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 4

What A Girl Needs

Chelsea and Teri sit down in the restaurant and ordered their food. Chelsea meant what she had said about not wanting to talk. Several moments of awkward silence ensued. This was a foreign concept to Teri. She was not used to being silent for long around people.

"You really meant what you said about not talking." Teri said incredulously. "Come on. I'll break the ice." Teri begins to impersonate a stereotypical talk show host interviewing a new young starlet. "So Chelsea, tell me a little about yourself."

Chelsea looked at Teri. She is trying so hard. Chelsea said to herself. All right. I'll throw her a bone. "Well… I was born and raised in San Francisco. My parents moved here from D.C. before I was born. They went to school there."

"Really? I'm from that area! Where did they go to school?"

"George Washington." Chelsea replied.

"That is so wild! I went to Maryland."

"Maryland? No way! I almost went there myself! They have their own dairy!"

"I know! The ice cream at the dining halls is off the hook!" Teri exclaimed.

"Yeah, I had some when I went on a campus tour a couple of years ago."

Teri's eyes lit up as she slapped the table, startling Chelsea. "Damn it, I knew it! I worked in the Union, and your tour came through. You had a Rayne Bow t-shirt on! It was the cutest damn thing I'd seen in my life. I knew you looked familiar on the plane!"

Chelsea was completely shocked. "You remember me from three years ago?" Chelsea was also flattered that she left such an indelible impression.

Teri sheepishly grinned. "I had a thing for redheads back then. I was seconds away from coming from behind the counter and mackin' on you. Damn! I can't believe that was you!"

"But I'm sorry, I interrupted your story, so… your parents… D.C… moved to Frisco…"

Chelsea straightened herself. "Yeah. Let's see… my parents are occupational therapists and I'm an only child."

"Come on, there's something else!" Teri was using a self-professed sixth sense. "Something unusual. The Rayne Bow t-shirt was the tip of the iceberg. What's your favorite color?"

"Chartreuse."

"No… Favorite movie?"

"Wizard of Oz."

"No… I got it! You're a world tofu eating champion!"

Chelsea laughed. "No, but your close. I was the 14-year-old World Paddleball Champion." Chelsea embarrassingly admitted.

"Aha!" Teri laughed. "Score one for Teri, So Very!"

"Half a one! You got the world champion part right at least." Chelsea corrected.

"Okay, fair enough." Teri conceded.

"So what about you? What's your story?" Chelsea figured turnabout was fair play. Just then the food arrived. Chelsea ordered a deluxe veggie burger with fries and bottled water. Teri had a double cheeseburger with fries and an iced tea.

"Well, I'm a carnivore. Obviously! I just graduated from Maryland with a degree in marketing and I got a job in San Francisco with a software development company."

"Okay, so I know about your eating habits and have your resume. What about you? Family?" Chelsea asked.

Teri put down the burger she was about to devour. "Well, let's see. I grew up in Olney, Maryland. My mother was a schoolteacher before she retired last year. My father is a paper pusher in county government who kicked me out of the house two days after I graduated high school when I told him I was a lesbian." Chelsea mentally winced realizing she had just hit a sore spot. Teri continued. "I have three brothers and a sister. My oldest brother hasn't spoken to me in six years and my sister calls me every once and a while to see if I have given up my 'great experiment'. But, she always tells me she loves me. So as you can see, my family is like the fucking Cleavers." Teri picked up her burger and resumed her previous mission of destroying it in as few bites as possible.

"Teri, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up…"

"A sore subject? Please. I've told that story so many times I'm immune to it. That's part of the reason I am the 'Sunshine Nazi'. Put all that shit behind me… Miss, excuse me!" Teri called the waitress. "Could we get some more ketchup, this one's empty… Thank you."

"But enough of me and my portrait of the American family. You're ready to talk."

"Not about that." Chelsea replied.

"Well I'm ready to talk to you about it… What are you doing here… with me?" Teri got right to the point.

Chelsea sighed then let out a wry chuckle. "So I go to her apartment, we're talking, got the good Chelsea-Raven vibe going again picking up where we left off, as really good friends. I'm circling the airport, trying to find a safe place to land. Then her roommate comes home early. She looks like a sweet girl. Then she walks over to Rae and kissed her on the lips!" Chelsea leaned in and whisper-yelled. "It was her goddamn girlfriend!"

"Ouch!" Teri responded.

"But I played it cool. I hugged her. We chatted for a minute. Then I find out that she's a freshman! A fucking freshman! A child! You know what the difference between 18 and 21 is? It's the difference between 1 and 4 in dog years!" Chelsea was getting agitated.

"Okay, she dropped the Goodyear blimp of bombs on you and you go ice queen to maintain your sanity. I get that. But why are you here with me? Why are you staying in a hotel?"

"Do you honestly think I'm gonna stay in an apartment with a woman that I want and the person that she's fucking? Please!"

"Now who said they were fucking?" Teri was trying to slow the emotional boil.

"Teri, you saw Raven. Would you be dating her, living with her and not be fucking her?"

"Point taken. But why are you here?"

Chelsea hit a flash boil. "Why do you keep asking me that? I'm here because you dragged me out of the hotel to eat a shitty veggie burger in a shitty burger joint."

Teri took her venting in stride. Then hit the same chord again. "The real reason, Chels."

"She hurt me! Okay! Is that what you wanted to hear? My heart disintegrated into dust when I saw her kiss…" Chelsea's eyes welled up. She got up and made a beeline for the exit. Teri summoned the waitress, gave her a few bills for the meal and went after Chelsea.

Chelsea spotted a park nearby. She went in and found the first bench she could. She sat and began to sob. A couple of minutes later, Teri found her.

"Give her another chance. I don't think she'd try to hurt you." Teri put her arm around Chelsea.

"It hurts too much." Chelsea's sobs were beginning to subside.

"It hurts so much because you love her. If it's real, then it's like two heavenly bodies. Their pull will attract each other and they will orbit each other forever… or at least until they blow up in a fiery apocalyptic collision after 30 million years." Teri added the last bit to make Chelsea laugh a little, which she did. "She's has stuff she's working through too, I bet. It couldn't have felt good to her when you left."

Chelsea was sniffling tears. "Yeah. She was crying hard when I left."

"See, it's killing her too. Give her tonight. Sleep on it. In the morning, wake up refreshed and try it again. And call me if you have any questions, huh?" Teri took Chelsea head in her hands and began to wipe tears away with her thumbs. "Now stop crying and go get some sleep. Come on."

They stood up to go. Teri turned to lead Chelsea out of the park. "Teri?" Teri turned around to face Chelsea. "Thank you for the dragging me out of the hotel." Teri smiled. Chelsea walked up to her and gave her a sweet five-second kiss on the lips.

"Wow!" Teri was surprised by the kiss and the fact that Chelsea was a better kisser than she thought. And she thought Chelsea would be good. "If you had done that three years ago…" They both smiled. "Just make sure Raven gets the next one." Teri smiled and hugged Chelsea.

They started walking out of the park. "You know I still haven't eaten. I left Rae's place before the pizza came!"

Teri's response? "You've tried eating with people twice tonight. Next time, order room service."

Claire watched Raven as she slept. This had become one of her favorite pastimes. Raven had a way of crinkling her nose in her sleep that was beyond cute in her eyes. It was a unique relationship that she had with Raven. Raven was 3 years older than her, but in some ways, she was the one that kept Raven grounded. Whenever Raven had a crazy idea whether it is for a design or anything else, Claire's reply was usually, "Rae, Come awn." This was delivered with a slightly put-on Texas twang. She was beginning to understand some of the things that drove Raven, some of her passions. This, however, was something that she hadn't seen in her six months with Raven.

Earlier, when she met Chelsea, she witnessed a nervous, confused Raven. This was a young woman that seemed to always be brimming with confidence. When she arrived, it looked like Raven wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Then she comes back from the library to a broken, no, a shattered Raven.

It seemed like Raven's whole world had been taken from her. As she reflected on the events of the past couple of hours, Claire began to wonder if the roles have been switched on her. That Chelsea is the lover that has gone, taking Raven's heart with her and that she was the friend left behind to comfort her.

(Claire's thoughts)

I am scared right now. This is the first time I have been scared about us. I've heard Raven go on and on about Chelsea. Chels this and Chels that. One time we did this, another time we did that. That's okay. She told me Chelsea has been her best friend since kindergarten. Everybody should be so lucky.

But tonight… I mean, I've had friendships end poorly and I've seen them go south. This just feels different. It seems as if… Raven's soul… her spirit… Claire began to silently weep. Oh my God. I think she is in love with Chelsea.

This was a stunning possible revelation that she has come to. Her girlfriend might be in love with someone else; someone that she has known her whole life and forged a seemingly unbreakable bond. But, she thought, Chelsea had given her no indication that the feelings were mutual. If there were only a way she could talk to Chelsea and get a read on her.

Claire did not want to lose Raven, especially if it was because of a gross overreaction on her part; a misunderstanding a legendary proportions. She had to know what each of their true feelings were. But that would have to wait. Her concern right now was Raven and her emotional state. Claire looked down at Raven again and yawned. Her eyes were closed but active. It looked like Raven was having a dream. Claire then began to drift off to sleep.

Raven dreamt a lot these days. The psychic gift that had served her so well, and sometimes got her into trouble had not been present for a while. It had been more than a year since she had one. She was visiting back home and was at the grocery store. She was at the magazine stand when she had a vision that a little boy got away from his mother at the crosswalk and got hit by a car. She sprinted out to the front of the store just in time to see the little boy wiggle away from his mother and try to run into the street. Raven ran over and grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt just before he stepped off the curb.

That was the last time Raven had experienced a vision. In a way it was liberating to her. She didn't have to worry about a sequence of events playing out in front of her, wondering if her vision would come true. Then again, her visions had become a part of who she was. She never told Claire about her gift. It was the pact that she made with Chelsea and Eddie.

(Raven's dream)

It's a clear spring day in Central Park. She is walking hand-in-hand with Claire. The birds are singing. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun is brilliantly bright.

"I love you Claire." Raven says.

"I love you too." Claire says back.

"I love you too Raven." Chelsea appears at Raven's other side and interlocks her fingers with Raven's.

The three young women take several steps when Claire stops.

"She loves me now." Claire says to Chelsea as she attempts to pull Raven closer to her.

"I loved her first." Chelsea responds as she begins to pull Raven closer.

"Please! I love you both!" Raven cries out as she is now being pulled in opposite directions.

"You have to choose." Claire says.

"You have to choose." Chelsea says.

"You have to choose. They both say in unison as they continue to pull Raven. Their voices are now echoing. "You have to choose." "You have to choose." "You have to choose."

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Raven screams out in her dream.

She awakes suddenly screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Jesus, Rae! What's wrong!" Claire was snapped out of her sleep by Raven's scream.

Raven was sweating. She was looking around in a delirious state. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom and slammed the door.

"Rae!" Claire jumped out of the bed and went to the bathroom door. "Rae!" She knocked and tried the doorknob. It was locked. "Open the door! Rae!

Raven was looking at herself in front of the mirror. The dream was all too real. It's not supposed to be like this. What am I going to do? I love both of them. Raven ran her fingers through her hair and turned the faucet on. She splashed some cold water on her face. Claire had stopped knocking on the door. I have to do something. I do have to choose. I do have to choose.


I know. Just stay with me. I want you to sing along with me. "Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from from gettin' to you." Keep that song in the back of your head as you read. I'm doing the same thing as I write it. REVIEW FOR ME. PLEASE.