Rumor Has It Box Set: The Complete Series, Books 1-5

by RH Tucker

  “V, I’m not trying to hook up with him.”

  “Why not?” Cindy grins. “You seem to be blushing over him enough, and it’s only been two days of this assignment.”

  I look back down at the table and remember seeing him at the convention. Then talking after. Then, before the assignment even started, he decided to sit behind me. I just shake my head, trying to get a handle on everything.

  “See, you’re thinking about it.” Veronica nudges me.

  “No, I’m not.”

  Matt: Hey, want to meet up after school to go over the education curricular we have to figure out?

  “Do it,” Veronica says, looking over my shoulder at my phone again.

  “You guys, this is more complicated than it seems.” I clench my jaw. Be cool, Izzy. You can’t tell them anything.

  “Complicated?” Cindy laughs. “Izzy, he’s basically asking you to Netflix and chill. Matt Hillard is asking you to Netf–”

  “He’s not asking me that.” I give her a stern look. I look back at my phone, second guessing myself. Is he asking me that?

  “Give me that.” Veronica yanks my phone out of my hand.

  “Hey—” I protest, albeit without much vigor, and watch as she types on my phone.

  “Okay, here you go.”

  I take the phone back and read the message she sent.

  Me: Okay. Your place, not mine. My dad is always home.

  “Yeah, subtle much?” I give her a sideways glance.

  “What? Your dad is always home.”

  “Yes, because he works from home. You guys—” I drop my head to the table. “This is just a school assignment. I think you’re reading way too much into this.”

  “And you’re not reading into it enough.” Veronica giggles.

  “Come on, Izzy.” Cindy nods her head. “Prom is coming up. Maybe he likes you and will ask you out.”

  I lift my head up, just enough to stare at her. I can’t stop the butterflies that start to form inside. What if Matt does ask me to the prom? I’d be crazy to say no. So what that he doesn’t want people knowing how big of a nerd he is. I’d still be going to prom with one of the hottest guys in school.

  Matt sends me his address by the time school ends, so I make my way over to his house. I park in front and walk up to the door, a ball of nerves settling in my stomach.

  It’s a nice two-story house, that doesn’t look much different on the outside than the other houses in the neighborhood, which is definitely upper-class. Pristine yards, spotless driveways. Fancy might not be the right word for the neighborhood, but Matt’s family definitely isn’t slumming it.

  “Hey.” He smiles at the door. “Come on in.”

  As soon as I walk inside, I notice how immaculate everything is. It’s almost like a model home; everything in its proper place. The room I walk into is a living room, and I notice an elaborate entertainment system, with a huge big screen TV and two large, black leather sofas. There’s a large painting of a sunset on the wall, and a glass cabinet that looks like it holds a few pictures, surrounded by crystal sculptures. I shouldn’t be surprised, remembering the car Matt has, but the elegance of everything catches me off guard. Especially since at school, Matt never comes off as one of the ‘richies’.

  “Wow, very not bad.” I look around.

  “Yeah, well …” He looks around. “When your father’s a big shot lawyer, who charges an arm and a leg as his fee, I guess he can spend his money on whatever he wants.”

  Matt talking about his father makes me stop and look around, listening for anyone else in the house. He must notice my face because he lets out a chuckle.

  “He’s not here. Usually gets home late and leaves early. Debbie is out running errands and then picking up Isaac.”

  “Debbie?”

  “Our housekeeper.”

  Something in his last sentence shifts his demeanor. It’s defeat mixed with something else. Acceptance? I want to know what it is, but don’t want to press. Instead, I take another look around and breathe deeply, trying to forget what Cindy and Veronica were talking about at lunch. This isn’t a hook-up meeting. He invited me to work on the assignment. Then I remember the convention. If he’s a big enough nerd to cosplay, I wonder what his room’s like.

  “So, we can go over stuff here or if you want, in the dining room.” He motions behind me and starts walking. “You want something to drink?”

  “What about your room?”

  He stops and turns around to face me. As soon as he raises an eyebrow, I realize how my question could suggest an ulterior meaning.

  I clear my throat, feeling my face heat up. “I mean … not that I want to see your room.” Take a deep breath, Izzy. “No, you know what? I do.” His brow is still raised, and he smiles, but now I know how to diffuse this situation. “I need to see the nerd lair.”

  His jaw drops with a smile. “Wow, okay. And here I thought you were trying to seduce me.”

  “In your dreams.”

  He stands there, staring at me. It looks like he wants to answer back, but he doesn’t. Instead, he turns back around and starts walking. “All right, then. This way, Lady Nerd Girl.”

  I follow him around a corner and up a flight of stairs. Just like everything else, the hallway and carpet on the stairs are flawless. The cream color looks like it’s never been stepped on, even though I know Matt has a little brother that probably makes as big of a mess as any other little boy his age would. There are a couple pictures hanging on the walls, all of them either of Matt or his brother, or both together. Matt looks like he was adorable as a little kid, with his hair still shaggy like it is now. Turning a corner at the top of the stairs I see one door with an ‘Isaac’ nameplate on it. Walking past it, we stop at a door that looks just as clean as the other doors we passed.

  “Welcome to Casa de Matt,” he says with a confident grin, opening the door.

  It’s like walking into a completely different house. Gone is the cream color carpet, the eggshell-white walls, and the showroom lighting that seemed to shine through the entire home. Inside, the floor is beige tiles, and his walls are a grayish-blue color, but I don’t see much of the paint because the walls are covered from floor to ceiling with posters. Comic books, anime, manga, video games. There are two huge bookshelves lined with volumes of graphic novels and manga. Fullmetal Alchemist, Batman, Green Lantern, One Peg. You name it, and it looks like he has it. His bed is made up nicely and is the only thing that doesn’t have some kind of geeky thing on it, just dressed in black and blue sheets and pillows.

  Next to his bed sits a desk. The laptop is open, an Akira screen saver jumping around on the screen. There are little figures on the desk and on the shelves, but above the desk is a large shelf attached to the wall. Different models and figures are lined against it, and the thing that catches my eye the most is a figure of a character from Cowboy Bebop, Spike Spiegel.

  “Oh, wow,” I say low as I walk over.

  Examining the figures, there’s a Hulkbuster Iron Man figure, and a Darth Vader figure, but my eye keeps coming back to Spike.

  His room is double the size of mine, but a third of it is made into what looks like a work area. I examine all the little things, all the books and posters, before making my way over to the area. There are three mannequin figures, all adorned with costumes. One has his Iron Man costume wrapped around it. I’m looking at it up close now, getting a much better look at it than when I saw it at the show. It’s still amazing. Next to that, is a Star-Lord costume that looks like it came directly from the set of Guardians of The Galaxy. The dark burgundy jacket has the fine details worked into it, and the mask with red eyes looks like it’s the actual prop.

  The third costume is my favorite though because it’s of Cowboy Bebop again. It’s Spike’s suit. Dark blue with a yellow undershirt and the tie. Of the three it looks like it’s the easiest one to make, but it’s my favorite.

  Turning around, Matt is watching me with caution. Gone is the confidence he gr
eeted me with at the door and even before letting me into the bedroom. It’s like he’s waiting to see how I’m going to react to everything.

  “Matt, this is amazing.”

  “Yeah?” He sounds so unsure it’s almost painful.

  “Yes! The posters, the books, it’s all incredible. And these costumes, they’re unbelievable. You’re terrific at costume design. And this?” I motion to the suit. “This is my favorite.”

  “Really?” He sounds more at ease and walks over next to me. “You like Cowboy Bebop?”

  “No.” My eyes stay on the suit for a moment before I look at Matt. “I love Cowboy Bebop.”

  “Me too. It’s my favorite.”

  “Oh yeah? Favorite episode?”

  “Oh, come on, I can’t pick just one.”

  “Okay, one of your favorites.”

  “Mmm …” He looks at the suit then over at the Spike figure. “The Ballad of Fallen Angels.”

  “Seriously?” I scoff. “That’s, like, everyone’s favorite.”

  “Fine.” He taps a finger to his chin. “I mean, Asteroid Blues is great. It kicks off the series nicely.”

  “True. I always loved Ganymede Elegy.”

  “That’s a good one.”

  I take another look around, examining everything for a second time, admiring it all. Then I turn and see Matt staring at me. “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just …” He bites his lip. “You’re the only person who’s seen this stuff.”

  “Really?” I’m genuinely surprised. I remember him saying his best friend doesn’t know how big of a nerd he is, but it still catches me off guard.

  “Well, I mean, other than my parents or Isaac. Yeah. Carter’s been over to the house, but we always just hang out in the den area, since we’ve got the big screen for movies and video games down there.”

  I know I shouldn’t push the subject, but I can’t help thinking about it again. “Matt, seriously, you don’t have to hide this stuff.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “But why?”

  “I’m not you, Izzy.” He turns away. “And I don’t mean just being as comfortable as you are with everything you like. You …” He takes a deep breath. I can feel how difficult it is talking about this stuff and I begin to regret bringing it up. “You don’t care.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean, whether you like something or not, you don’t care what people will think. It’s pretty amazing.”

  “Why do you care so much?”

  “I just do.” Something inside me wants to comfort him, so I walk over and grab his hand. “I wish I didn’t care if people laughed at me, but I do. I’m one of the popular jocks. I mean, I’m senior class president for crying out loud. I know the role I play, and I play it pretty good. And most days, I like the role I play. Besides, school’s almost over. I’m fine with everyone thinking they know who I am.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper to him. I wish he didn’t feel like he had to hide something that seemed to make him so happy.

  “Don’t be.” He finally looks at me with a grin. “I am really glad you’re getting to know me. The real me, I mean.”

  “Me too.”

  It’s then that I realize I’m still holding his hand. He looks down at me, and his serious look from our conversations has morphed into a smoldering one. His hair falls just over his forehead, but his eyes stay locked on me. Looking up at him, I can’t keep my eyes from looking at his lips, as I lick my own. My eyes shoot back up to meet his.

  Bringing a hand up, his palm cups my cheek, before sliding along my jaw, as he runs his fingers through my hair. I’m not sure if he pulls me closer or I pull myself closer, but we’re as close as we’ve ever been. Finally letting go of his hand, I slide mine up to his shoulder. It’s as if time’s standing still, his lips so close to mine I can feel his breath. Then our lips meet.

  My other hand shoots up, as I wrap both arms around his neck. His one hand still cradles the back of my head, fingers in my hair, while his other wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him. There’s no feeling out stage. We don’t test the waters to see how he or I will respond to each other’s kiss. It’s like our minds have been waiting for this moment and we both knew it was going to happen.

  His kiss does more than warm my lips; it heats my entire body. I pull him closer to me, taking a delicate bite into his bottom lips. He lets out a soft moan, and before I know it he lifts me up, and now my legs are wrapped around him, as I’m leaning down to kiss him.

  He steps back, sitting down on his bed and I stay on top of him, kissing and running my hands through his hair. His tongue glides across my bottom lip, and I wrap my arms around his neck tighter, attacking his tongue with mine. His hands move around my waist, finding the hem of my shirt and then snake underneath the material. My skin tingles as his finger runs across my back, then back down, as he cups my bottom, and I attack his lips feverishly.

  Our lips break away suddenly when we both hear a door shut and someone yell.

  “Matty!”

  Matt’s eyes meet mine and the disappointment he shows echoes within me. I jump off him, adjusting my clothes and I see his swollen lips, shiny from my lip gloss. I quickly reach over, a finger sliding across his lips as he smirks at me before his door swings open.

  “Matty, I just—”

  Isaac stops abruptly, his eyes jumping between Matt sitting on the bed and myself, standing a couple feet away.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” I smile at him, still feeling my heart pounding inside.

  Isaac stares at me for a moment and then back at his brother. “Were you guys exercising?”

  I look over at Matt with an embarrassed smile and can see his chest still heaving as much as mine. He lets out an awkward laugh. “Uh … yeah, buddy. We were exercising.”

  “Oh, okay,” Isaac says and then jumps on Matt’s bed next to him. It’s only after he’s sitting next to Matt that I see him holding a Nintendo 3DS. “I just got a new high score, check it out!”

  Matt’s eyes meet mine for a moment, as he licks his lips and I have to take a deep breath to calm myself. “Cool,” he finally says as he looks over at his brother’s game.

  “Hey.” Isaac’s head snaps up to meet my face. “I know you. You’re the contest judge.”

  “Yeah,” I’m finally able to squeak out.

  “Isaac, this is Izzy,” Matt says, his normal, confident smile returning. “Izzy, you’ve met Isaac before. Or, as I like to call him, iBoy.”

  “Oh yeah, and why’s that?” I look to Isaac who rolls his eyes with a smile.

  “Because he’s almost always on his iPad.” Matt laughs, and the sound just makes me warm up again. “Hey, Isaac, we actually have some homework to do.”

  “Blah.” Isaac sticks his tongue out and jumps off the bed. “All right, I’ll be downstairs. Debbie’s cooking spaghetti tonight,” he says without taking his eyes off his console.

  “Cool,” Matt answers as his brother walks out. He motions over to the door. “Actually, we should probably go downstairs. It might be …” He purses his lips together while giving me a look. “Safer.”

  “For me or for you?”

  He cocks an eyebrow up. “Both.”

  I feel my cheeks warming up again and have to bite my lip to try and keep the smile from taking over my face.

  Chapter 14

  Matt

  We finish going over what Tony would take throughout school, but all the while I can’t stop thinking about Izzy’s lips. Or how she smelled. Or how she felt. I can’t take my eyes off her as we work, and I keep seeing her glance over at me. Her eyes roam from my hair to my eyes to my lips.

  I invite her to stay over for dinner, but she declines. When she gets her things to leave, I’m going to walk her out to her car, but she stops me at the door, telling me I don’t need to. She looks like she’s debating with herself on what she wants to do. While we’re still at the front
door, she moves her hand as if she’s going to touch my arm. Then she jerks it back, turning around and walking over to her car. I blink, watching her walk to her car and drive away, unsure what’s going on. I know she felt the same thing I did in my room. She had to, right?

  When I get to sociology the next day, I whisper that we should definitely meet up again for homework. I’m hoping for a positive response, but her shoulders stiffen, and she doesn’t even look back at me. The bell rings, and I just stare at the back of her head of the rest of class, unsure what’s going on. By the time class ends, I wait for a moment to see if she’ll turn around and even acknowledge me, but she doesn’t. Nothing.

  Following her out of the room, I hurry to walk next to her.

  “Izzy, hold up,” I call out. She slows down but doesn’t look at me. “Izzy?”

  “What is it, Matt?” Her words are curt.

  “Hold on a second.” I grab her arm. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” she says, finally meeting my eyes.

  “Why are you ignoring me?” I can’t help how hurt my words sound.

  She looks away. “I’m not.”

  “You are.” I pause, waiting for her to lift her head up to look at me. “I’m sorry, okay?”

  “For what?”

  “I guess for kissing you? That’s the only thing I can think of why you’d be mad.”

  “I’m not mad.”

  “Then annoyed? What is it?”

  Her eyes stay locked on mine as she takes in a long breath. “Matt, you don’t have to apologize for anything. But this …” She motions between us. “It’s not gonna work.”

  “Seriously? Because it felt like it was working really well yesterday.”

  “Yeah, at first.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “I had time to think afterward, okay? As amazing as that kiss was.” I can’t help but smirk and raise an eyebrow. “Don’t. Yes, I enjoyed it. But we’re too different.”

  “No, we’re not. Izzy, you know me. The real me.”

  “Exactly, that’s why we’re too different.”