True to You (Rumor Has It series Book 2) Read online

  True to You

  RH Tucker

  Evergold Press

  Copyright © 2018 by RH Tucker

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by DominionEditorial.com

  Cover design by James at GoOnWrite.com

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  From the Author

  About the Author

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  Chapter 1

  Matt

  “And now, for the part we’ve all been waiting for. It’s almost prom season!”

  Yvette pierces the audio so much that I signal to Kip to lower the dial, so a loud screech doesn’t get sent out through the school.

  Morning announcements aren’t my favorite thing about being a part of student council. But, being student body president, I guess I’m supposed to be the one to make sure things run smoothly. Although, Yvette is our vice-president, so I don’t know why I can’t handle other things. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. I didn’t get the position because I want to go into politics or campaigned my ass off. I got it because I’m popular. So did she. And the only reason I ran for student body president was because of my father.

  My dad’s a big shot defense attorney that works twenty-hour days, seven days a week. My brother and I live with him since neither of us wanted to move to New York with my mom when they divorced three years ago. The divorce sucked. Royally. Because I love my mom. She’s great. She’s also a lawyer and had just been hired by this huge firm just as the divorce was being finalized. It was hard, but I love California. It’s all I’ve known. Plus, all my friends are here.

  So, yeah, it sucked. But she brings us out as much as she can, which means we get to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summers out in New York City. It’s pretty awesome when you make friends with your parent’s workmate’s kids, and they take you out partying in Manhattan and Brooklyn until three in the morning.

  Anyways, back to my dad, Mr. Big-Time-Defense-Attorney. He’s been one for twenty years and has pretty much hounded me about becoming one myself. But I refuse. Flat out refuse. I see all the work he and my mom have done over the years and how much they love it. I, on the other hand, just see piles of paperwork and court hearings. That’s definitely not what I want to do. The thing is, I have no clue what I actually do want to do.

  My dad tried to get me to do mock trial, but I keep telling him we’ve got a full team. I have no idea if Woodbridge even has a mock trial team. But this year, he said if I wasn’t going to do that, at least do something that would give me experience. Experience? In what? People talking? I’m a popular guy, not to brag or anything, and I hang out with Lucas Mitchell and my best friend, Carter Dixon, two of the most popular guys in school. I don’t need to go out of my way to be in student council to get some type of experience. Just to appease him I decided to throw my name in the hat. And wouldn’t you know it, I got the most votes for president.

  Which brings us back to Yvette, our vice-president. She’s been going on and on, actually now that I’m looking at my phone, almost three minutes over our allotted morning announcements time about prom. And she’s talking about the prom court of course.

  Only seniors are eligible for prom court. I would say Carter is a shoe in for it, but after his fall from grace with all the rumors spread about him, he probably won’t get any votes, if he’s even on the ballot. I’m assuming I’ll probably be nominated, but the nominations aren’t for a while, so why the hell is Yvette going on and on about them?

  I clear my throat loudly, which gets her attention.

  “My bad.” She gives a smile to the camera that says, I’m trying to act embarrassed, but I’m not really embarrassed, because I’m Yvette Morales, and I’m the bad bitch that is running prom court this year.

  And, yeah, she probably is.

  Yvette Morales is to the girls at Woodbridge High what Carter Dixon used to be to the guys. She’s the man. Er… woman. But, she’s also the classic ‘mean girl’. Seriously, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought Mean Girls was a biopic about Yvette Morales, where Rachel McAdams character was actually Yvette, but they named her Regina George to avoid any lawsuits. Oh, and she wants me.

  Okay, I know that sounds like a douchebag thing to say. And conceited. But it’s the truth. She makes sure I know it every time I walk by her. I could honestly file a sexual harassment suit against her if I wanted to, for how many times she’s pinched my ass. It’s ridiculous. I probably have a permanent red mark from it.

  “Those are the announcements for today,” Greg, our student body treasurer, finally chimes in. “Be sure to enjoy the day and have a terrific spring break. Stay safe out there.”

  They both sit still, smiling at the camera. Greg’s already said he wants to major in broadcasting after high school, so he plays the role of newscaster perfectly.

  “And, we’re out,” Kip calls out. He’s one of the students in the broadcasting room who helps put on the morning announcements show.

  “Good job,” I say to everyone, but Yvette immediately looks at me and gives me a sultry smile.

  The teacher calls us back to our desks, and for the rest of first period, we start getting things in line for the distribution of yearbooks, our senior trip, our final senior pep rally, and, of course, prom.

  The bell rings for the end of class, and I grab my backpack. But not before Yvette makes her way over.

  “So, Matt, any plans for prom?”

  “Not really,” I answer coolly. And it’s true, I haven’t even thought about it. It’s still over a month away.

  She lets out a laugh, at what I don’t know, and then throws her hair back over her shoulder. “Sarah and I are going dress shopping this weekend. I don’t know if I’ll get anything, but I want to make sure I find something I like. What about spring break?”

  “Yeah. My brother and I are visiting my mom out in New York.”

  “New York?” She squeals. “Oh, bring me back a souvenir,” she adds as she grabs my arm.

  “Uh, yeah. Sure,” I say as I detangle myself from her and make my way out of the door. “Later, Yvette.”

  I head down the hallway and turn the corner, bumping right into Izzy Jacobs.

  “Oh shit, sorry.”
I steady myself and reach out because it looks like she might fall over. But she steadies herself and my hand, that was reaching out for her arm, now connects with her boob. And not just a light brush. I was trying to grab her arm, but I grab her instead. I jerk my hand back, and I know my cheeks are blushing. “Ah—sorry,” I spit out again.

  “Dang, Mr. President. Trying to pull a Bill Clinton?”

  “What?” I gape, not giving a second thought to the nickname I’ve grown annoyed with this year.

  “It’s so easy with guys.”

  “Very funny.” My nervousness eases a bit. “Seriously, sorry.”

  “It’s all good, Matt,” she says as she starts walking away.

  I turn around to watch as she leaves. Izzy Jacobs. Now that’s a girl that I’d love to go out with. She’s kind of popular in school, but not because of anything school related. She’s mostly known as a nerd, which she is. And she’s totally fine with that. She runs her own YouTube channel called So Cal Nerd Girl, where she reviews comics, manga, anime, and pretty much all things pop culture. It’s right up my alley. Not that anyone knows that about me. Not even Carter knows that I’m a closet fanboy.

  I love comic books, collectibles, and all that stuff. And the biggest nerd thing I do? I cosplay. I make my own costumes and go to comic book conventions dressed up as a character. I’ve dressed up as a The Flash, Master Chief from Halo, and Star-Lord. Yep, everything has a mask. That way if anyone is around, I can keep it a secret. At the end of Spring Break, my brother and I will be attending Big Apple PopCon, where I’ll be cosplaying again. I’m super excited for that.

  So yeah, Izzy Jacobs is definitely my type. Not to mention she’s gorgeous, curvy, and if my unintentional brush with second base is anything to go off, maybe a C cup? Shoulder length jet-black hair and a little bit of makeup, but nothing overboard. And these incredible amber eyes. Yeah, she’s awesome. And maybe in another life, I might think about asking her out. We’d probably get along great, with all kinds of things in common. But this is the life I have. My life of popular jock, student body president - one of the ‘cool kids’. I’m not complaining about it. Which is why I’m not going out of my way to ask Izzy out. I’ve spent high school just doing the normal stuff like, hanging out with friends, hitting the beaches, having occasional girlfriends, and since most of my friends have been on the popular kids’ side of the spectrum, it’s been relatively smooth.

  No need to rock the boat now.

  Chapter 2

  Izzy

  “Dang, Mr. President.” I look up at Matt Hillard as I stop myself from stumbling back. “Trying to pull a Bill Clinton?”

  “What?” His jaw drops, and I can’t help but crack a smile.

  If it was someone else, I might’ve played it out a little longer, making them squirm, but Matt’s always seemed like a good guy. He’s insanely hot and our class president, but he’s never let either of those things give him an ego. At least, not that I’ve seen. He’s got dark brown shaggy hair that seems all over the place but also made up at the same time. Almost like beach head, which makes sense, since he’s got a great golden tan, no doubt from hitting said beach. And he’s got a little scruff under his chin too, which I find really sexy. My last boyfriend had a little, and I loved it. Plus, Matt stood by his best friend when his reputation imploded last month, which means he’s loyal. That’s endearing.

  “It’s so easy with guys.”

  “Very funny.” He smirks, the red in his face dying down a little. “Seriously, sorry.”

  “It’s all good.” I wave him off and keep heading to my next class. Maybe I’ll make fun of him later in our sociology class. Even if he doesn’t have an ego, it’s always good to keep a possible future one in check.

  As I make my way to my next class, I can already feel the excitement about next weekend. Just one week until I’m in the Big Apple. Talk about your first time in New York. It’s even better that I’m getting flown out there. Next weekend is Big Apple PopCon. It’s one of the biggest comic book and pop culture conventions on the east coast and I got invited to attend and be a guest judge for their cosplay contest because of my YouTube channel. I’ve got thirty-two thousand subscribers, which isn’t huge as far as top YouTubers go, but one of my subscribers likes my show and is a big-time cosplayer. She’s one of the judges and recommended me as the third judge. How awesome is that?

  Peeking around, I check for any teachers before I pull out my phone and start recording myself.

  “What’s up, people? So Cal Nerd Girl here.” I smile and make sure I tilt my head at the right angle. “Just making a super quick update at school, but I gotta be fast because I’ve already been warned once about filming at school.” I look around again. It’s all clear. “Okay, last week I said I had a big surprise, and I’m so excited about it, that I just had to post a quick update. No, not revealing it yet, but the reveal will come a week from tomorrow. And, I’ll give you a hint. I’ll be in New York for it!”

  I can’t keep the smile from spreading ear to ear. Just then, Veronica wraps her arm around me. “Oh, is Nerd Girl filming in school again?” She giggles, looking up at my phone.

  “Well, looks like we got a special guest today. How’s your morning, V?” I pan the camera to her.

  “Sucks.” She frowns before pointing at the camera. “Any seniors out there have a teacher that loves to offer you homework over Spring Break? Well, I have one. I mean, who does that?”

  “Remember, no homework talk on my channel. We talk exclusively about new summer movies, great comics books, and hot anime guys.”

  Veronica grabs my phone and gives it the steamiest look she can. “I want Chris Evans’ babies.” Handing it back to me, she flips a smile. “That count?”

  “It certainly does. I’m sure we all do. Okay, I better go, guys. I’ll post a mid-week update next week, leading up to my big surprise. Oh, and if Principal Tanner is somehow watching this video, I did this after school hours. I promise.”

  Veronica laughs with me as we head to our next class. She’s about the same height as me and same black hair; only hers is really curly. She’s a little on the heavier side, which I know she is self-conscious about, but I think she’s adorable. She and Cindy have been my best friends for years.

  “I’m so jealous of you and Cindy. I want to go to New York.”

  “I know, I’m sorry.” I give her a hug. “I would’ve tried to convince my dad to buy a second ticket, but I had enough trouble getting him to give his ticket to Cindy as it was.”

  “I hate her.”

  I let out a laugh as Veronica sticks out her bottom lip. “No, you don’t. V, the only reason she got the ticket was because me and my dad were having that argument.”

  I’d just received my invite to the convention, asking me to be a guest judge for their cosplay contest. An invited guest. That means they pay for the flight, they pay for my hotel room, and I get to roam the convention and do everything I’d normally do at a show. But only I was invited, which meant only one ticket. And my dad wouldn’t hear of it. I love my dad. He’s great. But, being as I’m an only child and the daddy’s girl to his single father, he wouldn’t hear of me flying across the country all by myself. Even if I did just turn eighteen, that didn’t matter to him.

  The next day he told me he bought himself a ticket. As I said, I love my dad, but I don’t want to be chaperoned around like I’m five years old. Luckily, Cindy had just come over to my house while we were arguing about it and I threw her name out. At first, he didn’t budge.

  “Then it’d just be two girls alone in New York,” he argued.

  But I hounded on him, batted my eyes, and gave him my best ‘Daddy’s little girl’ look that I could. I know it might seem low, but I know how to work over my dad if I really want something. And he finally caved. I’ll have to check in with him every hour, which I thought was excessive, but he finally said Cindy could have his ticket and he got the airlines to change everything.

  “I know, I know,”
Veronica laments.

  “You could try and get her to give it to you.”

  “Oh, please. Look, I like this stuff and all, but we both know she’s your bester best friend.”

  “V, that’s not true.”

  “Okay, maybe not on a friend level, but she’s way more into everything than I am. I like the movie stuff mostly, but I’ve heard you guys quote Fullmetal Alchemist more than I care to admit. She should go.”

  “See.” I beam, giving her another hug. “That’s why you’re such a great best friend. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back something.”

  “How about one of those hot cosplay guys? Preferably one that’s shirtless.”

  I snort as we walk into our class. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  For the next hour, instead of taking notes, I’m doodling ideas for my YouTube channel. I’ve been making So Cal Nerd Girl videos for two years now. At first, I just did it for fun, to review new movies I saw or new graphic novels and mangas I read. But after the first few months, I actually gained a couple hundred followers. The more I posted, the more I seemed to get new subscribers. My mind was blown when I got my first thousand subscribers. It just kind of escalated from there.

  As the subscriber count has grown, I’ve actually made a little money with ads too. And I’ve got fans. How crazy is that? I wasn’t sure what to think, the first time someone emailed me asking me if they could buy something from me, or if I had a PayPal account so they could donate money to me. I mean, I love making the videos. I love just talking about all things geek because that’s what I’m in to. The fact that I’m actually reaching people out there that love the same thing is so cool. I decided to set up an Amazon wishlist if people wanted to buy me things and boy have they. My room is littered with graphic novels, DVDs, collectible figures and anything else I’ve added to my wishlist. It’s insane. All the perks aside, I just love being So Cal Nerd Girl and talking about nerd stuff.