The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Jason POV:

After practice, it was the usual routine—me, Dylan, and Max headed straight to the diner. The moment we walked in, I spotted her. Ella. She was still working, her face set in that determined expression she always wore when she was focused. It was like she didn’t even notice the rest of the world existed when she was in work mode.

Max and Dylan wasted no time, immediately slipping into their usual routine of pestering her. I rolled my eyes as I watched them, leaning back in my seat. They were trying to convince her to go on another date with them, just like they had last time. I already knew she wouldn’t go. Hell, the only reason she went out with them before was to spite me.

I had told her not to go on that first date, knowing full well she’d hate it. And just like I predicted, she did the opposite of what I said. Typical Ella—always trying to prove something, always defying me. It was like she made it her personal mission to show me she didn’t give a damn about anything I said or did.

I watched as she moved behind the counter, not even paying Dylan and Max much attention. She was good at ignoring them when she wanted to, which only made them try harder. Idiots. They didn’t get it—she wasn’t interested in them, or anyone for that matter. Well, anyone except for me, whether she admitted it or not.

Because deep down, I knew I was different to her. I wasn’t like them. And that’s what made me lose my mind. Ella was like this untouchable mystery, always slipping through my fingers but never fully leaving. She had this power over me that no one else ever had. Every defiant glare, every snarky comment, it only made me want her more.

Dylan nudged me, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Dude, you’re awfully quiet. What’s going on? You not gonna join us in bothering Ella?"

I smirked but shook my head. "Nah, you two are doing a fine job of embarrassing yourselves without me."

Dylan scoffed, clearly not getting the hint. Max, on the other hand, just chuckled. He knew me well enough by now to recognize that I wasn’t about to let them get anywhere near her. Not in any real sense, anyway.

Ella glanced over at me once, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she could feel my gaze on her. She quickly looked away, probably irritated by the way I was just sitting there, watching her. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to pester her—I was here to make sure no one else did. Including those two idiots next to me.

She could defy me all she wanted, but the truth was, I wasn’t going anywhere. She might not want to admit it, but I wasn’t like the rest of them. And sooner or later, she was going to have to face that.

The real question was whether I could hold myself together long enough for her to realize it.

As her shift drew to a close, I could see she was getting tired, her movements more sluggish than when she first started. Max and Dylan were still trying to get her attention, but I was done with their antics. "Let’s go," I told them, nudging Max out of the booth. "It’s late."

They complained, of course, but I wasn’t listening. I had my own plans. I knew Ella’s routine by heart now, and I wasn’t leaving until I made sure she got home safe—whether she liked it or not. After dropping them off, I circled back, pulling into the U-turn just in time to see her leave the diner. She always took that shortcut through the dark alley, and it drove me insane every time. It was dangerous for anyone, let alone a woman, to walk through there at this hour.

I parked out of sight and made my way to the alley, blending into the shadows. Leaning against the wall, I waited for her to appear. The plan was simple: watch her walk, make sure she was safe, and swoop in if she needed me. You know, classic hero-of-the-day moment. Romantic, right?

Then I saw them—three homeless guys who’d been bickering in the corner spotted her too. My heart jumped to my throat. Shit. They started moving toward her, and I was already halfway out of the shadows, ready to take action. But something stopped me.

Ella didn’t look scared. Not even a little. She stood there, cool as a cucumber, like she hadn’t just been surrounded by a bunch of sketchy guys in a dark alley. The biggest one stepped forward, probably thinking he had the upper hand. He called her "pretty lady," and instead of freaking out like any normal person, she just... nicknamed him. *Bad Breath, she called him. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. What the hell?

She sweetly told them to let her go, like they were discussing the weather, not about to mug her. I stood there, frozen, wondering if I should jump in anyway, but my curiosity got the best of me. What was she going to do?

Then, before I could even blink, she went full commando on them. One moment they were cornering her, and the next, they were on the ground, groaning in pain. She moved so fast, so precise, it was like something out of a damn action movie. And, hell, if it wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

I watched, stunned, as she dusted off her hands, not even out of breath. Okay, I thought, who the hell is this girl?

As much as I hated to admit it, I was completely mesmerized by her. No fear. No hesitation. Just raw power and confidence. I’d been so ready to rush in and play the hero, but it turned out, she didn’t need saving. She was the one doing the saving.

And just like that, I realized I was in way deeper than I ever intended. Ella Kingsley wasn’t just some girl I wanted to protect. She was something else entirely. Something I couldn’t quite figure out, but damn if I wasn’t going to try.

I stepped out of the shadows and clapped, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face. "Wow, you really are something," I said, making my presence known. Her head snapped toward me, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She wasn’t impressed. "Oh great," she muttered. "Just what I needed."

"You know," I continued, ignoring her irritation, "I was all ready to come to your rescue, but... seems like you didn’t need it." I chuckled, glancing at the poor guys still groaning on the ground. "I gotta say though, that was sexy as hell. Never thought I’d witness something like that outside a movie."

"Glad to make your fantasy come true," she said dryly, trying to sidestep me. "Now, if you’ll excuse me—"

But before she could slip away, I grabbed her arm, pulling her back toward me. She stumbled a little, landing against my chest, and my arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened in surprise as I held her close, my voice dropping low. "I do have other fantasies, you know," I whispered, my lips just inches from hers.

She shoved me off immediately, glaring at me with that fire in her eyes. "You’re unbelievable," she muttered, storming off.

I just stood there, watching her walk away with that same damn grin on my face. Because even though she’d kicked my ass—again—I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more.

I was in deep now. So deep I didn’t even care if I drowned.

As she stormed off, I knew there was no way I was letting her walk home alone after what just happened—even if she was more than capable of handling herself. So, naturally, I followed her. I knew it would piss her off, but at this point, I was already committed to the chaos that was Ella Kingsley.

One... two... three...

"What do you think you’re doing?" she snapped, spinning around, arms crossed tightly over her chest like a mafia queen who had just caught someone in her territory. Her eyes narrowed in that way that told me I was in trouble.

I grinned, shrugged my shoulders like the cocky idiot I was, and whispered, "Just walking you home."

She raised her eyebrow so high, it was almost comical. "And why, in God’s name, would you do that?" she asked, her tone dripping with suspicion and a hint of annoyance.

Frustrated, I let out a sigh. "You just got cornered in a dark alley by three guys who were about to mug you. And yeah, you handled it like a pro, but.... Call me crazy."

She stared at me for a moment, probably debating whether to punch me again or just ignore me altogether. In the end, she let out a long sigh, shook her head, and turned around. I took that as reluctant agreement.

But of course, being Ella, she didn’t make it easy. I kept my distance—about four steps behind her—the entire walk to her door, knowing full well that walking too close would probably earn me another scathing comment or worse. She didn’t say anything, didn’t even look back, and I stayed in my place like an obedient bodyguard.

When we finally reached her place, she didn’t even acknowledge me. Typical. She unlocked her door, stepped inside, and slammed it right in my face without so much as a goodnight.

I stood there for a second, staring at the closed door, a smirk slowly creeping onto my face. Yeah, I deserved that. After everything that happened the last time, I was lucky she didn’t do worse.

But damn if I didn’t enjoy every second of it. With a chuckle, I turned around and started walking back to my car, hands in my pockets and her fiery attitude lingering in my mind.

She had no idea what she was doing to me, how deep she had me wrapped around her finger. And the worst part? I didn’t even care.

Ella POV:

I know, I know—it was a total bitch move, slamming the door in Jason’s face after he’d walked me home, but come on. He deserved it. I wasn’t about to let him think he could swoop in and be the hero whenever he wanted, especially after everything that had gone down. He needed a dose of reality, and slamming the door was just my way of delivering it.

I threw my bag on the table, ignoring the nagging guilt creeping up on me. It wasn’t like I asked him to follow me home. That was all him, being... well, Jason. After doing my nightly routine and slipping into my pajamas, I grabbed my laptop and flopped down on the bed.

Now, it was time for some payback.

What no one knew—not even my father or his spies—was that I had a little secret of my own. I wasn’t just some regular girl who kept her head down and avoided drama. No, I was way more than that. I was a hacker. And Amber? Well, hacking into her little online world was child’s play.

I smirked as I opened my laptop, fingers dancing over the keys. Amber thought she could humiliate me with her little rumors and gossip, didn’t she? But she had no idea who she was dealing with.

I quickly bypassed the weak security on her social media accounts. Honestly, it was like she didn’t even try. Typical Amber—arrogant and overconfident. I scrolled through her messages, screenshots, and deleted posts, cataloging everything useful. Amber’s online life was full of juicy little tidbits, stuff that could bring her down in seconds if I felt like releasing it.

But no. That would be too easy. I didn’t want to destroy her; I wanted to teach her a lesson. And nothing taught people better than a subtle, slow burn.

I started crafting a plan in my head, something small but impactful. A little change here, a tweak there. Just enough to mess with her carefully curated image, make her paranoid, have her second-guessing herself.

After a few minutes, I sat back, satisfied. Let her think everything was still under her control for now. Soon enough, she’d realize she wasn’t the only one capable of playing dirty.

Closing my laptop, I smiled to myself. Jason might think he had me figured out, but no one really did. Not yet, anyway.