Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, Warren-Rinsler Productions, NBC Universal Television and Tailwind Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories.
Continental Divide
Chapter 2
The Love of My Life
The cab pulled up to the apartment building downtown. Raven grabbed Chelsea's bags from the driver as Chelsea paid him. They got into the elevator.
"Rae, this is a nice building! They always make New York look so gritty and grungy on TV." Chelsea remarked.
"Trust me, Chels. There's plenty of grit and grunge in this city. You just have to know where to look." Raven replied.
They walked into the modest two-bedroom apartment. It had Raven's diva touches all over it. Color splashing everything in sight; walls, throw pillows, rugs, lamps. It was obvious to her that Raven's roommate had little or no say in the design of their common area.
"Rae, this is definitely you. Look at ya! All cosmopolitan and stuff!" Chelsea squeezed her in another hug.
"Make yourself comfortable." Raven said as she picked up Chelsea's bags. "I'm gonna put these in my room."
Chelsea sat down on the couch and took her shoes off. After rubbing her feet, she grabbed one of the throw pillows and pulled it to her chest. She caught a familiar scent and took a deep breath. Peaches. Chelsea thought as she took in Raven's signature scent. She looked around the room and took pause for a moment. She felt familiar warmth, the kind that she feels when she's around Raven, but she felt something else, something foreign that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Raven came back into the room moments later, barefoot with black NYU shorts; white NYU t-shirt and her hair pulled back in a clip. She walked into the kitchen to grab the cordless phone.
"There's a place at the edge of the village that has the best pizza!" Raven called to Chelsea. "You want something to drink!"
"No, I'm cool, thanks!" Chelsea responded. She heard Raven on the phone ordering the pizza. Just like old times. She thought. Raven hung up the phone and made her way into the living room. " Can I use your bathroom?"
"Chels. You don't have to ask. Mi casa es su casa, mi amiga." Raven said.
Chelsea stood up and walked over to Raven and planted a kiss on her cheek. Raven turned to watch her walk into the bathroom. Why are you doing this to me? Raven thought to herself. She shook her head and went to sit down on the sofa. How do I tell her? How do I tell her that…
After a few moments, Chelsea returned. "Thanks. I needed to freshen up a bit." Chelsea said. "So what's been going on with you? You look happy."
"I am happy. Life is good. School is good…"
"The men of New York are good!" Chelsea added. This was an act on her part. She was praying Raven's response was negative.
"These guys? No. New York guys, New York people in general are cool and everything but my preference these days lean toward other parts of the country."
"Do tell! Somebody on the radar?" Chelsea was being as normal as possible. She wanted to be armed with as much information as possible on any competition she has to come up against.
"Well…" Raven's thought was interrupted by keys jingling in the door lock. She shot up from her seat and turned toward the front door.
"All right! Our company has arrived!" Raven's roommate announced her arrival home.
Chelsea stood to greet her. Raven smiled a noticeably uncomfortable smile as her roommate made her way over to where they were standing.
Raven's roommate walked over to her. "Hey!" Her roommate then proceeded to give her a full-lip hi-honey-how-was-your-day kiss.
Chelsea's insides dropped to the floor. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? Her mind screamed. She looked at Raven, who at that point looked like she was going to be sick.
"Oh, my God you… didn't tell… her yet, did you? I'm… I'm sorry…"
"No. I should have… I was slow in doing it… uhhh, Chelsea Daniels; this is my… girlfriend, Claire Bennet. Raven said with eggshell delicacy. "Claire, this is Chelsea.
Chelsea felt like she had just been stabbed with a rusty knife. This was one revelation she was not expecting. THIS IS MY GIRLFRIEND? AAAAARGH! It took every fiber of her being to make this recovery look legit. Claire stuck out her hand to shake it.
"You're kidding me right…" Chelsea said. A deafening silence covered the room like a blanket. A very tense five seconds went by. Claire withdrew her hand.
"Raven's girlfriend gets a hug from me." Chelsea threw her arms open and pulled Claire to her. Claire responded in kind. Raven smiled on the outside but was screaming on the inside.
"CeCe, what are you doing home so early? I-I thought you had to work." Raven was doing her best not to run screaming from the room.
"They changed the schedule and didn't tell me. So here I am." Claire said to Raven. She then turned to Chelsea. "Chelsea, you are prettier in person than you are in your pictures."
"Please. My friends call me Chels. And thank you. Raven did very well for herself. You're very pretty yourself. Are you a model or something?" Chelsea said as she shot Raven a look that might have lasted a microsecond, but its message was crystal clear.
"As short as I am? No way. I was a cheerleader in high school, back in Odessa, Texas."
"Chels…" Raven joked cautiously. "Stop flirting! She's taken." The joke was more for Claire's benefit as she knew Raven's sense of humor.
"Rae, I'm not flirting. I'm getting to know your girlfriend better." Every time Chelsea said the word girlfriend the acid in her stomach churned.
All the while, Chelsea was studying Claire. She was 5'1", petite, athletic body, blonde hair that hung below the shoulders, very cute. Chelsea had no reason to dislike Claire. Yet she found herself seething on the inside. Great. Not only does she go and become a lesbian without telling me, her girlfriend is fucking Cheerleader Barbie. This is what I flew cross-country for?
"Look, I don't want to interrupt your reunion. I came back to get my books. I'm going to go to the library to do a little studying. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Claire said.
"Are you sure? Rae just ordered a pizza." Chelsea was well on her way to an Academy award for her performance.
"No, really. I grabbed something before I left work." Claire sensed some awkwardness in the air and was ready to make her exit. "Anyway, English Lit awaits."
"Yeah, advanced Lit is a killer." Chelsea replied.
"Advanced? No, this is freshman Lit." Claire responded.
And she's a freshman? The hits just keep on comin'. Chelsea thought.
"Chels, I'm gonna talk to CeCe for a minute while she grabs her books. Will you excuse us?" Raven asked.
"Sure, take your time." Chelsea said as she went to sit down. Raven and Claire made their way into Claire's bedroom. CeCe. Chelsea scoffed to herself. Perfect Cheerleader Barbie nickname. "Gimme a C!... C! gimme an E!... E! gimme a fuckin' break." Chelsea muttered to herself under her breath.
Claire went to get her books as Raven closed the door behind her and quickly closed the distance between them and began whisper-yelling.
"I thought you weren't gonna be home until 11. I hadn't told her yet! Then you come through the door with that Honey, I'm home shit!" Raven was beside herself.
Claire leaned in. Less than six inches separated their noses. Raven had met her fiery match. Claire was as sweet as a peach cobbler but had a Texas-sized temper when provoked. "Well if you had trusted your friend like you say you do, you would have told her about us when we started dating six months ago! So save me your wounded what-are-you-doing-home-early bullshit 'cause I was left hanging out there too!"
Raven looked at her 18 ½ year old girlfriend. Her nostrils were flared, her eyes narrowed, her jaw tight. Raven was pretty sure that she could take her in a fight, but Claire would give her a run for her money. That was one of the things that attracted her to Claire.
"You're right. I should have told her before." Raven's mistake was sinking in. "Now I know she's pissed."
"I would be too." Claire agreed. "Just talk to her. Explain it to her. Then apologize your ass off." Claire then peeked around Raven and looked at her butt. And it looks like you've got a lot of apologizing to do." Claire laughed as Raven looked at her.
"Oh?" Raven grabbed Claire and pulled her close in an embrace. "You just make sure you apologize your ass back here in two hours."
"Yes, ma'am." Claire answered as she leaned in and shared a slow passionate kiss with Raven. After a couple of moments they broke their embrace. They both wiped their mouths, removing traces of Raven's lip gloss. "Okay, I'm out of here. I'll see you later." Claire grabbed her bag and headed for the door as Raven trailed her. Claire went to open the bedroom door. Raven blocked it with her hand. Claire looked over her shoulder at Raven.
"Don't be late." Raven said with a sly grin as she kissed Claire again. With that Claire opened the door and walked toward the front door.
"Chelsea, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'll see you later." Claire said as she headed to the door.
"Bye. Be careful out there." Chelsea said as she watched Claire leave.
Raven sheepishly walked out of the bedroom and into the living room.
"She's beautiful, Rae. You've got good taste, I'll give you that." Chelsea's compliment was laced with venom.
"Chels…"
"How long have you been seeing her?"
"Chels…"
"How long, Rae? Be honest."
Raven dropped her head. "Six months."
"Si… Six months." Chelsea was flabbergasted. She began to pace.
"Chels, I was afraid…"
"Afraid? Afraid of what? Afraid of sharing with your best friend in the whole world a life-changing, earthquake-like decision?" Chelsea was eerily calm. "Afraid of keeping a promise we made to each other to tell each other anything, no matter what? Afraid that I would turn my back on you and think less of you because you prefer the company of women over men?"
For the first time in the 15 years they had known each other, Raven could not get a read on Chelsea.
"No Rae. You shouldn't have been afraid of that." Chelsea walked over to Raven. "I have no problem with the choice you made. I wish you the best in your relationship with CeCe. The problem I have, is that you didn't trust me. You lumped me in with all the bigoted, mean-spirited, shortsighted pricks that we talk about. Something important in your life happened, and you didn't pick up a phone, send an email or write a letter and even attempt to explain it to me."
"Chelsea, please. Just…"
"But then again Rae…" A single tear began to stream down Chelsea's cheek. "You don't owe me an explanation. It's your life. And I'm just a long-distance friend now. Congratulations. Live long… and prosper."
Chelsea turned and started walking toward Raven's room to get her bags. The long-distance friend description really stung Raven deeply. Raven followed after her, catching her and grabbing her by the arm before she reached the door.
"Chelsea I had so much stuff going through my head. I met her and… she was inside my head and I… I was confused. I wanted to reach out to you but you were 3,000 miles away. And I didn't want to talk to you over the phone or online. And I couldn't leave." Raven said as tear fell.
"You know what the saddest part is?" Chelsea spoke from her soul. "What you just said. Because six months ago, if you had said to me that you needed me, I would have been on the next flight here. I would have stood right here in this spot and told you everything is going to be all right and helped you in any way I could." Raven began crying. Chelsea felt herself begin to lose her composure. Her bottom lip began to quiver. "But now that chance is gone… and so am I."
Chelsea stepped into the room and took her bags. She walked past a grieving Raven and headed toward the apartment door.
"Please don't leave like this." Raven pleaded. "We can talk this out."
"No. Not tonight we can't." Chelsea's heart was breaking into a million pieces as she cried. She came to New York to claim her true love. Now, less than two hours since her arrival, she's lost her true love and her best friend in one fell swoop. "I don't know if we ever can."
"Where are you going?" Raven painfully eked out.
"You know, God protects babies and fools." Chelsea said. "I'm not a baby, so I must be a fool because I have a plan B." Chelsea opened the door. Then, as if she was punishing herself, she walked up to Raven and softly pressed her lips to Raven's for one first and seemingly last kiss. "Goodbye, Rae." Chelsea turned and started down the hallway.
Raven wanted to run after her, but she couldn't move. She was paralyzed with anguish. She wanted to cry out, but no sound would come, just tears. She closed the door. "Chelsea, don't leave me, please." Raven softly cried. "You are the love of my life."
I hate doing that to y'all but the story has to be told. Just in case you haven't realized it, Raven's girlfriend is Claire, the cheerleader from Heroes. You know, "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World." She does not, however have super regenerative powers in this story. Nor will Raven's psychic abilities make an appearance. This story will play out without special effects. Sometimes, it's better that way. PLEASE REVIEW.
