Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 233

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Chapter 233

Mariah

I was halfway through rewriting the same history paragraph for the third time when I heard Mom’s voice from downstairs.

“Mariah!”

I didn’t answer right away.

Mostly because I already knew what she was going to say.

Then she called again, louder, with the tiniest edge of amusement.

“Jackson Lombardi is here.”

My pen froze mid–sentence.

My heart did something extremely unhelpful.

I sat there for a second, staring at the page like it might explain why the quarterback of Ridgeville High was standing on my porch on a random weeknight.

Then Mom called again, like she was enjoying this far too much.

“Well? Are you coming down or should I invite him in for tea?”

“I’m coming,” I called, scrambling up so fast my chair squeaked.

I shoved my notebook aside and hurried down the stairs, trying to look normal.

Which was impossible, because Jackson was standing just inside the doorway, shoulders squared, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.

Mom was right there too, leaning casually against the wall, fully aware of the fact that she was blocking any chance of this being private.

Her eyes flicked between us like she was watching a television show.

Jackson’s gaze found mine immediately.

And his expression wasn’t teasing.

It was serious.

Heavy.

Like he’d been carrying something since lunch and finally decided he couldn’t anymore,

“Hey,” I said softly.

“Hey,” he answered.

Mom cleared her throat, loud and pointed.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” she announced, like she was doing us a favor.

She wasn’t.

She was going to be five feet away, pretending not to listen.

But she walked off anyway.

Chapter 233

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The second she was gone, Jackson exhaled hard, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We need to talk,” he said.

My stomach dropped.

I nodded quickly. “Yeah. Um… come on.”

I led him down the hall toward the back of the house, past the kitchen where Mom was very loudly doing nothing important,

and into the TV room.

It was basically our version of teenage privacy.

A couch, a giant blanket, a few framed family photos, and the comforting knowledge that at least in here, my mother couldn’t hear every syllable.

I shut the door halfway.

Not closed.

That would look suspicious.

But halfway was the universal signal for please pretend we are wholesome.

Jackson stayed standing for a second, like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

I sat on the edge of the couch, twisting my fingers together.

He finally sank down beside me, leaving a careful inch of space.

Which was honestly ridiculous considering what we’d been doing three nights ago.

I glanced at him.

His jaw was tight.

His shoulders tense.

Like he’d been holding himself together all day through sheer willpower.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Talk.”

Jackson’s eyes flicked to mine.

“It’s getting out of control.”

I let out a breath.

So that was what this was about.

“The gossip,” he added.

I nodded. “Yeah,”

He leaned back, staring up at the celling like the answers might be written there.

“This school thrives on it,” he muttered. “They smell happiness and immediately try to ruin it.”

I huffed a humorless laugh. “That should be Ridgeville’s motto.”

Jackson didn’t smile.

That’s when I knew he was really bothered.

Chapter 233

“It’s not funny, Mariah.”

That stopped me cold.

I swallowed. “I know.”

His gaze snapped to mine.

“I saw you today. At lunch.”

I blinked. “You mean when I almost turned into a feral raccoon?”

His mouth twitched faintly.

“You shut her down,” he said. “And I…”

He trailed off, frustration flashing across his face.

“I hate that you even had to.”

My chest tightened.

Because that was the thing.

I could pretend I didn’t care.

I could act like rumors were just background noise.

But it still got under my skin, this idea that people could reduce me to a story.

That they could look at me and decide they knew who I was.

Just because I kissed my boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

God.

That word still felt new.

I forced a shrug. “It’s Ridgeville. They’re bored. They’ll move on.

>>

Jackson’s eyes sharpened.

“And what about you?”

I blinked. “What about me?”

“Are you okay?” he asked, quieter now.

That was the problem.

I didn’t know how to answer that honestly.

Because the truth was…

I was used to being the confident one.

The loud one.

The girl who didn’t care.

But it was easier to not care when no one was paying attention.

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217

Chapter 233

Now they were.

And attention came with knives.

I hesitated too long.

Jackson noticed.

“Mariah.”

My throat tightened.

“It’s just weird,” I admitted finally. “Being… talked about like that.”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m sorry.”

I blinked. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Because you’re getting dragged into this because of me.

I stared at him.

“Jackson, no. They’d talk no matter what. If it wasn’t this, it’d be something else.”

His eyes flickered.

“But I don’t want it to hurt you,” he said.

The softness in his voice cracked something open in me.

I looked down at my hands.

Then, quietly, I said, “It’s weird, okay?”

He leaned closer. “What is?”

“This,” I admitted. “Having… time.”

Jackson frowned slightly.

“Time?”

I nodded, gesturing vaguely around the room.

“We’re alone. Like… actually alone.”

He froze.

Oh.

He understood,

The air shifted.

Because yeah.

This wasn’t sneaking kisses in hallways anymore.

This wasn’t stolen moments.

This was a whole night stretched out in front of us.

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A17

Chapter 233

And suddenly the question wasn’t gossip.

It was…

What happens when there’s nothing stopping us?

Jackson’s voice dropped. “Mariah…”

I swallowed hard.

“I’m not saying I don’t want you,” I blurted quickly. “God, I want you. I like you so much it’s embarrassing.”

His eyes softened.

“But…” I whispered.

He waited.

I exhaled shakily.

“But I don’t know if I’m ready for… everything.”

Jackson didn’t move.

Didn’t push.

Just looked at me like I was something precious, not something to conquer.

That alone made my chest ache.

He reached out slowly, brushing his thumb over my knuckles.

“Hey,” he murmured. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

My eyes stung.

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he said instantly.

I blinked fast, annoyed at myself for almost crying.

“This is stupid,” I muttered.

“It’s not,” he said firmly.

I looked up.

His expression was fierce in a quiet way.

“I care about you.”

That hit harder than any rumor ever could.

I let out a shaky laugh.