Real As It Gets: RUMOR CENTRAL - Softcover

Tate Billingsley, ReShonda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0758289553 ISBN 13: 9780758289551

Verlag: Kensington -Teen, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

She can uncover the biggest celebrity secrets. But now Maya Morgan's hottest story ever is way too up-close-and-personal . . .

For once, everything in Maya's life is falling perfectly into place. She's getting serious media cred uncovering the source of a new designer drug doing major glitterati damage. And the new man in her life is giving Maya all the cool bling and attention she craves off-camera. But the truth behind her scoop is about to cut too close to home--and put Maya and her family in the crosshairs. Soon, she'll have to decide just how far she can afford to go to save her family, her career. . .and herself.

"Sit up and pay attention--Maya Morgan will knock your socks off." --Earl Sewell, author of The Keysha Diaries

"Scandal and mouth dropping entertainment!" --Ni-Ni Simone

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ReShonda Tate Billingsley has made a career out of getting the 411 and spinning a story, hard truths and all. Before writing full-time, she worked as a reporter for The National Enquirer (you wouldn’t believe what she’s uncovered!) and as an anchor and reporter for NBC, ABC, and FOX television. The author of more than two dozen books, she won the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Fiction and is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition. Visit her online at rumor-central.com.

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Real As It Gets

RUMOR CENTRAL

By RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

Copyright © 2014 ReShonda Tate Billingsley
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-8955-1

CHAPTER 1

The image on the screen gave me chills.

I knew Savannah Vanderpool. She was a beautiful formerMiss Teen Miami who had branched out to movies. We'dtaken some modeling classes together when I was in middleschool and although I didn't talk to her much anymore, wekept in touch through Instagram and Twitter. It wasn't oftenthat I gave other girls props. But Savannah had earned hers.She was Beyoncé, Ciara, and Meagan Good rolled up intoone. A class act, that's who Savannah was.

Was.

Because this chick I was looking at right then, was anythingbut classy. She looked like a crackhead, meth head, anddope fiend rolled up into one.

Savannah's eyes were sunken, almost like her face wasswallowing them. She had dark circles around her eyes and herface was taut and dry. Her skin was sagging, looking like it wasjust hanging on to her bones. Her once-beautiful blond hairwas stringy and the dark roots were showing. The only modelingshe could do now would be in a "just say no" drug ad.

"Maya," my director, Manny, whispered in my earpiece."Go! You're live!"

I caught myself. I didn't usually let anything get me offmy game when I was in hosting mode at my talk show, RumorCentral, but seeing Savannah's picture had definitely left mespeechless.

"Wow, I guess you can say I'm a little stunned myself," Icontinued, turning my attention back to the camera. "If youknew Savannah Vanderpool like I knew Savannah Vanderpool,you'd be just as shocked."

We'd gotten the story about Savannah being arrested justminutes before I was going on the air. My producer, Dexter,had handed me a sheet with some limited information andtold me to wing it. I had no problem with that because dishingdirt was what had made me so popular on Rumor Central.I was even used to dishing dirt about my friends, especiallybecause I was usually the one who had dug up the dirt. Eventhough I'd stopped airing my friends' dirty laundry, I had noproblem digging in other celebrities' backyards. I had to.Since I started Rumor Central four months before, it had becomeone of the hottest gossip shows in the country. Wewere now shown in seventeen major cities and my popularitywas through the roof. Celebs as big as Usher and Rihannacalled me when they wanted to "slip" out a little gossip, andother celebrities tried to become my best friends to keeptheir dirt off the air. So, a little scandalous story never shockedme. But this picture of Savannah—I wasn't ready for that.

"This is just in to the Rumor Central studios," I continued,"so we haven't been able to get all the details, but rumor hasit that this mug shot is from Savannah's arrest last night aftershe caused a scene at the Sports Illustrated reception. Apparently,she arrived to the event high, dazed, and acting out.Witnesses say she was actually in a psychotic-like state. Organizerssaw her and refused to let her go on stage. We're toldSavannah was so high that she took off all her clothes andbegan running through the party screaming and crying as shedestroyed everything in sight."

I took a deep breath as an earlier photo of Savannah asMiss Teen Miami flashed on the screen.

I continued. "Our sources tell us Savannah was high onK2, a hyped-up version of Kush, the popular synthetic drugsweeping the country. We don't know much about K2, butyou'd better believe that Rumor Central is all over this storyand we'll keep you updated. I'm your girl, Maya Morgan, andwe'll be back right after this."

I tossed to the break and motioned for my new assistant,Yolanda, to get me some water. Usually, we kept it light andgossipy on Rumor Central. I didn't get all deep into stories, andthis was exactly the reason why. These kinds of stories werejust too much.

"You okay?" Yolanda asked as she handed me a cooledbottle of Fiji Water.

I took a sip of the water. "Yeah, just trippin' over that picture."I glanced over at the photo, which was still up on themonitor. I'd seen Savannah about six months before and shehad looked fine. How could someone get like that in just afew months?

Dexter came over to me on the set as Yolanda scurriedaway.

"Great job, Maya. I got some more details. Apparently, thisK2 is more powerful than Kush, and it's getting really hotamong celebrities. It looks like spices, or potpourri, and theysay it was created in China or Korea as a plant growth stimulant.It's about ten times more potent than meth."

"Just wow," I said, shaking my head again at the picture. Iknew some celebs that dabbled in drugs, but judging fromthe way she looked, Savannah had done a lot more than dabble."I just can't believe that she's fallen off like that."

"Do you know Savannah?" Dexter anxiously asked as heran his hands through his head full of bright red hair, somethinghe did whenever he was excited. "I mean, personally? Ifigured you did since you know everybody."

Dexter was right about that. Before I was on-air—first asone of the five members of the Miami Divas reality show, thenas the host of my own show—I was already at the top of thefood chain as the leader of Miami's "It Clique," as one magazinehad put it. In fact, that was why I'd been approached todo the reality show in the first place. Miami Divas hadn't doneas well as they'd wanted, so they'd canceled it, fired the otherfour Divas, and given me my own show. That had been thesmartest thing since the invention of the Internet, because inno time, I became the go-to chick for all the latest celebritygossip, dirt, and entertainment news. Rumor Central had exceededeveryone's expectations and had even been picked upby networks in several other cities.

My BFF, Sheridan, had been one of the original MiamiDivas who was fired, and that had led to a whole lotta drama,but we'd squashed that and were back to kickin' it. I couldn'tsay the same about the other busters from Miami Divas. Shay,Bali, and Evian still had stank attitudes about the way everythinghad gone down. (They claimed we'd had a pact to sticktogether and I sold them out by taking my own show. As ifany of them would've turned it down if the shoe was on theother foot. Whatever.) Bali didn't even live in Miami anymore,and he still let me know he was mad with messy textmessages, all of which I just ignored.

"So, do you know her or not?" Dexter asked again, snappingme out of my thoughts.

I knew he wasn't asking out of concern. He was probablytrying to see if I could get some kind of inside scoop.

"Yeah, I know her. Or, at least I used to know her," Ireplied. "The Savannah I knew would never allow herself tolook like that." I pointed at the screen.

"The research department is trying to see if we can findany other celeb arrests behind this drug," Dexter said.

I didn't get it because drugs were whack. Anything thattook me off my A-game, I didn't need to be doing. And asfabulous as I was, I didn't need anything messing up my flawlessbronze skin, long, all-natural, soft brown hair, and perfectPilates-toned body. I was a quarter-piece (because a dime justdidn't do me justice). So, no way would I ever let some kindof drug—be it weed, X, coke, or anything else—take thataway from me.

Savannah used to be the same way. Was K2 powerfulenough to make her change her mind? I glanced at the pictureagain. Obviously, it was, because Savannah had basicallythrown her life away for it.

And that, I...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Kensington -Teen
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0758289553
• ISBN 13: 9780758289551
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Dietmar Rusche; 15110751138; rusche.dietmar@gmx.de; ; Dr.-Willi-Bergmann-Str. 13; St. Andreasberg; 37444; Deutschland