Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 85

Jessa

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By the time the final bell rang at Ridgeville High, my head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. The whole day had been one long blur–Noah catching me at my locker, his words about wanting to talk, Mariah’s knowing smirk when she practically shoved me toward him at lunch.

And then actually talking to Noah–if that’s what it could be called.

I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. Confused? Angry? A little bit hopeful? Probably all three, with a generous side of chaos.

Mariah leaned against her car in the parking lot, arms crossed, sunglasses perched on top of her head. “You look like you just came out of a math exam you didn’t study for.”

“Feels about the same,” I said, dropping my backpack into the passenger seat before sliding in.

She started the car, glancing over at me. “So…. what happened with Lover Boy?”

I groaned. “Can we not call him that?”

“Oh, we’re definitely calling him that,” she said, smirking. “So spill. What did he say? Or do? Did you punch him? Please tell me you punched him.”

I laughed, but it came out half–hearted. “No. I didn’t punch him.”

Mariah sighed dramatically. “Missed opportunity.”

“He apologized,” I said finally, staring out the window as we pulled out of the lot. “Said he didn’t mean for things to go the way they did. Said he was dealing with a lot of pressure and didn’t handle things right.”

“Translation,” Mariah said dryly, “he realized he was an idiot.”

“Basically.”

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, humming. “And… how did that make you feel?”

I shot her a look. “Are we doing therapy hour now?”

“Hey, don’t knock it. I’m like, one sarcastic remark away from carning my honorary psychology degree.”

I smiled despite myself. “I don’t know, Mariah. Part of me believes him. But the other part…” I trailed off, watching a group of kids from school walk down the sidewalk laughing together. “The other part of me doesn’t want to be that girl who keeps getting burned.”

Mariah was quiet for a moment before saying, “You’re not that girl. You’re just… figuring out how to stop letting people have that power over you.”

I turned to her. “You think I’ve been letting people have power over me?”

18:35 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 85

A

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She gave me a look. “Jessa. You’ve been living like a ghost at Ridgeville. You shrink yourself so people don’t notice. You let them talk, you let them laugh, and then you go home and act like it doesn’t bother you.”

I frowned. “You make it sound so pathetic.”

“It’s not pathetic,” she said firmly. “It’s survival. But…” She glanced at me as we stopped at a red light, her tone softening. “I do think something’s changing. You’ve been in a mood all day, yeah, but honestly? I think it’s because you’re finally done being invisible. You’re tired of it. You’re getting ready to take that power back- even if it scares you.”

I stared at her. “That’s a lot of deep insight for someone who still writes their history notes in pink glitter pen.”

She grinned. “Hey, emotional depth and aesthetic. I’m a complex woman.”

I laughed, and it felt good to laugh–real laughter, not the polite kind I’d been faking lately.

We ended up at the little diner on Main Street, the one with the old–fashioned booths and the smell of fries that clung to your clothes for hours, Mariah ordered milkshakes and fries like it was the cure to everything. and honestly, it kind of was.

As we waited, she propped her chin on her hand and said, “So what now? You gonna talk to him again?”

I shrugged. “Maybe, I mean, he said he wanted to talk more… but I don’t know. Every time I think about it, I just–ugh.”

Mariah’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Ugh, as in I hate him, or ugh as in why does he have to smell so good when I’m mad at him?”

“Mariah.”

“What? It’s a valid question.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at my mouth. “It’s complicated.”

“Translation: both.”

“Welcome to liking someone,” she said, smirking. “It’s a mess. A cute, frustrating, hormonal mess.”

She lifted a brow. “Uh–huh.”

18:35 Mon, Oct 13

“You really think that?” I asked quietly.

I smiled at that. “Since when did you get so wise?”

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