The Girl He Wanted Was The Girl He Dumped Chapter 02
Audrey Bennett.
Carter stared at the name in the freshman GroupMe.
He’d dumped this catfish days ago. Now she was at his school.
He’d told Audrey he was coming here while they were dating, and she’d committed to the same university because of it.
What she didn’t know was that Evan wasn’t his real name.
Knowing how clingy she’d been, Carter could already imagine the trouble once she found out.
His phone buzzed.
Sophie: “What was that about in GroupMe?”
The frown between his brows eased almost instantly.
“Nothing, baby.”
Audrey had stolen Sophie’s photos to catfish him.
Then, on move-in day, he’d found the real girl from those pictures.
She was even prettier in person. And somehow, she liked him too.
Another text came in.
“Audrey’s my roommate.”
Carter raised an eyebrow.
Then, with a mean little smile, he typed: “Is she ugly?”
Sophie paused.
“Pretty average.”
Carter laughed.
“Baby, you’re too nice.”
She was hideous.
I sent Carter his ridiculous twenty-five cents back, still wondering what his problem was.
Before I left, Sophie asked, “Can you grab me some peaches?”
“I can’t. I’m allergic. They make my face swell up.”
She paused.
Something flickered across her face before she said, “Oh.”
That afternoon, one of my roommates showed me another post on the campus gossip page.
Someone had posted candid photos of me walking into a coffee shop.
“Anyone know this freshman? “
Carter had commented: “Taken.”
My roommate replied:
“She’s my roommate. Very much single.”
His comment disappeared minutes later.
“What is your boyfriend’s problem?” I asked Sophie.
She looked away.
“He said he confused you with someone else.”
Right then, my phone buzzed.
A message from Carter Ashford.
“I’m Evan.”
I froze.
Carter was Evan?
I typed: “How are you not embarrassed to still be alive?”
Carter: “Sophie is my girlfriend.”
Me: “And?”
Carter: “Stop pretending. You can’t get over me, so now you’re freezing her out.”
Freezing her out? Since when had I done anything to Sophie?
I almost laughed.
“You really think you’re that important?”
His reply came fast.
“I’ll set you up with a friend.”
“Leave Sophie alone and stop obsessing over me. Then we’re even.”
He sent me a profile.
Julian Hayes. Sophomore. Carter’s hockey teammate—and almost as well-known on campus as Carter himself.
Julian messaged almost immediately.
“Want to meet? I don’t like talking to strangers online.”
After a few seconds of hesitation, I agreed anyway.
Julian came to my dorm.
The second he saw me, he froze.
“You’re Carter’s ex?”
“Audrey.”
He looked at me again, his eyes lingering for a second like he was trying to reconcile me with whatever Carter had told him.
“You’re nothing like what I expected. Can’t believe he let you go.”
After a little small talk, he asked, “Would you ever take him back?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t even like him anymore.”
Julian smiled. “Good.”
When I got back, one of my roommates was already gossiping about Carter.
“I heard Carter dumped some girl he was dating online before he got with Sophie.”
The other roommate asked, “Why?”
Before she could answer, Sophie gave a small, almost smug smile.
“Because she was an ugly, stupid catfish.”
I stopped just inside the room.
Carter’s warning flashed through my mind.
I took a slow breath, then looked straight at her.
“Sophie, have you been telling people we’re excluding you?”
The room went quiet.
“I haven’t.”
“Then why did Carter warn me to stop bullying you?”
Her expression shifted.
I added, “And I’m the online girlfriend he just dumped.”
Both roommates froze, shock and disbelief flashing across their faces.
Sophie didn’t.
That told me everything. “You already knew.”
She lowered her eyes, suddenly looking small and wounded.
“I only told Carter I’d been feeling left out. He must’ve misunderstood.”
One roommate frowned.
“That explains why our RA asked us about bullying.”
Sophie apologized immediately.
She sounded so sincere that, like she genuinely hadn’t realized what she’d caused.
“I’m sorry. I’ll clear it up with the RA.”
Since she promised to fix it, we let the matter drop.
For now.