Invisible To Her Bully Chapter 57

Jackson

The stadium lights were still blazing bright, casting the field in that golden glow that always made football nights feel electric. My blood was still pumping from the win, the roar of the crowd echoing in my ears as teammates slapped me on the back, cheering and hollering.

We’d done it.

We’d taken the game, and it had been a fight to the very last second.

I should’ve been on top of the world right now. This was the kind of victory you dreamed about as a quarterback. A packed stadium, a last-minute play, the crowd losing their minds.

But none of that mattered the second I saw what was happening a few yards away.

Noah.

With my sister.

I froze mid-step, my chest tightening as the scene burned into my brain.

Noah had his hands on Jessa’s face—his hands. She was looking up at him with wide, startled eyes, and he was leaning down, his forehead almost touching hers. His expression was soft, almost… intimate.

Too intimate.

My stomach dropped like a stone.

I’d been walking toward them, ready to hug Jessa and celebrate with her, but now all I could do was stand there, rooted to the spot, watching the guy I trusted most—the guy I considered like a brother—holding my twin like she was his.

Mariah was right there beside Jessa, her mouth hanging open slightly, like even she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Tell me I’m not seeing this,” I muttered under my breath, my voice rough.

But I was seeing it.

And every second that Noah didn’t move his hands away from her face, the fury building in my chest grew hotter and hotter, threatening to boil over.

He had the nerve to smile at her. Smile. Like this wasn’t completely out of bounds.

My fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.

I didn’t even remember moving, but suddenly I was storming across the field, my cleats pounding against the grass. A few teammates called my name, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look back.

The crowd, the noise, the win—it all faded into nothing but a dull roar in my ears.

All I could see was Jessa and Noah.

All I could think about was how I’d warned Noah over and over through the years: don’t mess with my sister.

Jessa might not see it, but I knew how guys on the team talked about her when they thought no one was listening. I knew the kind of crap Daniel spewed, the looks others gave her, the way some laughed at her behind her back. I’d turned a blind eye to too much of it, and I hated myself for it.

But Noah?

Noah was supposed to be different.

He was supposed to have her back, like I did.

Instead, here he was, touching her like she was some kind of prize he’d just claimed in front of everyone.

“Jackson—” Mariah’s voice rang out, sharp and warning, but I didn’t slow down.

When I reached them, I practically ripped Noah’s hands away from Jessa’s face. She stumbled back, wide-eyed and confused, while Noah turned to face me, his jaw tightening.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” I snarled, shoving him back a step.

Noah didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look guilty.

That infuriated me more than anything.

“Jackson, stop!” Jessa’s voice cracked, panicked, but I ignored her.

“This is my sister, Noah!” I shouted, my anger spilling out like gasoline on a fire. “You don’t get to stand here like—like that, in front of everybody, like she’s just some girl you can mess with!”

Noah’s eyes narrowed, his usual easygoing expression gone. “She’s not just some girl, Jackson.”

The words hit me like a slap, but I refused to back down.

“Then what is she, huh?” I snapped. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re doing exactly what every other guy on this team does—treating her like a joke!”

Noah’s fists clenched at his sides. “You really think that low of me?”

“I think you’re crossing a line you can’t uncross,” I growled.

Jessa’s voice broke in, trembling. “Jackson, please. Stop.”

But I couldn’t stop.

Not when every protective instinct in me was screaming to tear Noah apart for touching her like that, for making her look at him like that.

For making me feel like I’d just lost my sister to someone I’d trusted my whole life.

Mariah finally stepped between us, her hands outstretched. “Both of you, enough! This is not the place for this!”

I glared past her at Noah, my chest heaving.

“This isn’t over,” I bit out. “Not by a long shot.”

Noah’s jaw flexed, his own anger simmering just beneath the surface. “You’re damn right it’s not.”

Jessa stood frozen between us, her face pale and stricken, her hands trembling at her sides.

And all I could think, as I turned and stormed off the field, was that somehow, this night had gone from the best win of our season to the biggest fight of my life.