Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 50

Noah

The gym was packed so tight it felt like the walls were shaking. The bleachers were a blur of our school colors, the band blasting some over-the-top fight song as everyone chanted, stomped, and clapped in rhythm.

This was my world.

The noise, the energy, the way people shouted my name when I walked past — I lived for this. It was where I was supposed to be, where I didn’t have to think about anything but football and winning.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to feel.

But my eyes kept drifting to her.

I spotted Jessa sitting with Mariah near the middle of the bleachers, and my chest went tight. She was wearing one of our school shirts — no, not just any shirt.

It had Lombardi across the back.

Jackson’s name.

And Jackson’s number — 12 — glittering like it was lit up just to mock me.

I knew it was stupid. She was his sister. Of course, she’d wear his number to the pep rally. But the sight of her sitting there, laughing with Mariah, so damn proud to rep her brother…

Yeah, I hated it.

I hated how much I wanted that shirt to have my name on it instead.

My hands clenched at my sides as the team made our entrance, soaking up the noise, the chants, the wild energy of the crowd. Usually, this was my favorite part — the rush of adrenaline, the way the entire gym seemed to move with us.

But today?

Today, my focus was fractured.

Because every time I scanned the bleachers, my gaze landed right back on Jessa. She wasn’t doing anything special — just smiling, clapping, leaning over to whisper something to Mariah.

But it was enough to make my head spin.

And when she stood up during one of the chants, the shirt hugging her curves in all the right ways, I nearly missed my cue to hype the crowd.

Get your head in the game, Carter, I told myself, forcing a cocky grin. This isn’t about her. It’s about football. It’s about you.

The pep rally blurred by after that. Cheers, announcements, Coach giving a speech, Jackson doing his thing as team captain.

When it finally ended, everyone spilled out of the gym in a wave of laughter and excitement, the buzz of game day stronger than ever.

I should’ve been hanging with my guys, joking around, hyping each other up for tomorrow night.

That was the plan.

Instead, my feet moved on autopilot, following the one person I shouldn’t be anywhere near.

Jessa.

She and Mariah were weaving through the crowd, heading toward the side hallway that led to the lockers.

I didn’t think — I just acted.

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her hand before she could disappear down the hall.

She spun around, startled. “Noah? What are you—”

“Come with me.”

Before she could protest, I tugged her into an empty classroom. The door clicked shut behind us, cutting off the noise from the hallway.

For a second, we just stood there, breathing hard. The air between us felt electric, charged with something neither of us wanted to name.

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