Invisible To Her Bully Chapter 25

Jessa

I can’t breathe.

I storm through the sliding glass door, my pulse pounding so hard it roars in my ears. My hands shake as I shove past a group of kids near the counter, ignoring their laughter. I don’t even care where I’m going—I just need to get away before I completely fall apart in front of everyone.

Behind me, I hear Noah call my name.

“Jessa! Wait!”

No.

Not this time.

He doesn’t get to follow me with some half-hearted apology, like a stupid band-aid on a wound he keeps slicing open.

I whirl around before he can get too close, the words ripping out of me like they’ve been waiting years to escape.

“Noah, shut up!”

The entire room goes silent. Heads turn. Someone drops a plastic cup, the beer splattering across the tile. But I don’t care. Let them stare. Let them see me for once instead of looking right through me.

“You don’t get to do this to me anymore,” I choke out, my voice trembling with rage and pain. “You don’t get to be nice to me when we’re alone and then act like I’m some disgusting joke when other people are around.”

His mouth opens, but nothing comes out. His hands flex uselessly at his sides, like he doesn’t know whether to reach for me or keep his distance.

“You think this is some kind of game, don’t you?” My voice rises, breaking. “You flirt with me when no one’s looking, and then the second your friends show up, you treat me like trash—like I’m… less than everyone else.”

A tear spills down my cheek, and I swipe at it angrily. I hate that he’s seeing me cry. I hate that everyone is seeing me cry. But the words keep tumbling out, unstoppable now.

“I know I’m not beautiful, okay?!” My voice cracks. “I know I’m not like those other girls you like to hang around with—the perfect ones who are thin and pretty and who don’t have to try.”

The room is so quiet now I can hear my own ragged breathing.

“I’ve tried,” I whisper, my throat raw. “God, I’ve tried so hard to be different. To lose the weight. To be… someone else. I’ve counted calories until I was dizzy, I’ve skipped meals until I couldn’t see straight, I’ve cried myself to sleep more nights than I can count. And it doesn’t matter. Nothing works.”

My hands clutch at my sides, like I’m holding myself together.

“No matter what I do, I’m still the fat girl,” I spit out bitterly. “I’m still the joke. The one everyone whispers about. The one you only pretend to be nice to when no one’s looking.”

Noah’s face twists like he’s been physically hit. “Jessa, I—”

“Don’t.” My voice is sharp, final. “You don’t get to talk right now.”

Another tear slides down, hot and fast, but I don’t bother wiping it away this time.

“Do you know what it’s like to grow up next to Jackson?” I demand, my chest heaving. “To have a twin who got everything while you… you got nothing?”

Jackson’s name alone makes my throat burn. The words tumble out faster, sharper, like knives.

“Jackson’s the golden boy. The star quarterback. Everyone loves him. Teachers, friends, random strangers—they see him, and it’s like the world just hands him whatever he wants.” My voice breaks into a bitter laugh. “And me? I’m just… his sister. The embarrassing one who’s too fat to sit at the cool table. The one who makes people snicker when she walks by.”

I see Jackson in the corner of my eye now, frozen near the beer pong table, his jaw hanging open. Daniel is next to him, shifting uncomfortably. They weren’t supposed to hear this.

But a small, savage part of me doesn’t care anymore.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to be invisible because it’s easier than facing the truth,” I continue, my voice trembling. “And the truth is that no one sees me—not really. Not even my own brother. Certainly not you.”

My gaze locks on Noah’s. His hazel eyes are wide, his mouth pressed into a thin line, but he doesn’t say a word. Not a single damn word.

“You were supposed to be different,” I whisper, my chest aching. “You were supposed to be my friend. But you’re just like everyone else.”

For a moment, silence swallows everything. The music has stopped, the chatter has died. It’s just me, standing there with my heart ripped open for everyone to see.

And then I laugh—this hollow, broken sound that makes my own skin crawl.

“You know the worst part, Noah?” My lips tremble as I force the words out. “The worst part is that even knowing all of this… I still wanted you to like me.”

The admission tastes like blood. Like defeat.

Noah takes a step toward me, his face crumpling. “Jessa, please. I—”

“No.” I step back, my hands up like a shield. “I’m done. I’m done trying to be good enough for people who will never see me.”

My voice drops to a whisper, sharp and deadly. “I hate myself for even coming here. For thinking that if I put on some makeup and a cute outfit, maybe I’d finally… matter.”

A sob threatens to escape, but I swallow it down with sheer force of will.

“I’m done letting you hurt me,” I say again, stronger this time. “So congratulations, Noah. You win. You and Daniel and Jackson and every other jerk in this room. You’ve made me feel exactly how you wanted me to feel—small.”

And then I turn and run.

The crowd parts like the Red Sea as I shove through, desperate to escape. Someone calls my name—maybe Mariah, maybe Jackson—but I don’t stop. I don’t look back.

Because if I do, I’ll shatter into a million pieces.

⸻

Noah

“Dude,” Daniel breathes behind me, breaking the stunned silence. “What the hell was that?”

But I barely hear him. My entire body feels numb, my ears still ringing with Jessa’s words.

I still wanted you to like me.

They echo over and over, louder than the music, louder than the laughter that followed her every misstep for years.

I didn’t think she’d heard Daniel earlier, when he said he hoped she wouldn’t come tonight.

I didn’t think she’d noticed every cutting little joke, every glance exchanged when she walked into a room.

But she noticed everything.

She always noticed.

And now she’s gone.

“Carter,” Jackson growls, finally finding his voice. His face is pale, his fists clenched at his sides. “What did you do to my sister?”

I don’t answer.

Because the truth is, I don’t even know where to start.

All I know is that for the first time in my life, I’m not worried about Jackson’s anger.

I’m terrified of losing Jessa for good.