Page 16 of Racing Hearts

Although Ellie could still hear a bit of stress in her best friend’s voice, it did sound lighter now, which meant her plan had worked. Ellie said goodbye to her, put the phone back into her pocket, then turned her attention to Sierra.

The only problem was Sierra was no longer there. Ellie looked around and found her disappearing far in the distance.So much for our talk.

Great. Ellie was pretty sure she had just driven an even bigger wedge between them. Not only that, but now, she also had to talk her best friend off a ledge. This was definitelynothow she expected her senior year to go.

Chapter 8

Sierra

It had been a week since Sierra and Teresa decided to becordial roommates, and it felt like years. Track practice should have been her one escape, but that wasn’t much better than her dorm room, thanks to Ellie. She was so hot and cold that it gave Sierra whiplash. One moment, she was whispering with Juniper and laughing as the two of them clearly talked about Sierra, and the next, she was giving Sierra a longing look, as if Sierra owed her that conversation they never ended up having. She hadn’t attempted it again since Sierra walked away after hearing Juniper call her a bitch on the phone, but it was obvious there was something she wanted to say. Part of Sierra wanted Ellie to just leave her alone, but there was another part of her that wished Ellie would say what she had to say to put Sierra out of her misery.

Sierra knew who she needed to talk to, but she had been avoiding it, because it meant she had to be honest about the secret she had been keeping for over a year. She and her twin sister—the only blood relative Sierra knew—never kept secrets from each other. At least, that had been true, until Teresa convinced her to keep this one. She couldn’t do it anymore, though. If she continued to hold it in, she might pop.

“Hey, stranger! What’s up?” her sister, Sienna, asked as soon as she answered the phone. Sierra wasn’t sure what her biological parents had been thinking when they named their identical twin daughters Sierra and Sienna, but since they disappeared after placing them in foster care before their second birthday, she was never going to find out.

“Not too much. School and track are kicking my ass, but what else is new?”

Sienna laughed lightly. “That was about to be my line. Whatisnew? I feel like I never hear from you anymore.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Sierra was ashamed. She had always been close to her sister, and even though she wouldn’t say they weren’t close anymore, they had definitely drifted apart over the past year and a half.

The worst part was that Sierra knew it was all her fault. At first, it was because she was so wrapped up in Teresa and the change in their relationship, but then it was because she felt like there was so much she couldn’t tell her sister. It only got worse when things ended with Teresa. Sierra knew if she talked to her sister too much, the whole story would come spilling out of her, and she wasn’t willing to let that happen. Until now, at least.

“It’s okay.” Her sister’s voice was soft and sweet. “Tell me what’s going on. I know you have something to say, so just say it.”

Sierra had so much to say, she didn’t know where to start. “How are you?” she asked. “We haven’t talked in so long. I don’t want this conversation to be all about me.”

“First of all, we text every day. Secondly, this conversation isn’t about me. There’s clearly something on your mind. You need to let it out.”

Sierra’s heart warmed from her sister’s words. She was so lucky to have her. She hated the fact that they were at schools hours away from each other, which was, unfortunately, not something she had thought too much about when her head was up Teresa’s ass.

“I’m gay.” Sierra didn’t realize those were going to be the first words out of her mouth, but her lips had made that decision before her brain could catch up.

“Obviously,” her sister answered right away. “And?”

Sierra shook her head at the phone. “What do you mean‘obviously’? Also,andwhat?”

In the silence she could almost hear Sienna rolling her eyes. “I’m your twin sister. The person who has been by your side since birth. Do you really think I wouldn’t realize that you’re gay?”

“Well, I mean…” Sierra’s mouth opened and closed. Had she really been that obvious? “Do you think moms know?”

Sienna laughed. “I’m not sure. Probably not. For two women who love women, their gaydar seems to suck most of the time. It wouldn’t surprise me if I found out it took themforeverto realizetheywere gay themselves. I mean, come on, they told us they’ve known each other since middle school, and I don’t think they started dating until at least college, maybe after. Who does that?”

Sierra knew this was as good of a segue as ever, so she might as well say the next part. “Ikind ofdid that.”

“Not really. It was only a few years for you and Teresa.”

Her and Teresa? Sienna not only realized she was gay, but also knew she had been dating Teresa? Now Sierra’s head was really spinning. “Teresa?” she asked dumbfounded, the sound of that name rolling off her lips causing her heart to ache.

“Well, yeah, you two are obviously together. Right?”

Even though Sierra knew her sister didn’t mean to, those words were like a knife to her heart. They weren’tobviously togetheranymore because Teresa had ripped her heart from her chest and left Sierra to bleed out on the floor. Sierra couldn’t talk because tears were stinging at her eyes. God, she was so sick of crying. It felt like it was all she ever did any more.

“Are you still there?” her sister asked. “Are you okay?”

“No.” That one word came out so weak and broken, that now Sierra did burst into tears. Thank god she was alone in her dorm room. She didn’t need anyone to see her like this. “I’mnot okay at all. My whole world feels like it’s falling apart, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“That bitch broke your heart, didn’t she?” Sienna practically growled into the phone. “I knew I never liked her. Harrison thought I was just jealous, but deep down, I could tell she was no good.”

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