Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 98

The party was still buzzing when we left, but it wasn’t the came kind of buzz as before. The tangheue hart Tormed sharps, whiqery heavy with the kind of gossip that feeds off someone else’s pain.

Jessa duin‘? xay n werd as we made our way through the crowd. Heads turned Eyes follower. No one dared in say anything now–not after the way she’d slapped Daniel–but the looks said enough Half impressed Half waiting for the next scene.

7 wanted to tell every single one of them to mind their damn business.

Instead, I slipped my hand around Jessa’s arm and guided her toward the door. “Come on.” I whispered. “We’ve made enough of an impression for one night.”

She didn’t resist. Her face was pale under the porch lights, and her eyes were glassy–like she was still trying to process everything that had just happened. I didn’t blame her. The girl had been through emotional whiplash in the span of twenty minutes.

Once we reached my car, I opened the passenger door and helped her in before circling around to the driver’s side. My phone buzzed as I started the engine, and when I saw Jackson’s name light up the screen, my stomach flipped.

He hadn’t texted since he’d stormed off after Noah, but I knew he would eventually. And I’d been waiting- half worried, half curious about what kind of mood he’d be in when he did.

Except this time, it wasn’t a message from him. It was one I was about to send.

Mariah: Hey, Carter boy. You missed one hell of a show. Your sister just made Daniel eat his words–literally. She slapped him so hard the music stopped.

Don’t worry, I’ve got her. Taking her home.

I stared at the message for a second before hitting send, then tossed my phone onto the console.

Beside me, Jessa let out a shaky sigh, still staring out the window. “He’s going to hate that I did that, isn’t he?”

“Jackson?” I asked, glancing over. “Please. He might throw you a parade.”

She didn’t laugh, but her mouth twitched like she wanted to. “Noah already got into a fight because of me. Now I’ve made a scene too. Everyone probably thinks I’m just as bad.”

I shifted gears and pulled away from the curb. “Or maybe they think you finally stopped letting people walk all over you.”

She gave me a sideways look. “You really think that?”

“I know that.” I smiled faintly. “Trust me, I’ve seen the way Daniel treats people. Half of Ridgeville High’s been waiting for someone to put him in his place. You just happened to be the one brave enough to do it.”

18 20 Wed, Oct 15

Chapter m

She didn’t say anpitone tres white whey think weed the silence that filled the car wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I waen’s heary elder Just thoughatot. The kint that frags behoren new people when things are shifring- changing batere neither ed dum fulls deras ve

eyes on the Frost, terring the headlights carve out the dark. You did god Jeses”

She gave a small tired crnile “My hond still stings”

“That’s how you know i landed”

That earned me a soft laugh–the first real one of the night–and it made my chest loosen just a little. But the relief didn’t last long. Because under that laugh, under the sound of tires on asphalt, another thought kept

tugging at the

Jackson

He’d been furious when he left the party. Angry, raw, and way too protective for his own good. I’d seen that look before–he was the kind of guy who carried every problem like it was his job to fix it. But this time, it wasn’t about football or his mom or school. This time, it was about her.

About Jessa.

And maybe, in some small, twisted way… about me too.

I hadn’t told Jessa that he’d texted me earlier that week, or that he’d shown up outside my house the night before, sitting in his car until I came out. He’d been quiet, guarded, but there was something broken underneath that I couldn’t ignore.

I wanted to help him.

I just wasn’t sure what that said about me anymore.

“You’re quiet,” Jessa said suddenly, breaking through my thoughts.

I blinked, focusing back on the road. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

I hesitated. “Everything. Tonight. You. Your brother. Noah.”

Her head turned sharply toward me. “Jackson?”

Damn it.

I hadn’t meant to say his name out loud.

“Yeah,” I said quickly, trying to sound casual. “I just–he looked upset earlier, that’s all.”

“He was,” Jessa said softly. “He always is lately.”

I nodded, keeping my gaze straight ahead. The streetlights washed the car in pale yellow as we turned down

18:20 Wed, Oct 15

Chapter 98

her street “He’s under a lot of pressure. You both are

“You sound like you know a lot about pressure.” she said quietly

1 amiled, though in feh forced “Maybe”

Amsther pause Then she asked. “You care about him, don’t you?”

I almost missed the stop sign

Her voice wasn’t accusing–just curious–but it still hit me square in the chest

“What?” I asked, stalling.

“Jackson,” she said. “You care about him.”

I laughed, too quickly. “I care about a lot of people, Jessa.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She tilted her head, studying me with that same sharp intuition she always hid under her quietness. “You like him, don’t you?”

There it was–the question I’d been dodging even from myself.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “That’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t sound complicated,” she said softly. “Sounds like

yes.”

The car went quiet again, except for the low hum of the engine. I wanted to deny it. To say she was imaginin things. But I couldn’t. Not after the way my heart had jumped every time Jackson looked at me tonight. Not after the way his voice had sounded when he said he didn’t think he could handle losing everything.

So instead, I exhaled and told her the truth.

“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Maybe I do. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

Jessa was quiet for a long time after that. I half expected her to lecture me–to tell me that liking her broth was crossing some invisible friendship line–but she didn’t. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer th I expected.

“I think he likes you too,” she said.

My stomach flipped again. “What makes you say that?”

“The way he looks at you,” she said simply. “He doesn’t look at anyone else that way.”

I didn’t answer.

Couldn’t.

Because she wasn’t wrong—and that terrified me.

by Vouchers 55

The party was still buzzing when we left, but it wasn’t the same kind of buzz as before. The laughter had turned sharp, whispery, heavy with the kind of gossip that feeds off someone else’s pain.

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