Chapter 1 (Sneak Peek)

So here is chapter 1 of my book I am working on. I want to give you a sneak peek into what I am working on. I am hoping that this builds up hype for my book and gets you to buy it when it gets published. Tell me what ya think please. Thank you.


 Copyright ©2012 by Anthony L Burgos

All rights reserved. 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 publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages

embodied in critical articles or in a review.

Sec4rets

Written By Anthony L Burgos

This is chapter 1 of my story. Letting you guys get a sneak peek into my book that I am working on. If you want to tell me what you think here is my email and Facebook for the book. Enjoy

Alb2991@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/sec4retsbook

Chapter 1

The sun was beginning to come up. The birds were chirping as they flew from tree to tree. The New York streets were wet from the night’s rain. Cars zoomed down the streets as people made their way to work. An alarm clock rang on a nightstand next to the bed of one Tiffany Gomez. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The radio played some song that Tiffany did not know. She looked over at her alarm clock. 7:00am blinked in big red lights. She rubbed her eyes and slammed her hand down on the clock. She laid there under her covers for a few minutes. She knew she had to get up but her body was telling her to stay still. The first day of High School loomed in her mind. She knew it wasn't going to be as fun as she seen on TV.

“Damn it.” She finally spoke. Her body was finally letting her get up from her bed. She made her way down the hall to the bathroom where she would shower the night away. She stood there under the warm water and she thought to herself. There would be a lot of old people from Junior High there, so that was a plus. On the other hand there would be a bunch of new people she didn't know. Ones that she knew would be rude and ones that she knew would try so hard to be her friend. She kind of felt relaxed more with the thought of the rude ones. She hated people who tried to befriend her when she didn't like them. It was her number one pet peeve.

“Can you hurry up?” Joseph yelled at the top of his voice. Joseph is Tiffany's younger brother. He was starting his first day of Junior High and he was overly excited.

“I'm coming out now.” She yelled back. They didn't have the best brother sister relationship but they didn't have the worst either. They would argue over the dumbest things but what brother and sister didn't.

When their father passed away 2 years ago Tiffany had just started Junior High and Joseph was still in elementary. Joseph knew about death but he wasn't fully aware of what it meant. Tiffany had to be strong for her brother who had sleepless nights. He had dreams of his father buried under ground with worms eating his eyes. He would cry almost every night. Tiffany didn't have time to grieve because her mother and brother were a mess. She tried to keep them calm until one day Tiffany had enough. She called her best friend Mark over for a sleepover. As they lay on her bed watching a movie Tiffany broke down in tears. She cried so hard that she couldn't breathe. She felt so much better after that cry. She had finally released the hurt and pain that was inside. Her and Mark just stood there holding each other.

“Mom said to hurry up breakfast is on the table and I need to shower.”

“I am coming.” She yelled with a tone of annoyance added in with anger.

Tiffany stepped out the shower and tied the towel around her body. She walked over to her room so she could dry off and get dressed. There on her computer desk stood her Blackberry. She picked it up and looked at the screen, no missed calls or text messages. Tiffany was hoping that Mark had tried to contact her. After they graduated from Junior High School Mark decided to leave New York and go to Pennsylvania. Mark didn't tell Tiffany anything about his plans, it was Mark's parents who had informed her of his plans. All summer he had been ignoring her calls and texts. Her best friend had abandoned her. She threw her phone on the bed and she fumbled through her draw looking for some under clothes to wear.

Mark Perez sat there on the bus, phone in hand. He stared at it and he wanted to do what he been wanting to do all summer. He wanted to call Tiffany and let her know he was alive. He wanted to let her know he was sorry for leaving and not telling her anything. He wanted to get the truth off his chest. He stared at the screen for a few more seconds and then he placed it back into his pocket. He now stared out the window at the road as it sped past him. He had been with his aunt and cousins since graduating. He called his aunt Maria and told her that he was coming for a visit. That he needed to get away for the summer. His father’s sister was excited to see her nephew.

“I will call you as soon as I get home. Thank you for letting me stay with you.” Mark told his aunt as he waited for the bus door to open.

“I love you. Don't worry about anything. Your friends will understand why you needed to leave. I love you.” Maria told him. They hugged good bye as the bus began to let people board.

Mark just kept replaying the good bye in his head over and over. He knew she was right but how could he tell his friends this secret that he himself just discovered? The bus stopped and people began to board. The bus driver got off the bus so that he could get a smoke and take a bathroom break. The bus began to get packed as people boarded. Mark never took his eyes off the road until he heard someone.

“Hey is it okay if I sit here?” The male voice asked him. Mark looked at the passenger.

“Sure.” Mark said. The boy sat down next to Mark.

“Hey those sneakers are hot.” The boy said. Mark looked down at his sneakers.

“Thanks. I got them in Pennsylvania. My aunt got them for me.” Mark said with a smile.

“That's cool.” The boy smiled back. His smile was amazing. His cheek bones were beautiful. His teeth were perfect as well. Mark stared at the boy and thought that this boy was perfect.

“My name is Mark.” He stuck his hand out.

“My name is Henry.” He took Mark's hand and shook it.

“Nice to meet you Henry. So where you going?” Mark asked.

“I'm on my way to New York. Going to live with my sister.”

“That's cool. I'm going back to New York too. Have to start school, missing my first day right now but oh well screw it.” Mark laughed and Henry laughed too.

The bus driver finally got back on the bus and started to drive down the road again. Mark looked out the window again and watched the road pass him by. His mind began to wander. What will happen when he got back home? Will Tiffany forgive him? Will they all exclude him from the group once they found out that he was gay? He just couldn't help but wonder.

Kevin Johnson sat at his computer desk checking his Facebook page. There on the screen stood his profile. At the top of the screen he had an unread message. He clicked it and there was a message from Tiffany Gomez.

So I am leaving here in a few. Can’t wait to see you there.

He noticed that he was not the only one she sent the message to. It was a group message and was sent to him, Kim and of course Mark. He ignored the message and then shut down his computer. Kevin and Tiffany became friends in Junior High School. He joined the group of friends that knew each other for years. Tiffany, Mark and Kim were really close. So when they all went to Junior High together and met Kevin they thought he was cool and they befriended him fast. Kevin on the other hand felt awkward at times and didn't feel like he was part of their group. That all changed though one day when Kevin was jumped by a bunch of boys on his block, he ended up in the hospital and they all went to visit him every day since he was there. That was the first time that he ever felt like he had real friends. Kevin grabbed his jacket and made his way out his room. He walked down the hall when he heard yelling.

“Listen I don’t have time for this bullshit. I have to be at work in an hour.” He stood still and listened. Then a tall man with a body full of muscles came out of a room.

“Get your ass to school.” The man yelled at him.

“Sure Derrick, whatever you say.” Kevin said.

“Are you making fun of me you piece of shit?” Derrick asked him.

“Of course not, you are the man.” Kevin said and laughed.

“You better respect me because when I marry your mother I will be your father.” Kevin felt a shiver go up his spine. This guy was an asshole to his mother. For some reason she stayed with him.

“Yeah okay Derrick.” Kevin's tone changed.

“Yeah.” Derrick said and walked down the hall to the front door opening it and slamming it shut behind him. Kevin stood there staring at the door. He was furious with his mother. Why would she stay with this man who verbally abuses her?

“Good morning honey.” Sandra Ragin said to her son.

“Good morning mom.” Kevin said with a tone of annoyance.

“So are you excited for you first day of High School?” She asked as they both walked to the kitchen.

“Why are you staying with that jerk?” Sandra opened the fridge and took a carton of OJ out of the fridge and placed it on the counter. She reached in the top cupboard for a cup. She took the cup and slammed it down on the counter.

“I already told you I love him. Stop asking me all the time. I am starting to get annoyed with it.” She poured the OJ and took a sip. Kevin just stared at her back.

“You know what mom; do whatever you want to do. You are a grown woman. I will stay out of it. I am leaving for school. I will pick something up to eat on my way.”

He walked to the front door opened it and slammed it shut behind him. The loud noise scared Sandra causing her to jump and spilling some of her drink on the floor. She put the cup down on the kitchen table and just stared at the spill on the floor. She was too tired to clean it up at that moment. She sat down at the table and continued to drink her morning drink.

Kim Waiters stood on the train platform jamming to some music. She was nervous about the first day of school. In Junior High she was classified as the freak girl, the girl who all the guys wanted, and the girl who was an easy lay. She was never that girl though. She dated guys and they wanted to have sex with her but she never put out with them. So like most guys in Junior High did they lied. They spread all these rumors about her. She was the school slut. Kim didn't want to go to a school where she would once again be classified as that, but she knew that a lot of old Junior High kids would be there. She was definitely nervous.

Kim felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She quickly turned around to see a face she hoped she would never see again.

“Well hello Melinda.” Kim said as she took her headphones out her ear.

“Hello there Miss Kim Waiters. How was your summer?” Melinda asked with a tone that was filled with joy and mischievous intent.

“It was good. Thank you for asking.” Kim turned around and placed her headphones back into her ears. She once again felt a tap on her shoulder. She once again took her headphones out and turned to face Melinda.

“Aren't you going to ask me how my summer was?” Kim was annoyed.

“Not really.”

“Don't be like that Kim. This is a new school year, a time to make new friends and to once again befriend old ones.” Melinda smiled.

“Melinda I could give two fucks if we were friends again. You are a bitch filled with hatred. I don’t need a friend like you.” Kim was furious. Memories played in her mind as Melinda just smiled at her.

“I am sorry for what I did to you at the prom. It was never my intentions to sleep with Jordan. He came on to me.” Jordan McKnight was Kim's boyfriend, until he slept with Melinda in the back of his brother’s car at prom. His brother was a chaperone

“Yeah okay Melinda. I love your little lies. You were scheming all year to get him. I saw the glances you gave him as we walked down the halls. Don’t play me like I’m dumb.”

“Well maybe if you weren't a slut then maybe you would have kept him. He wanted a girl with class he told me. He was with you and when he heard all those stories about you he was grossed out. So I was there to cheer him up. I am the one he really wanted.” Melinda smiled as she rubbed it Kim's face.

“That is so funny. I was the slut of the school in the last year of that hell hole but here you are sleeping with someone else's man, in the back of a beat up truck at that. I guess I was bumped down to slut number 2 after that stunt you pulled.”

Melinda was pissed at that comment. She rolled her eyes at Kim and walked down the train station platform. Kim slowly placed her headphones back into her ears and turned back around. As she was turning around she saw the train roaring down the tunnel. She was happy that the train was arriving but at the same time her nerves kicked in even more. She knew that in a few minutes she would get off that train and make her way to a place she was dreading, a place full of teenagers with schemes that might be worst then Melinda's. The train stopped, the doors opened and Kim stepped inside as her mind wandered all over the place of what was to come.

Mark stood in front of his building. He was nervous. He never told his parents why he wanted to visit his aunt. He didn't know how they would react. Mark walked up to the entrance to the building and pressed the intercom. He waited to hear that familiar voice.

“Who's there?” The manly voice asked.

“It’s me dad, Mark.” Mark smiled as he spoke.

BUZZ

The door clicked open and Mark pulled the heavy door. He entered the familiar building. It was only three months he was gone but he felt like it was longer. He felt like he was on a draining journey. One in which he discovered who he was. He discovered the person he needed to be to be happy. As he walked up the five flights of stairs to his apartment he felt excitement kick in. The nervousness was gone and now he was excited to share his new discovery with his parents. His aunt had reassured him that his parents would still love him no matter who he loved, woman or man. He finally reached his floor and there at the door stood his father, Louis Perez.

“Dad.” Mark said with excitement. Mark and his dad had a great father son relationship. They went to baseball games together at Yankee stadium, Louis even taught Mark how to play. They would all go as a family to the movies as well. Mark, his mom Cassie, his sister Patrice and even his dad all loved horror movies.

“How are you?” Louis asked Mark. They both walked into the house together. Mark made his way into the living room area and he dropped his bags on the side of the couch.

“I am doing good. How are you dad?” Mark asked. Mark didn’t speak to his friends or his family while he was at aunt Maria's house for the summer. He wanted to figure out who he was and not have to worry about things back in New York.

“I am good. You want something to drink?” Louis asked his son as he walked into the kitchen.

“No I am good. Where is mom?” Mark asked as he sat down on the plush cream couch. Mark stared at a picture that stood on a glass end table next to the couch. It was a family photo. Mark, his mom, his dad and his sister all went to the zoo together when Mark was 10. His sister Patrice was about 14. He loved his big sister. She always looked out for him. As he stared at the picture he felt the nerves kick in again. He was now scared again to tell them that he is gay.

“She's at a doctor’s appointment. She will be so happy to see you.” Louis sat next Mark. He places his drink on the other end table on the other side of the couch.

“I miss her so much. I know it was only 3 months I was away but you know I never been away from you guys that long.”

Mark just turned 16 a few weeks ago on August 12^th. He was with his aunt and he felt a little lonely. He wanted to be with his friends to celebrate his big 16^th birthday.

“Well I have been speaking to your aunt while you were there. I told her not to tell you I was calling to check up on you. She informed me about something’s.” Mark was shocked. He didn't know his dad was calling. Maria was telling his dad things as well and Mark wondered what she told him.

“What did she tell you?”

Louis took another sip of his drink and placed sat it back down on the end table.

“She told me that you needed time to figure some things out. She told me that you would be okay and that she would look out for you. She also told me that you met someone while you were over there and that you were happy with them. So who is she?”

During the summer his aunt had took him to some gay spots to meet people. She thought it would help him to figure out exactly who he was. One day he met this boy named George Hines.

“Hey there.” George greeted Mark. Mark smiled a nervous smile.

“Hey.” Mark had never been around other gay people, well ones that he knew were gay.

“So are you new here?” George asked with a nice big smile. His teeth were so perfect. They were white and straight. When he smiled he had the nicest dimples and Mark was intrigued by him.

“I am here visiting. I am from New York.” Mark now smiled back.

“Well my name is George. I think you are really cute.” Mark began to sweat. He had never had a guy tell him he was cute.

“My name is Mark. I think you are cute too.” Mark couldn't stop smiling now. He felt like a little kid with a school crush. They exchanged numbers and they called each other every day. They even went on a few dates. Mark had really enjoyed his time with George so when it was time for him to leave it broke his heart.

“I wish you didn't have to leave.” George said as tears formed in his eyes. Mark couldn't even look at him because he knew he would start crying as well.

“I wish I didn't have to either. I want to thank you so much. I came here to find answers and you were that answer. You helped me discover who I am and I owe so much to you for that. I will miss you and I won’t forget you.” Mark wiped George's tears and they kissed each other good bye. Mark opened the front door to George's house and slowly walked out, making sure he turned around to see his face one last time. He waved good bye and closed the door behind him leaving George there by himself in pain.

Mark stared at his dad in awe. He thought it was a girl. Maria didn't tell his dad the truth. He was relieved.

“She was just some girl. Well I'm going to go unpack.” Mark got up from the couch, grabbed his bags and made his way to his bedroom in the back of the apartment. He put his bags in front of his closet and he threw himself on his bed. He stared at his ceiling. So many thoughts passed through his mind. He wondered what it would be like for his father and himself after he told he was gay. Would they still have the same father/son relationship they had now? Would his parents disown him like some other gay kids parents have? He wondered so much but the one thing he wondered the most, how Tiffany was doing.

Tiffany stood there in front of the big building that would be like her second home. The High School building looked scary during the day time. She was curious how it looked at night. She stood there just staring. Fear had frozen her in that same spot for the last 10 minutes. She wanted to enter but her feet sent signals to her brain not to move.

“Tiffany.” Someone yelled. She turned around to see her two best friends walking towards her.

“Hey guys.” She yelled back at them. Kim hugged Tiffany and kissed her on the cheek. Kevin just stood there.

“Hey.” Kevin said as he now began to stare at the building.

“So how long have you been here?” Kim asked.

“About 10 minutes now. This is just scary.” Tiffany replied.

All three of them stood there staring up at the entrance. They felt fear kick in. They also felt excitement kick in. It was going to be 4 years in that building. 4 years of drama, love, heartache, and friendship. Kim grabbed Tiffany's hand and then grabbed Kevin's.

“Well we have to go in sooner or later.” Kim said.

They both looked at Kim and then at each other. They both shrugged and all three of them made their way into the building, the building that would make them and destroy them all at the same time. It was of course High School.