The Neighbors Who Served 'Mystery Meat' Chapter 2

He didn't expect me to fight back. He tried to shake me off, but despite being a man, he was barely 5'5".

I'm 5'8", 140 lbs, and I lift. Plus, wrestling stray dogs gives you a hell of a grip.

I twisted his arm behind his back. "Pay up! Or I'm calling 911!"

"I'm not paying! Don't try to scam me! That's cheap garbage kibble, probably worth five bucks! Let go, you crazy b*tch!"

He stomped his feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Or a wild boar caught in a trap.

His screaming attracted a few neighbors coming home.

"What's going on?"

Roger immediately switched to victim mode. "Oh god! She's crazy! I just moved in! She's bullying me!"

"She was feeding poison to her dogs! I tried to stop her, and she attacked me!"

"Look at her! Does she look like an animal lover? She's an abuser!"

Wow, give this man an Oscar. The snot and tears were a nice touch. Disgusting.

He wailed for a while before realizing no one was buying it.

Everyone knew me. They knew I spent my weekends rescuing kittens from storm drains.

I kicked him in the butt, sending him sprawling a few feet away.

He scrambled up to run. I sprinted over, grabbed his collar, and shoved my phone in his face.

"Look closely! That's the bank transfer receipt for the kibble. $250. Pay up. I'm counting to three. Three, two..."

Before I even got to one, he folded.

"Fine! Fine! I'll pay! Just my luck running into a psycho like you."

"No wonder you're single! With a temper like that, no man would want you!"

He Venmo'd me the money and ran off, covered in dirt, cursing all the way.

$250 richer. Nice.

I swept up the spilled kibble into the trash, but managed to salvage about half the bag that hadn't touched the dirty floor. I bagged it up for the community stray feeding stations.

I vacuum-sealed the rest for my own pets.

Dealing with an idiot was annoying, but hey, free dog food.