Teen Secrets

Depression and anxiety disorders. Trust me on this schools are filled with it and no one wants to talk about it.

Anorexia. Awareness of sexual abuse of another family member, with a promise to keep it a secret... actually, that one works really well in a number of contexts -- the teen sees something that they know is very wrong (steroid/drug use, abuse, adultery) but is sworn to secrecy by the other party involved.

Excellent suggestions. Also being gay and afraid to come out. Being a shoplifter or knowing someone who is. A huge one would be knowing someone or being the person having a relationship with a teacher.

They had an abortion. They've been raped. They've committed some type of crime. (Some girl in my class was talking quite loudly about her and her friends stole cars....but I guess that's not really keeping it a secret.)

Also, all of the suggestions above were great!

alainn_chaser said:

Depression and anxiety disorders. Trust me on this schools are filled with it and no one wants to talk about it.

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This one is really good. So many students think/know that they have anxiety/mental disorders, but won't come out with it because they're too embarrased or they don't think anyone will believe them.

Cutting.

Old-people health problems.

Now THAT's embarrassing.

The teen could be a vampire or werewolf or rampant shoe-sniffer or something. But really to be serious, I think it would be good if the secret was about him/herself, such as cutting. Also, an eating disorder would be good--how about if the kid secretly couldn't read and was trying to hide it?

Damn. I was just about to say cutting. Beat me to it, Patti. I think that's a great one.

bulimia

An eating disorder would be a good one (bulimia is easier to hide than anorexia, but it depends on what type of story you want to tell). Or suicidal thoughts. Or even obsessive compulsive disorder if it's really bad.

OCD issues, abusive parents/stepparents, a shoplifting problem, drugs/alcohol, pregnancy, bulimia, anorexia, cutting, stealing money from parents, cheating on a final exam...

Being Emo

Ok no one mentioned friends with firearms. Maybe cliche I know. My daughters Elementary school was shut down last month because some one decided to bring toy guns and hide them outside the school.

Having done something illegal. Being an unwilling drug dealer. Having a serious depression. An abortion. Being pregnant. Having a boyfriend. Being sexually active. Failing school. Abusive relationships. Abusive parents. Cutting. Eating disorders. Low self-esteem. Having gotten your girlfriend pregnant. Having caused a car crash that killed someone. Watching someone die.

writerdog said:

P.S. How about having a secret boyfriend. Then, getting kidnapped while shopping with said boyfriend.

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Even better, how about getting kidnapped while shoplifting with said boyfriend? (Or worse, arrested! )

There are two young adult novels out now where the main character's big secret is that when they were younger (I think around ten years old), they killed another child. The cases are notorious. When the stories open, both are living under assumed names. The books are Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy (that case seems to be based in part on the Mary Bell case) and Right Behind You by Gail Giles (about a boy who set another child on fire).

If murder is going too far for you, how about Kiss by Book by Jamie Michaels? (Is she a plagiarist or isn't she?)

writerdog said:

I'm so going to puke! But, I love your ideas. What if I combind some of them?

P.S. How about having a secret boyfriend. Then, getting kidnapped while shopping with said boyfriend.

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Even better, how about getting kidnapped while shoplifting with said boyfriend? (Or worse, arrested! )

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Or

Gets caught shoplifting food and supplies for the boyfriend she kidnapped.

On Topic.... Yes, teens do keep boyfriends a secret. That would be a fun story.

Having a verbally or physically abusive boyfriend.

I knew a guy in high school who was a rigid right-winger on the face of things, but was secretly having a gay affair with a much older man.

When the teen tried to break off the relationship, the older guy sent horrible letters to all the teen's friends, outing him and their affair in the ugliest sort of language. School administration got involved, news got out to those who didn't get the letters. Needless to say - very traumatic for the poor kid. Fortunately, his friends proved true and didn't give a hoot.

quote=writerdog;1789057]Okay. Where in the world did you come up with that?[/quote]


Being Emo? No one likes to be Emo, even the Emo kids are embarassed about it.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?s=emo+cat