Page 60 of I Don't Need Your Romance

“You’re the one who dumpedme, Alyssa!”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I push myself between the two of them and throw my hands on my hips. “Do either of you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“He’s mine!” the girl barks at me. “So stay away.”

I hold up my hands. “I just met him a few minutes ago. He asked me to dance.”

“What do you mean you met him a few minutes ago?” The girl, Alyssa, looks at Stewie for an explanation.

Stewie’s cheeks are pink as his eyes move from Alyssa to me. With a sheepish laugh, he rubs the back of his neck and says, “I was trying to get you jealous, Alyssa.”

Her face, which was full of murder only seconds ago, softens. “Really? You were trying to get me jealous?”

“Yeah.” He moves closer and takes her hand. “I’ve been miserable since you broke up with me.”

“Stewie!” She looks like she’s ready to fly to the moon. “I thought you didn’t care about me. When I saw you dancing with someone else, I lost it.”

He grins. “I’m glad you lost it.”

They move their heads together and giggle.

“Wait a second,” I say.

They turn their heads to me like they forgot I exist.

“Are you saying you were using me to get your ex jealous?” I ask the guy.

“It wasn’t my intention at first,” he admits. “But once we were talking, I figured I had nothing to lose.”

“And what about what I lost?” I demand. Is this dude for real?

He shrugs. “Sorry. All’s fair in love and war.”

I look at the girl to see if she’ll have my back on this one, but she snuggles up to him and giggles like she just won the grand prize.

“Unbelievable,” I mutter before marching away. I’ve been used before, especially by my classmates who wanted to pick my brain before a test, but never like this. Gosh, it feels horrible. Not that I was in love with the dude or anything—I didn’t get to know him enough to see if I even liked him—but to just use someone like that?

“Sophie?” Addie asks in a concerned voice when I join them on the dance floor. “What happened?”

“We heard some shouting from that girl,” Raven says.

“How the heck was I dragged into their drama?” I grumble. When my friends give me blank faces, I say, “He was just using me to make his ex jealous.”

“Seriously?” Ryder asks as he glares at him. “What a jerk.”

“Are you okay, Sophie?” Carly asks.

“I think so,” I say, putting on a smile. “At least his ex confronted him before things went too far.”

Addie wraps her arm around me. “I’m really sorry, Sophie.”

“It’s not your fault. He wasn’t on the list.”

For some reason, that makes all of us laugh.

“What do you say we get out of here and watch one of your favorite romance movies?” Raven suggests.

“And you can pick the snacks.” Carly smiles. “Just please choose some chocolate, too.”