The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella POV:

Of course, it was Jason. Because who else would show up at the most inconvenient, irritating moments of my life?

I glanced over at him, barely hiding my annoyance. "Didn’t know you moonlighted as a weather expert now."

He grinned, that stupid, cocky grin that made my eye twitch. "Just couldn’t let you drown out here. You’re already a handful on dry land."

I rolled my eyes, feeling the weight of my soggy hoodie. "I don’t need your help, Jason."

"Clearly." He matched my pace, not caring about my obvious attempt to brush him off. "But it looks like you’re stuck with me anyway."

I could hear the teasing in his voice, and normally, I’d fire back with something sharp. But after today’s mess? I just didn’t have it in me. The rain, the project, Max and Dylan acting like overgrown children, Amber being her usual insufferable self—it was all too much.

"Why do you always have to butt in?" I muttered, though my voice lacked the usual bite. I kept walking, hoping he’d take the hint and leave me to wallow in peace.

"Call it a bad habit," he replied smoothly. "Or maybe I just like keeping you company."

I shot him a sidelong glance. His eyes were on the path ahead, a half-smirk playing on his lips. He didn’t seem to mind that half his shoulder was exposed to the rain, too busy trying to shield me.

For a moment, I didn’t say anything. Maybe it was the exhaustion catching up with me, or maybe it was the fact that Jason was, for once, not being his overly obnoxious self. But either way, I let out a sigh and didn’t argue when he stayed by my side, umbrella overhead, as we walked the rest of the way in silence.

I wanted to ask where he’d been all this time. He’d been skipping class for days, and honestly, it made me anxious, though I’d never admit it. But asking him that would sound like I missed him or something, and no way was I giving him that satisfaction.

As we walked in the rain, with him holding the umbrella over me, it was... weirdly kind of him. Suspiciously kind. And then, of course, he opened his mouth.

"Will you be my plus one for the party?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at him. "Oh, great," I muttered. "So that’s why you’re all nice with the umbrella. Should’ve known nothing comes free these days."

He raised a hand, that sheepish grin plastered on his face, as if he’d just been caught red-handed. "C’mon, El, you got me all wrong. I don’t want you to get sick, that’s all. I mean, look at this—rain pouring, me holding an umbrella for you. It’s practically romantic," he teased, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Seemed like the perfect moment to ask you."

I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. "Romantic? You?" I snorted. "Please. You’ve got about as much romance in you as Max does gentleness."

Jason chuckled, unfazed. "You wound me. I’m very romantic when I want to be."

"Yeah? Prove it by leaving me alone for the rest of the night."

He ignored that, of course, stepping closer to make sure the umbrella covered me completely. "So? What do you say? Be my plus one? I promise I won’t let Max or Dylan drag you into any embarrassing situations."

I let out a frustrated sigh, looking away from him. "Jason, I’m not going to that party with you or anyone else. I’ve got my own project to worry about. I don’t have time to play your games."

He tilted his head, watching me carefully. "You don’t have to play any games, El. Just be there. It’s not a big deal."

It was always a big deal with him. And I could feel myself getting frustrated again, like he was trying to manipulate me into doing something I didn’t want to do. I glanced back at him, narrowing my eyes. "I said no."

Jason’s grin faded just a little, but he didn’t push it further. "Fine, fine. But I’ll be around if you change your mind."

I huffed, continuing to walk

"What can I do to get you to come to the party with me?" Jason asked again, persistence etched in his voice.

"Make it a masquerade ball so my pictures won’t be plastered all over magazines and social media, at least not all my face will be seen because of the mask" I shot back, half-joking. No way he could pull that off.

"Okay, deal," he said casually.

Wait, what? Could he actually do that? Nah, impossible. It wasn’t one of his father’s companies. "Yeah, right," I said, astonished. "As if you could pull that off." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He just grinned. "Oh, don’t worry your pretty head about it. I know people who know people."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So... I take that as a yes, you’ll be my plus one?" he asked, his voice bubbling with excitement.

If he could actually make it happen, then my stress about the party would be sorted. No one in the media would suspect I was the Ella Kingsley at least with half my face covered, and I doubted my father would figure it out either. He knew how much I hated these kinds of events, and attending one with media coverage while I was hiding from him would be a dumb move. He knows he didn’t raise a stupid daughter. Plus, I wouldn’t need to use my full name at the party—just "Ella" would be enough. Going as Jason’s plus one might be a small price to pay if he was really capable of pulling this off.

But still... could he really?

Jason POV:

I was wrapping up the final details of the party, making sure everything was exactly as I had planned. My personal assistant had everything under control, but I still couldn’t help but oversee each little piece. It had to be perfect.

As I glanced out the window, the clouds darkened, signaling rain. Instantly, the image of those piercing blue eyes flashed in my mind—Ella’s eyes. Damn, I’ve missed her. I’ve been so wrapped up with this party and other obligations that I had to skip some classes. But no amount of work could stop me from thinking about her, especially now.

I knew her well enough to know that if she didn’t have an umbrella, she would just brazenly walk home in the rain. Ella would never wait for it to stop, stubborn as she was. The thought of her walking through that dim, dingy alley made my stomach turn. I haven’t been able to walk her home this week because of how busy I’ve been, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t taken precautions.

And no, it wasn’t stalking. More like... a hidden bodyguard. Someone to ensure she was safe, especially after that incident last time. Sure, she could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean I’d ever be okay with her being in danger. Not on my watch.

Grabbing my black umbrella, I headed straight to the diner. As expected, the silly girl was walking in the rain, just like I knew she would. God, she’s going to be the death of me. Her stubbornness knew no bounds.

I caught up to her quickly, the rain pouring down around us, and without a word, I raised my umbrella over her head, shielding her from the downpour. "Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to walk in the rain?" I said, shaking my head slightly, half exasperated and half amused.

She glanced up, her blue eyes momentarily catching mine, and despite the situation, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing she was under my care again—even if she didn’t ask for it.

And, of course, in typical Ella fashion, she had to make it difficult. She didn’t say outright yes to my offer, but I took her silence as agreement. I kept the umbrella over her, walking alongside her as the rain poured around us. There was something almost... comforting about it, though the air between us carried a tension I couldn’t shake.

The mood felt just right, so I finally asked her to be my plus one for the LBJ Company party. Naturally, she was sassy about it, but when I mentioned that I could pull some strings to make it a masquerade ball, her attitude shifted. It wasn’t too unusual of a request—maybe unconventional—but not impossible to arrange.

But then something clicked. It wasn’t just the idea of the masquerade that intrigued her, it was her strong desire to stay hidden, to keep her face out of sight, far from any cameras. I’ve always thought she was gorgeous, undeniably beautiful, yet she went out of her way to avoid being seen.

What could she possibly be hiding? It’s not like she was hiding a scar or something—it definitely wasn’t that. Her face was flawless. She had this air of mystery around her, and it tugged at me in ways I couldn’t explain. Why in God’s name didn’t she want anyone seeing her?