Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

JessaMariah’s bedroom looks like the aftermath of a fashion tornado. Clothes are scattered across her bed, hangers hooked on the doorknob, shoes kicked into the corner. She’s sprawled on the carpet, painting her nails like the mess doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, I’m standing in front of her mirror, tugging at the hem of the black top she made me borrow.“It’s too tight,” I mutter, turning sideways and frowning at the way it hugs my stomach.“It’s not tight, it’s fitted,” Mariah says, blowing on her nails. “There’s a difference.”I pull at the fabric anyway, wishing it would magically loosen. “It clings. I look ridiculous.”“You look hot,” she says without even glancing up.Hot. The word makes my cheeks burn. I don’t look hot. I look like me—Jessa Lombardi, the girl with the round face and the thighs Noah Carter couldn’t resist mocking. The girl who everyone looks past to get to my twin brother, Jackson.I tug at the top again, then reach for the oversized hoodie I brought in my bag. “Forge

JessaThe second Noah’s words left his mouth, it felt like the whole room tilted.“Still a big girl, though.”They weren’t even the worst words I’ve ever heard. People have called me names before, tossed casual insults like they were confetti. But coming from him, with that crooked smirk and his voice just loud enough for half the room to hear, it burned.I wanted to shrink, to melt into the floorboards and vanish. My hands tugged at the hem of my shirt, wishing for the safety of my oversized hoodie, wishing I’d never let Mariah talk me into this stupid top.This was supposed to be my night. My chance to finally feel… different. Maybe even beautiful.But of course, Noah Carter had to open his mouth and remind me exactly who I was.The invisible twin. The awkward one. The “big girl.”Jackson didn’t help either. His face had gone all stiff, protective and annoyed. “You really shouldn’t be wearing that, Jess,” he’d said, like I was some kid who didn’t understand the world. Then, in typic

JessaThe second the laughter erupted, I felt it.Like every giggle, every jeer, every whispered comment was a knife slicing through me.“Guess you have to kiss the big girl!”The words echoed in my head, so loud I couldn’t hear the music anymore. My chest felt tight, my throat closing up as heat rushed to my face.I couldn’t sit there. I wouldn’t sit there.Before Noah could even move, before Jackson could reach for me again, I was on my feet, stumbling backward. My voice cracked as I forced the words out.“I’m done!”I didn’t wait for anyone to respond. Didn’t look back. I just ran—through the crowd, past the curious stares and poorly concealed smirks, and out the front door into the cool night air.The sharp bite of the autumn wind hit my skin like a slap, and only then did I realize I was shaking. My breaths came in shallow gasps, my vision blurred with tears.I hated them.I hated all of them.But mostly, I hated myself.I didn’t stop until I reached the end of the driveway, wher

JessaMonday mornings are the worst.Dragging myself out of bed after the disaster that was Daniel’s party feels like climbing a mountain with no peak. My whole body feels heavy, and it’s not just from exhaustion. It’s from the weight of… everything.The spin-the-bottle humiliation replays in my head on a loop. Noah’s smirk. The laughter. Jackson’s voice cutting through it all, casual and cruel.I told myself I’d forget about it by Monday. That nobody would even remember by the time school rolled around.But deep down, I knew better.At our school, moments like that don’t fade. They spread like wildfire, becoming the kind of story everyone repeats in whispers in the hallways. The kind of story that defines you.And sure enough, the second I walk through the double doors, I feel it: the stares, the snickers, the little smirks people think I don’t notice.My cheeks burn, but I force myself to keep walking, chin up like my mom always told me to do when people were mean.It doesn’t help.

JessaBy Friday, I’ve almost convinced myself that maybe, just maybe, this weekend won’t be so bad.Mariah and I have plans to binge-watch movies and eat junk food instead of going to another one of Daniel’s wild parties. She promised me a low-stress night, no drama, no spin-the-bottle humiliation, no football players laughing at me behind their red plastic cups.I need that.God, I need that.But as I’m walking to my locker at the end of the day, the universe decides to remind me that good things don’t happen to girls like me.I see them before they see me.Jackson.Daniel.And Noah.They’re standing near the trophy case—same spot they always take over like they own the school. Jackson’s got his usual easy grin, soaking up the attention of a couple of cheerleaders hovering nearby. Daniel’s loud, animated, his hands flying as he talks. And Noah…Noah’s just leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly cool without even trying. His hoodie stretches over broad sh