Shadow-Land by Heather Parsons (best books to read for teens .txt) 📕

broke even more. Sierra nodded to the driver and he shut the door to the back. She sat back, took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, praying for the tears to stay in. "Don't cry, he'll figure it out sooner or later. We all know and I can't believe he doesn't." He whispered to her. Joseph had switched seats with Ben to sit next to and comfort Sierra.

"It doesn't matter Joseph. He's made up his mind.” She sighed then turned the subject around. “I have a new theater room, that no one has seen and a pool, if anyone is interested in. We can watch movies and swim and just have a good time." Sierra tried to make it sound strong. Opening her eyes after saying his name and even managing to smile.

The ride home was a short one and everyone was now starting to climb out of the limo. The driver had parked it in the garage so no one would see them getting out. "Kelly, Rob make yourselves at home. I'll be down in a minute, just have to change first." Sierra showed them inside the house first then quickly went to her room.

Getting out of the dress was hard, Sierra really needed someone to unzip the back of it. But without Travis being here to help she had to call on someone else. "Teri I need your help!" She yelled through the door. In a few minutes there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Teri walked in gracefully and then took in the look on Sierra's face.

"Your lost without him aren't you?" Teri laughed a little then came to her side and helped. Sierra slipped out of the dress without answering her. Went into her closet and hung it up, along with the coat.

"He told me that if I choose to have Simon in my life that he wouldn't be around anymore. I guess seeing him with Tanya means that he has already made his mind up about staying away from me. I don't know if I can live with this." Sierra sat down on the closet floor and started crying again. Losing him as a friend was killing her. But making her choose between him or her brother would be the death of her.

"All he remembers is the pain that you went through when you lost your parents and then putting that together with the fact that Simon left before. It hurt him so much to see you in pain maybe his feelings for you are greater than he lets on. Or maybe he's just a jerk. I don't know and don't care. You have a house full of people that just want to have fun and it's still early. Remember you promised to show Joseph the new theater room so lets go show him." This brought a smile to her face and she knew Teri was right. Getting off the floor, Teri helped her pick out some clothes so they could go join the others.

After Sierra was dressed in a summer dress, they both went downstairs so she could show off the new room. But before Sierra made it down the last step there was a knock on the door. Looking at Teri and then at the door. Sierra was unsure of who was at the door. Calling on one of the guys to answer it seemed better than her answering it herself. Safer too. "Dean can you get the door?" He's the only one out of everyone in this house, that if it was a stranger at the door, they would get a big surprise when he answered.

Six:

The Big Fight

DEAN was by their sides in a matter of seconds and looked at their faces. He told them to go and stand with the others. Without a moment to lose they did exactly what he said. Sierra heard him walking towards the door to open it and stopped in her tracks.

"Travis what the hell! You could have used your key instead of knocking. You know you scared the crap out of Sierra and Teri.” He stopped for a minute taking in the site in front of him. “Dude what the hell. Oh, Sierra's not going to like this." Dean purposely stood in front of them so no one else could see what he meant by what he'd said.

"This is my house as much as it is hers. Dean stop making such a big deal of this, it will be fine. I'll go and explain it to her now." Travis laughed his friend off while making his way inside.

The moment Sierra heard Travis' voice she pulled her arm out of Teri's and started walking to him. She had to make sure he was okay, that was her main concern. Everything else was secondary.

"Sierra STOP!" Teri yelled and Sierra did but not because of Teri yelling at her but more to the fact that she saw her. And what Sierra did next shocked everyone.

"Tanya oh my gosh! When did you get here?" She yelled running over and hugging her. They have never been good friends but out of all the girlfriends Travis' had Sierra liked Tanya the most. She's what makes him happy and whatever makes him happy, surprisingly makes Sierra happy too.

"Sierra, how are you?" Tanya asked with a big smile on her face. She was confused by this reaction and more so that it was coming from Sierra. The last person she'd thought would ever treat her this way after last time they all were together and what had taken place.

"I'm better now, seeing you here." Sierra looked between the confused faces of Dean and Travis and smiled. "Let's leave the boys here to drool over themselves and come with me upstairs. You have to tell me everything that's happened to you since we last saw each other." They locked arms and walked past the boys. Dean and Travis both still had their mouths hanging open and Sierra wanted so badly to tell them to shut them but she didn't.

Sierra took Tanya into one of the spare bedrooms and walked over and sat on the bed. All the sudden all the excitement Tanya had downstairs was gone and Sierra knew something was bothering her. Slowly she made her way over to the bed and sat down next to Sierra.

"Sierra, why are you so nice to me? Out of everyone in this house, your the last one I thought would be nice to me after what happened last time." Tanya tried smiling while hiding her real intentions on being here. Her tears that she's managed to keep hidden are now showing themselves.

"Honestly Tanya I've always liked you and I think Travis is a lucky guy to have found you. Your very special to him and what happened before is long forgotten." Sierra lied a little but right now it didn't matter. What Tanya had done before was still so fresh in her mind that it seemed like just yesterday that it happened. And now she thoughts they were finally back to normal or at least that's what she wanted it to be.

Placing her hand on Tanya's back and gently rubbing it, trying to make her feel better but the tears that she's been holding back now were escaping from her eyes. Sierra knew that whatever she was hiding was bad and tried as hard as possible to keep her own tears at bay. "Please tell me what's bothering you and maybe I can help."

"Sierra I'm pregnant." She whispered in sobs.

Sierra wasn't entirely sure if she had heard her right. The last time Tanya said this it tore Travis and Sierra's friendship apart. They didn't talk for six months and when they finally did, it was only a one way conversation. With only Travis answering or only saying one word in response. That was the one and only time Sierra had sided against him and he hated it. It took everyone to push them back together again and for Sierra it was the longest year of her life without him.

"Have you told him?" Sierra had to ask even if it meant their friendship again. She could tell by the look on Tanya's face that she hadn't yet and instantly cringed inside. "Tanya you can stay here as long as you need to but you have to do one thing for me. You have to tell Travis the truth."

Tanya smiled for a few minutes face when Sierra told her she could stay here but then it quickly left when mentioning telling Travis. Violently shaking her head no, Tanya grabbed Sierra into a hug and cried harder.

Again time slipped by them but Sierra stayed up there willing to wait out Tanya's tears before rejoining the group downstairs. And after a while Tanya managed to cry herself to sleep, Sierra laid her down gently on the bed, going into the closet and grabbing an extra blanket and covered her up. Remembering these room can get a little cold and doesn't want her guest to get cold, if indeed she is pregnant. As quietly as she could she made her way over to the light switch and turned it off, opening the door just wide enough to fit through then closed it back up again. Sierra leaned up against it for awhile, trying to hold herself together to make it through the rest of the evening and not break down crying.

As much as Sierra wanted to join everyone. She needed time to think alone. Walking into her room and quietly closing the door, she sat on the bed to think. Today has been nothing but disastrous since the time she'd woken up and now with Tanya's news it's only made her plans to leave that much more final. Originally there was two plane tickets to go back to Wolf Creek for both Travis and herself but now after everything's that's happened, she'd be going alone. Maybe she thought, she could convince Simon to go with her. It will be good for both of them. She hopes.

The soft knocking on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and immediately she thought it was Teri coming to see where she was and why she was taking so long. "Come in." She said between sobs.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Travis said searching the dark room for the voice he'd just heard. The soft cries told him where she was and when he sat down next to her, he was panicking. "Sierra where's Tanya?"

"She's in the spare room, sleeping. She's going