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If not, drink some water and you may continue since you have managed to find this book!
I heartily welcome you to Rumor Has It. I have always loved reading about mysteries and solving them, patience is the key so I advise you to not flip or scroll to the last page. So here I'm writing a book for all the mystery lovers out there! This is also a story about friendships, love, family and life dilemmas. Despite the dark and twisted things going on in this book, I can assure you it has many lighthearted moments!
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 01~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My fingers wrapped around the cold glass of water, I leaned closer to the window basking in the sunlight and the cold breeze coming from the ocean.
All of the windows were cracked open but having ten people gathered in one room made the air barely breathable. I had gone down to the first floor to grab some water but stayed in the living room for the gossip.
To my dismay, it wasn't anything interesting and I guess that's what I get for being nosy despite them talking out in the open.
" I literally told her that I was going to get a jeep and then suddenly she pulls up with one out of the blue, I'm flattered but annoyed you know?" Cindy ranted, clasping her hands together and staring at the TV.
" Who cares, she is a freshman what did you expect?" I reasoned since everyone had nothing to say. Cindy was a social butterfly and also the easiest person to annoy, I'm still puzzled about how that's possible. We aren't that close and maybe that's the reason or maybe not but all I know for certain is that the freshman in question doesn't know that Cindy is annoyed at them.
She turns her head to me with a confused look on her face." I don't know, maybe to have her own personality?"
" Stop it, You're going too far now babe." I hear her boyfriend say and Cindy's attention turns to him. I turned my head back as I heard laughter through the window.
I didn't get to keep my eyes on the window for too long as I felt eyes on me. Which shouldn't bother me since the beach house was occupied with familiar faces. I tired to relax seeing that everyone seemed to enjoy the party.
My gaze shifted towards the stairs where a few of my friends descended down to the living room, some joined those dancing, and the rest came over to chat by the couch, I could barely hear them from the loud music bouncing through the walls.
I took a sip of my water before putting my curls up in a low bun. I always trusted my gut but lately, it was annoying me as I felt hawked every time I stepped out.
My eyes could barely stay open and my ability to focus had declined since I got to the beach house hours ago. I had barely seen my bed this summer since my friends and I always had something or somewhere to be.
I hate that the last few days of summer always pass by so quickly and it makes you wish you could turn back time. I guess the only way to make it go slower is to stay up all day. The beach is in fact the best place to do so and I loved to watch the sunset, well the sunrise this time.
I had been enjoying the view of the ocean from the window for a while debating whether I should stay a little while longer or just go home.
" There you are, what are you doing?" I turned my head back to the host of the party, Erica. She leaned against the door watching and her long braids blew with the wind as she looked at me with concern in her eyes.
" I should probably head home soon, my ears have been ringing for the last fifteen minutes."
She nodded understandingly." Alright, who are you leaving with?" She turned her chin up and looked down the beach where the rest of our friends where.
" Kai." I chuckled, clearly I wasn't the only one who was tired as she had forgotten about him. Kai and I are next-door neighbors so we usually went back home together, he was great company except for the times he got on my nerves.
I spotted him outside playing soccer barefoot with some of our other friends.
" Right, text me when you get home." She said and pulled me into a hug.
" I will," I said as we pulled away from the hug.
I grabbed my chiffon cardigan off the couch and pulled it over my dress. I grabbed my sandals and I checked for my keys in my purse and phone before heading out the door.
A warm orange hue covered the sky above the beach and my feet reset on the sand, which had been cooled down by the ocean breeze. I put down my sandals and slip into them. I threw a quick glance back at the beach house where the party was still young. Luckily the other beach houses were also having some sort of gathering but that only made my friends want to be the ones partying the longest.
I turned back towards the beach where Kai and a few of his friends were playing soccer. I watched Tristan run through Kai's team's defense and score, to which he celebrated loudly with his team.
Kai sighed annoyed running a hand through his dark beach wavey hair before meeting my eyes, he waved me over with a swift motion and I recognized the competitive look on his." Benson, come we need another goalie, Cam cannot save shit."
" I'm fine watching you guys lose instead," I smiled, I raised my hand to cover my face from the sun beaming at me." Let me know when you're are ready to go."
" One more match and I'm ready to go," Kai said and they began to play again. I sat down on the sand and pressed the wrinkles on my dress away.
My gaze turns toward the sunrise and thoughts of our last year in high school begin to take over my mind. I had been looking forward to senior since I was a freshman, I always said that I was going to college for physics but now I wasn't too sure. I loved math but I had also grown love for the ocean life over the years.
When I was little my mom used to say I should do whatever my heart desired to get it out of my system, maybe I should surf every ocean before deciding on my major. The logical side of me nagged to not follow my mom's advice knowing where her desire led her.
My phone pings and my first thought is that it's my grandmother calling me since she was the one waiting for me at home while my dad was on vacation with his girlfriend.
" Jack?" I mumbled to myself seeing that it was none other than my older brother.
' Where are you?" His text read, I hadn't heard from him in three days now but his uncle had assured me he was just busy with college. I had nagged him about how we hadn't seen each other in a while since he lived with his uncle in Boston while I lived here in New York with my dad and grandmother. He used to visit me a lot but that had changed lately.
' At Erica's beach house, why?" I questioned, wondering if he was in some sort of trouble again. Otherwise, he wouldn't have contacted me out of the blue to meet up.
' Good, meet by the fish shop I will take you home.' Reading his reply only made me more worried.
' Why are you here? I'm glad but why didn't you tell me earlier?'
' I need to stay over here for a while, I will explain it later, I can't talk right now.' I sighed in defeat and stood up.
I whistled to get Kai's attention quickly, he raised an eyebrow and kept his foot on the ball." My brother is here, I will get him and he will drive us home."
He gives me a thumbs up and kicks the ball." Sounds good."
I dusted the sand off my dress and purse and then headed toward the fish shop. Jack knows he is welcome here but his text was concerning me. I have a bad feeling he has run into some sort of trouble.
I picked up my pace feeling anxious and all, trying to focus on the bird chirping instead of my sandals pressing against the asphalt road. I noticed the lack of cars on the main road and the silence that followed it, I felt a bit relaxed seeing a cop car down the road.
It doesn't take long before I reach the closed fish and I immediately spot a tall lanky guy fixing his brown hat a few feet away from the shop.
The boy looks up and I meet his light green eyes that reminded me of our mom, he really was here." Hazel?"
He crosses the street and heads toward me while looking around the place. I folded my arms over my chest and studied him." Yeah? You got a lot to explain."
" Don't tell my uncle alright? I was going to call you tomorrow." He said, looking down at his shoes and readjusting his hat.
" What's going on Jack? You're acting strange, not answering my calls for days texting me out of the blue, and not answering my questions." I said and he looked at me like he was seeing a ghost, I raised an eye brow at him. Was he expecting me to act like this wasn't odd? I couldn't believe him.
" What are you talking about?" He questioned and began patting down his jeans.
I really couldn't believe him right now." Are you being serious right now? I came all the way here from Erica's beach house and now you're questioning me?"
He pulled on his hat and I could see his was deep into his thoughts." Go back to the beach house, wait for me there."
" Talk to me Jack," I said as he began to push me towards the road I came from.
" I will soon, go." He said with an urgency in his voice. My shoulders slump in defeat and he lets go of me. I turn back and I catch a glimpse of him before he runs and turns a corner.
Bang, I froze at my spot and my heart skips a beat. It couldn't be a gun-bang, I heard it clearer this time. My feet began to move into the direction of where my brother went, where the sound seemed to come from.
My vision dots and I feel a massive pain running down the back of my head, I feel an arm grasping onto my shoulder in an attempt to lift me up but my body is falling onto the ground, I can't move.
My cheek burns against the asphalt and I feel myself slipping away. I felt movements around me, footsteps, I struggled against the hands lifting me up.
"Hey! Get away from her!" The warning in Kai's voice seemed to throw off whoever holding me because the next second the hands let go of me and I landed roughly against the ground, blacking out right there and then.