The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella’s POV:

The stupid idiot thinks he can kiss me and threaten me? Oh, he’s got something coming. I didn’t even want to go out with Max, but now? Now I was definitely going to say yes, just to mess with Jason’s head. If he thinks he can control me with his narcissistic threats, he’s about to learn the hard way that two can play that game.

I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to steal my first kiss and then blackmail me like it was nothing. The nerve of that guy! My blood was still boiling as I settled into bed, trying to push the whole infuriating encounter out of my head. But no matter how hard I tried, that stupid kiss kept replaying in my mind.

Ugh! Stupid kiss. Stupid Jason.

I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow, determined not to let him get under my skin. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt the fire building inside me. He wasn’t going to win this. Not a chance. I didn’t know exactly how I’d get back at him yet, but I knew one thing for sure: he wouldn’t see it coming.

Tomorrow was a new day, and I was going to make sure Jason King regretted ever messing with me.

.....

Wow. I never saw it coming. Ever heard of a two-timing jerk? Well, Jason was the very definition. As I stepped onto campus, the energy was buzzing, everyone talking excitedly, like there was something big going around.

At first, I didn’t know what the hell they were gossiping about, but one thing was certain: it wasn’t about me. That was a relief. No weird looks, no hushed whispers as I walked by. It felt like something hotter was trending today. And where’s the best place to get the juiciest gossip? The girls’ bathroom, of course. So, that’s where I went.

I slipped into one of the stalls and sat, waiting for the drama to start. It didn’t take long.

I heard a high-pitched squeal: "Is it true? Is it true? Amber, please tell us! We won’t say anything!"

Oh, great. Amber was in here too? Let’s see what Queen Bee has to say for herself.

"How did you guys know?" she asked smugly, like she was loving the attention.

Another girl’s voice jumped in. "Someone said they saw you leaving Jason’s apartment again this morning. So, have you made it official yet?"

I imagined them all standing by the mirror, reapplying their lip gloss and fluffing their hair, getting ready to look like perfect little dolls for their next selfie.

Another girl chimed in, giggling. "I wonder how he is in bed. Just look at his physique—he’s got to be amazing. Amber, you must have enjoyed every second."

There was a pause, and I could practically feel Amber smirking through the door. "Well, since you already found out, I’ll tell you this much: he’s a sex god. Better than all those romance novel fantasies you girls read. But sorry, girls, I don’t share, so you’ll just have to keep dreaming."

My stomach dropped. Wow. So, after kissing me, Jason went straight home and banged that bimbo? Just... wow. I guess they do deserve each other—both narcissistic, selfish jerks. They can keep each other.

But why did it hurt to hear it? Why did I feel this stupid anger bubbling up inside me? I hated it. I hated that it bothered me. I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss the whole night while he was out screwing Amber.

I never cared about him before. I didn’t even bothered to know about whatever the hell he or Amber did. So why now? Why was it affecting me so much? Why did it feel like a punch in the gut to know that right after kissing me, he was with her?

Get over it, I told myself. But as I sat there, I couldn’t shake the sting of betrayal. It was ridiculous. I didn’t even like Jason... right?

Stupid, stupid jerk.

Jason’s POV:

In class today, I kept glancing over at Ella, waiting for her to give me some kind of reaction. Something. Anything. But she didn’t even acknowledge my existence. It was like nothing had happened yesterday, like I hadn’t kissed her, like she didn’t care that I knew her secret.

She acted the same way she always did—like she was the center of her own universe, untouchable. It bothered me. A lot.

I hated her arrogance, the way she acted like I didn’t matter, like nothing mattered. I had kissed her, I knew something about her no one else did, yet here she was, back to her usual routine, unaffected by anything. The more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off.

Fuck her.

If she thought she could brush me off like that, she was wrong. I wasn’t going to let her slip back into her comfortable little world where she could pretend I didn’t exist. No way. She didn’t get to just move on like nothing had happened.

I had vowed to disrupt her world, to turn it upside down. And that’s exactly what I was going to do.

She might think she’s above it all, but I’ll show her that I’m still here, that I’m not going to let her just brush me aside. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

...

After practice, like always, me, Dylan, and Max headed down to the diner. Max was especially excited today, riding in on his brand-new, bright blue motorbike. He hadn’t stopped bragging all day about how he was going to take Elly—the waitress, still clueless that she was the hoodie girl—on a romantic date, win her over, bang her, and get the evidence to win our bet.

Yeah, good luck with that, buddy.

I had made sure yesterday that he wouldn’t be taking her anywhere unless she wanted everyone to know she was a "poor beggar" working at the diner. Just thinking about how easily I held that over her gave me a smug sense of satisfaction.

We walked into the diner, and Max, as usual, called out her name like an idiot. "Yo, Elly! Elly!"

She was at the counter, and though she didn’t look directly at us, I knew she probably rolled her eyes under that god-awful wig she was wearing. I bet she was annoyed by Max’s loud entrance, just like I was. That awful disguise of hers annoyed me too, but I took comfort knowing I was the only one who had seen her real hair—golden and gorgeous. A part of me was proud of that, like I had some special access to a side of her no one else knew.

Still, she didn’t pay much attention to us as we sat in our usual booth. I was waiting, just like Max, for her to come over. But unlike Max, I knew what was coming. I couldn’t wait for her to shut him down, crush his little fantasy so he’d stop acting like he had already won the bet. He was getting on my nerves with his constant boasting about how he was going to sleep with her, going into all the explicit details.

"What can I get you today, boys?" Elly’s smooth voice rang out as she walked up to us.

Dylan, always the joker, said, "A movie date with you."

I almost spat out the water I was drinking when she responded with a casual, "Sure."

Even Dylan didn’t expect it. None of us did.

What the hell? Why the fuck did she agree to that?

Max immediately jumped in, not wanting to be outdone. "What about our motorbike ride?" He pouted like a kid asking for candy.

"Wait for my shift to end," she replied, calm as ever.

What the actual fuck? My mind was reeling. What was she doing? Did she forget what we talked about? What happened to the threat I made? Was she just screwing with me?

Dylan and Max were grinning like they’d won the lottery, all proud of themselves like they had actually gotten somewhere with her.

She turned to me next, and before she even spoke, I caught the wicked smirk playing at her lips. That smug look told me everything—I was being played. She was doing this on purpose, and it was all to mess with me.

"And what about you, Jason? What’ll you be having today?" she asked in the most polite voice, as if she hadn’t just agreed to go on a date with my idiot friends.

"Beer," I grumbled, barely able to contain my irritation. "Keep them coming until I tell you to stop."

My voice betrayed how pissed I was. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she was enjoying every second of it. She was getting back at me, and now I had to sit here and watch while she toyed with Max and Dylan.

This isn’t over, hoodie girl. Not by a long shot.