Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 117

Noah

By the time Coach blew the final whistle, I thought my lungs were going to g

Practice had been brutalno shortcuts, no mercy, just a nonstop grind that felt personal. And maybe it was.

The rest of the team dragged themselves off the field, helmets in hand, cleats kicking up dust. I was about to follow when Coach barked,

“Lombardi! Carter! Over here. Now.”

Jackson and I exchanged a look -the kind that said we’re screwed and jogged over.

Coach stood near the fifty–yard line, cap pulled low, jaw tight. He didn’t yell. That was worse. When he got quiet, that meant you were in real trouble.

He folded his arms, looking between the two of us. “You know, I’ve been coaching a long time,” he started slowly. “Seen good players, great players… and a whole lot of wasted potential. You two? You’re right on the edge of falling into that last group.”

Jackson shifted, clearly trying to hold back a smart remark. I stayed still.

Coach continued, voice steady but sharp. “You got lucky this week. Real lucky. That recruiter who came to our last home game? The one from State?”

Jackson nodded stiffly. “Yeah, I remember.”

“He’s been following your stats, both of you,” Coach said. “Quarterback and co–captain- he told me he’s got his eye on you. Said he might come back before playoffs to talk scholarships.”

My stomach dropped.

Coach’s eyes hardened. “Now imagine his face when he opens his phone and sees clips of my star players brawling at some damn party. Think about that. You think recruiters want to take a chance on kids who can’t control themselves off the field?”

Jackson swore under his breath. “Coach-”

“Don’t,” Coach snapped. “You two are better than this. But what you did what you let happen – nearly cost both of you your shot. I didn’t say this in front of Daniel because, frankly, he doesn’t have the same chance you do. But you two? You’re the ones schools are watching. And they’re watching everything.”

Silence fell between us. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears.

Coach exhaled through his nose, calmer now but still firm. “I’m not saying I don’t understand why it happened. I’ve seen the videos. I get it. But there are better ways to handle it than throwing punches and letting the whole damn school turn it into a circus.”

He looked between us again, gaze hard but not cruel. “You need to think about what kind of men you’re gonna be. What kind of leaders. You want to play college ball? You start acting like it -on and off the field.”

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Chapter 117

I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, Coach.”

Jackson did the same. “Won’t happen again.”

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Coach’s tone softened slightly. “Good. Because next time, it won’t just be me you answering to. It’ll be a scout walking out of this stadium and crossing your names off his list.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the sidelines, clipboard under his arm, leaving us standing there in the middle of the empty field.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

We started walking toward the locker room, our cleats crunching the turf. The evening sun was high, burning down on us, and everything felt heavier now- the sweat, the silence, the reality of what Coach had just said.

After a minute, I said, “You gonna talk to him?”

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