Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Jessa

The final bell rang, and the hallways erupted in chaos

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doors slamming, backpacks zipping, the usual mad

dash for freedom. But for once, I didn’t feel like sprinting to escape the building.

I stood by my locker, closing it slowly, almost savoring the moment. My hands weren’t trembling. My throat didn’t feel tight. And, most importantly, there weren’t any tears burning in the corners of my eyes.

I made it.

I actually made it through the day.

“Would you look at you!” Mariah’s voice rang out, sharp and full of dramatic flair as she strutted over. She flung an arm around my shoulders like she was presenting me to an audience. “My girl Jessa, holding her head high and surviving Monday like a queen.”

I couldn’t help it – I laughed, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Uh, yeah, I would.” Mariah squeezed my shoulders and leaned in, grinning like she’d just won a bet. “You didn’t cry once today. You didn’t hide in the bathroom during lunch. You even looked Noah Carter straight in the face this morning and didn’t fall apart like a sad little Disney sidekick. That, babe, is called growth.”

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling, too.

“Okay, fine. I didn’t completely fall apart.”

Mariah tilted her head, giving me a sly look. “You didn’t just not fall apart. You were… visible today. People saw you, Jessa. And you didn’t shrink away like you usually do.”

Her words hit something deep inside me. For so long, it felt like being invisible was my safe zone. If people didn’t notice me, they couldn’t hurt me. But today… today was different.

It wasn’t easy. My heart had been pounding in my chest most of the day, and every time I walked past a group of giggling girls, my stomach flipped, bracing for some cruel comment. But it never came – not today. And for once, I didn’t feel like a ghost trailing in the shadows of my brother and his friends.

“Well,” I said softly, “maybe visible isn’t such a bad thing.”

Mariah gasped dramatically and pressed a hand to her chest. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”

“Shut up,” I said, laughing again, though my cheeks warmed.

But… she wasn’t wrong.

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