Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 202

Chapter 202

Jackson

I was still pissed when Mariah found me.

Like, actively pissed.

The kind where your jaw hurts from clenching it and your hands keep curling into fists even though there’s nothing left to punch.

I’d already snapped at two teammates, scared off one freshman who definitely did not deserve it, and very nearly went looking for the girls who’d started the rumor just to see how fast they could run.

Mariah caught me by the arm before I could do something monumentally stupid.

“Hey,” she said firmly. “Hey. Breathe, quarterback.”

I looked at her. “I am breathing.”

“Barely,” she said. “And you look like you’re about to commit a felony.”

“Would it really be a felony if they deserve it?”

“Yes.”

“…Still might be worth it.”

She rolled her eyes and tugged me toward the empty side of the bleachers. “Sit. Before you scare a small child.”

I dropped onto the bench like I was made of pure irritation.

“This is bullshit,” I snapped. “She doesn’t get one week of peace. One. Freaking. Week.”

“I know,” Mariah said quietly, sitting beside me.

“They always do this,” I went on. “They can’t stand it when someone changes the story. When someone like Jess stops fitting into the role they assigned her.”

I dragged a hand down my face.

“And now they’re saying she paid Noah? Are you kidding me?”

Mariah’s mouth tightened. “Yeah. I heard.”

That made me look at her. “You did?”

“Unfortunately,” she said. “Girls talk. And text. And screen–record. And send things to each other like it’s a competitive sport.”

I shook my head. “I swear, sometimes I hate this place.”

She studied me for a moment, then said something I wasn’t expecting.

“You know… it’s kind of good seeing you like this.”

I frowned. “Like what? Ready to go to jail?”

“No,” she said softly. “Like a big brother who actually wants to burn the world down for his sister.”

That one landed harder than I wanted it to.

+25 Bonus

She tilted her head. “I just wish this version of you had been around a little earlier. When Daniel and the others were still messing with her.”

Guilt hit me straight in the chest.

“I know,” I said quietly.

She wasn’t accusing me.

Which somehow made it worse.

“I should’ve shut that shit down years ago,” I admitted. “I thought if I ignored it, it would stop. Or if I laughed it off, it wouldn’t be as bad.”

I huffed a bitter laugh. “Turns out that just made me part of the problem.”

Mariah didn’t say anything for a second.

Then she reached over and took my hand.

“You can’t fix the past,” she said. “But you’re sure as hell doing better now.”

I looked at our hands.

“At least now I know,” I muttered. “If anyone tries this again, I’m not staying quiet.”

She smiled faintly. “Good.”

Then her tone shifted.

“And also… not gonna lie?”

I glanced at her. “What.”

“You in full protective, slightly unhinged, ‘touch my people and die‘ mode is… kinda hot.”

I blinked. “That’s disturbing.”

She grinned. “Don’t pretend you don’t love that I’m into it.”

I snorted. “So this is you flirting while I’m mid–meltdown?”

“Obviously,” she said. “It’s called multitasking ”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop the corner of my mouth from lifting

She leaned closer. “Plus… if you keep glaring like that, I’m going to assume you’re working yourself up for later,”

“Later?” I repeated.

She raised an eyebrow. “What? You think I’m just going to let you waste all that intense, heroic, broody energy on pacing?”

Heat crept into my face. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love me for it.”

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Then smirked. “Did you just call yourself ‘my people‘ earlier?”

She didn’t even blink. “Absolutely.”

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