The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella POV:

I think I’ve officially lost a few brain cells. Max’s endless monologue while directly talking to me makes me want to punch him square in the face, and honestly, I’m seriously considering it. God, please, just end me now.

Just when I thought I couldn’t hold it in any longer, the professor entered the room, forcing Max and Dylan to finally turn to the front.

Thank you, God.

To my surprise, even Jason let out a sigh of relief next to me. I raised an eyebrow at him, curious. He just shrugged and whispered, "What? The guy’s nice, but God, he needs to get his brain checked. I think I just lost half of my brain cells."

As if he’s any better. But, yeah... Max is definitely something else.

As the professor droned on, Jason leaned in and whispered again, "I know what you did."

Of course, it was his lame attempt to spark a conversation. Honestly, after Max’s relentless verbal assault on my sanity, I had zero interest in engaging. So, I chose to stay silent, acting like he wasn’t even there.

But Jason, being Jason, didn’t let up. "You were involved with Amber’s demise, weren’t you?" he asked, this time with an edge of certainty in his voice.

I had to give it to him, he was persistent. But I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of confirming anything. That’s why I went full incognito during my little hacking spree and article drop. If anyone should be getting credit for Amber’s downfall, it’s me, but I wasn’t about to admit that to him.

So, I kept ignoring him, knowing full well it would frustrate him. Sometimes silence is the best weapon, especially when you want to get a rise out of someone—and that’s exactly what I was aim for.

"What I can’t figure out is how you did it," Jason pressed on, determined to crack this imaginary case he’d built in his head. His voice was low, almost conspiratorial, as if we were sharing some deep, dark secret.

I could practically feel his eyes boring into the side of my head, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I maintained my focus on the professor’s lecture, pretending to take notes while internally smirking at his pathetic attempt at playing detective.

Poor Jason, always so sure of himself, yet always missing the point. The truth was, he’d never figure it out—not unless I wanted him to. And that, my dear Jason, was never going to happen.

Let him stew. Let him obsess. After all, wasn’t that part of the fun?

"C’mon, El, you want me to ramble on like Max just did?" Jason’s voice was dripping with frustration, and I could practically feel his impatience vibrating next to me.

Well, yeah, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, I thought, barely holding back a grin. But I kept my eyes glued to my notes, ignoring him like he was invisible. That was half the fun, watching him squirm.

"You’re really gonna do this, huh?" he whispered again, leaning closer, his breath warm against my ear. "I know you had something to do with Amber’s... meltdown. The timing, the precision—it’s got ’Ella’ written all over it."

I flicked my eyes toward him for just a second, just long enough to catch that cocky grin plastered on his face. Ugh, that grin. It was the kind of grin that made other girls swoon. Not me though. Nope, I was immune... or at least trying really hard to be.

Jason leaned back, stretching his arms casually like this was all some kind of game. "You know," he said, quieter now, "if you keep ignoring me, people might think you actually care about what I think."

My pen hovered over my notebook for a second as I considered all the ways I could make him regret every word. But instead, I just let out a soft sigh and smiled to myself.

Let him talk. He still had no idea just how deep I could cut.

Jason POV:

"C’mon, El, you really gonna ignore me like that?" I whispered, leaning closer to her, trying to get even a flicker of attention. But of course, nothing. Not even a glance. Damn, this girl knew how to play the silent game better than anyone.

I leaned back in my chair, stretching out a bit, trying to look casual even though I was itching for her to crack. "You seriously want me to talk to myself like Max did earlier?" I muttered, half to myself, half to her. Still no reaction.

Fine, if this is how she wants to play it. "You’re not slick, you know? I *know* you had something to do with Amber’s little... downfall." I paused, waiting for a response. Still nothing. It was like talking to a damn wall.

I leaned in again, this time brushing a little closer. "It’s all too convenient, the timing, the precision. That’s got Ella written all over it." I kept my voice low, half curious, half impressed. She was good, I’d give her that. But still, she wasn’t biting.

Her pen didn’t stop moving, her eyes never left the paper. But I could tell. She was enjoying this. Hell, she was probably loving it—watching me squirm, hanging on the edge, trying to figure her out.

I let out a sigh, a little louder this time. "You know," I murmured, letting the grin slip back onto my face, "if you keep ignoring me, people might start thinking you care. Wouldn’t want that, would we?"

Still nothing. Not even a twitch.

I was running out of patience, and Ella’s silence was like a challenge I couldn’t ignore. Alright, if she wanted to keep pretending like I wasn’t here, I’d just have to take matters into my own hands.

An idea sparked in my head, and a slow grin tugged at my lips. Leaning back in my chair, I stretched casually, acting like I was done trying. But then, without warning, I flicked my finger hard against the edge of her notebook, sending her pen flying out of her hand and skidding across the desk.

"Oops," I said, feigning innocence, giving her my trademark cocky grin. "Guess you’ll have to talk to me now, huh?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Her head snapped toward me, eyes narrowing dangerously, and for a moment, I thought she might actually lunge across the desk and strangle me. But no—this was Ella. Always composed, always calm. Except for that spark of fire I could see in her eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed, her voice low but sharp as she glared at me, clearly pissed. Finally—success. She spoke.

I chuckled, leaning closer like we were sharing some inside joke. "Oh, I don’t know, maybe I got tired of being ignored. You can’t just give me the silent treatment all day, El. Not when I know you’ve got something to hide."

She snatched her pen back, her lips pressed into a thin line, clearly annoyed but unwilling to let me win that easily. "You seriously flicked my pen like a five-year-old? What’s next, pulling my hair?" she shot back, sarcasm dripping from every word.

I grinned, leaning closer still, my voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Only if that gets you to talk to me. Worked like a charm, didn’t it?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You’re impossible."

"So, how did you do it?" I asked, leaning a little closer, my curiosity driving me crazy. But of course, she gave me nothing. Back to her silent mode like she hadn’t just snapped at me a second ago.

I let out a frustrated sigh, running my hand through my hair. Seriously? This girl was going to be the death of me. "You know, I’m not gonna drop this," I whispered, half expecting her to finally crack. But nope—nothing. She just kept staring ahead, completely focused on the professor’s boring lecture like I wasn’t even there.

I leaned back in my chair, glancing at her sideways. She was so good at this—playing it cool, pretending I didn’t get under her skin. But I knew better. I could see the subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers gripped her pen just a little too tight. Yeah, she was trying hard not to give me the satisfaction of a response, but she was close to breaking. I could feel it.

"Silent treatment again, huh?" I muttered, my voice low, just loud enough for her to hear. "You really think that’s gonna work on me?" Still nothing.

I smirked, deciding to switch gears. "You know, Amber’s probably losing her mind right now," I said casually, my voice dropping into a conspiratorial tone. "I bet she didn’t see that one coming... not from you."

Her hand twitched slightly, barely noticeable, but I caught it. Bingo. I had her attention.

I leaned in, lowering my voice even more. "I’ve gotta admit, though, it was a pretty genius move. The whole school’s talking about it, and Amber? Well, I bet she’s hiding under her bed, crying her eyes out."

I could see the faintest flicker of something in her eyes—satisfaction, maybe? No matter how much she tried to play it cool, I knew deep down she was proud of what she’d done. And honestly, so was I.

"Come on, El," I coaxed, my voice smooth and teasing. "You can’t ignore me forever. Just tell me how you pulled it off. I mean, getting through to her accounts and posting that article alone had to be impressive, but digging up that much dirt on Amber? That’s next level."

Still no response. Damn, she was good.

But I wasn’t done yet. I leaned back, crossing my arms, giving her a challenging look. "Alright, fine. If you wanna keep playing this game, I’ll just have to figure it out myself. But trust me, I will."

And there it was—a tiny flicker of annoyance flashed in her eyes. I knew I was close to getting a rise out of her again. Just a little more, and she’d crack. I could practically feel the tension radiating off her as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Then the professor called out my name. Wanting me to answer a question fuck! What was he even talking about?