Author's note: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Um….this chapter is going to be really hard to write so bare with me. Enjoy! (hopefully) lol

Chapter 4:

(A week later)

Raven walked through the halls with her books held tightly against her. Her eyes searched through the crowd for Eddie, but there was no sign of him. For some reason, she felt lost without Eddie by her side. He had always been there for her, and since Chelsea was gone, this was the time that she needed him the most. Her muscles tightened in her shoulder as she felt Chad touch her from behind.

"Hey baby girl. What's wrong?"

Raven found it extremely difficult to look Chad in the eye. She felt like she was betraying him. Betraying him for having such thoughts about Eddie that she should be having for Chad. 'Chad' was the one she loved. Eddie was just her best friend. That's all he would ever be. She wanted that to be the truth.

"Nothing. Really. I am just a little tired."

"Rae, you have been acting like this for a week now." Chad said extremely worried.

Raven tried to smile.

"I'm fine. In fact, how about you come to my place tonight. Ok?"

"Sounds great." Chad said kissing Raven.

Chad knew something was up because Raven's kisses and hugs were just not the same. He only hoped it had nothing to do with his and Eddie's conversation last week.

"I have to go Chad. I'll see you tonight."

Before Chad could respond, Raven was halfway down the hall. Chad turned to see Eddie at his locker. Eddie has been late to school every day for about a week now. It's like he's trying to avoid something, or someone.

Eddie looked up and made eye contact with Chad. Chad could see something different in his eyes. So he decided to say something to Eddie.

"Hey Eddie."

"Oh, uh…hey…Chad." Eddie said clearing his throat.

"Hey um, dude…we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About you."

"What about me?"

"Are you ok?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"I mean, about me and Raven…being together."

"Chad I---

"Please tell me the truth. Is there something between you and Raven?"

Eddie directed his eyes towards Chad.

"Chad, there never was. I told you that all that stuff was in the past. In fact, Raven hasn't even mentioned anything to me about you telling her my secret. It's all good. I promise you. Now, are we cool?"

"Yeah dude. We're cool." Chad smiled.

"Well, I'll talk to you later." Eddie said trying to smile.

"Ok. Um, I'm sorry that I ever suspected something with you and---

"Chad, it's ok. Really."

"Ok...um...see ya later."

They shook hands and Chad walked away. Eddie shut his locker and sighed. If Chad only knew.

(During lunch)

Raven looked around for a table to sit at. She spotted Chad and walked over to his table and sat down.

"Hey babe." Chad said.

"Uh….hey."

"Hey Eddie!" Chad called at Eddie from across the room.

Oh know. What was he doing! No Chad!

Eddie walked up to the table. Raven attempted to give the "I'm sorry" look to Eddie, but his eyes did not look at Raven at all.

"Why don't you sit with us?" Chad yanked on Eddie's sleeve.

"Naw, I'm good. I have homework to do." Eddie scratched his head.

"Oh come on!" Chad laughed and firmly yanked Eddie down in a seat next to him.

Raven could tell that Eddie was uncomfortable because his jaw muscles tightened. Why did she know so much about him? She never realized that she observed all those things about Eddie before.

Chad attempted a conversation. And Raven and Eddie played along just to make him happy.

"So, Eddie…are you still shooting for that basketball scholarship?"

"Uh, yeah." Eddie directed his eyes towards Raven. He just couldn't stay mad at her for long. Plus, she didn't really do anything wrong.

What? Raven looked over at Eddie. He refused to major in athletics. I begged him because he was so good at it. But he said that basketball was just a side thing. Why does he suddenly want to do it now? Raven returned Eddie's stare. Raven also realized that she hadn't had a vision ever since she and Eddie fought. Hmmmm…Weird.

Just then the bell rang. Chad stood up and kissed Raven. She did not back away because she knew Chad would think something of it. But she also knew that she was hurting Eddie. She turned to see his eyes piercing into hers. Those big brown eyes. She felt like a horrible person. Why was she doing this to herself? She just might have feelings for Eddie. So, why was she denying him? Because of Chad, of course. She couldn't even tell anymore if her feelings for Chad were as strong as they used to be.

As soon as Chad left the lunch room, Raven walked up to Eddie. He attempted to walk away from her but she grabbed his backpack firmly.

"Eddie! Please don't do that."

"Do what Rae?" Eddie was trying hard not to be angry, but when you love someone you can't have…you tend to not be very happy about it.

"I don't want things to be like this."

Eddie sighed and Raven could tell that his eyes softened.

"I know, Rae. We shouldn't really talk about this here."

Eddie guided Raven into an empty hallway. Raven spoke first.

"I don't think I can handle all of this…emotional crap. I mean, this all happened so fast and it's just all so…confusing----

"Rae, I never wanted it to come to this. In fact, I think we should forget about it all and act like it never happened... for Chad."

For some reason, Raven didn't like that idea.

"Eddie…I---I'm so sorry. I mean, I never even expected you to---- (Raven's bottom lip began to quiver)

Eddie's heart went out for Raven. He knew that she was confused. He suddenly felt bad…for her. He took a step closer…but not too much closer.

"Rae…"

The way Eddie said her name, all soft spoken and gentle made Raven feel safe and warm inside.

Raven could not get anything else out. She didn't know why, but she began to cry.

Eddie sighed and decided that embracing his dear friend Raven wasn't all that bad, considering they were 'only' friends. So he slowly walked in and filled up the space between them. Raven automatically leaned her head up against his chest and let his arms gently hold her. Eddie could smell the sweet scent of perfume in Raven's hair. Maybe it was such a bad idea after all. Holding Raven, knowing that that was as far as it would get, was killing Eddie. He resisted the temptation to kiss her forehead and hold her tighter. He had to respect her wishes, no matter how much he hated it.

Raven's heart pitter-pattered as she buried her face in Eddie's shirt. Why was her pulse quickening? It never did before when she and Eddie embraced. Or maybe it did, and she never admitted it.

Eddie held Raven for a while and let her relieve herself from a full weeks stress. He only wished he could do the same.

(Two weeks later)

Things seemed to be slowly getting back to normal. Eddie pushed any thoughts of Raven out of his head and was learning to accept the idea of 'moving on'. And Raven saw that Eddie seemed ok with things again, so she did the same. Raven even invited Eddie and Chad over for movie night. As long as her whole family was joined in movie night tonight, she and Eddie would be fine. Raven couldn't wait until Chelsea came back from Florida in two weeks because then things wouldn't be so awkward between Eddie and her.

Ding dong! Raven heard the door bell and ran to get it.

"Hey guys!" Raven smiled and let them in.

Chad and Eddie plopped on the sofa while Raven went upstairs to get the rest of the family.

"Mom! Dad! Cory! Movie night's about to start!" Raven yelled from halfway up the stairs.

Raven's family was soon downstairs and on the couch eating popcorn. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter sat on the couch with Cory while Raven, Chad, and Eddie sprawled out on the floor.

Raven pulled out four different movies.

"Ok guys! The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle, A Walk to Remember, or Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

"Why do they all have to be love stories!" Cory whined.

"Mr. And Mrs. Smith has some action." Eddie suggested.

Everyone voted for Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

"You guys are no fun! The Notebook is a classic!" Raven pouted.

"Classic mush." Eddie teased.

Raven threw a couch pillow at Eddie.

(An hour through the movie)

Everyone was so indulged in the movie except for Eddie. Every time a love scene came on, Eddie imagined it to be him and Raven. He tried so hard to push it out of his head, but he struggled throughout the whole movie. Little did he know that Raven was struggling just as much.

Raven watched as Mr. and Mrs. Smith kissed and made up after just destroying their house and trying to kill each other. In her mind, she saw Eddie and her a complete mess with broken glass and dirt everywhere in just their pajamas. Eddie leaning in and kissing her and wiping the dirt off of her face.

Raven snapped back to reality and found herself looking in Eddie's direction a few times. She reached into the bowl to get some popcorn just as Eddie was too. Eddie's fingers brushed up against hers. She quickly pulled away and looked away hoping that no one saw her blush. She especially made sure that Chad didn't notice. But Chad was half asleep and half into the movie. And her parents were snuggled in each other's arms and Cory was sitting straight up, extremely into the movie.

This time, Raven attempted to get some popcorn on purpose and Eddie's hand reached in the same time again. But for some reason, she was quite sure he wasn't doing it on purpose. She looked away and bit her lip while moving her hand around in the bowl. Eddie's eyes widened when he felt her hand and looked away also. But they both kept their hands in the bowl. Thirty seconds passed. Raven felt Eddie's warm hand on hers. He pulled away a little bit and then touched his index finger to hers. Raven felt her stomach tighten and she started to feel her face getting hot. She wiggled her fingers a little bit and did not pull away when his fingers started to slowly massage the palm of her hand. Two minutes passed. Eddie held his breath as he attempted to grab Raven's hand. He slowly started to slip his fingers through hers. Just then, Chad coughed and they both pulled their hands out of the bowl. Raven looked over at Chad. He was asleep. She didn't have the guts to look over at Eddie or even stick her hand in the bowl again. She suddenly felt light headed so she quickly got up and walked into the kitchen. The only one who noticed was Eddie.

(In the kitchen)

Raven walked into the kitchen and paced back and forth. What was she going to do? Why was this happening? She sure wished Chelsea was there with her to help her figure things out. She hadn't even told Chelsea yet because she didn't want to ruin her "Veggie Lovers Trip". Raven took a deep breath and sat down at the kitchen counter.

(In the living room)

Eddie waited two whole minutes before deciding to go into the kitchen also. He stood up slowly and looked to see if anyone was watching. Everyone was either asleep or almost there. He walked up to the kitchen door, fixed his shirt, and opened it.

(In the kitchen)

Raven took her head out of her hands when she heard Eddie walk into the kitchen. Eddie just stood there and looked at her. Raven tapped her fingernails on the counter.

"Uh…I was just coming in for a glass of water." Eddie said while swinging his arms.

"Uh...yeah. Help yourself." Raven said shyly.

Eddie still stood there. Raven sighed.

"Um…the glasses are on the third cupboard to the right."

Eddie nodded and got himself a glass of water. He quickly drank it and set it on the counter. Raven swallowed and stood up.

"Well…we should really get back to that movie."

Eddie didn't move or even blink. Raven tried to walk past him but she was weak in the knees so she just stood at the edge of the counter and looked at the ground. Eddie was beginning to get more confident. He took a step forward. Raven tapped her fingers nervously on the counter some more. She wanted to look him in the eye, but she couldn't. Eddie took another step forward. Raven slowly lifted her chin up until she was eye level with Eddie. Her eyes began to sting, but she didn't look down this time. Eddie took another step forward, only about eleven inches from Raven now. Eddie could hear raven breathing heavily. Her chest heaved up and down. He licked his lips and observed every feature in Raven's face for about a minute. Why did this feel so right? But it seemed so wrong? Chad was in the other room, and neither of them seemed to neither care nor remember. Eddie lifted his hand up and gently touched Raven's cheek. His hand moved down her face to her neck and then her collar bone. Should I kiss her? Raven didn't seem to object to any of it. Eddie was about to lean in when Raven said something under her breath. Eddie listened for her to say it again.

"We can't."

"What?"

"Eddie….w-we can't do this."

Eddie put his hand down and backed away about six inches.

"Then what was that all about in the living room?"

"What d-do you mean?" Raven said dumbly.

Eddie's face tightened into a disappointed face.

"I touched your hand Rae. And you didn't stop me."

"I-I know. But I…." Raven sighed.

"But you what, Rae? You 'love' Chad? I'm sure." Eddie said with sarcasm.

Raven looked down. Eddie nodded angrily and started to back away some more, but just as he started to turn his whole body towards the door, he felt Raven's hand firmly grab his wrist. When he looked into her eyes, all he saw was tears.

"E-Eddie." Raven said desperately.

Eddie did not hesitate this time. He grabbed Raven's face and pushed her up against the counter. Raven felt his lips press firmly against hers. After a few seconds it softened and Raven gave in and kissed him back. Eddie moved one hand to the back of Raven's head and ran his fingers through her hair. The other hand was gently on the back of her neck. He released the first kiss and proceeded with a longer one. Raven moaned softly and after the second kiss she turned away, grabbing his arms when Eddie leaned in again for a third.

"What's wrong Rae?" Eddie said, out of breath.

Eddie was relieved when Raven smiled.

"I can't breath."

They both smirked at each other.

Eddie held Raven's face in his hands and gently laid a kiss on her nose and then her forehead. Raven pulled Eddie's hands up to her chin and laid her head under Eddie's chin.

"I think I'm in love with you Rae."

(Pause)

Raven lifted her head up.

"What did you say?"

Eddie looked Raven in the eyes seriously. Raven backed away.

"I-I think we should go back into the living room now."

"W-why Rae? I—

Raven looked at her hands. Eddie nodded disappointed.

"Ok. But tell me one thing first. Do you 'really" love him? Because I am just curious on why you kissed me back just now. I mean, did it mean 'anything' to you Rae?"

Raven said nothing.

"I hate to do this, but you gotta choose Rae."

Raven looked up shocked.

"You chose me…..or HIM." Eddie pointed to the door that led into the living room.

"You want me to choose!" Raven said louder than she wanted to.

"What, you really think you can have both of us?" Eddie laughed. "No, Rae. It doesn't work that way."

Eddie mean mugged Raven and walked back into the living room. Raven sighed and massaged her forehead. She bit her lip and waited a whole minute before walking out into the living room also.

The movie was off and everyone was alert and sitting on the couch as if waiting for Raven to come in.

"Where's Eddie?" Raven said looking around.

"He left sweetheart." Mrs. Baxter said worried.

"Raven. What's going on?" Chad said suspiciously.

"Nothing. Me and Eddie just had a small argument. He's just mad at me, that's all."

"Huh, then how come he came in here and said, "She's all yours"?" Chad said angrily.

Raven's heart stopped.

"He said what?"

Chad shook his head.

"I gotta go Rae."

Raven's eyes filled with fear.

"Chad! W-wait!"

Raven knew that Chad knew.

A/N: Man! That was a little harder because I am close to the end now. I hope you all give me a chance and read and tell me what you think. Because the reader's and reviews are what keep me going and trying my best. God bless! Next Chapter soon!

Jessica