Over the next week or so, Eddie tried several different ways to get Raven to talk to him. She ignored him each time, but he was determined not to let that stop him.
The third Friday of each month was the night Eddie, Raven, and Chelsea went to the mall to hang out. After everything that had happened recently, Eddie wondered how it was going to go. He knocked on Raven's front door, and when he saw Cory on the other side, Eddie asked, "Are Raven and Chelsea ready to go?"
Cory wanted to know, "What do you mean? They're not here."
"They're not? Where did they go?"
"I don't know," Cory returned, "but they left about an hour ago."
Eddie started to leave, but then he stopped. "Cory, has your sister been acting weird around here lately?"
"You mean weirder than usual? No, why?"
"Well, ever since last week, Raven's been ignoring me and I can't figure out why. She won't talk to me, look at me, or anything. She's hung up on me several times, and once she even swatted at me as if I were a bug. I was just wondering if she's been doing everyone like that, or if it was just me."
Cory thought a moment, then said, "Hey, do you know what? I saw something exactly like this on TV one time. Come on in, and I'll tell you about it."
Eddie entered the house, closed the door, and joined Cory on the couch. "So tell me what you saw on television."
"Well, a few weeks ago, I watching Jenna's Diary, and--"
Eddie began to snicker. "You watch Jenna's Diary? Man, that's a chick-flick-turned-TV-show."
"Do you want my advice or don't you? In the episode that I saw, Jenna's best friend Todd started dating a girl named Amy, and he hardly ever had time to hang out with Jenna anymore. That upset Jenna, so she decide to simply ignore Todd."
"And that's what you think is the matter with Raven? You think she's mad at me for dating Chantel? We've been together for nearly a year, and Raven just started acting this way."
"Maybe she started seeing you in a different light. But I don't know if that's it or not. It's just a possibility."
Eddie sighed, then stated, "Well, can you find out what is the matter? I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll call you later tonight and let you know what she told me."
"Thanks, Cor. I appreciate it. Tell me, though. Why do you watch Jenna's Diary?"
"Hey, a man has to know how a woman's mind works." Cory paused. "Listen, since I'm not doing anything, and it doesn't look like you're doing anything, why don't you stick around and we can play some video games?"
Eddie agreed, and he stayed for another hour, hanging out with Cory. When he saw Raven open the front door, he decided it was time for him to go and let Cory do his job.
Heading for the door, Eddie remarked, "I'll see you later, man. Hey, Rae."
Cory watched Eddie shut the door, then asked, "Raven, what was that about?"
"What?" she questioned innocently.
"Eddie spoke to you, and you ignored him. And why did you leave without him tonight?"
"Cory, since when do you care about my friends?"
"Some friend you are!" Cory retorted. "You've been ignoring Eddie for a week and he doesn't know why. I think he deserves an explanation."
Raven hesitated before responding. "I can't tell Eddie why I'm ignoring him. I don't want to hurt him."
"You're hurting him now. The two of you have been friends for longer than I can remember; whatever your reason is, you ought to be able to tell him."
"Cory, you don't understand. I had a vision that Chantel was going to break up with him and she said, 'The only person you care about being with is Raven.'"
"And, what? You're trying to protect him?"
"Yes."
"So you're not mad at him."
"No, I'm not. Why are you asking me all of these questions?"
"Don't worry about that. What you should worry about is how this is going to affect your relationship with Eddie."
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Once in his room, Cory dialed Eddie's phone number. "You will not believe what I found out after you left!"
"What did she say? Is she mad at me?"
"Okay, the thing is, Raven had a vision about you and Chantel, and she was breaking up with you because, quote, 'The only person you care about being with is Raven.' End quote. Raven was ignoring you because, apparently, she figured that if there was distance between the two of you, Chantel wouldn't break it off. She isn't mad at you; she's been trying to protect you. Raven didn't want her vision to come true."
Eddie sighed. "Cory, it's still going to come true. For the past week, I've been trying to get Raven to pay attention to me, and I haven't spent very much time with Chantel. I do care about being with Raven. She's all I care about anymore."
"Then it's up to you to stop the vision from happening. If you care about Raven the way you say you do, then break up with Chantel and tell my sister how you feel."
"You're right, Cory. Raven was trying to do me a favor by ignoring me--even thought I did take it the wrong way--now it's my turn to do her one by stopping this vision from coming true."
After hanging up, Eddie lay on his bed to think about what to tell Chantel. Not long after his conversation with Cory ended, his telephone rang again. He answered it, and heard Chantel on the other end. "Baby, don't bother saying anything, because I already know what you're going to say, and you're absolutely right. The fact that Raven was ignoring me drove me nearly insane, but tonight I found out why she wasn't paying me any attention, and I understand now why it bothered me so badly. Chantel, what I'm saying is, Raven's the only person I care about being with, and I'm breaking up with you."
It took Chantel a moment to process everything she had just heard. "How did you know I was calling to break up with you? It's like you're psychic or something."
Eddie smiled as he thought of Raven. "Well, let's just say that, for the first time, I'm really thinking clearly about what I want. But listen, Chantel, I'd like for us to try and stay friends."
Chantel replied sweetly, "So would I, Eddie. I guess I'll see you at school on Monday."
"Cool. I'll see you then, Chantel."