Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Jessa

The late afternoon sun dipped low over the football field, staining the bleachers gold and orange. Most of the crowd had already cleared out, leaving behind the faint smell of sweat and grass and that distant hum from the stadium lights that never quite went away.

I leaned against Mariah’s car, pretending to scroll through my phone even though my screen had been dark for the last ten minutes. Waiting wasn’t usually a big deal but waiting for Noah Carter was something else entirely.

The locker room door finally creaked open, and players started spilling out, voices loud, cleats clacking against the pavement. Jackson was one of the first to appear, his duffel thrown over his shoulder. He spotted me instantly, his brows knitting

Then Noah walked out beside him, his hair still damp, practice shirt clinging to him in a way that made it suddenly hard to look directly at him without my brain short–circuiting

Jackson’s gaze flicked from me to Noah and back again. “You sure you’re okay with this?” he asked, his tone cautious, like he still couldn’t quite believe I was going anywhere with his best friend.

I forced a small smile. “I’m sure.”

He studied me for another second before sighing “Alright. Just… be careful, Jess.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Relax, man. We’re just going to talk.”

Jackson smirked faintly. “Yeah, that’s what worries me.” He thumped Noah’s shoulder and gave me a last look before heading toward his truck.

As soon as he was gone, Noah turned to me, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You ready?”

I nodded, trying to act calm even though my pulse was hammering. He opened the passenger door for me – something small but weirdly sweet- and I climbed in. His truck smelled faintly of soap and the pine air freshener hanging from the mirror. It felt like him clean, solid, a little intimidating.

We drove in silence for a while, the windows cracked just enough for the cool breeze to slip through. Finally, we ended up at the overlook outside of town – a quiet spot with a view of the river below and the fading lights of Ridgeville scattered in the distance.

He cut the engine, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. The silence stretched, soft but heavy.

Then Noah exhaled and leaned forward, resting his arms on the steering wheel. “I’m just gonna say this before I talk myself out of it.”

My stomach flipped. “Okay…”

He turned his head, meeting my eyes. “I didn’t plan on liking you, Jessa.”

My heart stuttered. “What?”

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Chapter 121

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He huffed a quiet laugh, almost self–conscious. “You were always just. along who asked too many questions, who’d sit on the porch when we w me insane.”

I rolled my eyes, though my face burned. “Gee, thanks.”

Ister. The annoying tag

to watch the game. You drove

“No, I mean-” he cut himself off, searching for the right words. “Then, somewhere along the way, you weren’t that kid anymore. You started showing up, talking back, not taking crap from anyone. And then… that night at the bonfire.” His voice dropped lower. “When I kissed you, I didn’t plan it. I just couldn’t not.”

The memory

of that night hit me like a spark–how my heart had stopped, how everything around us had blurred. I’d convinced myself it was a fluke, that he regretted it immediately.

“Why are you telling me this now?” I asked quietly.

“Because pretending I don’t feel something is just making it worse,” he said, turning toward me fully. “And because after the last few weeks after the party, the crap online–I realized I don’t give a damn what people

say.”

I swallowed hard, staring at the dashboard. “You should care. Everyone already has an opinion. You don’t need to get dragged into it too.”

“I’m already in it,” he said simply. “And for the record, I’m not sorry for defending you.”

My throat tightened. “I didn’t ask you to.”

“I know. But I wanted to.” His gaze softened. “You don’t deserve what people say about you, Jessa. You never did.”

I shook my head, blinking hard, “You don’t get it, Noah. You’ve always been the guy everyone likes. The one who fits. I’ve spent my entire life being the joke the fat girl, the twin that doesn’t match. When people look at me, they don’t see someone you’d be with. They see the punchline.”

He went still for a second, then reached across the console and gently took my hand. “You really think that’s all people see?”

I hesitated. “It’s what they’ve always made sure I see.”

“No, it’s not.” His thumb brushed the back of my hand. “You have no idea how hard it’s been pretending I didn’t notice you. The way you scrunch your nose when you’re concentrating, or how you talk with your hands when you get excited. Or how you look when you actually smile- not the small polite one, the real one.”

I froze, heart thudding painfully. “You notice that?”

He gave a small, crooked grin. “Yeah. I notice everything now. And it’s been driving me insane.”

He took a breath, his voice softening. “Look, I get that this is complicated friend. And the last thing I want to do is mess that up. But I can’t keep pret

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son’s sister. He’s my best you’re just his sister to me.”

He smiled faintly. “Yeah. Something like that.”

My chest ached in that sweet, terrifying way. “You shouldn’t.”

“Too late.”

The words hung in the air between us, quiet and electric. My pulse roared in my ears, and before I could second- guess myself, I said, “I like you too, Noah.”

His eyes searched mine, surprise flickering across his face. “You do?”

“I do.” My voice shook a little. “Even when you drive me crazy. Even when you say dumb things. I liked you before I even realized I did.”

A slow grin spread across his face- the kind that reached his eyes and made my stomach twist in the best possible way. “So, what happens now?”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though I could barely breathe. “Guess we figure it out,

He leaned in slightly, his hand still tangled with mine. “Can I-?”

I didn’t let him finish.

I leaned in the rest of the way, closing the distance between us.

The kiss wasn’t like the one at the bonfire that had been quick, impulsive, a spark that came out of nowhere. This one was steady, deliberate, something that felt like it had been waiting to happen for a long time.

His hand slid up to the side of my face, fingers brushing through my hair. Everything else the noise, the gossip, the stares disappeared.

When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine. “Just so you know,” he murmured, “this is probably the worst idea I’ve ever had.”

1 smiled. “Yeah. But it’s definitely the best one I’ve ever gone along with.”

He laughed quietly, the sound warm and real, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like the punchline in someone else’s joke.

I just felt… seen.

And for once, that was enough.