Allergies

 Jason's POV:

Lying there, I kept thinking about how to cover up my red eyes tomorrow. No way I'd admit I got pepper-sprayed by a waitress. That would be the end of me—I'd never hear the end of it from Max and Dylan. They would probably throw it in my face for weeks, especially after I made fun of them for their failed attempts. 

I could always say it was allergies, but no one's buying that. Maybe a stray basketball hit me during practice? That was believable, right? But I wasn't known for missing passes, so that might raise questions.

I had to think fast. Glasses wouldn't cut it. I'm not the "wearing glasses" type. I couldn't just hide out either. I had a reputation to maintain, after all. I tossed the ice pack to the side and sighed. Tomorrow, I'll go to school and deal with the stares. No one has to know what really happened. It's not like that waitress would talk, right?

She didn't seem like the type to brag. She was too... aloof. The way she brushed us off like we didn't exist, as if we were nothing more than an annoyance to her. It irked me. No girl had ever ignored me like that before. Girls usually fell over themselves trying to get my attention. But her? She couldn't care less. And now, instead of being all over me, she was the one who left me humiliated.

Shit. I hated this. The whole thing had been a disaster from the moment I decided to follow her. What the hell was I thinking, sneaking up on her in the dark alley? That plan was doomed from the start. I had expected her to be startled, sure, but I didn't think she'd go full ninja on me with pepper spray and a well-aimed knee to the balls.

She really wasn't like any girl I'd ever met. Most would've screamed or maybe pretended to be afraid, only to let me charm them out of it. But not her. She acted like she'd been through this before, like she was always ready for a fight. That thought bothered me for some reason. What was she hiding? There was something about her that kept me coming back.

I could still feel the sting in my eyes, the throbbing pain from her knee to my... yeah, let's not think about that. But the thought of breaking through her icy demeanor was thrilling. She wasn't just a challenge anymore—she was the ultimate prize. I don't care what Max or Dylan think. She's mine to conquer.

I'll make her regret ever messing with Jason Knight. I'm not just going to win this bet—I'm going to break her completely. She'll wish she never crossed paths with me by the time I'm done.

As I lay in bed, ice pack on my groin and my phone buzzing with mocking messages from Max and Dylan, I couldn't shake the image of her face. I never really got a good look at her, with that stupid cap always pulled down, but the way she carried herself—it was almost like she was daring me. 

She was strong. Defiant. Completely unaffected by me, and that infuriated me. No girl had ever resisted my charm like this. No girl had ever kicked me—literally—or humiliated me in public. 

I guess I should've been pissed off, but instead, I was intrigued. More than ever, I wanted to figure her out, break through those walls she put up, and make her regret ever messing with me. The waitress challenge was turning into something way more personal.

I typed back in the group chat: "Don't worry. I'm just getting started."

For now, though, I just need to survive tomorrow without looking like a complete idiot. I grabbed my phone again and texted the group chat.

"Don't ask me about the eyes. It's allergies."

The responses were immediate.

Dylan: "Allergies, huh? That waitress must be a hell of a pollen source."

Max: "Lmao. You should've worn a mask, bro. Would've saved your allergies."

I ignored them, tossing my phone aside. I'll figure out the rest tomorrow.

And I meant it. If she thought she could humiliate me and walk away like nothing happened, she had another thing coming. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot. 

Ella's POV:

Today at school, the buzz was louder than usual, the kind that made it impossible to ignore. As I walked into the bathroom, I overheard two girls gossiping near the sinks.

"Did you hear about Jason? His eyes were so red this morning. He said it was allergies," one girl whispered, her voice laced with fake concern. 

"Yeah, poor Jason," the other girl replied dramatically. "I mean, he still looks hot even with the whole 'red eyes' thing, but I hope he's okay."

I rolled my eyes as I turned on the faucet. *Allergies?* Really? That's the best excuse he could come up with? Sure, let's go with that—Jason Knight, the guy who never missed an opportunity to flaunt his ego, suddenly struck down by seasonal allergies. 

Yeah, right. 

It wasn't like he could tell the truth, though. Imagine the gossip if everyone found out the almighty Jason Knight got pepper-sprayed and kneed by a girl in a dark alley. That would've been gold. Maybe the entire school would've finally seen him as the cocky idiot he really was.

Smirking under my mask, I finished washing my hands. Thank God for that mask—it hid every emotion on my face, especially the grin that had stretched across my lips thinking about how Jason had to lie his way out of explaining his "injuries."

The girls were still babbling on about Jason's so-called allergies as I dried my hands and made my way out of the bathroom. It never ceased to amaze me how these girls could obsess over a guy who didn't even know they existed. Crying over him, fawning over him like he was some kind of god. 

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

I shook my head as I stepped into the hallway, dodging a few more of Jason's adoring fans who were probably on their way to analyze his red eyes for themselves. If only they knew what really happened. 

And here I was, just trying to get through the day without drawing attention to myself. But with Jason Knight and his gang constantly showing up at the diner, acting all weird and putting the spotlight on me, that was becoming harder and harder. And now, his ridiculous "allergy" excuse was the talk of the school.

I needed to keep my distance from him—and his obnoxious friends—for my own sake. They were starting to mess with my rules, my perfectly laid-out plan to remain invisible. The last thing I needed was more attention, especially from people like them. 

Sighing, I pulled my hoodie up a little further and kept walking. The less I had to deal with Jason and his group, the better.