The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella’s POV:

At the end of the day, just like yesterday, we met at the library to continue working on the project. To my surprise, Jason seemed to be in an unusually good mood. It was unsettling, to say the least. Every now and then, he’d look up from his work and smile at me. That arrogant, knowing smile. I tried to ignore it at first, focusing on finishing the project as quickly as possible, but his strange behavior made it hard to concentrate.

After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped what I was doing, looked up, and asked, "What?"

He didn’t answer right away, instead, he studied me like I was some puzzle he was trying to solve. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, smirking, and said, "Now that I know who you are, don’t you think you could remove that damn mask?"

I snickered under my breath and went back to my work, amused by his assumption. The stupid narcissist thought I wore my hoodie and kept my face hidden to protect my identity as a diner waitress. How clueless. If he had any idea who I really was, I bet he’d be bending over backward trying to get in my good graces. But no, he could keep thinking that little piece of information was my deepest secret.

Jason sat there, watching me for a moment, probably waiting for some reaction. But I gave him none. It wasn’t worth the effort. His inflated ego would keep him convinced he’d uncovered something important about me, when in reality, he was nowhere close to figuring out the truth. Let him think whatever he wanted. It was better that way.

When we finally wrapped up the work, I stood up, feeling relieved. The project was done, and with any luck, I wouldn’t have to deal with Jason Knight again after this. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. As I packed my things, I glanced at the time and winced. My shift at the diner was about to start, and I knew I was already late. I should have left earlier, but the idea of finishing the project tonight—so I’d never have to be in the same room as Jason again—had been too tempting.

"I’ve got to go," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder. Jason gave me that smug look again, but I ignored it.

He stood up too, a little slower, and crossed his arms as if expecting me to stick around. "Leaving so soon? I thought we were finally getting along."

I rolled my eyes. "We’ve finished the project, and that’s all I cared about. I’ve got somewhere to be."

He tilted his head slightly, like he was curious about where I was rushing off to, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of asking. If he wanted to keep thinking I was just some poor waitress trying to hide my identity, fine. Let him believe he had me all figured out. But I had bigger problems to worry about than his misguided assumptions.

As I walked out of the library, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom. Finally, I could leave this mess behind. Sure, I might get an earful from my boss for being late, but at least I wouldn’t have to see Jason Knight’s smug face every day. That alone was worth any trouble I’d face at work.

Max entered the diner, calling out my name as if he had something earth-shattering to share. I couldn’t help but groan inwardly. Why doesn’t their coach work them to exhaustion so they wouldn’t have any energy left to bother me?

As Dylan and Jason went off to pick a table, Max came over, grinning like a child who’d been promised a shiny new toy. "So, Elly, how’s it going?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound smooth and attractive, but the excitement in his tone completely ruined the effect.

"About to be awful, because you guys came in," I replied dryly, not even bothering to mask my annoyance. "Say, how can I get ahold of your coach? Maybe I could convince him to overwork you so you don’t have the energy to come here and bug me."

"Aah, Elly, you wound me," Max said dramatically, placing his hand over his heart like I’d just delivered some emotional blow.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, hoping he’d get the hint and move on, but of course, Max being Max, he continued.

"So, you know I had a dream about you," he said, leaning in as if that was supposed to intrigue me.

"Was it of me running away from you?" I jabbed, not missing a beat.

Max ignored my sarcasm. "Nah, it was about me having this cool motorbike, and I took you out on it. We rode through the sunset together." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I couldn’t even hide the cringe that swept over me. "Oh wow, cool dream," I said, lacing my words with as much sarcasm as humanly possible. Apparently, Max either chose to ignore it or he was genuinely oblivious to it.

"Yeah, and guess what? I’m gonna get that motorbike, and then I’ll drive you all around town!" He was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Uh-huh. Make sure you know how to drive and get a license first," I added, still trying to shake him off.

Unfortunately for me, Max took that as an agreement. He spun around, practically skipping back to his friends, yelling loudly enough for half the diner to hear, "She agreed! Elly said she’ll ride with me once I get my license!"

Both Dylan and Jason turned to look at me in shock, their expressions a mix of disbelief and amusement. I just stood there, stunned for a moment, watching Max hype up a nonexistent agreement.

Fantastic. Now, thanks to Max’s runaway enthusiasm, the whole crew was under the impression that I’d agreed to ride off into the sunset with him on a motorbike he didn’t even own yet.