Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 105

By the time I got home, my arms were sore from carrying shopping bags and my brain felt fried.

Mariah had dragged me through every store in the mall like it was an Olympic event. But honestly, she’d been right it was a distraction I needed.

–

Now, the pile of bags sitting by the couch almost felt like proof that maybe I was trying to start fresh.

Even if

part of me still wanted to crawl under a blanket and hide.

I sank onto the couch with a sigh, brushing my hair out of my face.

Mariah’s words echoed in my head: “If they want a show, give them one- and look fabulous doing it

Easy for her to say. She didn’t have to fight with jeans that wouldn’t zip or shirts that either made her chest look obscene or made her feel like she was suffocating.

Shopping for me was an exercise in frustration. Clothes never fit right.

Too tight. Too short. Too low.

I glanced at one of the new tops – a soft green one that actually hugged my waist instead of clinging to every insecurity I had. I wanted to like it. I wanted to feel good in it.

But the thought of walking into school on Monday and having everyone’s eyes on me again?

That made my stomach twist.

The front door opened.

“Jessa?” Mom’s voice floated in from the hall, tired and raspy from another long shift.

“In here!” I called out.

She stepped into the living room still in her scrubs, hair pulled into a messy bun, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. The hospital badge swinging from her neck looked heavier than it should’ve.

Then she saw the bags.

Her eyebrows lifted. “Shopping?”

“Yeah. Mariah kind of forced me to.”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Well, that’s new. You hate shopping.”

“I know,” I said with a faint laugh. “She didn’t really give me a choice.”

15:15 Sun, Oct 19

Chapter 105

55 vouchers

Mom dropped her purse on the entry table and started sifting through one of the bags. “Oh, this color would look pretty on you.” She held up the green top.

I gave a halfhearted shrug. “Maybe.”

“You should wear it tomorrow. You have such a nice shape, Jess. You just don’t show it off enough.”

I smiled a little, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think the world’s ready for that.”

She didn’t catch the bitterness in my tone or maybe she was too tired to.

–

I leaned back on the couch, closing my eyes for half a second before my phone buzzed again on the end table. I ignored it.

It had been going off nonstop all day.

Mom glanced at it automatically, and before I could react, she picked it up.

“Mom, don’t-”

But it was too late. Her brows furrowed as the screen lit up with a notification. Then another. Then another.

Her eyes widened. “What the hell…” she muttered, scrolling before I could snatch it away.

“Mom-” I tried again, but her expression had already hardened.

“What is this?” she demanded, her voice sharp now. “Why is your name next to something about a ‘chubby

chaser‘?”

I froze. “Please just–give me my phone.”

She ignored that, eyes scanning the screen as she read comment after comment, her face draining of color. “Who are these people? Are they from your school?”

“Yeah.”

“And what is all this about Noah?”

My stomach clenched. “It’s… complicated.”

She looked up sharply. “Noah? As in Jackson’s friend Noah?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. Him.”

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I shrugged, forcing a smile that didn’t last. “You work so much. And it’s not like you could fix it. What would I even say ‘Hey Mom, guess what, the kids at school think your daughter’s a joke?”

The front door opened again, and Jackson’s voice carried in. “Yo, Mom, I grabbed dinner!”

He froze when he saw our faces. “What’s going on?”

Mom turned toward him, her expression tight. “Did you know about this?” She gestured to my phone on the

table.

He frowned. “About what?”

“That your sister’s been getting bullied for years?”

15:16 Sun, Oct 19

Chapter 105

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55 vouchers

His mouth opened, then closed. “Wait–what?” He looked at me, completely thrown. “Jess, what is she talking

about?”

Mom didn’t let up. “You didn’t notice? The teasing? The way people treat her?”

Jackson looked stunned. “No, I–I mean, I knew people could be jerks, but—”

“But what?” Mom demanded, her voice rising. “You’re her brother. You and Noah have been inseparable for years, but you didn’t even notice what was happening to your own sister?”

He looked down, guilt flickering across his face. “I just thought… she wanted to be left alone.”

Mom shook her head, her voice trembling with anger and heartbreak. “She didn’t want to be invisible, Jackson. She just didn’t want to be humiliated.”

Silence filled the room. The kind that made your chest ache.

Jackson glanced at me again, his voice small. “Jess, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Mom exhaled, pressing her hand to her chest. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She looked between us, her expression softening just slightly. “We’ve got to have each other’s backs. No one else is going to.”

Neither of us said anything. But in that quiet, I could feel the weight of everything that had been ignored for too long.