Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Jessa

Lunch had become… complicated.

Not bad. Not exactly.

Just louder.

More eyes.

More whispers that stopped when I looked up and resumed the second I looked away.

Noah sat beside me like he always did now, one arm casually slung over the back of my chair, like it was the most natural thing in the world. And somehow that made everything feel both safer and more terrifying at the same time.

Mariah was across from me, stabbing at her salad like it personally offended her.

Jackson was next to Noah, trying to pretend he wasn’t clocking every single person who even looked at our table too long.

We were halfway through lunch when it happened.

She came out of nowhere.

Blonde. Cheer squad. Sophomore. The kind of girl who always looked like she walked out of a TikTok filter and had never been told “no” in her life.

She stopped right at our table.

Smiled.

Laughed.

And then said, loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear:

“So, Noah… didn’t know you were that desperate.”

My stomach dropped.

She tilted her head, eyes flicking to me and then back to him.

“I mean, if you’re paying girls to date you, I’d totally do it for, like… $29.99.”

Then she laughed again.

Like it was a joke.

Like it was funny.

Like I wasn’t sitting right there.

For a split second, the whole table went silent.

I felt it before I could even think about it – that horrible, sinking, burning feeling in my chest. The one that whispered, See? This is what they really think.

1/5

425 Bonus

My face went hot.

My hands went cold,

I couldn’t even look at Noah. I just stared at the tray in front of me, at the stupid carton of milk, at anything that wasn’t her.

Then-

BAM.

Mariah’s hand slammed down on the table so hard everyone jumped.

She stood up so fast her chair screeched against the floor.

“Get your sophomore ass out of my sight,” Mariah snapped, “right now, before you need a $29.99 makeover.”

The girl blinked. “Excuse me?”

Mariah leaned forward, eyes blazing. “You heard me. You don’t get to come over here and run your mouth like a bargain–bin Regina George and pretend it’s a joke.”

The entire cafeteria had gone quiet now.

Like, movie–scene quiet.

Go get i

“You want attention?” Mariah continued. somewhere else. You want to be funny? Try harder. Because all you’re doing right now is embarrassing yourself.”

The girl’s face flushed. “I was just joking=”

“No,” Mariah cut in. “You were being cruel. There’s a difference. And you’re not clever enough to hide behind‘ just kidding.“”

Jackson stood up slowly beside Noah.

“And you should probably walk away,” he added coldly, “before you say something you can’t take back.”

The girl looked around, realizing way too late that literally everyone was watching.

She scoffed, muttered something under her breath, and walked away.

The noise in the cafeteria slowly crept back in.

My heart was still pounding like it had been running sprints.

I hadn’t even realized my hands were shaking until Noah reached over and took one.

“Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”

I swallowed. “Yeah. I just-”

I didn’t finish.

Because I didn’t know how to explain that a tiny, ugly part of me had believed her.

Noah’s jaw was tight.

He looked past me, in the direction the girl had gone, and said, very clearly:

2/5

+25 Bonus

“For the record, I wouldn’t date her if she paid me.”

That made Mariah snort.

But my chest still felt… heavy.

Mariah sat back down and immediately turned to me. “You good?”

“I think so.”

She studied my face. “You don’t have to be ‘okay‘ about that, you know.”

“I know,” I said quietly.

Noah squeezed my hand. “She doesn’t get to define anything about us.”

Jackson nodded. “Or about you.”

I tried to smile.

It came out a little shaky.

“People are bored,” Mariah said, stabbing her salad again. “And bored people are cruel. That’s not on you.”

I nodded.

But the words still echoed in my head.

Desperate.

Paid him.

Why would he want her?

I hated that those thoughts still had power.

I hated that even after everything, even after Noah choosing me every single day, a stupid comment could still

make me feel small.

Noah must’ve sensed it, because he leaned closer and said quietly, “Hey. Look at me.”

I did.

His eyes were steady.

Warm.

“I’m here because I want to be,” he said. “Not because of a rumor. Not because of a dare. Not because of anything except… you.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify