Invisible To Her Bully Chapter 33

Noah

The late summer sun beat down on Schneider’s Field, making the turf shimmer like a black skillet. Sweat ran down my spine beneath my pads as the team lined up again, helmets clashing, voices shouting, the sound of the game echoing in the humid air.

Normally, this was my place.

The field was where everything made sense — where the world narrowed down to clean plays, fast routes, and bone-crunching hits.

But today, my focus kept slipping.

No matter how many times I told myself to lock in, I kept seeing Jessa’s face in the cafeteria.

The way her expression crumbled when Daniel opened his mouth and spit out those ugly words.

And the way she’d looked at me when I stood up for her — like she didn’t know what to make of it.

Hell, I didn’t know what to make of it either.

The whistle blew.

I dropped into position, forcing everything else out of my head. The ball snapped, Jackson’s voice calling the play sharp and clear. I bolted downfield, cutting right, but my timing was a half-beat off. Jackson’s pass sailed just out of reach, thudding against the grass.

“CAR-TER!” Coach Richards’ voice cracked like a whip.

I cursed under my breath and jogged back, snatching up the ball.

Coach was already storming toward me, face red. “What’s going on with you today? Your head’s not in the game.”

“I’m good, Coach,” I said quickly, my jaw tight. “Won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” He stabbed a finger toward me. “Friday night, a college recruiter’s coming specifically to watch you play. You wanna blow your future because you can’t get your mind straight?”

“No, sir,” I said, the words clipped.

“Then prove it.” His glare swept over the rest of the team. “Run it again!”

The guys groaned and reset, but I could feel their eyes on me, especially Daniel’s smug smirk. The bastard looked like he was enjoying this — like he knew exactly why I was off my game and couldn’t wait to watch me crash and burn.

I wanted to knock that look right off his face.

Jackson jogged over as we lined back up, his brow furrowed. “What’s going on with you, man? You’re playing like you’ve never run a route in your life.”

“Nothing,” I said, sharper than I meant to.

Jackson gave me a hard look. “You sure? Because it seems like maybe it has something to do with my sister.”

That one landed like a punch to the gut.

My fists clenched automatically, but I kept my voice even. “Drop it, Jacks.”

He studied me for a long second, then gave a single curt nod. “Fine. But get it together. We need you at a hundred percent, especially Friday.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “I know.”

The next snap went better, but not by much.

My routes were sloppy, my hands felt slow, and even my blocks lacked punch. I was running on pure instinct, which wasn’t going to cut it under the recruiter’s watchful eye.

Daniel didn’t help matters either. Every chance he got, he threw me these little smirks or muttered digs under his breath. Nothing the coaches would catch, but just enough to make my blood boil.

He was still pissed about lunch. Pissed that Jackson and I had called him out in front of half the school.

Good. He deserved worse for what he’d said to Jessa.

By the end of practice, my jersey was soaked, my muscles screaming. Coach blew the whistle, his face like thunder.

“Hit the showers,” he barked. Then his glare locked on me. “Except you, Carter.”

Crap.

The guys didn’t even try to hide their curiosity as they jogged off the field, Daniel smirking as he passed me like he’d just won something.

Once they were gone, Coach stalked over, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re one of my most consistent players, Noah. I count on you to set the tone for this team. Today?” His eyes narrowed. “You were a distraction.”

I gritted my teeth. “It won’t happen again, Coach.”

“See that it doesn’t. Friday night is your shot to impress that recruiter, and I’m not letting one bad practice screw that up.” His tone softened slightly. “Whatever’s going on, fix it before you step on this field again. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

He gave me a firm nod, then turned and headed toward the locker room.

Inside, the place was loud and chaotic. Guys laughed, trash-talked, and shouted about the bonfire tonight. Normally, I’d be right there with them — first to joke, first to hype everyone up.

Not today.

Today, my mind was too busy replaying Daniel’s words and Jessa’s face when she’d heard them.

The way she’d bolted out of the cafeteria like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

And yeah, maybe the way Mariah had looked at me too, like she was seeing me differently for the first time.

I yanked off my pads and dropped onto the bench, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.

Daniel’s voice drifted across the room, loud enough to grate. “Man, tonight’s gonna be wild. Hope you guys are ready to watch me win every game out there.” His buddies laughed.

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to say something.

Not here. Not now.

Friday night, I’d let my playing do the talking.

And if Daniel thought he was the king of the team, he was about to get a rude awakening.

As the room cleared out, Jackson paused at the door, glancing back at me. “You coming to the bonfire?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing and grabbing my bag.

“You sure? You’ve been… off.”

“I’m fine,” I replied flatly. “See you there.”

Jackson studied me for another beat, like he wanted to press, but finally just nodded and left.

Alone for a moment, I stared at my reflection in the cracked locker room mirror.

Tonight, everyone would be watching — teammates, classmates, Jessa.

And I had to figure out how to face her.

I wasn’t going to apologize, not yet.

But I wasn’t going to let Daniel’s garbage define how she saw me either.

One thing was certain:

Whatever happened at that bonfire tonight, it was going to change things.

For me.

For Jessa.

For all of us.