Rumor Has It (Rumor Has It #1)(58)

Epilogue





Matt





It’s been a month since Carter went all Juno and confessed his love for Emma, dropping three-pointers in a red headband, outing himself as BigBaller27. I'm happy for him. For them both.

I nudge his shoulder, as I make my way to the lunch table and he scoots over for me. It's been a little weird basically changing friends. Jeremy is such an ass that I don't mind not sitting with him. But I didn't know Lucas has a huge crush on Jen. He doesn't eat lunch with us because he doesn't want to look stupid in front of her. At least, that's what he says. Which I find odd because Lucas has always been a smooth talker. Calm and confident. I think the real reason is that Jen's made it obvious she wants to go out with Franco.

I guess they have two other friends, Micah and Lana, but Emma said they broke up. I know I'm still the new guy, so I don't get the details. I've crossed paths with him a couple of times, but every time I show up at the table for lunch, Micah conveniently takes off. Whatever.

Spring break is coming up, and I'm excited to be heading to New York. My little brother and I are visiting my mom for the week and attending a comic book convention. I've been hiding my excitement though because not even Carter knows I'm a closet nerd. Actually, a HUGE closet nerd. I love to cosplay at conventions. And I don't just go out and buy the costumes; I make them from scratch. I always make sure I have a mask, so that if anyone from school is there, they won't recognize me. But being in New York, I can let my guard down. It's going to be awesome.

“So, come on.” Carter nudges Emma’s shoulder. “You’ve been keeping us dangling here.”

"Emma, this is ridiculous," Jen says. "We're all here now, and you wanted to tell us at the same time. Just spit it out."

“But Micah isn’t here.”

“He’s been spotty for the last couple weeks.”

“I’m getting a little worried about him.”

“Don’t be.” Jen waves her hand. “He’s fine. I can’t believe he broke up with Lana, but I see him in psychology. He’s okay.”

“Emma,” Carter groans.

"Okay, okay. So …" Emma reaches around into her backpack and pulls out a folded letter. The smile that spreads across her face is adorable. No wonder Carter fell so hard. "I got the scholarship!" she cries out.

“Ohmygod!” Jen shouts.

“Congrats, Emma,” I offer.

"See." Carter wraps an arm around her. "I told you you were gonna get it." He leans over and kisses her.

“There were a lot of great artists who submitted their work.”

“Yeah, but your work is awesome.”

“Hey, I’m gonna grab a drink. You guys want anything?” I get up from the table.

“Pepsi.” Carter and Emma say at the same time, then smile at each other.

I’m happy for them, I really am. But that cutesy, say it at the same time thing? I do everything can to not roll my eyes.

After I pay for the sodas from the snack stand, I start to head back when I see the screen of a laptop open. It’s on a YouTube channel about comic books, anime, and all things nerd. Everything I love.

“He’s so hot.” One of the girls says, leaning over her friend.

It’s a channel I’ve seen before. The host is some college guy who calls himself Geek Dood, which is also the name of his show, and he’s going over the latest X-Men release. He looks like one of those hot college guys that girls drool over. These ones obviously are. Except one, and that’s when I notice who they are.

Izzy Jacobs, and her two friends.

“Yeah, he’s cute,” Izzy says, still staring at the screen. “But how does this guy have so many more subscribers than my page? Does sex sell that much?”

“Yes,” her friends say in unison. “Izzy, if you wear something a little more revealing, you’d gain a thousand new subscribers.”

A grin hits my lips. Isabel Jacobs is hot. She's curvy in all the right places. She's got olive-toned skin, with shoulder-length black hair. And she's known around the school by anyone who likes pop culture stuff because she hosts her own YouTube channel, SoCal Nerd Girl. She covers all the things I love that no one knows about. And it's not just a few hundred followers she has. If I remember right, I think she has over thirty thousand subscribers.

My eyes float back to the screen because I don't think this is an episode I've seen of Geek Dood, and now he's talking about a new cross-over that Marvel Comics is doing with X-Men and the Avengers. I'm so pre-occupied with the video, it's not until I hear a cough that my attention is diverted back to the girls.

“Did you need something, Mr. President?” Izzy looks over at me.

“Oh, no. Sorry.” I can feel my face getting red and turn to leave.

She knows who I am, as does most of the school. Not because I'm some popular jock, though I guess you could say I am that, but because I'm class president.

Carter never brings it up, because he knows I only did it to get my dad off my back, but yeah. I’ve been teasingly called ‘Mr. President’ more times than I like to remember this year.

But since I'm secretly a fanboy, I'm much more acquainted with Izzy than just knowing her from school. I always watch her YouTube videos, another thing no one knows. And I'll make it out of high school in just a few more months without anyone finding out because like Carter, I do have a rep I like to keep. I'm not as popular as him, but I have my moments. And I like them. I plan on keeping it that way.