Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 239

Jackson

Coach didn’t say anything when I walked in.

He just stood behind his desk, arms folded, staring at me like he was trying to decide what kind of problem I was.

The silence stretched.

I shifted my weight, suddenly aware of how loud the hallway had been and how quiet this office was. The walls were covered in old team photos, framed jerseys, a couple of newspaper clippings from championships Ridgeville still talked about like they were legends.

Coach finally exhaled.

Then, in a voice calmer than I expected, he said, “Is something going on with you that you’d like to talk about?”

My stomach dropped.

I blinked. “What?”

Coach didn’t blink back. “Jackson.”

That was worse than yelling.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand straighter.

“There’s… a very bad rumor that got started,” I admitted. My voice came out rougher than I meant it to. “And it’s getting out of

hand.”

Coach nodded once, slow.

“The I*******m post.”

I shut my eyes for half a second.

Of course he’d seen it.

Of course it had made it to him already.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “That.”

Coach’s expression didn’t change, but something in his gaze sharpened.

“So,” he said carefully, “I guess it’s safe for me to assume you didn’t get a girl into trouble.”

My head snapped up.

“What? Coach–no. No. We haven’t… we’ve never done anything like that.” Heat rushed up my neck, half anger, halt humiliation. “Someone made a stupid joke this morning, and it turned into this.”

Coach studied me like he was weighing whether I was telling the truth.

Theld his stare.

Finally, he nodded again.

“That’s what I figured.”

My shoulders loosened slightly, but the frustration was still burning in my chest.

“It’s insane,” I said, voice tight. “The gossip at this school is out of control”

Chapter 239

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Coach leaned back against the edge of his desk.

“You’re learning that now?”

I let out a bitter laugh.

“For once,” I admitted, “I actually understand what my sister has gone through all these years.

Coach’s brow lifted.

“Your twin sister,” he clarified. “Right? That’s who you’re talking about.”

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Jessa.”

“”

Saying her name out loud in here felt strange. Like I was bringing something personal into a space that was always just football.

Coach nodded slowly, like he remembered.

“I remember Daniel,” I added, jaw tightening. “Everyone acts like he was the whole problem. Like getting rid of him fixed it.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

“But he was just a small part of it. The rest of it is… the rest of the school. Mostly girls, honestly. They like to start things. They like the drama. They take one thing and turn it into a circus.”

Coach’s face stayed serious, but his eyes softened just a fraction.

“That’s not just Ridgeville,” he said quietly. “That’s teenagers with phones and too much access to each other’s lives.”

I shook my head, anger pulsing.

“They don’t care who they hurt.”

“No,” Coach agreed. “They don’t.”

The silence settled again, heavier this time.

Then Coach straightened.

“Listen to me, Jackson.”

I looked up.

“That rumor,” he said firmly, “is not going to ruin your scholarship.”

Relief hit so hard it almost made me dizzy.

“But-”

Coach held up a hand.

“It can ruin your focus.”

I froze.

Coach’s voice stayed steady, like he’d had this conversation with a hundred kids before.

“It can get in your head. It can make you play angry. It can make you play distracted. And that’s how you lose what you’ve worked for.”

My jaw clenched.

“I’m not distracted.”

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Chapter 239

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Coach gave me a look that said don’t lie to me in my own office.

I exhaled sharply.

“Okay,” I admitted. “I’m distracted.”

Coach nodded once.

“That’s normal.”

I stared at him.

He went on, “You care. That’s why it gets under your skin. And I’ll tell you something else—”

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

“I’ve seen you this season. You’ve grown up.”

I didn’t know what to do with that.

Coach continued, “You’re not just playing for yourself anymore. You’re playing like someone who understands responsibility.”

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

Coach’s gaze sharpened again.

“And that’s why I’m telling you right now: I’m going to take care of this.”

I blinked. “Coach…”

“This cyberbullying garbage?” he said, voice hardening. “It’s out of hand. It’s dangerous. It’s not funny. And it has to stop.”

My chest felt too full.

“What can you even do?” I asked quietly. “It’s social media. People hide behind accounts. They just keep posting.”

Coach’s mouth tightened.

“I can do more than you think,” he said. “And I will. Administration will be involved. Parents will be involved. And if I find out any player on my team is feeding into it–liking it, sharing it, laughing about it…”

His voice dropped.

“They’re done.”

That landed like a whistle blast.

Coach stepped closer, not unkind, but firm.

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