The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Jason’s POV:

I should’ve known Amber would take things into her own hands. She always had a flair for the dramatic, and when she felt threatened — even by something as insignificant as the hoodie girl — she acted fast. I knew Amber would always have my back, especially when it came to dealing with people who annoyed me, and this time was no different. She didn’t even need me to ask; she could sense when I was irritated, and the hoodie girl was at the top of that list. So, of course, Amber did what Amber always does — she organized the whole school to boycott her. Everyone loves Amber or at least fears crossing her, so it wasn’t hard to get people on board.

And in true Amber fashion, she organized the entire school to boycott the hoodie girl. The plan was classic Amber: isolate the target, make her feel like she didn’t belong, turn the whole school against her, and watch her crumble under the pressure. It had worked before, multiple times, like a well-oiled machine. Any girl who dared cross Amber’s path or steal a bit too much attention from her ended up ostracized by the entire school. She was ruthless but efficient, and I couldn’t deny that it usually worked.

Nice move, right? Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

From the moment Amber pulled the trigger on her master plan, I realized this was going to be different. The hoodie girl — Ella, I think her name was — wasn’t like the others. Most girls in her position would’ve gone home to cry or beg for forgiveness. They would’ve played right into Amber’s hands, desperate for a way out of social purgatory. That’s how Amber always won: by making people desperate for her approval. But not this time. This girl didn’t even blink.

It was like none of it fazed her. In fact, it seemed like she didn’t even notice. She went about her day as if nothing was happening, strolling through the halls in her oversized hoodie, face hidden beneath her hood, completely unfazed by the whispers, the stares, the pranks. It was infuriating to watch. She wasn’t crying in the bathroom, she wasn’t running out of the cafeteria in shame, and she definitely wasn’t begging for Amber’s mercy. It was like she was on another planet, completely indifferent to the chaos around her.

I’ll admit, at first, I found it kind of amusing. Here was Amber, queen of the school, pulling out all the stops, and the girl just wouldn’t break. I thought maybe she was playing it cool, holding it together for a while until she finally snapped. I waited for that moment — the one where she’d crack under the pressure, just like all the others before her.

But she didn’t.

The more they tried, the more she just... ignored them. She sat in her seat, calmly doing her work, barely even acknowledging the fact that every single pair of eyes in the room was on her. She didn’t even flinch when someone "accidentally" knocked her books off her desk. Instead of getting upset, she just picked them up, one by one, and went back to what she was doing like it was no big deal.

It wasn’t the first time Amber had done this, but it was the first time for it to fail so spectacularly.

Amber wasn’t used to failure. Hell, neither was I. That’s why it stung a little seeing her plan fall apart. And, to be honest, it was starting to get on my nerves. How could someone just brush off something like that? Amber had the whole school in her corner, and still, this girl didn’t care. It was like she was completely immune to everything we threw at her. It was as if she lived in her own world, disconnected from the rest of us.

The more I watched, the more I started to realize something — this girl wasn’t like the others. She wasn’t going to play by Amber’s rules or mine. And that was a problem.

Because if she didn’t break under the pressure of the entire school turning against her, then how the hell were we going to destroy her?

I couldn’t believe it, but I was actually starting to get frustrated. Every time Amber tried to turn the heat up, this girl just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Max and Dylan had their own approaches, but even they seemed to be getting nowhere fast. It was like we were all playing a game she didn’t even know existed — or worse, didn’t care about.

And that was starting to piss me off.

Amber, of course, was livid. She’d thrown everything at the hoodie girl, and still, nothing. I could see her frustration bubbling over every time she glanced in Ella’s direction. She hated being ignored, hated when people didn’t fear her or at least acknowledge her power. But that’s exactly what was happening. Amber was losing control, and for the first time, she didn’t know how to handle it.

I had to admit, the girl had guts. But guts weren’t going to save her forever. Eventually, something had to give. No one could be that indifferent for long. Right?

At least, I hoped not. Because if Amber’s little boycott couldn’t get under her skin, I wasn’t sure what would. And that meant this bet just got a whole lot more complicated.

**Jason’s POV:**

As the final bell rang, I knew I had to corner her. Hoodie girl—or Ella, as the class roster said. She’d been too nonchalant about everything, and that wasn’t going to fly. The way she brushed off everything Amber threw at her, and now this?

I made sure to catch her when the crowd was gone, behind the bleachers where no one could interrupt. She was in her usual spot, tucked away from everyone, face buried in that ridiculous hoodie. I grabbed hold of the edge of her hoodie, yanking her toward me with more force than necessary. Her back hit the bleachers, and I stepped closer, looming over her.

"So, partner," I began, keeping my voice steady, "when are we meeting to discuss the project?"

She didn’t even bother looking up, like she wasn’t fazed at all. Her response came out flat and bored. "No need. I’ll do the whole thing." Offering to do the whole project herself, like I was some clueless idiot? Yeah, right.

Really? Did she take me for an idiot? I leaned in, dropping my voice to make sure she understood I wasn’t playing around. "Sorry, I can’t trust you with my marks."

She let out an irritated sigh, her body tense. "Fine, then. You do the presentation, I’ll do the research."

She was trying to find the easy way out. Not going to happen.

"Still a no," I shot back, holding her gaze now. Those eyes looked familiar- where did I see them? My mind refused to cooperate so I let it be. I could see her frustration building, that cool exterior starting to crack just a little. Good. It was about time.

Her jaw clenched, and she glanced away, clearly irritated. But I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of slinking away with her stupid hoodie pulled over her face.

"My house tonight. Seven o’clock," I said firmly, not giving her a chance to argue.

I turned and started walking away before she could say anything else, but of course, she had to yell after me. "I won’t make it! I’m busy!"

Busy? Yeah, sure. I didn’t even turn around to respond. Nobody doesn’t make time for Jason Knight. She’d show up, one way or another.