Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 134

The house was too quiet for a Tuesday night.

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Usually, by now, Mom was at the hospital pulling a double shift, and Jackson was glued to game film or out running drills with Noah. But tonight, the hum of the refrigerator was the only thing breaking the silence.

I sat at the kitchen table, my textbooks spread out in front of me. The words on the page blurred together something about cellular respiration but my mind was miles away.

Noah had barely spoken to me all day.

It wasn’t that he ignored me. He said hi. He smiled. But it was that careful kind of polite – the one people use when they’re not sure where things stand. After everything that had happened between us, it felt like being dropped into neutral after driving full speed.

I sighed, tapping my pencil against the open book. The sound was hollow.

“Homework or pretending to do homework?”

Mom’s voice startled me. I looked up to see her standing in the doorway, still in her scrubs, hair pulled into a messy bun.

“I thought you had the night shift,” I said.

She smiled tiredly. “They called me off. Guess I’m not the only one who needs a break around here.”

She walked over, grabbing a soda from the fridge, and sat across from me. Her gaze swept over my notes before landing on my face. “So… what’s going on?”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

She gave me the Mom look the one that saw straight through every lie I’d ever told. “Sweetheart, you’ve been sitting here staring at that same page for fifteen minutes. That’s not biology; that’s brooding.”

I let out a half–laugh. “I’m fine.

“Jessa,” she said softly, “you’ve been saying ‘I’m fine‘ since you were five years old, and it’s never once been true.”

I slumped back in my chair. “It’s stupid.”

“Try me.”

I hesitated, then sighed. “It’s just… school. People. Everything.”

Her eyes narrowed a little, concern flickering there. “Does this have to do with that whole online mess? Or…” Her expression shifted slightly. “Is this about Noah Carter?”

My head snapped up. “What? No! I mean–maybe? How do you even know-”

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Chapter 134

+25 BONUS

She lifted a hand. “Honey, I’m not blind. He’s been around this house since you two were kids. And you think I didn’t notice the way he looked at you when he dropped you off last week?”

I froze. “You saw that?”

“Oh, please.” She chuckled. “I might be tired, but I’m not dead. The way that boy was watching you, I’m surprised the windows didn’t fog up.”

“Mom!” I groaned, covering my face with both hands.

She laughed softly. “What? I’m serious. He likes you, Jessa.”

“Yeah, well,” I mumbled, “he’s been quiet lately. I don’t know what that means.”

Mom’s voice softened. “Maybe he’s scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of doing the wrong thing. Of hurting you. Of Jackson finding out and losing his mind.”

That earned a tiny laugh from me. “Yeah, that last one’s probably it.”

Mom reached across the table, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Sweetheart, I’ve watched you doubt yourself for so long. You think no one notices you. But people do. You just don’t give yourself permission to believe it.”

My throat felt tight. “I’m not exactly… the kind of girl guys notice.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She leaned forward, voice firm now. “You’ve spent years hiding behind big clothes and bigger fears, and somehow, this boy saw through all of it. Don’t waste time waiting for him to make every move. Sometimes, a girl has to take the wheel.”

I stared at her, wide–eyed. “You’re saying I should ask him to Homecoming?”

“Why not?” she said simply. “It’s 2025, Jess. Girls run companies and countries. You can handle a high school dance.”

I laughed, but it came out shaky. “You really think I should?”

“I think,” she said, smiling, “you’d regret it if you didn’t.”

The silence stretched for a moment, filled with the quiet hum of the fridge and the faint sound of a TV from the neighbor’s house.

I bit my lip, thinking about Noah – the way he’d looked at me that night in his truck, the way his voice softened when he said my name. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe he was scared. Maybe we both were.

“Okay,” I said finally. “Maybe I will.”

Mom’s face lit up. “That’s my girl.”

She stood and kissed the top of my head before heading toward the living room. “Now finish your homework, or I’m telling your brother you’ve decided to drop out and become a reality TV star.”

Later that night, I sat cross–legged on my bed, phone pressed to my ear. Mariah’s voice crackled through the speaker between crunches of chips.

“So let me get this straight,” she said. “Your mom–the same woman who won’t even let you borrow her good curling iron–told you to ask Noah Carter to Homecoming?”

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I groaned. “You know what I mean.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “You should ask him.‘

“Yes, you can,” she cut in. “Look, if Noah likes you

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