Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret) by Stephen Andrew Salamon Read Free Book Online

little brother to go, to
end their relationship and travel away from Ridge Crest for good.
Yet, in a small way, he did, he felt that Damen was serious enough,
and he saw that Damen really wanted this. For all that, Greg still
didn’t want him to go, so his best tactic, the best thing he could
do at a time like this, was ask the one question that would be the
last question. “You can’t be serious, Damen ... you serious?”
    “Yeah ... I’m very serious, and I have to go
now.”
    Greg dropped his glass of milk on the floor;
the shock caused the glass to fall from Greg’s grasp, and allowed
him to just stare at Damen and totally forget about the mess he’d
just created.
    “Damen ... are you coming back home ever?”
Greg asked in a loud way while stepping over the broken glass to
get closer to him. “I mean, wow, I mean, hello, Damen, this is kind
of a moment thing.” Greg concentrated his eyes on him, watching his
eyes, and how they already gave away the answer, they’d already
replied to his question, but Greg wanted to hear him say it. “So,
are ya?”
    “Listen ... Greg, I don’t know what I’m gonna
to do. Just please, please, don’t tell Mom or Dad. Promise me you
won’t.” Damen then placed a letter on the table, next to a fruit
basket filled with bananas, and waited for Greg to promise.
    Greg didn’t know what to do. His little
brother was leaving and he couldn’t stop him anymore. Yet, even
though Greg couldn’t stop him, he knew who could, and that person
was about to wake up once the rooster crowed. “Well, I don’t know;
I never lied to them before,” answered Greg.
    He picked up the letter and saw what was
written on the envelope. “To Mom and Dad, you’re planning on
leaving them a letter like this?” Greg was shocked. Greg was
appalled and a little angered at Damen’s plan of action, his way of
saying goodbye. In Greg’s mind, the envelope really read, To Mom
and Dad, thanks for nothin’.
    “Idiot, there’s a letter inside of the
envelope,” said Damen in a smart aleck manner. He walked over to
the door slowly and opened it ever so gently. The door made a
creaking noise every time it opened an inch.
    “Wait a second ... I want to talk to you
before you go,” said Greg. He began cleaning up the spilled milk
fast, knowing that Damen was going to leave soon. Greg wanted to
catch up, to talk to his little brother, but it was too late, he
was leaving, and Greg had missed the chance to act the way an older
brother should every day.
    Damen got the door fully opened, and turned
around to face his brother. He said in a fast way, “Listen, I don’t
have time to talk.” He felt the urge to only leave this place
behind, and not talk and waste time. But suddenly Damen opened his
eyes a bit more and saw the pain in Greg’s eyes, and felt that he
should say something to ease his sadness. “Listen, I got to go,
Greg, but once I get on my feet, I’ll call you.”
    He walked halfway out the door before he
heard a low-toned voice say, “Good morning, Damen.” He stopped for
a moment and turned around slowly. That’s when the voice asked,
“Wait a second, what are you doing up now? You still have another
hour till we begin working on the crops. After all, today’s your
mother’s birthday, and we did sleep in a bit.”
    “Good morning, Dad,” said Damen, his voice
shaking a bit.
    “Oh, good morning, Greg. What are you two
doing up so early?” his father asked, seeing Greg cleaning up the
broken glass from the floor. He noticed Damen standing on the front
porch with the fading moonlight shining on his backpack, and asked,
“Where are you going, son?”
    “Um, I’m just coming home from Jose’s house.
I slept over there last night.” He walked back inside the door, to
the kitchen, and threw his backpack over the letter that was laying
on the table. It was over, his plan was ruined, and the anger built
up in Damen’s mind. He was angry at his father for waking up, and
he was angry