Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with "That's So Raven."

Author's Note: Hey, I made up a last name for Ben. If anyone knows the last name they gave him on the show, please tell me and I'll fix it.

Enjoy.

w.t.s.

Chapter 11

Monday morning, Raven skipped down the front steps of her house, humming a "Boys In Motion" song. She had been feeling lighter than air since Saturday night, and she hadn't come down from her love high at all. She didn't want to either. This was the best she'd ever felt, and Raven intended to keep it that way.

Victor and Tanya were doing better as well. Tanya even went as far as to ask Raven how the date went. Raven didn't go into too much detail; she didn't want to freak her mother out. What she did say was that she had a great time and was very thankful that her parents allowed her to go. Raven knew that would make her parents feel good about themselves for a while. And maybe, things would start becoming normal again

Raven nearly skipped to Chelsea's house and made it just in time to catch Chelsea as she closed her front door. "Hey Chels!"

Chelsea turned and smiled. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't meet my 'friend' and walk with her to school?" Raven asked, winking.

"Yeah sure, it's just, you never walk with me. I usually just catch you by your locker."

"Well, I just felt like walking to school with you, that's all. But if you want, I'll stop here and wait five minutes. You get to school and we'll meet up by the lockers--"

"Oh come on now." Chelsea cut Raven off and Raven laughed.

"You know, I never really get the chance to enjoy the walk to school. I'm always running down the block so fast, I miss everything. It's so beautiful this early in the morning. So quiet, so peaceful."

"Okay." Chelsea said, looking around. "Where am I?"

"What?"

"Cause I feel like I just stepped into, 'The Twilight Zone.'"

Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm serious."

"I know." Chelsea said as they turned the corner. School was just a block away now. "And you seem like you're in a happy mood."

"I am." Raven sighed, linking arms with Chelsea. "Today…today is going to be a great day. I can feel it."

They walked in silence for a minute, and then Chelsea started to hum the "Twilight Zone" theme song. Raven nudged her and both girls laughed. They walked up the school steps to a crowd of people standing in the middle of the hallway. The buzz of the crowd was loud, but unclear. Raven and Chelsea couldn't make out what they were saying.

The girls walked further down the hallway, and Raven realized the crowd was formed by their lockers. "What's going on here?" Raven mumbled to Chelsea, who shrugged.

Eddie suddenly appeared. "Rae, Chels!" He whispered frantically, tugging on Raven's arm. "Come on, quick, before they see you."

Raven and Chelsea exchanged a glance and Raven turned back to Eddie. "What's going on?"

"Look, there they are." Someone said and Chelsea looked at the crowd. The whole crowd split in half, exposing the girl's lockers. Chelsea gasped, making Raven turn and look.

Raven felt her stomach constrict and bile rose in her throat.

There it was, on both their lockers. Big, ugly, bold, black spray painted letters written diagonally down the grey-blue steel doors.

DYKE.

The crowd of students by the lockers whispered, and Chelsea could suddenly make out everything they were saying. It was like she suddenly possessed super-human hearing abilities.

"Is that them?"

"Yeah."

"You think it's true?"

"Look, their arms are together."

Chelsea ripped her arm from Raven's and moved a little to the side, lowering her gaze to the floor. Tears burned her eyes. How did this happen?

"They're lesbians."

Raven looked at Eddie, and he shook his head. "I didn't--" Raven put a hand up, silencing him. Chelsea backed away slowly, still not looking up. She could feel all of their eyes on her. Before she knew it, she was sprinting out of school.

"Chels wait--" Raven said, glaring at Eddie one more time and then starting after her. An arm appeared in front of her and she banged into it, stopping. It was Principal Lawler.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of first period.

"All right everyone!" He shouted, still blocking Raven's path. "The show is over. Move along to your classes…or risk detention."

The whispering crowd slowly broke as students made their way to their classes. Principal Lawler looked down at Raven. "Miss Baxter, come with me please."

"But Chelsea--" Raven began, but Lawler put his hand up.

"We will deal with Chelsea later. Come along now. You too Mr. Thomas."

Raven looked past Principal Lawler to the school's entrance, but Chelsea was gone. She really wanted to run after her, but the chances of finding Chelsea would be slim by now. Raven silently gave up and stood back, but still looked to the door just in case Chelsea came into view.

Eddie, who had stayed behind, nodded and moved closer to Raven. Principal Lawler led the way to his office, with Raven and Eddie trailing behind him. Raven swallowed her tears, not wanting to break down just yet. Who could have wrote that? Who found out about them?

Eddie leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I didn't tell anyone Rae, I swear I didn't."

Raven nodded. "Not even Chantel?"

Eddie shook his head wildly. "No. I swear. I don't know who wrote it. When I got here this morning, it was there. I tried to wipe it off, but it was already dry. And then everyone else saw it…"

Raven looked at Eddie, and could see how upset he was becoming as well. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and he gave her a small smile. "Okay."

They reached he office, Lawler let them in, and motioned for them to take a seat. Raven and Eddie sat in the usually intimidating hard brown leather chairs in front of Lawler's desk. Principal Lawler took his own seat, adjusting his jacket and tie.

"Don't worry Miss Baxter, I have already made arrangements for your lockers to be cleaned. They should be good as new by fourth period."

"Thanks." Raven mumbled, folding her hands in her lap. Principal Lawler sat up straighter, leaning forward a little bit.

"Now, in order to deal with this in the best way possible, I must ask…is it indeed true that you and Miss Daniels are--"

"Yes Principal Lawler." Raven responded, nodding slowly.

"Ah." Lawler said, sitting back in his chair. He lost himself in thought, bringing a hand up, putting his thumb under his chin and resting his index finger on his lips. There were several moments of uncomfortable silence. Eddie and Raven exchanged awkward glances as they waited for Lawler to speak.

Finally, he did. "I think it would be best if I called your parents Raven. I assume they know."

"Yes."

Principal Lawler nodded, pressing a button on his intercom. "Debra, please contact the parents of Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels. Tell them that their presence is required immediately."

"Yes sir." A nasal voice responded through the speakers.

Eddie sat up in his chair. "Uh, Principal Lawler, sir, is there any particular reason why I am here?"

"You are the girls' best friend, are you not, Edward?"

"Yes sir."

"And you were the first person to see the…the uh, defacement."

Eddie nodded. "Yes sir."

"And, judging by your behavior, I've concluded that you know about Miss Baxter and Miss Daniels."

"Yeah."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Well, it seems like everyone else knows now, Principal Lawler." Raven cried, becoming frustrated.

"I mean, before the defacement."

"Besides my parents, the Daniels, Eddie and…Ben!" Raven shouted, standing up. For a moment, Raven could see Ben spraying that nasty word on the lockers, but then she remembered how kind and understanding he had been. It couldn't have been Ben.

"Ben who?" Lawler inquired.

"Ben Hartman, Chelsea's ex-boyfriend, sir." Eddie answered as Raven took her seat again.

Lawler nodded, and then went to his microphone. Pressing on the "Talk" button, he said, "Would Ben Hartman please report to the Principal's office. Ben Hartman, please report to the Principal's office, immediately."

"Principal Lawler, Ben couldn't have done this if that's what you're thinking." Raven said, shaking her head. "He's been completely nice and understanding about the whole thing."

"I understand Miss Baxter. I just want to ask him a few questions. That is all."

Moments later, Ben hesitantly knocked and opened the door. "You…wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes Mr. Hartman. Please come in."

Ben looked at Raven and Eddie, who only looked at him with sympathy.

"I assume you've seen the horrible defacement of school property, Mr. Hartman."

"Yes sir." Ben nodded nervously.

"Do you know the meaning of the word written on the locker?"

"Yes sir. I think everyone knows what it means."

"Miss Baxter has informed me that you know about her and Chelsea Daniels."

"Uh-huh."

"You and only you, besides Mr. Thomas here, knew of their…relationship, before the, um, defacement."

"Sir, if you're implying that I did this--"

"Now, now, Benjamin. I'm not accusing you. Miss Baxter has already vouched for you, saying that you wouldn't do this. And I believe her. I would just like to know if you have told anybody else."

"No sir. I haven't said a word to anyone. I promised Raven and Chelsea that I'd keep it a secret."

"Do you know of anyone who could have possibly found out?"

"No sir."

Lawler sat back again, thinking. Suddenly it hit him. A few days ago, Rocky Collera and Michael Whitman were bothering Raven and Chelsea. "Miss Baxter, Rocky Collera and Michael Whitman were harassing you a few days ago."

"Yeah." Eddie said. "Rocky did it!"

"Hold on," Raven said, "Rocky doesn't know."

"What makes you so sure?" Lawler asked.

"I don't know how he could know." Raven mumbled. They had been so careful not to show their relationship outside of their homes and the vacant park. Could it be that Rocky saw them in the park? Raven never saw him or his ugly gang there before. Nobody went to that park. But maybe---

"I don't know either Miss Baxter." Lawler said, rocking his chair back and forth. "But I will find out."

Chelsea didn't stop running until she hit her house. If her parents were home, they would have both had heart attacks at the sight of their daughter. Her make-up was smudged and running down her face, which was red from all that running. Her hair was messy and flying everywhere, and she was crying terribly.

She threw open her door and flew in, running up to her bedroom and collapsing on the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she panted. How, how, how could this happen? Who did it? Who knew?

A million horrible thoughts raced through her head when suddenly, the phone rang. She lifted her head off the carpet, listening to the loud ringing. Finally the machine picked it up.

"You've reached the home of Chester and Charlene Daniels. Please, leave a message after the tone."

Beep.

"Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, this is Debra Coolidge from Bayside High. Principal Lawler requests your presence immediately--"

Chelsea let out a loud sob, her head falling back down onto the carpet. How did things get so screwed up?

She rolled on to her back and looked up at the ceiling. The stars were blurred by her tears, but she could see them. One…two…three…

Chelsea closed her eyes, letting her hot tears flow down the sides of her face.

Rocky, Tyrone and Deckland all walked into the shed laughing. Mike was sitting on the bean bag chair, his eyes unfocused as he thought.

"Hey Mikey, where were you this morning?" Rocky hissed, still laughing a little.

"Out. Thinking." Mike answered, still not looking at the crew. Rocky raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah hear that fellas? Mike was out thinking? That's new."

Michael didn't respond.

"Yeah wull, ya missed one helluva tang dare Mickey. We fixed Raven and Red's wagons, didn' we Rock?" Deckland said, rubbing his hands together.

"What'd you do?" Michael boomed, snapping his head towards the boys.

Rocky shrugged. "Gave their lockers a little paint job. That's all."

Then, Rocky took out an empty can of black spray paint and bent down, picking up the loose floorboard and throwing the can in.