Stronger Than Before

Chapter 4

The next few weeks passed slowly and it seemed as if Raven saw less and less of Chelsea. She went out with Ben every night and she was in the habit of leaving early every morning before Raven even had the chance to say goodbye. Their usual routine of a hug and a kiss, or any affection at all, ceased to exist. Anytime Raven tried to have a conversation with her, she was either in a hurry to go and see Ben or she had loads of homework to get to. The feeling of loneliness was starting to overtake her again.

Raven was surprised when she came home one day to find Chelsea working at her desk.

"Hey, Chels," she said softly. There was so much more she wanted to say, but she was afraid of scaring the girl off.

"Hi, Rae," Chelsea returned just as softly. Her eyes followed Raven as she moved around the room. She knew she had been incredibly distant and that it was hurting her friend. Raven was the happiest, most vibrant person she knew. She had a beautiful energy that just radiated from her, but no one would be able to tell based on the last few weeks and Chelsea felt horrible because she knew she was the cause.

The kiss they had shared at the camp grounds scared her. Neither of them had spoken of it. There were a few times where she thought Raven was going to mention it, but she always stopped her before she could.

"Chels, are you mad at me?"

Chelsea whipped around at the sound of her friend's voice and she nearly cried at how vulnerable she looked. Her beautiful eyes had welled with tears and her chin was quivering. "What? Rae, no," she said standing. Chelsea's guilt had tripled in the last few seconds and she pulled Raven into a tight hug, no longer able to resist. "No, Rae. Please don't cry. I'm sorry," she whispered as her own tears began to fall.

"I just…I feel like I'm losing my best friend," Raven cried.

Chelsea squeezed tighter. "Never," she said with conviction. "I'm sorry, Rae. I know I've been distant. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. I never meant to hurt you," she explained.

Raven pulled back to look at her friend. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I know," Chelsea whispered.

Raven nodded. "Please, just promise me that no matter what…we'll always be friends."

"I promise," Chelsea said as she pulled Raven into another hug, relishing in the comfort she had been missing out on for the last few weeks. It felt more like a lifetime. Maybe she had read too much into what the kiss meant. They had both been incredibly emotional after the day's events and they were just comforting one another. Her mind had turned it into something more and she had almost ruined their friendship because of it.

Things seemed to be getting back to normal after their cathartic cry. Raven was still somewhat tentative around Chelsea and the redhead hated that she had caused her friend to be that way.

One afternoon, Chelsea was sitting in the cafeteria of the student union waiting on Raven and Ben to join her for lunch. She spotted Raven first and waved her over.

"Hey, girl! What's up?" Raven said as she gave Chelsea a quick hug before taking a seat across from her.

"Wow, you look great, Rae," Chelsea complimented, eyebrows raised as she looked at her friend. She left before Raven got dressed that morning. The charcoal gray skirt suit she was wearing was pretty straightforward, but it had been decked out with all of the accessories Raven was known for; the sparkling diamond jewelry, the spiky heels, the perfect makeup, and flowing black hair. There was just enough cleavage to say sexy yet still classy.

"Thanks," Raven said with a grin. "I had to give a presentation in class today. Where's Ben?"

"Right here," he said with a smile as he took a seat next to his girlfriend.

Chelsea quickly turned to greet him, hoping that neither of them noticed how hard she had been staring at Raven. "Hey," she said, greeting Ben with a smile and a kiss.

Raven looked away as the two kissed, a feeling she couldn't quite describe slightly souring her mood. Although Chelsea had stopped avoiding her, they rarely spent any time together without Ben. She didn't mean any ill will towards him. In fact, she thought he was a wonderful guy, but she missed the times when it was just her and Chelsea.

After the girls had decided on what they wanted for lunch, Ben graciously left to go and get the food.

"So, guess what?" Raven said after he had gone.

"What?" Chelsea asked curiously.

"Devon's going to come for a visit this weekend," Raven announced with a happy squeal.

"Rae, that's great!" Chelsea said, excited for her friend.

"I know. I just hope we can finally figure out where we stand." Raven knew that her emotions had been all over the place lately. She figured that maybe seeing Devon would be the cure for the craziness.

"Rae, that party is this weekend. Maybe we could all go together," Chelsea suggested.

"Good idea, Chels! A double date. Who would've thought that we'd be freshman in college before we finally had boyfriends together," she joked, thinking about the vow they'd made during their freshman year of high school to have boyfriends at the same time.

Chelsea laughed as she thought back to those times when everything seemed so much simpler. It wasn't really that long ago, but it sure felt like it.

Ben looked at the two girls as he approached the table with their meals. Even though he and Chelsea had spent practically every waking moment together since she returned from the camping trip, most of the time she seemed to be a million miles away. As he got closer, she and Raven seemed to be chatting and laughing like normal. Maybe he had done the right thing by ignoring his vision.

Raven spent the rest of the week preparing for Devon's visit. She found a great outfit to wear to the party and she had planned out nearly every moment of his stay, wanting to make sure all of her time with him counted.

The two friends sat quietly in their room doing homework. The party was tomorrow and they both wanted to get it out of the way so they could have the weekend free, especially Raven, who had to leave to pick Devon up from the airport soon.

Chelsea sighed and stood up from her desk.

"You finished already, girl?" Raven asked, her eyes focused on her laptop.

"Just taking a break," she said as she wandered over to Raven's bed and plopped down.

Raven glanced at her friend and smiled. If Chelsea felt comfortable enough to start stealing her bed again then maybe things really were getting back to normal. Deciding that she had gotten as far as she was going to with her work, she shut her laptop and slipped her heels back on.

"Okay, I'm off to the airport, Chels," Raven said as she grabbed her purse and car keys.

Chelsea stood from the bed in order to walk her friend out.

Raven took a deep breath and smiled. "How do I look?"

Chelsea walked closer and brushed a lock of hair out of Raven's eyes. Her hand lingered in the silky tresses a little longer than necessary and she forced herself to be calm as she pulled it away. "Beautiful."

Raven's heart beat a little faster at the tenderness in Chelsea's voice. They stared at each other for a moment, neither speaking, but it was Chelsea who eventually broke the silence.

"You'd better get going. You don't want to be late picking up Devon," she said softly.

Right. Devon.

Raven smiled and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm off." The need to see him had suddenly turned urgent. Her mind was all over the place and she just knew he was the cure. He had to be. She would swoon at his handsome smile and take comfort in his strong arms engulfing her in a hug.

Just as she reached the door, her cellphone rang, Pressure's latest single filling the air. She looked at the caller I.D. and smiled at Chelsea. "It's Devon. Maybe his plane got in early," she said before finally answering.

Chelsea closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Raven was busy talking on the phone. She needed to get a hold of herself. Her eyes opened when she heard Raven's keys drop to the desk.

"It's alright…No, I'm fine…It couldn't be helped," Raven said into the phone.

Raven's voice had taken on a neutral tone and Chelsea moved closer as her concern grew.

"We'll just have to try again soon," Raven said as she took a shaky breath. "Okay. I love you, too. Bye."

The redhead watched as Raven closed the phone and remained facing away from her. She ran a hand through her hair and sat her purse down. "Rae…" Chelsea said, already fully aware of what just happened.

Finally turning around, Raven put on a brave smile. "Well, Chels, looks like I got all dolled up for nothing," she said with a small shrug.

Chelsea saw her friends beautiful eyes glistening as she tried to hold back her emotion. "I'm sorry, Rae," she said softly. Her heart broke as large tears quietly spilled down Raven's cheeks and she wasted no time in gathering her friend into a strong hug. Chelsea's own tears began to fall as she sympathized with her friend's pain and in that moment she hated Devon Carter.

The setting sun shined brightly through the window and onto the two sleeping figures lying huddled together in the small bed. Chelsea squinted against the strong light and slowly opened her eyes. She stretched gently so as not to wake Raven who was still sleeping next to her.

Chelsea held Raven for what seemed like forever before finally guiding her to the bed to rest. She lay down with the dark haired girl, not daring to leave her, and eventually they both fell asleep.

Leaning away from where their heads had been bowed together, sharing a pillow, Chelsea gazed at Raven's sleeping face and wondered how things could have gotten so complicated in the last couple of months. Raven was the strongest person she knew, but lately she seemed so vulnerable. Chelsea knew that she had played a role in that vulnerability when she had become distant after their camping trip. As she brushed some hair away from Raven's face, she vowed that she would put her own crazy emotions aside and be there for her friend. They had made that promise to one another and she took it seriously.

Chelsea gently leaned forward until her head was once again pressed against Raven's. Their close proximity allowed for a visual study of the dark haired girl's sleeping face. Chelsea took in the long, dark eyelashes and the gently rounded face, the smooth brown skin and the full lips. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt herself moving closer still, her nose brushing against Raven's lightly.

Brown eyes flew open when she suddenly felt her friend stirring and she pulled back slightly. She glanced up to see Raven's sleepy hazel eyes staring back.

"Hey." She hoped Raven couldn't hear her pounding heart.

"Hi," came the soft reply.

"Are you okay?" Chelsea asked. Raven nodded and closed her eyes again. Chelsea slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. She needed some space, but she didn't want it to seem as if she was in a hurry to get away from Raven. "Listen," she began as she busied herself with slipping her shoes back on, "Why don't you rest some more and I'll go get us something to eat, okay?"

"Okay," Raven said from where she still laid on the bed. She watched quietly as Chelsea fixed her clothes and then made her way to the bathroom.

Chelsea came out a few minutes later and grabbed her purse.

"Chels, don't forget your phone. It's starting to get dark," Raven said, having spotted it still sitting on the nightstand.

The redhead smiled, touched by her friends' simple reminder. Even in her sadness she was still concerned about Chelsea's wellbeing.

"Maybe I should go with you," Raven said as she moved to sit up. She hated the idea of Chelsea walking across campus alone after dark.

"No," Chelsea said gently as she made her way over, snatching up her cellphone. She sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "I won't go far, I promise." Before she could stop herself, she leaned over and placed a kiss on Raven's cheek. "Be right back."

Raven smiled, comforted by her friend's affection.

The previous night consisted of a quiet dinner and watching television. Chelsea tried her best to keep Raven's spirits up and they spent the night being the close friends that they were. Chelsea had even talked Raven into going to the party anyway. She declined at first, insisting that she would feel like a third wheel with Chelsea and Ben, but as the night wore on, she considered the idea more and more and decided that maybe Devon cancelling the visit at the last minute was a sign that she needed to move on.

Now, she stood looking into the bathroom mirror, applying the finishing touches to her makeup.

"Devon doesn't know what he's missing," she said to herself, confident that she looked good.

In the other room, Chelsea was slipping into her shoes when there was a knock at the door. Ben was meeting them so they could go to the party together.

"Hi," she greeted with a smile as he entered the room. He leaned in to give her a light kiss.

"You look great," Ben said as he gave her the once over. Raven entered the room just then and all eyes went to her.

Chelsea stared at her friend, making a conscious effort to keep her mouth closed.

Ben looked at his girlfriend and noticed the way she was staring at Raven. He cleared his throat and Chelsea glanced at him, seemingly pulled from a daze. "Raven you look incredible," he complimented.

"Yeah, Rae, Devon is totally missing out right now," Chelsea agreed.

"Thanks, guys," Raven smiled.

Once last check to make sure they had everything they needed and they were off to the party.

The gathering was in full swing when they arrived. It was packed and the music was thumping. One of Maisha's old dance tracks was playing and Raven was surprised when she felt Chelsea's hand slip into hers, pulling her further into the crowd to dance.

Ben watched for a minute as the girls became lost in the mass before moving along to find something to drink. After turning down a few offers to dance, he finally made his way to the kitchen. Every kind of drink imaginable seemed to be available. Grabbing a red party cup, Ben filled it with beer from one of the kegs and went to find Chelsea again.

"Let's take a break," Raven yelled over the beat of the music. They had been dancing for quite some time now. Chelsea nodded and turned around to start looking for Ben. When she finally spotted him, she grabbed Raven's hand and made her way to him.

Ben watched as the girls approached and saw that they were holding hands. It was something they did all the time, but he found himself staring and was instantly reminded of his vision.

"Good, you've got something to drink," Chelsea said as she took his cup.

"Wait," Ben warned as she took a big gulp, but it was too late.

Raven watched as Chelsea made a face and reluctantly swallowed.

"Ugh! I hate beer." She stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Ben took his cup back and smiled apologetically.

"Come on, Chels. Let's go get something else," Raven suggested, holding back a smile.

Ben watched them walk away as he continued sipping his beer. Maybe ignoring the vision wasn't the way to go after all.

As the night continued, Chelsea spent most of her time with Raven. Ben spent most of his time chatting with a few friends, but he had been watching Raven and Chelsea all night. He saw them leave the dance floor when a slow song started and followed them to where they stood in a corner. Maybe now he could finally dance with his girlfriend.

"Chelsea, let's dance," he said, grabbing her hand.

"Actually, Ben, I'm going to stay here with Rae."

Ben was suddenly annoyed. "You've been with her all night. All I'm asking for is one dance."

Chelsea and Raven were both shocked at the tone Ben's voice had taken. He was one of the sweetest guys either of them had ever known and they weren't sure why he was acting this way.

"Whoa. Maybe you need to cool it on the beer," Raven said.

"I don't need to be told what to do and this is between me and Chelsea," he argued, once again reaching for her hand.

Chelsea pulled away, her own anger rising. "Don't talk to her like that," she warned protectively of her friend.

An unsuspecting guy walked up just then. "Excuse me. Would you like to dance?" he asked smiling at Chelsea.

"No, she wouldn't," Ben said turning to the guy and answering for her, loudly.

"Dude, you need to chill!" the guy said just as loudly.

They were starting to attract a crowd and Raven realized that it was the vision she and Ben had shared when he first came back. "Listen, Chels, you don't have to stay with me," Raven said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Actually, I think I'm ready to leave anyway." Ben's mood had ruined any fun she was having.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," Chelsea said with one last angry glare at Ben. She grabbed Raven's hand and they waded through the crowd towards the door.

Ben ran a frustrated hand over his face. "Chelsea, wait!" he called, but she didn't turn around. Slamming his cup down, he left the party, afraid that he might have just made his vision come true.