Okay, so here’s the deal. Max and Duke are out of the picture, Buddy and Mel are busy with their own stuff, and Chloe is the only one who remembers it’s my birthday today. It’s 10:23 AM, still early, and I’m currently staking out Buddy’s apartment, waiting for him to leave so I can tail him. Definitely not the strangest thing I’ve ever done, I thought to myself, settling down to watch.
I didn’t have to wait long. Soon enough, I saw Buddy, that dachshund, heading towards the window. I quickly ducked behind some flowers on the steps, trying to blend in. He hopped out of his window and strolled down the steps. Gotcha.
I followed Buddy for about seven minutes through a few streets. Honestly, I was starting to wonder what was taking so long! Finally, he stopped to meet up with a couple of other dogs. I quickly hid behind a lamppost, trying to stay out of sight. And then I saw them – Max and Duke. *There they are,* I thought, *but what are they up to?* I crept closer, taking cover behind some cardboard boxes. I could hear snippets of their conversation, “…Only…now…I…can…get…Gidget…away…from…me,” Max was saying. What was that about? Moving closer still, now behind a building, I could hear them a bit better.
“How was it?” Duke asked. How was what?
“It was great. She’s way better than any other female dog I’ve ever been with,” Max replied. *Any other female dog?* My ears perked up.
“Are you sure? Because if that’s the case, I’d want her too,” Buddy chimed in.
“Well, she was a little rough at first, but in the end, she made me feel much more… satisfied. I wouldn’t mind having her again.” *Satisfied!?* This was getting weirder and weirder.
“What about Gidget?” Duke asked, bringing my name into the conversation.
“I wouldn’t know, Gidget never gave me one.” Gave him *what*? My confusion was growing.
“Now I want one again,” Buddy whined.
“Well, to me, it sounds like you want more than just one.” They all burst into laughter. I was completely lost and starting to feel a knot in my stomach.
“So anyway,” Max continued, “how’s the, you know, *thing* going?”
“It’s going great. Just have everyone meet up at 3:00,” Buddy answered, “at Central Park, remember that.”
Then, just like that, they all went their separate ways.
I stood there, completely stunned. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Is Max cheating on me?” I blurted out, the question hanging in the air.
“He probably is.”
I jumped, startled, and spun around to see Tiberius standing right behind me.
“Tiberius! You scared me!”
“Oh, sorry. He he.” He didn’t sound very sorry.
“What are you even doing here?” I asked, trying to calm my racing heart.
“I was out hunting for breakfast, and I saw your boyfriend and his friends talking, then I spotted you, so I just stood behind you, also…observing them.”
“I wasn’t observing, I was… um…”
“Yeah… not observing.” He smirked, clearly not buying it.
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You and I both heard what they said.”
“Yep. Heard it all.” He chuckled again.
“I thought he wouldn’t, but I guess you were right.” Right about what? I wasn't even sure what to think anymore.
“Maybe, or maybe not.” Tiberius was being annoyingly cryptic.
“What about my birthday? Did anyone remember that? Besides Chloe?” I asked, my voice laced with disappointment.
“Well, *I* did.”
“Well, good for you!” Tears started to well up, but Tiberius wasn't about to let me get upset.
“Hey, cheer up. It’s not over yet. It’s only 2:48. We can still do something at Central Park.”
“-sniff- Well, okay, I guess.” Maybe my birthday wasn't completely ruined yet. And maybe, just maybe, there was a reasonable explanation for what I’d overheard. But a part of me was still deeply worried about Max and this mysterious “other female dog.”