The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella’s POV:

The moment I stepped onto campus the next day, I braced myself for the onslaught of weird looks, snide comments, and whispers. After what Jason had said the night before, I was convinced he would have spread my "big secret" by now. I could almost picture it: people pointing, mocking me for being a waitress, ridiculing me for being "the hoodie girl." I expected the worst.

But nothing happened.

Everyone went about their usual business, barely paying attention to me. No one gave me more than the usual cursory glance, and certainly, no one acted like they knew my so-called secret. Apparently, Jason hadn’t made a move yet. Maybe he was actually serious when he said he wanted to finish the project first. Or maybe, he was just biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to drop the bomb on me.

Either way, I wasn’t going to waste my energy worrying about it. If Jason wanted to play games, let him. I had better things to focus on, like getting through the day without losing my mind.

The school day was... normal. At least, as normal as it could be for someone like me. People still did their usual petty things, like trying to annoy me in subtle ways—bumping into me "accidentally," whispering just loud enough for me to hear, or throwing shade whenever I walked by. The group of girls who always hung out by the lockers sneered as I passed, no doubt talking about me behind their manicured hands.

But I didn’t care. I never gave them the satisfaction of letting them know they were getting under my skin. It was the same old routine, day in and day out. Petty high school games that had lost their impact on me a long time ago.

As I walked down the hallway, I kept my head down, hoodie firmly in place, and earbuds in, drowning out the noise of the world around me. I’d perfected the art of ignoring people. It was easier to just tune them out than to give them the reaction they wanted. I wasn’t going to crumble, not for Jason Knight, not for anyone.

The only thing on my mind was making it through the day and finishing this stupid project. If Jason thought he could hold my job over my head or use it to embarrass me, he was wrong. I wasn’t ashamed of working at the diner. Sure, it wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills. And if I had to juggle that with schoolwork, so be it. I wasn’t about to apologize for doing what I had to do to get by.

Still, there was a part of me that was on edge. The waiting was the worst part. Jason wasn’t the type to let things go, and I knew he’d eventually make his move. It was just a matter of when. Until then, I’d keep my head down and get through the day like I always did—one step at a time, one class at a time.

Because if there was one thing I’d learned by now, it was that no matter how hard people tried to break me, I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart.

Jason’s POV:

I hated how obsessed I was becoming with her. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—those piercing blue eyes taunting me. It was maddening. I couldn’t even escape her in my sleep. The same eyes, holding that frustrating, unreadable amusement, like she knew something I didn’t. Normally, I had full control over my thoughts, especially when it came to people. They were easy to figure out, easy to manipulate. But Ella—or Elly, or whatever the hell she was calling herself—had wormed her way into my head in a way no one else ever had.

I kept telling myself it was about control. About not letting her get the upper hand. But there was more to it than that, wasn’t there? I’d never let anyone affect me this much before. I was Jason Knight. People did what I wanted when I wanted, no questions asked. And yet, every time I tried to exert my power over her, she slipped right through my fingers like sand.

That’s why I needed a plan.

The thing is, I never thought anyone could give me sleepless nights. A school project? Sure, it could be annoying and time-consuming. But a person? No way. Never. At least, not until now. How had I gotten to this point? At least, not until now. I usually had people figured out in a matter of minutes. But her... Ella, Elly—whatever her name was—she was something different.

I’d figured out her secret identity pretty quickly after hearing her name at the diner, but I hadn’t told anyone. Not even my friends knew the waitress and the hoodie girl were the same person. I was saving that card for the right moment. My plan was simple: blackmail her into pretending I had charmed her to win the bet with Dylan and Max. She’d have no choice. I’d expose her little double life if she didn’t comply.

But that was only the beginning. After I made her play along with the bet, I’d use her real secret—the one she thought no one knew. The one about how she got admitted to our elite university. She probably assumed no one would ever figure it out, but she clearly underestimated me.

The school was too expensive for someone like her to attend without some serious help. And from the looks of her shabby clothes and diner job, she wasn’t exactly swimming in cash. There were no scholarships that could explain her sudden admission this year, so the only logical explanation was that she’d slept her way in. The administration was full of old men who’d jump at the chance to help a girl like her if she was willing to pay the price. she didn’t think anyone knew.

But I did.

And I would use that information to destroy her.

Once I had her under my thumb with that secret, I’d ruin her. Slowly. She embarrassed me when she asked to switch partners, acting like I wasn’t good enough. Then, she didn’t even show up when I told her to come to my house for the project. She thought she could walk away from me like that? No. She was going to pay for all of it.

In the end, I’d get everything I wanted. I’d win the bet, I’d make her regret crossing me, and I’d keep my reputation intact. She’d be left humiliated, and I’d move on like always.

So why the hell was I still thinking about her? Why did the image of her eyes keep haunting me, even when I was supposed to be focused on my plan? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be just another girl, another pawn in the game. But now, it felt like she was the one getting the better of me, even though she didn’t even know it.

I clenched my fists, frustrated. I needed to regain control. This wasn’t about her. This was about winning. About showing everyone—including her—that I always come out on top.

I just had to remind myself of that. This wasn’t personal. It was just another game, and she was just another player. And soon enough, she’d realize exactly what happens to anyone who thinks they can outsmart Jason Knight.

This wasn’t just about revenge for her rejecting me or making me look like an idiot. It was about getting everything I wanted without losing face. In the end, I’d win the bet, get my revenge, and show her that no one crosses Jason Knight and gets away with it.

Her blue eyes would stop haunting me soon enough.

Because I’d break her.