Invisible To Her Bully Chapter 64

Jessa

Mariah yanked open my curtains, letting in a flood of light that felt almost violent after spending the whole day hiding under my blanket.

I groaned, dragging the covers over my head. “Why do you hate me?”

“Because it’s two in the afternoon, Jess,” Mariah said, her tone sharp but laced with concern. “You’ve been in bed since last night, and if I let you, you’d probably still be here when school starts on Monday. That’s not happening.”

The blanket ripped away, and I squinted up at her. She stood over me like some avenging angel in ripped jeans and a hoodie, hands on her hips.

“Get up,” she ordered.

“No,” I muttered, curling into a ball.

Mariah crouched down beside the bed, her face softening. “Jess, come on. I know you’re hurt. I know last night was… a lot. But you can’t just stay in here forever. You’ve got to face the world at some point.”

My throat tightened. “I don’t want to. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” she said firmly. “And I’ll be right there with you.”

I sat up slowly, hugging a pillow to my chest like a shield. My head pounded, and my chest felt hollow, like my heart had been scooped out and thrown away.

“Mariah…” My voice wavered. “What am I supposed to do on Monday? When I see him?”

Her brows furrowed. “Him as in Noah?”

I nodded miserably. Just saying his name felt like swallowing broken glass. “Yeah. Noah.”

The kiss flashed through my mind — the way he’d grabbed me after the pep rally, how sure and certain he’d seemed in that moment, like he wanted me.

And then Daniel’s cruel laugh. His words slicing through me.

The realization that I’d been a joke.

My stomach twisted.

“I don’t know how to look at him,” I whispered. “I don’t know how to act like none of this happened when it feels like everything changed.”

Mariah studied me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Okay,” she said finally, her voice steady and calm. “Here’s what you don’t do. You don’t cry in front of him. You don’t let him see how much this hurt you. You hold your head high and you walk past him like he’s no different than some random guy you barely know.”

I blinked at her. “That’s impossible. He’s not just some random guy.”

“Maybe not,” Mariah agreed. “But you can make him think he doesn’t matter anymore. You want to really get to him? Act like he’s invisible. Smile. Laugh. Look amazing. And when he realizes he doesn’t have control over you, that will mess with his head.”

I bit my lip. “But what if he tries to talk to me?”

“Then you keep it short and sweet,” Mariah said with a shrug. “‘Hey, Noah. Gotta run.’ Boom. End of conversation. Don’t give him a chance to hurt you again.”

I stared down at my hands, my fingers twisting in my lap. “But… what if he wasn’t part of it? What if he didn’t know Daniel was going to say those things?”

Mariah sighed. “Jess, I love you, but you can’t keep giving people the benefit of the doubt when they’ve shown you who they are. Noah kissed you and then stood there while Daniel humiliated you. He didn’t stop it. He didn’t defend you.”

The truth in her words cut deep, and I blinked back tears.

“You deserve someone who’s proud to be seen with you,” Mariah continued, her tone fierce. “Not someone who makes you feel like a secret. And definitely not someone who lets other people treat you like garbage.”

My chest ached. I wanted to believe her. I really did.

But a part of me — the foolish, stubborn part — still clung to the memory of the way Noah’s hands had cupped my face, the heat in his eyes when he’d kissed me like I was the only girl in the world.

I sniffled and swiped at my cheeks. “So you really think I should just… ignore him?”

Mariah smirked, her eyes glittering with determination. “Not just ignore him. We’re going to make you look so good on Monday, he won’t know what hit him. He’s going to realize exactly what he lost — and he’s going to regret it.”

Despite everything, a tiny laugh escaped me. “That sounds… kind of evil.”

“Oh, it’s absolutely evil,” Mariah said with a wicked grin. “But also fabulous. You’ve been letting other people write the story of your life, Jess. It’s time you take the pen back.”

I hugged the pillow tighter, still unsure but clinging to her words like a lifeline.

“Okay,” I whispered. “But… will you really be there with me?”

“Always,” she promised, slinging an arm around me and pulling me into a side hug. “And trust me, by the time we’re done, Noah Carter won’t know what hit him.”

For the first time since last night, a flicker of hope sparked in my chest.

It wasn’t much.

But it was enough to make me believe maybe I could face Monday — and Noah — after all.