Invisible To Her Bully Chapter 30

Jessa

The hallways of Ridgeview High were already alive with noise when I walked in that morning, the usual Monday chaos mixed with extra excitement buzzing through the air. Everyone was talking about two things — the bonfire tonight at Schneider’s Field and Friday night’s game.

I kept my head high as I made my way to my locker, refusing to slouch or skulk like I used to. It wasn’t that I didn’t hear the laughter, the whispers, or the way conversations sometimes shifted when I walked by — I did. I’d just gotten good at pretending I didn’t care.

But some days, that pretending was a whole lot harder than others.

“Yo, dude, this week is huge.”

Jackson’s voice rang out over the chatter, unmistakable and confident as ever. I didn’t have to look to know exactly where my twin brother and his crew were. Jackson was always surrounded by his friends like some kind of golden-boy gravitational pull.

“Coach said that recruiter’s the real deal,” Noah added, his easygoing laugh following his words. “Division I school, man. You crush it on Friday, and you’re set.”

My jaw clenched. Even when Noah wasn’t talking to me, his voice had a way of getting under my skin. Smooth and cocky, like he knew every girl in this hallway was hanging on his every word — which, judging by the swooning smiles around him, wasn’t far from the truth.

Jackson bumped Noah’s shoulder, grinning like this was all just another adventure. “We’ve got this. Friday’s our night.”

As usual, they sounded untouchable, their lives perfectly laid out ahead of them.

And me? I was just… there. The twin sister nobody really noticed unless it was to compare me to Jackson or, worse, to laugh at me.

I shoved my books into my locker a little too forcefully, the metal door rattling. Maybe I could just get through this day without incident. One day — was that too much to ask?

“Man, tonight’s bonfire is gonna be insane,” Daniel said, loud enough for half the hall to hear. His smirk was practically audible. “But we cannot let anyone kill the vibe.”

The words made my skin prickle.

I didn’t even have to hear the rest to know where this was going.

And sure enough, Daniel’s gaze slid to me, slow and deliberate, before he added, “Hopefully Jackson’s sister doesn’t show up and bring the whole thing down.”

Laughter erupted around him. Jackson didn’t laugh — but he didn’t say anything either, which somehow hurt worse. His silence was like approval, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

I felt the heat crawl up my neck. Normally, I would’ve kept walking, pretending their words didn’t matter.

But not today.

I slammed my locker shut, the sound sharp enough to cut through their laughter. Then I turned on my heel and marched right toward them before I could second-guess myself.

“Wow, Daniel,” I said, my voice cool but carrying over the crowd. “You really love talking about who shouldn’t be at the bonfire. Maybe if you spent half as much time showing off on the field as you do running your mouth in the hallway, you might actually have a shot at that full-ride scholarship you keep bragging about.”

The hallway went silent for a beat.

Daniel’s smirk faltered, his face going red.

And then — laughter.

Loud, unrestrained laughter.

But this time, it wasn’t at me. It was at him.

Even Jackson cracked up, shaking his head and clapping Noah on the back. Noah, for once, wasn’t laughing. His mouth twitched like he was trying to hide a smirk, but his eyes… his eyes were locked on me, dark and unreadable.

Daniel sputtered, his pride clearly bruised. “Y-Yeah, whatever. Like you know anything about football.”

“More than you think,” I shot back. “Being Jackson’s sister kind of comes with the territory.”

With that, I turned and walked away, keeping my shoulders square and my chin high. My heart was pounding, but I wasn’t about to let them see that. No way was I giving Daniel or anyone else the satisfaction of knowing how hard my hands were shaking.

As I passed Mariah, who’d been standing a few lockers down, her jaw practically hit the floor.

“Jess,” she whispered, hurrying to catch up with me. “That was epic. You absolutely roasted him.”

“I’m just tired of him running his mouth,” I muttered, though a small, secret thrill buzzed through me. It wasn’t often I got the last word — especially not in front of half the school.

Mariah’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “You didn’t just get the last word, girl. You destroyed him. Did you see his face?”

“Unfortunately, yeah,” I said dryly. “Hard to miss a face that red.”

We both laughed, the tension between my ribs loosening just a little. It felt… good. Powerful, even. For once, I wasn’t the joke.

As we rounded the corner toward our first class, Mariah glanced at me sideways, her expression softening. “So… about tonight.”

I groaned. “Here we go.”

“I’m just saying,” she said, drawing out the words. “The bonfire isn’t just for the football guys and their groupies. It’s a tradition, Jess. Whole school goes. We should go too.”

“Tradition or not, you heard Daniel,” I said bitterly. “Apparently, I’d ruin the vibe.”

Mariah rolled her eyes. “Daniel’s an idiot. You shut him down already — don’t let him scare you off now.”

I hesitated. The idea of standing there while everyone else laughed and flirted, knowing I’d be on the outside looking in… it made my stomach twist. But a small, stubborn part of me didn’t want to give Daniel the satisfaction of thinking he’d won.

“Besides,” Mariah added slyly, “you already know Noah’s gonna be there.”

My cheeks warmed despite myself. “And?”

“And maybe he’ll finally notice what’s been right in front of him all this time.”

I snorted, trying to play it off. “Or maybe he’ll notice how stupid I look standing in the middle of Schneider’s Field with a plate of burnt marshmallows.”

“Hey,” Mariah said, bumping my shoulder with hers. “You were a total badass just now. Take that same energy to the bonfire. Show them you’re not the invisible girl anymore.”

Her words sank into me like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Maybe she was right. Maybe tonight, I didn’t have to be the butt of anyone’s joke.

I didn’t have to be just Jackson’s twin or Noah’s convenient target.

Tonight, I could just be me.

And maybe, for once, that would be enough.