The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella’s POV:

Okay, it’s official. Fate hates my guts.

Because why on earth would I, of all people, get partnered with the so-called "king" of the school for a class assignment?

Of course, it’s Jason’s fault. Why did he have to sit at the back of the class today? Not next to me, thank God, but close enough, he was sat at the other end side of the class. The professor had this brilliant idea to pair us up according to seating arrangements. And since I always sit alone, and Jason was solo for once, we ended up stuck together.

Just perfect.

Now, on top of being the invisible waitress who somehow caught the attention of the famous trio, I’m about to become the hoodie-wearing girl who’s partnered with the golden boy of the school. ’Great’, just what I needed—more unwanted attention.

I could already feel the stares from the other students burning into the back of my head as soon as the professor called our names together. And I knew what was coming next: gossip, jealousy, whispers behind my back. As if I wasn’t already dealing with enough of that at the diner.

Seriously, why is fate such a bitch?

I slouched further into my seat, pulling my hoodie down a little lower, hoping—praying—that this assignment would be a quick in-and-out situation. No interaction with Jason, no drama, just a simple project that I could complete on my own. But knowing my luck lately, it probably wasn’t going to be that easy.

Being targeted at the diner because of Jason and his friends was bad enough. Now, I had to worry about being the center of attention at school too?

No, thank you.

As soon as the lecture ended, the professor asked if anyone had any questions. This was my chance. A chance to rewrite the mess that fate had scribbled out for me. Without wasting a second, I raised my hand.

"Can we switch partners?" I asked, hoping—praying—that the professor would give me an out.

But, of course, fate had to remind me what a bitch she was. The professor just shook his head. "No, the pairs are final."

Seriously, stupid old man.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the entire room gasped. Like, full-on, collective shock. You’d think I’d just announced I was the devil incarnate or something. What, was Jason so untouchable that the mere thought of not wanting to work with him was blasphemy?

I could feel the eyes on me again. Whispering, judging. It was like they couldn’t fathom the idea that someone didn’t want to bask in Jason Knight’s golden glow.

Sorry to break it to you, people, but I’m not here to fit into your little social pyramid. I’m not needy for attention like the rest of you.

I slouched back into my seat, already regretting opening my mouth. This was going to be a long assignment.

Jason’s POV:

It’s official. This day is the worst. And it’s all because of that clumsy waitress.

I’d barely walked into the hallway when Amber, in all her queen-bee glory, swooped in. Concern practically oozed off her, like she cared or something. "Ooh, Jason, what happened to you?" Her voice was syrupy sweet, her doe eyes wide as she examined my red eyes.

If only that damn waitress could be as submissive as Amber.

"Allergies," I grumbled, grinding my teeth. God, I hated lying about it, but what was I supposed to say? That I got pepper-sprayed and kneed in the nuts by some low-rent diner waitress? Yeah, no thanks.

Amber cooed and put her hand on my arm, like her fake sympathy would make it all go away. "You poor thing. You should go home and rest. Want me to come with you?" Her voice was full of suggestions I wasn’t interested in, but I played along, smirking.

"Nah, I’ll survive," I said, flashing her a charming grin, even though my insides still felt bruised. It wasn’t like Amber was bad to look at, but compared to the fire in that waitress... Amber was just boring. Predictable.

But what got under my skin the most was the thought that the waitress—this nobody—had managed to humiliate me twice now. First in front of my friends and then again this morning when my allergies lie became the school’s latest buzz.

The way she rejected me, unfazed by my charm or status, made her different. Annoying, but different.

She didn’t just brush me off like the rest of the girls who swoon over me. No, she pepper-sprayed me and kneed me in the balls. If it weren’t so infuriating, it might almost be impressive.

Almost.

"See you later, Amber," I said, brushing her off before she could get any clingier. As I headed to my next class, I caught a glimpse of that hooded girl—the girl—and I couldn’t help but wonder. Was she as unimpressed with me as the waitress?

**JASON’S POV:**

Well, fate was really screwing with me today. I had chosen to sit at the back of the class, hoping to avoid hearing Max and Dylan’s wild guesses about last night’s disaster with the waitress or people’s fake concern over my red eyes. The last thing I needed was more pity from my wannabe admirers. Only the hoodie girl didn’t come over to ask me about it—she always acted like she was in her own world, completely detached from everything happening around her.

Honestly, I hadn’t been paying attention to a word the lecturer was saying until my name was called. "Jason Knight and Ella Kingsley." Who the fuck is Ella? I hadn’t even realized she existed until now.

I was hoping she’d be hot, maybe one of the cheerleaders or someone I wouldn’t mind partnering with. I didn’t want a pretty face with no brains, but at least that was better than some ugly girl with no brains. My eyes followed the heads of the students turning toward... the hoodie girl. Just perfect. I’m stuck with a girl who hides her face like she’s got some kind of skin disease. Great.

Maybe she’d make up for the lack of looks with brains because my transcript needed to stay flawless. I mean, yeah, I could probably do the whole project myself and still score high, but I hate dragging dead weight around.

Before I could even decide if I wanted to bother including her or just do the work solo, the little bitch asked if she could change partners. What the hell?! Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to work with me? Even if I were an idiot, girls would kill for a chance to be my partner, just to be seen with me.

And yet, here she was, openly rejecting me in front of the whole class. It was like a punch to the ego, and I could already feel my temper boiling under the surface. I barely noticed the collective gasp from the room, as if her request had offended the entire school.

This girl...