The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Jason POV:

Just then, my eye caught a new headline flashing across the screen: "Who is the Mysterious Girl Who Caught the Attention of the King’s Heir?" Below the headline were pictures of me and Ella from the event. There we were, walking into the party, me holding the car door open for her, us driving away together, and—of course—the kiss. The infamous, accidental kiss that had made her furious. But looking at these photos... well, we did look good together, I had to admit.

My eyes weren’t even focused on myself; they were locked on Ella’s face. Even with her mask half covering her, her blue eyes were captivating, pulling me in as if they were trying to tell me something. Those eyes... there was a fire behind them, a spark of mystery that made her stand out from anyone I’d ever known. Ella wasn’t just any girl, and these photos made that painfully obvious. She looked like she belonged there beside me, a fierce contrast to the world of rehearsed smiles and fake personalities that I usually had to put up with.

The corners of my mouth curled into a smirk. If only she knew I was here, practically glued to my phone, staring at her pictures like a lovesick fool. She’d probably roll her eyes and tell me to get a grip, knowing her. But damn, those eyes...

Just then, my phone rang, jolting me out of my silent admiration. The name on the screen read Mom, snapping me back to reality. Of course she would call now, just when I’d been caught in some weird, uncharacteristic trance.

"Jason!" my mother’s voice was full of energy when I picked up. "Have you seen the news? Who is this lovely girl you were with last night?"

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Hi, Mom. And yes, I’ve seen it. Trust me, the media’s having a field day with this whole ’mysterious girl’ angle."

"Well," she pressed, clearly not satisfied with that answer. "Aren’t you going to tell me who she is? She’s stunning! And, judging by the way she looked at you, she seems... different. Like she’s not impressed by all this." I could practically see her raising her perfectly manicured eyebrow on the other end of the line.

I chuckled, thinking about Ella’s quick wit and unapologetic attitude. "Different is one way to put it," I said. "Ella doesn’t give a damn about the money or the name. She’s... well, she’s just real."

"That’s exactly the type of person you need in your life, Jason," my mother replied, sounding pleased. "Someone who’ll keep you grounded."

Grounded, huh? Yeah, that was one way to put it. Ella had practically dragged me down to earth when I got too close to my own ego. And after that whole champagne incident, she’d even stepped in to keep me from losing my temper.

"Maybe," I mumbled, half to myself. "But she’s also stubborn, hot-headed, and... she kind of hates me right now."

My mother laughed softly. "Well, Jason, if she’s gotten under your skin this much, maybe she’s worth a little extra effort."

I paused, staring at Ella’s picture on my phone screen again. Maybe she was right.

Ella POV:

So, the Amber fiasco really went wild. The whole campus was absolutely buzzing with it, like a hive that had just been smacked with a stick. Every corner I turned, people were either whispering or scrolling through their phones, no doubt gawking at the headlines and the viral video of Amber Prescott’s "not-so-graceful" moment. Honestly, I didn’t think it would blow up this much, but here we were—Amber’s name splashed across every gossip site, news outlet, and social media feed.

I couldn’t help the small, satisfied smirk that crept onto my face as I overheard a group of students near the library.

"Did you see her face? I swear she looked like a deer caught in headlights when the waiter tripped," one girl snickered, her voice laced with gleeful amusement.

"And her father! I heard he pulled her out of classes for a few days. Guess the Prescott reputation couldn’t handle the heat," another one chimed in.

Well, well, well, look who’s facing consequences for once. Amber might be used to being the queen bee around here, but right now, she was the laughingstock. I guess karma had finally gotten the memo and decided to pay her a visit, courtesy of my little anonymous video leak.

I knew it was petty. But after everything she’d put me through over the months, seeing her knocked down a peg was... satisfying. I couldn’t deny it. And as an added bonus, her scandal was helping my own little headline with Jason fade away, thank goodness. No more "Mysterious Girl" speculations from the media; no more risk of anyone digging into my life. Amber’s fall from grace was soaking up all the attention. For once, she was actually doing me a favor. Irony at its finest.

As I walked to my next class, a couple of students glanced my way, whispering. Normally, I’d hate the attention, but today I barely noticed. I was too wrapped up in the satisfaction of seeing Amber getting exactly what she deserved. Maybe it was a bit ruthless, but hey, in a world where people like Amber always got what they wanted, a little justice—no matter how petty—felt good.

By the time I reached the lecture hall, my phone buzzed with a new notification. I glanced down, expecting some spam or a reminder, but no—it was a notification from one of the top news sites. I almost laughed out loud when I saw the headline: "Prescott Scandal: King Enterprises Cuts Ties Amidst Fallout."

My eyes widened. Wait, what? I hadn’t realized the fallout would be this severe. I clicked into the article, skimming through the details. Apparently, the Kings had decided to pull out of their business dealings with the Prescotts entirely, and other partners were following suit, not wanting to anger the Kings. Amber’s little stunt had backfired in the worst possible way, and her family’s empire was beginning to take a serious hit.

I bit my lip, feeling a slight twinge of guilt. I hadn’t intended to cause this much damage—just enough to give her a taste of her own medicine. But the Prescott reputation was teetering on the edge, and by the looks of things, Amber was facing a storm bigger than she’d ever imagined.

Maybe they’ll finally teach their spoiled daughter a lesson, I thought, but that tiny pang of guilt lingered. Had I gone too far? Just as quickly as the thought crossed my mind, I brushed it away. Amber had brought this on herself, tripping the waiter just to embarrass me, all because she couldn’t stand that I was there with Jason. She needed to learn that actions have consequences, and maybe this was the only way to get through to someone like her.

"Ella!" A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to see my classmate Kara rushing over, her eyes wide with excitement. "Have you heard? About Amber?"

"Oh, I think everyone’s heard," I replied, trying to keep a neutral tone, even though I could feel my satisfaction bubbling beneath the surface.

Kara leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing some top-secret gossip. "They’re saying her father might even pull her out of school. Can you believe it? Amber Prescott, dethroned!"

I raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Wow, that’s... intense." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Right? It’s about time someone took her down a notch. Whoever leaked that video is practically a hero," Kara whispered, giving me a mischievous grin.

I forced a casual shrug, pretending to be just as surprised as everyone else. "Well, I guess karma has a way of catching up to people."

Inside, though, I was reveling in it. I might not have my father’s influence or Amber’s limitless bank account, but I wasn’t a pushover. Not anymore. Amber was going to learn that some people aren’t so easily trampled over.

As Kara and I took our seats, I leaned back, satisfied. The world was finally seeing Amber Prescott for who she really was, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe. I’d managed to sidestep the spotlight, deflecting it just enough to stay hidden while making sure Amber got a dose of her own medicine.

The Prescott empire might be crumbling, and Amber might be scrambling to figure out how to clean up the mess she’d made.

I guess now we don’t have a queen bee anymore. The mighty Amber Prescott had officially fallen, and there was an empty throne just waiting for someone else to grab it. And judging by the whispers floating around campus, some of her former friends were already eyeing her crown. It was funny, actually—how quickly people were willing to turn on her, circling like vultures over her bruised reputation.

Amber’s posse had been unusually quiet today, no doubt hoping to avoid getting dragged down with her. A few of her closest allies were already starting to cozy up to other social circles, probably trying to distance themselves from the mess she’d caused. I spotted one of her friends, Claire, laughing way too loudly with a group of theater kids—a group she normally wouldn’t be caught dead with. Guess loyalty didn’t mean much when the queen had been dethroned.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought. It was almost poetic: the girl who spent years ruling over everyone else, now scrambling to keep even a sliver of her former power. And yet, for the first time, the balance of power had shifted. The spotlight was on Amber’s downfall, and no one was interested in helping her climb back up.

Maybe, just maybe, I’d done more than just knock her down a peg. Maybe I’d shaken things up enough to finally change the way this place worked.

As I made my way to class, a few people gave me quick glances, whispers trailing behind me. They didn’t know about my involvement, of course, but I could sense a few curious stares, as if they could sense I wasn’t entirely innocent in Amber’s fall. That was fine with me. Let them wonder. After all, it was about time someone broke through Amber’s perfect little façade. I wasn’t looking to be queen bee myself, but I had no problem watching the social hierarchy realign itself.

Let Amber’s old friends scramble for her place if they wanted it so badly. They’d find out soon enough how exhausting it was to keep up that charade—how much it took to stay at the top when everyone around you was waiting for a chance to tear you down. And as for me? I was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the view.