Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 255

Chapter 255

Mariah

I didn’t check my phone when I woke up.

That’s how I knew something was different.

Normally I scroll before my feet even hit the floor. Notifications. Messages. Who liked what. Who subtweeted who at midnight because Ridgeville apparently thrives on sleep deprivation and insecurity.

But this morning?

I left my phone face down on my nightstand.

Because yesterday at lunch, I said what I needed to say.

And I didn’t want to wake up to the aftermath before I was fully conscious.

I stared at the ceiling for a minute, letting the quiet settle around me. The house was still. No television. No music. Just the faint hum of the heater kicking on against the winter air.

Yesterday replayed in my head in flashes.

The ultrasound picture taped to my locker.

“Baby Lombardi.”

The phones pointed but pretending not to be.

Jackson’s jaw tightening.

Me ripping it down.

Marching straight to administration.

And then sitting at lunch with everyone watching.

For the record, I’m not pregnant. But if I were, at least I’d know who the father is. Try harder.

The picture of me and Jackson from homecoming.

Rumors don’t make babies. But they do make insecure people loud.

Thit post.

And for a moment?

I felt electric

Untouchable

This morning felt quieter.

Real.

Mom knocked lightly before stepping into my room

“You’re up early,” she said.

“I’m not sleeping in today.”

She leaned against the doorframe, studying me

Charm 205

“You okay?”

There it was.

The universal parent question.

“I’m fine.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“That sounded rehearsed.”

I sat up, pushing my hair back.

“I handled it.”

“I saw,” she said softly.

Of course she did.

Small town.

Screenshots travel faster than actual information.

“And?” I asked.

“And I’m proud of you.”

That caught me off guard.

“For what?”

“For not letting someone else narrate your life.”

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Well.”

She didn’t push for more.

Just nodded and left me to get ready.

I dressed with intention.

Dark jeans. Cream sweater. Boots. Hair straightened smooth and sharp.

If people were going to look today and they would I wasn’t giving them messy.

1 grabbed my phone as I headed downstairs.

Still didn’t open it.

Not yet.

1 poured myself coffee and stood at the counter for a second, just breathing

Yesterday I was bold.

Today I had to live inside that boldness

There’s a difference

The drive to school felt strangely normal.

+30 Bonus

Which almost made it worse.

Because Ridgeville High looked the same as it always did.

Brick.

Glass.

Doors that had swallowed us for years.

But today it felt like a test.

When I parked, I finally unlocked my phone.

The notifications were ridiculous.

Comments.

Mentions.

DMS.

Some supportive.

Some sarcastic.

Some clearly from fake accounts with zero posts and too much time.

I skimmed without reacting.

If I let every comment land, I’d never get through first period.

One message from a sophomore girl caught my eye:

Thank you for saying something. They did this to my friend last year.

That one stuck.

Because it reminded me this wasn’t just about me.

I locked my phone and stepped out of the car.

The air was cold and sharp against my cheeks.

Inside the building, the noise was already rising.

And then came the shift.

It’s subtle.

You don’t hear your name.

You feel it.

Conversations dip slightly.

Eyes flick.

Phones lower.

I walked straight down the hallway like every other day.

Locker.

+30 Bonus

CHORI 259.

Combination.

Click.

Metal door open.

Normal.

No ultrasound.

No tape.

No paper.

Just my locker.

That alone felt like a small victory.

“Morning.”

Jackson’s voice came from my right..

He didn’t look angry.

He didn’t look panicked.

He looked… protective.

“You survived,” he added.

“Barely,” I said dryly.

He leaned against the locker next to mine.

“You check your phone yet?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“People are bored.”

He huffed a quiet laugh.

“That they are.”

He didn’t ask if I regretted it.

He didn’t ask if I’d do it differently.

He just stood there.

Which somehow felt more supportive than a thousand speeches.

“You okay?” he asked finally.

“I’m steady,” I replied.

That was the truth.

Not unbothered.

Not triumphant.

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Just steady.

Noah joined us a minute later.

He scanned my face like he was checking for damage.

“I’m not fragile,” I said before he could open his mouth.

He held up his hands.

“Didn’t say you were.”

We started walking toward class together.

A group of girls passed us.

One of them said just loud enough, “Guess someone needed attention.”

I didn’t stop walking.

“Attention implies I asked for it,” I said calmly. “I didn’t.”

Silence behind us.

Jackson let out a low whistle.

“You’re scary when you’re calm.”

“Good.”

Because that’s the part they don’t expect.

They expect tears.

Or yelling.

Or overreaction.

They don’t expect composure.

And composure makes them uncomfortable.

At the end of the hallway, we split for class.

Jackson caught my wrist gently for a second.

“Hey.”

I looked at him.

“I meant it yesterday,” he said. “They don’t get to do that.”

“I know.”

He hesitated.

“And I’m glad you didn’t let them.”

That mattered.

Because if he had looked embarrassed?

If he had pulled away?

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Chapter 255

If he had decided the drama wasn’t worth it?

That would’ve hurt more than any I**

But he didn’t.

*m post.

He stood next to me.

Publicly.

Without hesitation.

First period was… weird.

Not loud.

Not explosive.

Just charged.

People looked more than usual.

Two girls in front of me kept turning around like they were waiting for me to crack.

I didn’t.

By lunchtime, the energy had shifted slightly.

The post was old news.

There was probably already something else trending.