Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 281

Chapter 281

Jackson

I knew Noah had talked to her the second he got in the car.

Didn’t even need to ask.

He had that look.

Not confused anymore.

Not guessing.

Just… thinking.

Which told me everything.

I pulled out of his driveway, glancing over at him.

“So.”

He let out a breath.

“So.”

I smirked slightly.

“That’s helpful.”

He leaned his head back against the seat.

“She told me.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I figured.”

Silence sat between us for a second.

Not awkward.

Just…loaded.

I kept my eyes on the road.

“How’d it go?”

He shrugged.

“Better than I expected.”

“That’s vague.”

“She thought I was going to freak out.”

I snorted.

“Reasonable assumption.”

“Apparently.”

I glanced over at him again.

“You didn’t?”

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“No.”

Het that sit for a second

Then

“You’re lying.”

He turned his head.

“I’m not lying.”

“You’re definitely lying.”

“I didn’t freak out in front of her.”

“There it is.”

He huffed out a quiet laugh.

I shook my head.

“Man…. I don’t know how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act like you’re not bothered.”

He looked out the window again.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t bothered.”

That caught my attention.

1 raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s just… not about me.”

I scoffed.

“That’s easy to say now.”

“It’s true.”

“Is it?” I said. “Because last I checked, long–distance across the country is very much about you**

He didn’t answer right away.

Which told me more than if he had

And my grip on the wheel slightly.

id, “I’m not trying to be a jerk about this.

led me

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Chapter 281

“She’s been like a different person all week.”

“I know.”

“And now I know why.”

“Yeah.”

I exhaled.

“She really wants this.”

“I can tell.”

“And I get it,” I said. “I really do.”

That was the frustrating part.

If this was something stupid, something impulsive, something reckless–I’d shut it down in a second.

But it wasn’t.

It was the exact opposite.

It made sense.

Too much sense.

“She deserves to get out of here,” I said quietly.

Noah nodded.

“Yeah.”

“And I hate that I can’t just fix it.”

He looked at me.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the money part,” I said. “If that wasn’t an issue, she’d already be halfway across the country.”

“And you’d be okay with that?”

I hesitated.

That question hit harder than I expected.

Because the answer wasn’t simple.

“No,” I said honestly.

He waited.

“But I wouldn’t stop her.”

He nodded slowly.

“Same.”

We drove in silence for a minute.

Then I said what had been sitting in the back of my mind since yesterday.

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Chapter 281

“You told her to go, didn’t you?”

He glanced at me.

“…Yeah.”

I shook my head slightly, letting out a quiet laugh.

“You’re either a really good boyfriend…”

“Or?”

“Or you’re setting yourself up for something that’s going to suck.”

He didn’t argue.

Didn’t defend himself.

Just stared out the windshield.

“I know,” he said.

That answer caught me off guard.

Because there was no denial in it.

No pretending.

Just… acceptance.

I let out a breath.

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

We pulled up to a stop sign near the school.

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel for a second.

Then-

“You really like her, huh?”

He gave me a look.