Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Noah

Friday had a pulse to it.

—

You could feel it the second you walked into Ridgeville High the buzzing hallways, the teachers pretending they weren’t counting down to the pep rally, the way everyone moved a little faster like the building itself was charged.

Pep rally day.

Game day.

Homecoming week’s unofficial climax before everything spilled into Friday night lights and Saturday dresses and Sunday regrets.

I should’ve been riding the high.

Instead, I was half wired, half tight in the chest.

Jackson slapped his locker shut beside me, grinning like he always did on game days. “You ready to destroy Clearwater tonight?”

I smirked. “Always.”

That part was true. Football was the one thing that still made sense no matter how chaotic everything else got. Lines. Assignments. Trust. You did your job and everything clicked.

But the other part of me the one that hadn’t existed this loudly before – was already looking past the

game.

Toward her.

—

Jessa stood down the hallway with Mariah, laughing at something on her phone. She wore a red sweater that made her look warm and real and solid in a way that grounded me instantly. She caught my eye, smiled, and lifted her chin just slightly like she was saying, yeah, I see you.

That look did something to me.

I exhaled slowly.

“Dude,” Jackson said, following my gaze. “If you keep looking at her like that, you’re gonna trip over a cheerleader.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, but I didn’t look away.

He nudged me with his shoulder. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Just… a lot going on today.”

He nodded. “Pep rally’s gonna be insane.”

No kidding.

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The gym was already packed when the last bell rang.

Blue and silver streamers hung from the rafters, the band was set up on one side, cheerleaders clustered near the center court, and the student section was loud enough to make the bleachers vibrate. Teachers lined the walls pretending they weren’t smiling.

This was Ridgeville at its most unified.

Football players sat together on the floor near the front, jerseys on, helmets stacked behind us. The air smelled like floor polish and sweat and anticipation.

I spotted Jessa and Mariah halfway up the bleachers. Jessa waved when she saw me, then immediately laughed at herself like she hadn’t meant to do it so openly.

I smiled back anyway.

The principal took the mic first, yelling over the crowd, hyping the game, shouting out the band, the cheer squad, the team. Every mention of football sent the gym into another wave of noise.

Then came the part everyone waited for.

“And now,” the principal said, voice booming, “it’s time to announce this year’s Homecoming Court!”

The crowd erupted.

I sat up straighter, heart kicking- not because I expected anything, but because pep rallies had a way of throwing curveballs.

“Representing the senior class,” the principal continued, “five young men and five young women have been nominated by their peers.”

Names started rolling.

A cheerleader here. A soccer captain. A class president.

Then-

“Noah Carter.”

For half a second, I didn’t process it.

Then Jackson elbowed me hard. “That’s you,

idiot.”

The gym exploded – cheers, whistles, someone yelling my name like they knew me personally.

I stood on instinct, nodding awkwardly, lifting a hand in a half–wave that felt incredibly stupid and incredibly public all at once.

I looked up to the bleachers.

Jessa’s eyes were wide, her hands already clapping. She looked proud. Genuinely proud.

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That mattered more than the noise.

“And joining him,” the principal said, “Jackson Lombardi!”

Jackson shot to his feet like he’d been waiting for it his whole life. The crowd went nuts. Quarterback energy. Home turf advantage.

We exchanged a look – disbelief, excitement, what the hell just happened?

Five guys. Five girls.

Court announced.

The king and queen would be crowned tonight at the game.

And that’s when it hit me.

Hard.

But my focus stayed locked on one thing.

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“I’ll be right there,” she said, already retreating.

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