Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 113

+25 BONUS

muttered a thanks, clearly wishing he could sink through the booth.

I chuckled. “Get used to it, man. You and Mariah are officially the talk of the town!

He groaned. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not? You think people aren’t already texting about it? I guarantee someone recorded that kiss.”

He gave me a look. “You think I care?”

I tilted my head. “Do you?”

He hesitated, then shrugged. “Maybe not as much as I thought I would.”

That answer surprised me. Jackson usually hated being the center of attention – not because he couldn’t handle it, but because he didn’t want people in his business.

But right now, he didn’t look like a guy who cared who saw him kiss her. If anything, he looked like someone who finally stopped overthinking everything

After the waitress dropped the check, we sat for a while longer, just talking. The rush had died down, sunlight spilling through the big windows and bouncing off the chrome counters. The place had that lazy Sunday calm again.

Jackson was the one who broke the quiet first. “You think things are gonna go back to normal after this?”

I shook my head. “Normal? Not a chance”

He exhaled a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, figured.”

“Could be worse,” I said. “You could’ve kissed her at school. At least you picked a neutral zone.”

He grinned. “Guess Benny’s isn’t neutral anymore.”

“Definitely not,” I said. “You might as well carve your initials in the booth.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re such an ass.”

I smirked. “Someone’s gotta keep you humble.”

For a few seconds, we both just watched people come and go- families, kids with milkshakes, a couple of guys from the hockey team walking in and giving us a look that screamed we saw that, bro.

Jackson ignored them completely, stirring his drink with his straw. But I could tell his mind was still with Mariah – probably replaying that kiss over and over.

He’d never admit it out loud, but it was obvious.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, “You and Jessa seem different lately.”

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Chapter 113

+25 BONUS

That caught me off guard, “Different low?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You look at her different.”

I frowned, trying to act casual. “You noticing how I look at your sister now?”

He smirked. “Yeah. Hard not to.”

I leaned back. “You sure you wanna go there?”

He laughed. “Relax. I’m not gonna punch you for looking. Just saying–I notice.”

I let out a slow breath, running a hand across the back of my neck. He wasn’t wrong, and we both knew it.

Things with Jessa had changed–not because of anything we said or did, but because everything else around us had forced it to. The drama, the rumors, the way she stopped hiding and started standing up for herself – it had flipped something in my head.

“She’s tougher than people think,” I said finally.

“Yeah,” Jackson said quietly. “She gets that from Mom.”

I nodded. “You two good now?”

He gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

I laughed. “You’re acting like you didn’t just kiss her in front of an audience.”

I grinned. “Man, you’re in deeper than you think.”

I laughed. “That’s one word for it.”

“You ready for it?”

“Not really,” I said. “But whatever happens, happens. People are gonna talk no matter what.”

He nodded, “Yeah. Let ‘em.”

I pushed off my truck and walked over, bumping my fist against his shoulder. “You might survive high school after all.”

He smirked. “You too, man.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

He got into his car, started it, and pulled out of the lot, that little grin still tugging at his mouth like he couldn’t wipe it off even if he wanted to.

I climbed into my truck but didn’t start it right away. For a second, I just sat there, watching the spot where Mariah’s car had been earlier, thinking about how fast everything had changed.

Jackson and Mariah. Jessa finding her voice again.

Me realizing maybe I wasn’t just her friend anymore.

I looked out the windshield at the stretch of road ahead, sunlight flashing off the diner sign.

–

Tomorrow at school was going to be chaos–whispers, stares, maybe worse but for the first time, I didn’t feel like any of us had to handle it alone.

I cracked a grin to myself, muttering, “Yeah, tomorrow’s gonna be interesting.”

Then I threw the truck into gear and pulled out onto the road, heading home with the windows down and the noise of the world fading into something that almost felt like calm.

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