other and laid down together in a fluffy pile. Watching the adorable scene had me smiling and pressing my face up to the glass.

"Er, what breed are they exactly? They look like huskies...but with something else."

The elderly woman grinned and let out a soft chuckle, "well you were pretty close."

The sudden ring of the store's bell caught me off guard. I knew who it was almost immediately, the smell of the familiar cologne drifting into the room. I stood up straight and turned, putting my back to him. He's not gonna ruin my fun, not this time. "So there is a little something else inside them then?"

His large feet stomped over to the aisle right next to me, pretending to be just another customer.

"Mm-hm, the trio you were looking at are wolfdogs. Their mother was a beautiful gray husky, and the dad was a classy black canis lupis, or, wolf. So, they will need a bit more care then regular dogs, but I can tell you'll be able to handle them." She smiled at me, and I sent her a genuine smile back.

The annoying boy behind me decided to butt in, placing his hand on my shoulder to try and pull me back. "Thanks, but, we're leaving. You don't need any dogs right now, you won't have room for them, Bri."

"You aren't my dad Alex, stop pulling me around." And with that I pursed my lips and glanced over to the puppies, watching them play one last time before turning back to Ana and rifling through my bag. Pulling out my card, I slide it into the older woman's palm and grin.

"There you go, thank you Ana." The older woman nodded and smiled, doing a once over of Alex and scowling.

"You're welcome dear. Here's my card if you ever need to talk or...get away." As she reached to hand me the card, it was plucked from her fingers.

"As I said before, we're leaving."

Ana crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Listen bub, if she doesn't want to leave," She closed the distance and pressed a finger to his chest, "she doesn't have to."

Alex took a deep breath and muttered under his breath, running his hand through his hair before turning and throwing his hands up in an angry defeat. "Fine. Have it your way. I'm gonna go do my own shopping." He then flicked the card at me and stormed off.

I gave Anna a sheepish look. She just shrugged and grinned at me. "I had to deal with an assholes like him my entire life." I giggled and shook my head, petting the grey puppy in my arms as they all slept.

"Well, I've got to go. I'll call you if I ever need anything. Will you help me out for a second?"

With that I loaded the puppies and the puppy food into the truck, hugged Anna, and was on my way back to the house. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that I forgot to buy a crate, or something for the wolfdogs to lay in. So instead I threw down a couple extra blankets on the bed and let them up with me.

After cuddling up next to the giant balls of fur and getting comfy, I grabbed my phone to check for any messages from Alex. After his little tantrum, I hadn't heard a peep from him. I was starting to get annoyed with the way he was treating me. When I was giving him what he wanted, Alex would gladly give me attention and affection. But when I did what I wanted, he would freak out on me and ignore me for days, sometimes weeks. I groan and cover my eyes, boys are too complicated.

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