Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223

Noah

I don’t know when it happened exactly.

One’second we were “watching a movie.”

The next, Jessa was curled into my side like she’d always belonged there, her head on my shoulder, her laugh soft against my chest.

And I was completely, irreversibly screwed.

Because I liked this.

Too much.

The world was loud. School was loud. People were always watching, always talking.

But here?

It was quiet.

It was warm.

It was just… her.

I brushed my thumb along her cheek, and she looked up at me with those wide eyes that still didn’t seem to believe this was real.

“You okay?” I murmured.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m just… happy.”

That word hit me harder than any tackle.

Happy.

God.

I leaned down, kissed her again–slow, soft, the kind of kiss that made my brain shut off entirely.

She sighed against my mouth, and my arms tightened around her without thinking.

For a few seconds, there was nothing else.

No football.

No drama.

No Ridgeville.

Just her.

Just us.

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And then-

The front door opened.

I froze so fast I’m pretty sure my soul left my body.

Jessa’s eyes went huge.

We sprang apart like we’d been electrocuted.

Footsteps.

Voices.

“Oh my gosh, the roads are awful,” my mom’s voice called out, muffled through the hallway. “I thought we were going to slide right into a mailbox!”

My dad huffed. “I told you we should’ve left earlier. This storm came out of nowhere.”

Jessa looked at me like she might actually evaporate.

“Noah,” she whispered, horrified. “Your parents-”

“I know,” I whispered back, equally horrified. “I heard them.”

Her cheeks were bright red.

I scrambled upright, shoving the blanket off like it was evidence.

“Okay. Okay. It’s fine. It’s fine,” I muttered, mostly to myself.

Jessa sat up too fast, hair messy, lips slightly swollen from kissing, eyes panicked.

She looked…

Insanely beautiful.

This was not the time for that thought.

My mom’s boots stomped near the entryway.

Then-

She appeared.

Mrs. Carter stopped dead in the doorway, still holding a grocery bag.

Her eyes flicked from me…

To Jessa…

To the blanket…

To the suspicious amount of space between us that absolutely screamed we were just making out.

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Silence.

Pure, deafening silence.

My dad walked in behind her, shaking snow off his coat.

“What’s with the-”

He looked up.

Also froze.

Oh my God.

Kill me.

Jessa’s voice came out small and polite, like she was trying not to combust.

“H–hi, Mrs. Carter.”

My mom blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then-

Her face lit up.

“Oh!”

• Oh?

OH?

She stepped forward like she’d just found a puppy in the snow.

“Jessa! Honey!”

Jessa looked like she didn’t know whether to smile or run.

“I didn’t know you were here!”

My dad cleared his throat, trying very hard to look normal.

“Well. This is… unexpected.”

I wanted to crawl under the couch and live there forever.-

“I–uh-“I started.

My mom waved her hand dramatically.

“No, no, don’t even explain. I’m just happy you have company. It’s freezing outside.”

Jessa’s eyes darted to me like: Is she serious right now?

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I mouthed back: I don’t know.

My mom set the grocery bag down and finally seemed to notice the storm outside again.

“Oh my goodness,” she said, peering out the window. “The snow is coming down even harder now.”

My dad grunted. “Roads are going to be a mess by dark.”

Jessa shifted nervously.

“I should probably go soon-”

My mom whipped around so fast it was scary.

“Oh absolutely not.”

Jessa blinked. “What?”

“No,” my mom repeated, firm. “Sweetheart, have you looked outside? It’s already getting bad, and it’s going to ice over tonight.”

“I can call Mariah-” Jessa began.

“Nope,” my mom said immediately. “No teenage girl is driving in this.”

Jessa looked like she might pass out.

“I can call my mom,” she offered weakly.

“Yes!” my mom said, like that was the best idea she’d heard all day. “We should call your mother right now.”

Jessa’s eyes widened in horror.

“Oh–um–she’s probably busy-”

My mom was already pulling out her phone.

“No, no, I insist. I know her. I’ve seen her at games a hundred times. She’ll appreciate this.”

Jessa looked at me like she was about to die.

“Noah,” she hissed under her breath. “My mom is going to think-”

“I know,” I whispered back. “Mine already does.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means she’s been waiting for this moment since I was born.”

Jessa’s face turned even redder.

“Oh my God.”

My mom was scrolling through her contacts like she was calling in an airstrike.

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“Lombardi… Lombardi…”

Jessa made a tiny noise of distress.

My dad, bless him, finally stepped in.

“Honey,” he said carefully, “maybe we don’t need to panic–call her mother. Jessa’s almost eighteen, not five.”

My mom shot him a look.

“I’m not panicking. I’m being responsible.”

My dad muttered, “You’re being intense.”

“I heard that, Mark.”

“I wanted you to.”

I was going to combust.

Jessa was sitting perfectly still, hands folded in her lap like she was at church.

My mom finally found the number.

“Oh! Here we go.”

She hit call.

Jessa’s eyes went so wide I thought they might actually pop out of her head.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Then-

“Hello?”

Mrs. Lombardi’s voice.

My mom beamed like this was a friendly PTA call.

“Hi! This is Rachel Carter.”

Pause.

“Oh–hi, Rachel.”

“Yes, hi!” my mom said brightly. “So, Jessa is here with Noah.”

Silence.

Oh my God.

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I could feel Jessa’s soul leaving her body.

My mom continued, completely oblivious.

“And the roads are getting really bad. Mark and I just barely made it home. I really don’t think it’s safe for her to drive anywhere tonight.‘

Another pause.

Then Mrs. Lombardi’s voice came, cautious.

“…Is everything okay?”

“Yes!” my mom said immediately. “Everything is perfectly fine. They were just watching a movie.”

Jessa made a strangled sound.

My mom added cheerfully, “Very wholesome.”

I buried my face in my hand.

My dad coughed like he was choking on laughter.

Mrs. Lombardi was quiet for a long second.

Then-

“Well,” she said slowly, “thank you for letting me know. I don’t want her on the roads either.”

Jessa’s head snapped up.

Wait.

What?

My mom smiled triumphantly.

“Wonderful. So she can just stay the night.”

Jessa squeaked.

“Stay the night?”

I echoed, voice cracking like a middle school boy.

My mom looked at me like I was stupid.

“Yes, Noah. Stay the night. It’s snowing. This is how weather works.”