Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 99

Jackson

The steering wheel creaked under my grip as I made another slow turn down Maple Street.

Nothing.

Noah’s truck wasn’t there, and neither was he.

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I’d already checked the school lot, the old park behind the football field, even the strip near the gas station where he liked to park when he needed to think. Every single place came up empty.

He wasn’t answering my calls, and each time his voicemail kicked in, my chest got a little tighter.

It wasn’t just about the fight anymore.

It was everything.

The look on Noah’s face when he walked off.

The slap Jessa laid across Daniel’s smug mouth.

The crowd that had gone from cheering us on to whispering about us like we were some drama special.

And I was supposed to be the one keeping it all together. The one people looked to. The “leader.” The captain.

But right now? I felt like I was barely holding it together myself.

I turned onto a quieter street, the kind where the houses were spaced far apart and porch lights flickered weakly against the dark. My phone buzzed in the cup holder, and for a second I thought–hoped—it was Noah.

It wasn’t.

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,

Despite everything, a short laugh escaped me.

Of course she did.

That was Mariah–fire wrapped in lip gloss. The kind of girl who could turn a disaster into a story you almost wanted to laugh about.

I pictured her steering Jessa toward the car, her voice sharp but calm, her eyes daring anyone to get in their way. The mental image made the knot in my chest loosen–just a little.

16:45 Thu, Oct 16

Chapter 99

Then another buzz.

A second text.

Also… for what it’s worth, she wasn’t the only one who needed someone tonight.

That one hit differently.

For a second, I just stared at the words glowing on the screen, my thumb hovering above it.

She couldn’t mean what it sounded like, right?

It was just Mariah being… Mariah.

Playful.

Supportive.

Complicated as hell.

But the longer I looked at it, the more my pulse picked up.

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Because the truth was–she wasn’t wrong. I did need someone tonight. I’d been angry, confused, and so damn tired of pretending that being strong came easy to me.

And when I thought about who I’d wanted to see–who I’d wanted to talk to when everything felt like it was slipping away–it hadn’t been Noah.

It had been her.

I rubbed my hand over my face and leaned back against the seat, staring at the windshield. My reflection looked like someone I barely recognized–tense, exhausted, eyes rimmed red from too much noise and not enough sense.

“What the hell am I doing?” I muttered.

I was supposed to be finding my best friend, not sitting in my car overthinking a text from a girl who drove me insane half the time.

But Mariah wasn’t just any girl.

She saw through me. Always had. She never backed down, never let me hide behind the “captain” act. She called me out, pushed me harder, and when I was around her, I didn’t have to pretend to have everything figured out.

And that scared the crap out of me.

No pretending.

Just quiet.

16-45 Thu Oct 15 M

Chapter 00

And when my phone burred again, lighting up with Mariah’s name one more time, I didn’t hesitate.

Vem still up

Yeah

You okay!

I stared at the screen, my thumb hesitating over the keyboard before I finally answered.

Not really. But thanks for asking.

You don’t have to talk, Jackson. But if you show up again like you did last night, I’ll come out.

I might take you up on that.

I’ll leave the porch light on.

Her message sat there on my screen, glowing soft against the dark, and for a second–just one second–I let myself imagine what it would be like to take her up on it.

To stop pretending that she didn’t get to me.

To let someone finally see past the armor I wore for everyone else.

I shut my eyes and rested my head against the seat, her words echoing in my head like a heartbeat:

She wasn’t the only one who needed someone tonight.

She was right.

And maybe, if I was honest with myself, she’d been right for a long time.

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