The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella’s POV:

After the fiasco with Amber, the gossip mill didn’t just simmer—it exploded. If I thought being known as the "poor waitress girl" was bad, now I was officially the girl who stood up to Amber, the queen bee. Great, just great. It wasn’t just fingers being pointed at me anymore; some people were actually looking at me like I’d pulled off some impossible feat. Oh yes, glad to be your new idol—not.

Some looked at me in awe, like I had just achieved something legendary. Yeah, I know, breaking records in a single year: embarrassing the campus’s golden boy, Jason, and now standing up to the queen herself, Amber. Bravo, right? Wrong. It felt more like I had painted myself neon yellow and was doing some ridiculous monkey dance in front of the whole school with the attention I was getting now. And not the good kind.

Others, though—ugh, the pity looks. As if I had signed my soul over to the devil and was about to be buried alive. Like, seriously? I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. They should put their pity somewhere else because I didn’t need it. Amber wasn’t half as scary as they made her out to be. Sure, she had her minions and her queen bee act, but I wasn’t about to crumble because of her.

Even the freshmen knew who I was now, which made things worse. I was no longer the mysterious hoodie girl blending into the walls. Now, it was like I was branded as the school’s master villain, pitted against the king and queen of campus royalty. It was almost comical, the way the story was being spun in the halls. The whole "good girl gone rogue" narrative. Ooh, look, she’s fighting the system! What a rebel!

But then, there was Jason. Yeah, the self-appointed king of the school who seemed to have a twisted obsession with me. And no, not the kind of obsession where he left flowers on my doorstep or wrote bad love poems. No, this guy’s idea of obsession was stealing kisses when I least expected it and threatening me like we were living in some mafia romance novel. It was almost laughable. Almost.

And yet, I couldn’t ignore the weird dynamic between us. I hated it. I hated how his stupid smug face popped into my head at random times. How his eyes would flicker with something unreadable whenever he looked at me. Yeah, whatever it was, it wasn’t love. It was some twisted mix of control and attraction that made me want to punch him and run away all at once.

But let’s get one thing straight: I wasn’t scared of Jason. I wasn’t scared of Amber. The only thing I feared right now was my father finding out about all this mess before I graduated. And if that meant continuing to wear my hoodie like some sort of shield, then so be it. Because while everyone else saw me as the villain of the story, I was just trying to survive campus without losing myself in the chaos.

Let the gossip fly, let the whispers spread. I wasn’t going to bend to anyone—not Jason, not Amber, not anyone.

Jason’s POV:

"Damn, this girl is legendary—makes me hard just thinking about what she did to Amber," Max said, his mind always in the gutter. Typical Max.

"Nah, she’s like a goddess, standing up to Amber... and you, Jason," Dylan added, lost in whatever fantasyland he’s been living in lately.

Me? I wasn’t in some dream world or thinking with my dick like Max. No, I was trapped in my own twisted mind, constantly figuring out how to tame this little wild tiger. Ella. She was untamed, unpredictable, and I’d be lying if I said my whole body didn’t respond to her wildness in a way that drove me insane.

Watching her stand up to Amber like that? Man, I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my lips. She wasn’t just some scared little girl, and it wasn’t just about being defiant. No, she had this fire in her, this raw edge that made her look... dangerous. Sexy, even. She was like some kind of dark heroine, a villain dressed in that hoodie and mask, hiding who she was but somehow revealing more than anyone could handle.

Geez, the things this girl does to me.

I knew I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I did, but watching her go toe-to-toe with Amber? It was a sight. Everyone else thought she was digging her own grave, but not me. I saw her for what she was—a challenge. A puzzle I hadn’t figured out yet, a wildfire I couldn’t contain.

She didn’t bend to anyone. Not Amber, not Dylan or Max, and certainly not me. And fuck if that didn’t just make me want her more. This girl—Ella—had me hooked in ways I wasn’t ready to admit, even to myself. Yeah, I wanted to control her, dominate her, but now it wasn’t just about breaking her spirit. It was about making her mine.

Seeing her stand up to Amber with that fierce look in her eyes, the way she didn’t care about the crowd or the whispers, made something snap in me. She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t backing down. And hell, neither was I.

Her little show against Amber? Damn, it almost made me want to let go of this whole thing with Dylan. Almost. But I’m not the type to just let things go easily. Not with her. Not with Ella.

I’m a patient man when I need to be, and this is one of those times. Let her think she’s winning. Let her think she’s safe. That I’ve given up or moved on. But I’ll be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment. I’m not about to just hand her over to Dylan, no matter how chill he’s been acting about this.

Nah, I’m going to make sure she’s always on edge, always wondering when I’ll strike next. Maybe I’ll back off for a little while, let her guard down. Or maybe I’ll keep her guessing, never letting her feel too secure. She’ll never know when or where I’ll show up next. Keep her on her toes. Keep her thinking about me.

She’s smart. I’ll give her that. But no matter how defiant she gets, she won’t see me coming. Not when it really counts. That fire in her? I’m going to control it. Bend it to my will. I’ll make sure she knows exactly who’s in charge. I won’t stop until she’s mine in every way possible. And when that happens, she’ll realize there’s no escaping me. Not Jason.

Let her have her little victories for now. I’ll let her think she’s free, but she won’t be. Not really. It’s just a matter of time, and I’m willing to wait.

I always get what I want.

Amber’s POV:

That stupid bitch. She actually had the nerve to stand up to me? Humiliate me in front of the whole school? Who does she think she is? She’s nothing. Less than nothing. Just a pathetic little waitress girl playing dress-up in her hoodie, thinking she’s special.

She better sleep with one eye open because I’m not letting this go. No one makes a fool out of me, especially not some nobody like her. I’ll make sure she regrets ever crossing me.

If she thinks she can just walk around here with that smug attitude, like she’s untouchable now, she’s dead wrong. Oh, I’ll get her back—where it hurts the most. And I know just the way to do it. I’ll team up with Jason. He hates her as much as I do, maybe even more. Together, we’ll make sure she’s kicked out of this school for good. She doesn’t belong here, and I’ll be the one to remind her of that.

I’ll destroy her reputation, her little fantasy of being this untouchable "legend" or whatever nonsense people are saying now. When I’m done with her, she’ll be begging for mercy. Next time I tell her to jump, she’ll be asking how high.

I’m going to strip her down—no hoodie, no mask, no walls to hide behind. I’ll make sure she’s exposed for the loser she really is. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do. She messed with the wrong person, and she’s about to find out exactly what that means.

Nobody, nobody, humiliates Amber and walks away from it. Let’s see how long she lasts before she breaks.

Ella POV:

Okay, if putting Amber in her place means Jason stays out of my lane, I’ll gladly do it every damn day. He hasn’t said a word or even glanced my way since the incident. Even his usual glares that used to burn a hole in the back of my head? Gone. When he passed me in the halls or in class, it was like I didn’t exist, like I was invisible. If only I could get the rest of the school to treat me the same way.

But of course, that would be too easy. Max was still throwing his ridiculous suggestive looks and winks, while Dylan followed me around with those sad puppy dog eyes, clearly still hoping for a second date. I turned them both down without hesitation—there wasn’t a threat from Jason looming over me this time, so I didn’t have to say yes just to defile him and get a rise out of him.

Even at the diner, Jason acted like I was a complete stranger. Meanwhile, Max and Dylan were still at it, pestering me for more time. I stood my ground and refused, wondering why Jason’s change of attitude couldn’t just rub off on his friends. Whatever he took I would gladly buy it to his pestering friends or maybe the whole school. Things would be so much easier.

If only.