Her mother looked like Mount Vesuvius about two seconds before an eruption. “And you rode with him in a car?”

“Yeah, I know,” said Raven with a sigh. “Three points.”

“No, actually that’s 10 points,” said Mrs Baxter, her tone switching to what sounded like a really ticked off gameshow host. “And now here’s Mom to tell you what you’ve won.”

“Oh, a ride home?” asked Raven hopefully. She was more than willing to take the parental stomping if it meant getting her the heck out of Athens.

“Oh, you’re going home!” cried Mrs Baxter. “But first I want to know why you went out in the first place. After we said no?”

“Because, Mama, you wouldn’t listen to me,” Raven said quickly. “I was trying to explain. I mean, you never listen to anything I say.”

“That’s not true,” Mrs Baxter replied.

“Mama, yes it is. I mean, if it’s not exactly what you want to hear, then you just tune me out.”

“What?” said Mrs Baxter. “I am not listening to this.”

Raven couldn’t believe her mother. She was doing it again!

“Mama, like that!” cried Raven, getting angry herself now.

Just then, Matthew appeared, looking for his date.

“Hey, Raven, look at me,” he said. “I’m Mr. Spock.” Raven’s eyes bugged out. The boy had shaped pieces of pita bread into pointy ears and slapped them on the side of his head.

Dang, Raven thought in horror, my date is acting like the biggest dork in the free world.

She spun around and faced her mother. “Mom, if you love me, you’ll start dragging my sorry butt home now.”

Mrs Baxter looked first at her pleading daughter, then at her pleading daughter’s pitiful date.

“I want to talk to your father first,” said Mrs Baxter, turning on her spiky red heel and heading into the dining room. “And then we’ll see how sorry your butt is.”

Meanwhile, at the Baxter house, Cory had yet to put an end to Eddie’s babysitting nightmare. After locking the front door, Cory raced to the kitchen and locked the back door too.

With Chelsea settling into the couch in the living room, the nine-year-old now had a clear stage for his grand finale.

He opened the refrigerator. Let’s see now, he thought, what can I use here?

After assembling his weapons of choice, Cory climbed onto the counter next to the open window above the sink and waited.

This was the final way into the Baxter house, and sure enough, Eddie thought he was being clever as he pushed aside the drawn blinds and began to climb through it.

“Oh, look,” taunted Cory, looming over Eddie’s head, “it’s my date for the evening.”

Looking up, Eddie froze.

“Now remember, man,” warned Eddie in an alarmed voice. “I’m wearing your pyjamas.”

Cory didn’t care. He just let loose — first the eggs and then the oatmeal. By the time he was through, Eddie’s head looked like it was ready for the oven. And Cory’s pyjamas were definitely ready for the trash. But Cory didn’t care. He never liked those kiddie pyjamas anyway!

Where are you going?” Matthew asked Raven as she strode back into the restaurant’s dining room and grabbed her coat off the back of her chair.

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