Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Noah

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I was sitting on the hood of my truck, tapping my fingers against the metal, my mind still miles away.

Jessa’s words kept replaying like a song I couldn’t turn off.

It was hard being in Jackson’s shadow… but harder being in yours.

Every time I thought about it, my stomach twisted. I hadn’t realized how deep the damage went. How much my silence had cost her.

The sound of shouting across the lot snapped me out of it. Players were trickling toward the locker room, helmets swinging from their hands, all laughter and swagger. Same routine. Same rhythm. And yet, everything felt different.

Then I spotted Jackson.

He was walking with his duffel slung over one shoulder, head down, jaw set. For a second, I almost didn’t move. We hadn’t really talked–not really talked–in weeks. Just quick comments at practice, quick glances that said nothing and everything at the same time.

But I was done pretending. I missed my best friend.

I slid off the hood and started walking toward him.

“Hey,” I said as I caught up.

He looked over, surprised but not unfriendly. “Hey.”

We walked in silence for a bit, the crunch of gravel under our cleats the only sound between us.

Finally, I spoke. “You heading to practice?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Trying to. Coach is already in one of his moods, so you might want to hurry.”

I nodded, but didn’t move to go ahead of him. “Jackson… can we talk for a second before we go in?”

He sighed, stopping near the edge of the field. “About what?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, searching for words that didn’t sound like excuses. “About us, man. I hate this- whatever this is. You barely look at me anymore. You used to be like my brother.”

He dropped his bag with a thud and crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, things change.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “But they don’t have to stay that way.”

He looked at me then, something flickering behind his eyes. “You think I don’t miss it too?”

18:36 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 87

That caught me off guard.

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“I hate that things are messed up,” he admitted, voice low. “I hate that I don’t even know how to act around my own best friend anymore. But I don’t know how to fix it either.”

I exhaled, feeling the knot in my chest loosen a little. “Then maybe we just… try. I’m tired of acting like we’re strangers.”

He nodded once, slowly, like he was considering it. “Yeah. Me too.”

And for the first time in a while, it didn’t feel so impossible.

At least until Daniel opened his damn mouth.

He was walking up behind us with two of the other guys, smirking like always. “Aww,” he said loud enough for everyone in a ten–mile radius to hear. “Look at this little moment. You two finally make up? Should we give you a minute alone? Or should I go find some flowers for your big romantic reunion?”

The field went dead silent.

Daniel looked like he wanted to fire back, but for once, he didn’t. He just glared and walked toward the locker room, muttering something under his breath.

I ran a hand down my face, exhaling hard. “God. Why do we even let him hang around?”

Jackson stared at the ground for a second before picking up his helmet. His voice was quiet when he finally spoke. “Because we always have. And because it’s easier to let him run his mouth than deal with it.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, shaking my head, “I’m done letting him.”

Jackson looked at me then–really looked–and for the first time in weeks, I saw my best friend again. Not the quarterback, not the golden boy, just Jackson.

He gave a small nod. “Yeah. Me too.”

Practice that day was brutal. Coach must’ve sensed the tension because he didn’t let up once–drills, scrimmages, laps. Every mistake was called out, every player pushed harder.

But weirdly, it helped. The aggression bled out onto the field instead of at each other. And when practice ended, Jackson and I actually walked off side by side.

We didn’t talk much. Didn’t need to.

Still, the weight in my chest hadn’t lifted completely. Jessa’s confession kept sneaking back into my mind. The way she’d said it, the tremor in her voice.

I glanced over at Jackson, who was tossing his gear into his truck bed.

There were a lot of things I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But one thing I knew for sure- whatever came next, I couldn’t keep letting everything spiral like this,

Something had to change.

And this time, I wasn’t waiting for someone else to make it happen.

18:36 Mon, Oct 13