Jessa

The 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 ...