Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 93

Noah

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The party was already a blur of sound and movement by the time I made it there. Someone must’ve told half the senior class, because the place looked like a music video–people packed shoulder to shoulder, lights flashing, bass thumping hard enough to shake the windows.

Normally, I’d be right in the mix with Jackson, but lately everything between us had felt off.

So I stuck near the back porch, leaning against the railing, a half–empty soda in my hand, trying to drown out Daniel’s obnoxious laugh echoing through the crowd.

Jackson was surrounded, as usual. A few cheerleaders hung nearby, all batting their lashes. Daniel was next to him, already on his fourth drink, talking loud enough for everyone within a mile to hear.

Same routine. Same noise.

Except… my focus shifted when the crowd near the doorway suddenly parted.

That’s when I saw her.

Jessa.

She stepped into the house beside Mariah, and for a second everything else blurred out. Her shirt—tight, Ridgeville blue with silver shimmer–caught the light every time she moved. Her hair framed her face, loose and soft, and she looked… different. Confident. Beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.

She wasn’t hiding tonight.

And somehow, that made her stand out more than anyone else in the room.

“Damn,” Daniel said from somewhere behind me. “Since when does Jessa try that hard? What’s she doing— auditioning for the plus–size cheer squad?”

My grip tightened around the can until it crushed in my hand.

Jackson glanced over then, following my line of sight. His eyes locked on his sister, and for the first time that night, his easy grin faltered.

He muttered something under his breath before setting his drink down and stepping toward me. “We need to

talk.”

I exhaled slowly. “Yeah, I was hoping we would.”

We slipped away from the noise and out toward the side yard where it was quieter. The music was still loud enough to buzz through the ground, but at least we could hear each other.

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “I saw you looking at her.”

17:09 Tue, Oct 14

Chapter 93

“No sense lying.” I said. “Yeah, I was.”

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He let out a sharp laugh, though there wasn’t anything funny about it. “Man, I don’t even know what to do

with that.”

1 stayed quiet, waiting for him to say more.

“It’s not even about you,” he said finally. “It’s just… I don’t think I’d be okay with anyone liking Jessa like that. You know?”

“I get it,” I said carefully. “She’s your sister.”

Jackson’s chest heaved as I held onto his shoulder. His jaw was clenched, fury still burning in his eyes.

17:10 Tue, Oct 14

Chapter 93

“This right here,” I said, my voice low but shaking. “This is the problem.”

Jackson’s eyes snapped toward me. “What?”

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“All of it!” I threw my hand toward Daniel and the gawking crowd. “This stupid crap. The comments, the fake laughs, acting like it’s fine to tear people down for fun. It’s not fine. It’s never been fine.”

The silence that followed was heavy. A few people looked away, embarrassed. Even Daniel didn’t have at comeback.

Jackson’s shoulders dropped a little, the fight draining from him. He looked at me, guilt flickering in his expression.

I took a step back, running a hand through my hair. “You think I’m the one who’s bad for Jessa? Maybe you should look around.”

And before he could answer, I walked off–needing air, needing distance–because if I didn’t, I might’ve said something I couldn’t take back.

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