As her parents argued, Raven spun a 180 and raced back across the restaurant floor. Man, that was a close call, she thought as she ducked under her table. But when she came out of the other side, she had a surprise waiting.

“Opa!” cried the waiters.

Raven really had only one thing to say as she found herself swept back into the middle of the restaurant —

“Ohhhhhhhhh-pa!”

Meanwhile, back at Mr Slick’s Love Nest, Chelsea was straightening up the living room.

“Hi,” said Cory as he sheepishly walked up to her.

Earlier, Chelsea had yelled at Cory and sent him to his room. That lasted all of fifteen minutes. Now Cory was back, obviously trying to get on Chelsea’s good side again.

“Cory, I told Raven I’d watch you,” said Chelsea. “And I can do that whether you’re alive or dead. Dead is less work.”

“ I know,” said Cory, his head hanging low. “Eddie’s mad at me, you’re mad at me. I’m sorry, okay?”

“I’m listening,” said Chelsea.

“After Eddie gets out of the shower, how about I make some popcorn and the three of us can watch a movie —” said Cory, quickly adding, “and Eddie can sit in the middle.”

Chelsea studied Cory, trying to figure out if he really had changed. She wasn’t totally sure yet, but she was willing to give the kid a chance to prove it.

“Okay,” she told him.

With a sigh of defeat, Cory slowly shuffled into the kitchen. But as soon as he closed the door, he jumped into the air and pumped his fist in victory.

“Yeah!” he cried softly. Level One of “Trump the Fool and Kiss the Jewel” had been accomplished. Now for Level Two, he thought as he raced up the back stairs.

When he reached the bathroom, he carefully put his ear to the door. Inside, Eddie was singing in the shower. Cory knew he’d never even hear the door open and close.

Carefully, Cory crept into the room....

“Yeah, smells good,” Eddie rapped as he stepped out of the shower in Raven’s bathroom and towelled off. “Smells good. Yeah, all right.”

Suddenly, he stopped and looked again at the corner of the floor where he’d left his clothes. Something didn’t look right about that pile.

When he took a closer look, he nearly hit the ceiling. His clothes were gone! Cory had obviously replaced them with his own. And these weren’t even Cory’s clothes, they were his little white flannel dinosaur pyjamas!

“Cory!”

Eddie lunged for the door, but it was stuck. He tried pulling it again and again. But he couldn’t get it open more than an inch. Through the crack, he saw something tied to the doorknob on the other side.

Banging on the door, he yelled, “If you don’t open this door you little rat ...!”

On the other side, Cory snickered as he tied the other end of Raven’s pantyhose to her bed.

Level Two of Cory’s mission was now complete. Chelsea, baby, he sang to himself as he danced down the steps, your Mr Wonderful is on his way!

Trapped in Raven’s bathroom, Eddie finally stopped pulling, banging, and yelling.

With a sigh, he walked over to the pile of Cory’s pyjamas. He picked up the teeny little pants and teeny little top.

The fluffy white flannel was covered with colourful triceratops and T. Rex.

Continues next week
Based on the popular TV series created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman. Illustrations: Uday Deb