My Dog Shipped Me With My Boyfriend's Buddy

My boyfriend, Hayden Klein, has just finished grilling my favorite chicken wings when his childhood friend, Sophie Miller, walks over and takes a bite. "You know me the best, Hayden," she says approvingly. Before I can react, I hear an angry voice getting closer. "Ugh! That awful woman is about to drink that jerk's drink again." As those words fall, Sophie really does pick up Hayden's cup. "Mom, don't be such a pushover this time around. Otherwise, you'll get so angry you'll end up dying of breast cancer." Confused, I look around. My dog, Daisy, is baring her teeth at Sophie. Was it... my dog? I cautiously take a bite of my boyfriend's handsome best friend's chicken wing. "Way to go, Mom! This time, you have to end up with Oliver instead. Don't choose that jerk again!" Daisy wags her tail so hard that it practically resembles a helicopter rotor. "Oliver is ready to become 'the other man' for love. Mom is the most charming woman ever!" Chapter 1 I forced myself to stay calm as I scooped up the little dog by my feet. At the same time, I grabbed the drink sitting nearby and took a sip. No wonder the usually quiet Daisy wouldn't stop barking the first time she met my boyfriend, Hayden Klein. She remembered him from our previous life too. I frowned. Hayden once saved my life. In light of that, I'd overlooked every flaw he had. It turned out he was never worth it. However, why did Daisy think his quiet, reserved friend had feelings for me? Oliver Hughes was not the kind of person to go for his friend's girlfriend. When I came back to my senses, everyone was staring at me. Hayden's face darkened. "Don't you know how to use your words? If you wanted something, you could've just asked me. Why take someone else's drink like that?" "She's probably just jealous and trying to make you mad," Sophie Miller said with a laugh, resting a hand on Hayden's shoulder. "Maeve, don't get the wrong idea. Hayden is like a brother to me. We've eaten together like this since we were kids. It's completely normal." I glanced down at the now-empty cup in my hand. Across from me, Oliver watched me with a complicated expression. I smiled. "Oliver is my friend too. If you can share food and drinks with your friend, why can't I?" "Oliver's ears are turning red!" Daisy licked my hand. I sneaked a guilty glance at Oliver. I just used him as a shield. Hopefully he wasn't upset. "You should hurry up and comfort your girlfriend." Sophie smoothed out Hayden's furrowed brow. "You're being so mean. What if you scare her away? I don't want to be branded as the homewrecker who ruined her friend's relationship." "Woof! Woof!" Daisy squirmed, trying to jump out of my arms. "Bad dog!" Sophie cursed before pretending to cower behind Hayden. "I'm terrified of dogs. Get it away from me." "That awful woman is scolding me again. In my last life, after you died, she was the one who broke my leg!" Daisy nuzzled against me. I shivered. It felt like someone was slamming a hammer into my chest, knocking the air from my lungs. "Maeve Sullivan, how many times have I told you to get rid of that dog? You can never trust a mutt like that. It could go crazy one day and bite someone." Hayden shot Daisy a look of disgust before softening his tone and adding, "Maeve, be good. Give it away, and I'll buy you a new puppy." I trembled with anger as I hugged Daisy tightly. Daisy was the sweetest and kindest little one. I had failed to protect her in our last life. This time, I won't let anyone hurt her. "Mom, let me go!" Daisy never bit anyone. She'd only ever pretend to be fierce when trying to protect me. I deliberately loosened my grip. Daisy darted to Sophie's side, sunk her teeth into the hem of her dress, and yanked down hard. A low growl sounded in her throat. Chapter 2 Sophie let out a sharp scream as she buried her face in Hayden's chest. Her legs were flailing in the air. "Let go! Sit! Stay!" Hayden ordered angrily. Daisy didn't react at all. She kept baring her teeth, tugging stubbornly at the hem of Sophie's dress. "Daisy." Oliver bent down and called her name gently. Daisy immediately let go of the dress. Grinning, she trotted over to nuzzle against Oliver's leg, then flopped onto her back, exposing her belly, waiting to be petted. When I saw the gloomy look on Hayden's face, I couldn't help laughing. However, something was strange. How did Oliver know Daisy's name? After lunch, everyone headed to the campsite as planned. Sophie squeezed past me, linked arms with Hayden, and naturally got into the front passenger seat. I froze beside the car door. Hayden had once told me that the passenger seat would always be reserved for me. He was just about to speak when Sophie patted her chest dramatically. "You scared me to death. How could you stand being in the same car as that dog? And it's been so long since we've seen each other. Can't two friends catch up?" She poked Hayden in the chest and continued, "You got into a relationship without telling me, and I didn't hold it against you. Don't go ditching your friends now just because you've got a girlfriend." Seeing the smile tugging on Hayden's lips, I knew there was no way I was getting into that car. Sure enough, he turned to me. "You can take a cab there. It wouldn't be appropriate to fight my friend over the front seat." I frowned. He only grew impatient and said, "Don't make things hard for me." I stood there in silence, holding Daisy in my arms. Most cabs wouldn't allow a dog. "Get in." The passenger window of Oliver's car rolled down, revealing his sharply defined face. "We're all friends. It's just a seat. There's nothing inappropriate about it." He gave me a reassuring smile before turning to Hayden. "Don't worry. Your girlfriend's in good hands." Hayden looked like he had just swallowed a fly. I pressed my lips together, then climbed into Oliver's passenger seat with an excited Daisy in my arms. The entire drive, Daisy's voice filled my head. "Oliver's ears and face are red! He's going to confess his feelings to you while watching the sunrise! It was all that evil woman's fault that you never knew about his feelings in our last life." Whether Oliver was blushing or not, I didn't know. All I knew was that my own face had grown so hot that I probably looked like a boiled lobster. By the time we reached the mountaintop, I practically jumped out of the car. The mountain air was cold. I rubbed my arms. I was about to ask Hayden to grab the jacket I'd left in his car when Sophie wrapped herself around his arm. "I'm freezing! Hurry up and give me your jacket." Hayden pulled out my jacket and tossed it onto her head. "Catch. This is your reward." After putting it on, Sophie immediately leaped onto Hayden's back and scolded him, "I can tell from the smell this isn't yours. How could you give me someone else's jacket? Take it off. I want yours!" "Fine. Here." As their playful bickering echoed through the mountains, I forced down the ache in my chest and turned to leave. Just then, Daisy barked happily. When Hayden saw me, he rubbed his nose and reached out to hand me the jacket. However, before he could, warmth settled over my shoulders. It was Oliver. He draped a soft blanket around me, careful not to brush against any of my bare skin. Standing beside me, he said calmly to Hayden, "You and Sophie have fun together. As I said, I'll take good care of your girlfriend." Hayden stormed toward Oliver, fuming. "What's gotten into you today? Why have you been saying all this weird stuff?" Chapter 3 "Ah!" Sophie let out a performative cry, then slowly and deliberately collapsed onto the ground. "Help me up. My leg injury is acting up again." Hayden immediately turned back. Sophie insisted that he carry her. He laughed and scolded her for being dramatic, but he still obediently crouched down. I let out a cold sneer and turned away. I found a spot where I couldn't hear their voices and sat down. I didn't know how much time had passed until someone yelled, "The meteor shower is about to start!" Everyone quickly gathered to wait for it. When Hayden didn't see me, he pushed through the crowd to find me. "Are you mad?" he asked cautiously. When I stayed silent, he smiled and tried to comfort me. "Don't think too much. Sophie and I grew up together. We're just really good friends. We're here tonight specifically to bring you to see the meteor shower. Don't you like taking pictures? Come on. I'll take pictures for you." I liked photography. However, after Hayden and I got together, he no longer let me take freelance jobs, saying it was a waste of time. When I saw him soften his tone like that, I pursed my lips and let him take a few photos anyway. "Let's take a picture together and post it on Instagram," I said casually. Hayden lowered his head, looking guilty. "You know my mom is pretty traditional. She doesn't like me posting pictures like that online." I hadn't had much expectation anyway, so I just responded with a calm "Mmm". Just then, someone called Hayden over to help move things. He answered, then handed me his phone before leaving. "The bad woman posted on Instagram. Those bad people are bullying you, Mom." Daisy paced anxiously in circles, whining under her breath. I opened Instagram. The first post I saw was Sophine's nine-photo collage. In the center was a picture of her and Hayden wearing matching outfits. The background was the same place we had just been at minutes ago. Hayden had liked it and commented, "You're welcome for the new content." My hand trembled as I scrolled through Sophie's Instagram account. Every single post had Hayden in them, and the comment sections were full of mutual friends teasing them. "When are you guys finally going to step out of the friend zone and start dating?" "You're so compatible!" "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Love is in the air." Sophie replied, "Don't say that! I'll get shy." The further I scrolled, the tighter my chest felt. There were countless posts revealing countless private meetups I hadn't known about. I swallowed my anger and took a screenshot. I edited a post and posted it from my Twitter account with tens of thousands of followers with the caption, "Countdown to breakup". Without checking the sudden surge of notifications on Twitter, I walked straight over to Hayden, intending to talk to him properly. However, I saw Sophie pressed tightly against his face, peering at his phone. "Didn't your mom teach you to keep your distance from the opposite sex?" I said, rolling my eyes at Sophie. "Come on, Maeve. I already said we're just bros. You can't expect me to stop hanging out with my bro just because he's dating you, right?" Sophie replied. I chuckled. "You call yourself a 'bro,' but I don't see you going through a gender change." "Maeve Sullivan, that's enough!" Hayden snapped, raising his voice. Then, he immediately softened it again. "Let's just watch the meteor shower first. You're overthinking this. If you're uncomfortable, we can talk about it later." I shook off his hand and stepped a few feet away from him. "Meteor shower! Everyone, make a wish!" I closed my eyes, wishing that I could break up with Hayden peacefully. After all, we'd been together for two years. I didn't want things to end badly. "Mom, look! The bad woman's hand is inside the scumbag's jacket!" My heart jolted. I opened my eyes to see that Hayden's jacket was visibly bulging. I asked in disbelief, "What are you two doing?" Chapter 4 "I'm just warming my hands. What's wrong with that?" Sophie pinched Hayden's waist. "I thought you said your girlfriend always listens to you. Why does she keep making a fuss?" Hayden winced, grabbing her hand as he laughed. "You're still the same, always pinching me." Then, he turned to me with a careless smile and said, "Don't make things awkward. Be good." He reached out, trying to pat my head, but I stepped back to avoid him. "What if I shoved my hand inside your friend's clothes? Would you mind?" I asked Hayden coldly. His expression changed instantly. "Why are you being so disobedient today?" My temples throbbed as I retorted coldly, "I'm not your pet. Don't use words like 'be good' or 'disobedient' with me!" "Why not try it and see?" Oliver suddenly appeared, grabbed my hand, and placed it against his waist. Startled, I tried to pull my hand away, but his gentle yet firm grip held my hand in place. Hayden's expression turned sour. He chuckled awkwardly. "Maeve, take your hand off him. If you don't like it, we'll pay more attention to it next time. We're here to have fun. Don't be a party pooper." I sneered. "You have an answer to everything, don't you?" "Let's just watch the meteor shower," Hayden said casually, brushing it off again. I stared at him blankly, feeling like he was a complete stranger. How could someone who once stepped in bravely to save me from a dozen thugs also ignore my feelings and hurt me over and over again? Did he ever truly care about me? Throughout the entire meteor shower, I didn't speak to Hayden again. When it was time to sleep, I was about to tell him to set up his own tent. Sophie had already looped her arm around his and rushed to the entrance of the tent. "I twisted my ankle today. I don't want to sleep alone. Besides, we haven't slept together in ages," she said as she dragged Hayden toward the tent. My eyes widened. "You're going to sleep with her?" "I don't want to share a tent with that dog," he said hesitantly. "We're just sleeping. Don't overthink it." Sophie suddenly flung his arm away and snapped, "Honestly, I can't believe this. You're ditching your own friend just because you're in a relationship. Lame! I've already said it a hundred times—we're just friends who grew up together. Why are you still hung up on it?" She looked displeased with Hayden, but her gaze slanted toward me. I dug my nails into my palms and shot her a glance. "Where did this buzzing fly come from?" Hayden frowned at me. "It's not worth getting angry over something this trivial. Maeve, if you're upset, I'll apologize on Soph's behalf." I let out a cold laugh. This was absurd. "Mom, please break up with that jerk. Otherwise, just like in your last life, you'll get breast cancer from stress and die within three months. After you're gone, that scumbag just watches as that evil woman bullies me… My leg was broken, and I went blind. It hurt so much, Mom…" Daisy rubbed against me anxiously, whining softly. "I don't want to be separated from you again!" It felt like someone had grabbed my stomach and twisted it hard. The pain made my tears spill uncontrollably. Forcing my tears back, I made my trembling voice steady. "If you two want to act shady, go ahead. I'm done playing along! Hayden Klein, sleep with her however many nights you want. I don't care. We're finished!" Ignoring Hayden's furious shouts behind me, I walked away without looking back. "Get in." The car window rolled down, revealing Oliver's handsome face.