Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Jessa

The car felt too quiet once Mariah pulled away from the curb.

Not awkward quiet. Just… full.

Full of thoughts. Full of nerves. Full of that warm, buzzing feeling that wouldn’t leave my chest no matter how many times I told myself to calm down.

I watched Noah’s house disappear in the side mirror and let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Mariah didn’t say anything at first. She just drove, one hand on the wheel, the radio low, like she was giving me space to come back to Earth.

“So,” she said finally, glancing over. “You’re smiling again.”

“I am not.”

She snorted. “Jess. You absolutely are.”

I tried to stop. I really did. It didn’t work.

“I just…” I shrugged, staring out the window. “That was nice.”

“Yeah,” she said. “It really was.”

The word nice felt too small, but I didn’t know what else to call it.

Noah had come over with Jackson, stayed for a bit, joked around, then somehow we’d ended up sitting on the couch talking like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like this was just… us now.

Like this was my life.

Which was still weird to think about.

“He didn’t have to come,” I said quietly.

Mariah smiled. “He wanted to.”

That landed deeper than she probably meant it to.

I shifted in my seat. “It still feels… unreal sometimes.”

“Good unreal or scary unreal?”

“Both.”

She nodded. “Fair.”

We stopped at a red light. I watched people cross the street, cars passing, normal life happening, and it felt strange that mine felt so different when nothing about the world had actually changed.

“I keep waiting for something to go wrong,” I admitted.

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Marlah’s eyes softened. “Because you’re not used to things being easy.”

I laughed weakly. “Because I’m not used to things being good.”

That was more honest.

She didn’t argue.

Instead, she said, “You know what I saw tonight?”

“What?”

“I saw you relaxed.”

I blinked. “I was?”

“Yes. You weren’t overthinking every sentence. You weren’t shrinking into yourself. You were just… there. With him.”

“I like him,” I said softly. “I really like him.”

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“I know.”

“And I like… how he makes me feel,” I added. “Like I’m not constantly bracing for impact.”

She smiled. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

We pulled up in front of my house.

Before I got out, she said, “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re doing great. Even when you don’t see it.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Thanks for driving me.”

“Always.”

I stepped out of the car, closed the door, and stood there for a second watching her pull away.

Then I went inside, still feeling warm and a little stunned and a lot hopeful.

And for once…

Not waiting for the floor to fall out from under me.

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