Rumor Has It: The Complete Series Read online

  Rumor Has It

  The Complete Series

  RH Tucker

  Copyright © 2019 by RH Tucker

  All rights reserved.

  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.

  Rumor Has It, and True to You edited by DominionEditorial.com

  Heart Shaped Lock, Through the Layers, and Piece by Piece edited by Melissa Ringsted of There For You Editing Services

  Cover design by James at GoOnWrite.com

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Rumor Has It

  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

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  True to You

  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

  Heart Shaped Lock

  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

  Through the Layers

  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

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Taylor

  Piece by Piece

  Prologue

  1. Sasha

  2. Taylor

  3. Sasha

  4. Taylor

  5. Sasha

  6. Taylor

  7. Sasha

  8. Taylor

  9. Sasha

  10. Taylor

  11. Sasha

  12. Taylor

  13. Sasha

  14. Taylor

  15. Sasha

  16. Taylor

  17. Sasha

  18. Taylor

  19. Sasha

  20. Taylor

  21. Sasha

  22. Taylor

  23. Sasha

  24. Taylor

  25. Sasha

  26. Taylor

  27. Sasha

  28. Taylor

  29. Sasha

  30. Taylor

  31. Sasha

  32. Taylor

  33. Sasha

  34. Taylor

  Epilogue

  From the desk of RH Tucker

  About the Author

  Also by RH Tucker

  Rumor Has It

  Chapter 1

  Carter

  “Shots!”

  Jeremy yells out to everyone gathered around his patio. His parties have been hit and miss over the past four years.

  Last year, he had an awesome after-prom party. Being juniors, he invited some seniors to keep up the ‘cool’ factor. Tonight’s party isn’t for any special occasion. His parents are out of town for the weekend, both of them realtors who specialize in commercial real estate. So, having a party in Quail Hill, a house that cost Jeremy’s parents over three million dollars–something he loved to point out when they moved in right before our junior year–always impresses people.

  I look over at Matt as we lounge in a hot tub, the sun setting over the backyard.

  "Dude, I'm not doing shots." I laugh. "If he'd held this party yesterday like he said he was going to, then maybe. But I'm not showing up at school tomorrow with a hangover."

  Matt nods, looking over at Jeremy pouring the alcohol into shot glasses. I can tell he's thinking about it but then wraps his hands behind his head, leaning back in the hot tub. "True."

  Matt’s my best friend. I’ve known him since third grade, but we became good friends when we started high school at Woodbridge High. Jeremy is cool, but he can definitely rub people the wrong way. And sometimes, whatever he says is just plain stupid or dickish. Sometimes both. But we all play sports together and have been hanging out since the beginning of high school.

  I lean back, enjoying the hot tub. Another great perk of Jeremy’s parties. Summertime we could jump in the pool, but if it’s cold, we hit the hot tub.

  “Hey, you got Mr. Hilton’s assignment from Friday, right?” Matt says

  �
��What assignment?” I ask lazily, still enjoying the water.

  We had an away game for basketball, so we left school early for the bus ride. Mr. Hilton is our calculus teacher and does not give any students slack on missing assignments. Not that our team deserved it. We weren’t bringing any titles to Woodbridge High anytime soon.

  "It was, like, five chapters I think. He said it was so much because it counts for double points on your grade."

  My eyes pop open. “Shit. What’s the assignment? I can’t let my grade drop.”

  “Don’t you have an A in the class?”

  “Yeah, but my graduation trip, remember?”

  My mom promised that if I aced every class my entire senior year, she’d get me a week’s vacation to anywhere I wanted to go. We aren’t rich by any means, so I know how big of a deal it is. The only real caveat is that I have to stay in the country. I’ve narrowed down my choices to Miami or New York.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  I wait for him to say something else, but he closes his eyes, leaning lower into the hot tub. “Well?”

  “Bro, I don’t remember. He broke it up. I want to say chapters twenty-one to twenty-three. And then … forty-five and forty-seven?”

  I look at him, confusion across my brow. Why would the chapters be that far apart? Matt’s eyes stay slightly askew. I know he’s not drunk, but he’s probably buzzed.

  "No, wait. Maybe thirty-six and thirty-seven. Yes, thirties, it was definitely in the thirties." He lets out a chuckle, at what I have no idea.

  “Damn it, Matt. This is serious.” He gives me an apologetic shrug.

  Scanning the party, I see our other friend, Lucas. I know he doesn’t have Mr. Hilton and neither does Jeremy. I recognize some other people but don’t know if they have that class. I could go around asking people, but I’m not a nerd. Not that I have anything against nerds, but I haven’t worked two years to become captain of the varsity basketball team and one of the most popular guys in school for nothing. Yeah, yeah, it’s shitty and shallow, but I’m not giving up my good rep unless it’s absolutely necessary. If it comes down to it, I’ll turn it over for a week in New York or Miami, but right now I still have options.

  “Dude, what’s that guy’s name in our class that sits behind you. Craig? No, Carson?”

  “Carlos.”

  “Yeah, Carlos. You had that buddy assignment with him last month, right? Did you guys exchange numbers?” Matt nods. “Text me his number. I’ll ask him for the assignment.”

  “You’re gonna do five chapters by tomorrow?”

  "The class isn't until the end of the day. I got all night tonight and then tomorrow." Matt looks at me like I'm crazy. "Dude, just do it."

  “Fine,” he says, reaching for his phone next to him. “There you go.”

  My phone chirps next to my head and I grab it, sending off the text message.

  ME: Hey, Carlos. You don’t know me, we’re in Mr. Hilton’s calculus class and I got your number from Matt. I was hoping I could get the weekend assignment from you. Thanks!

  I want to breathe a sigh of relief, but I’m not sure how long it will be until he replies. Hopefully not long. We all look at our phones constantly, right? But maybe he has it on silent. Or maybe he has a limited data plan. Or maybe it broke. Thinking about missing out on my graduation gift starts making the stress levels rise as my phone goes off.

  UNKNOWN: This isn’t Carlos. Wrong number

  I read the screen and shoot Matt an annoyed look. I'm about to tell him when my phone chirps again.

  UNKNOWN: Why didn’t u do the assignment? It’s five chapters long. There’s no way you can do that in one night

  Wait, what? It's the wrong number, but it's still a student at Woodbridge? How crazy is that? Or maybe it is Carlos, messing with me. I don't really know him, so perhaps he's joking around.

  ME: If this isn’t Carlos, then how do u know about the assignment?

  I stare at my phone. Whoever it is has an iPhone like me, because I can see that they’re typing a response.

  “Did you get it?” Matt asks, glancing over at me.

  “Yeah,” I answer, still staring at my phone.

  UNKNOWN: Only seniors take Mr. Hilton. Woodbridge has a senior class of over 400.

  I give my phone an irked grin.

  ME: Fine, thank u for the statistics. Do you know what the assignment is?

  UNKNOWN: I do

  ME: Well…

  And then nothing. I stare at the screen, waiting for a reply, but there’s no activity. No message popping up saying they’re typing. Finally, growing tired of waiting, I snap my head back over to Matt.

  “Dude, that wasn’t—” My phone chirps.

  UNKNOWN: Chapters 33-35, 38 and 39.

  I let out a sigh of relief as I type my response.

  ME: Thanks

  Before I can look over at Matt, the water in the hot tub moves around, making me lift my arms up to keep my phone out of the water. Sarah Donovan’s tanned skin comes into my peripheral, as she slides next to me in the hot tube.

  "Hey, Carter." She breathes out the words, in a blatant attempt to be flirty.

  Sarah is a knockout, no doubt about it. Light auburn hair, gray eyes that flicker blue in the sunlight. Captain of the cheerleading team. She has the valley girl accent going on, and she's smart. And, as I found out at the beginning of the year, super interested in me. A little too much. I know, what red-blooded guy wouldn't want a hot girl, with legs that went for days, and a great rack that she's brazenly pressing against my arm right now? And it's not that I'm not interested because I was for a little while.

  But she's like a yapping chihuahua, always barking to get attention. Actually, no, more like a rottweiler. Sarah can be demanding. She wants what she wants and when she wants it.

  Maybe part of it is my fault because I did take her to homecoming. Unlike the rest of my friends though, we didn't go to any after-parties. We'd made a detour into the women's bathroom that night and messed around. If someone hadn't walked in on us, we probably would've had sex in there. Not my proudest moment, especially since I've never considered myself an exhibitionist. The girl who walked in on us quickly excused herself, but Sarah was still ready to go. I had to practically drag her out of the bathroom, to get back to the dance. And by the time it was over, I was over it.

  I hooked up with a girl last year, which is what initially started the rumor mill and my ascension in the popularity ranks. So, at homecoming, even though I knew exactly how far we'd gone, I knew the rumors that were out there. Matt's the only one I told the truth to, letting everyone else believe what they wanted. Because believing what they wanted only helped my reputation.

  It might sound crazy, but sometimes you don’t want the girl throwing herself at you. At least, I didn’t. A little mystery went a long way. A little pursuit. With Sarah, the only thing I’d be pursuing was how fast she’d stick her hand down my pants.

  Matt looks over at me, as I catch her hand sliding up my board shorts.

  “What’s up, Sarah?”

  “We got here late,” she said, faking a pouty face, “but I’m glad I found you.”

  “Oh yeah?” I say, trying to sound uninterested as Matt wiggles his eyebrows at me.

  “Yeah.” She pulls her hand free from mine and places it on my chest. “Jeremy said his parents weren’t coming back until tomorrow night.”