Jon overslept his alarm.
It wasn't by a critical amount, but it meant he'd have to skip his shower. He'd had a restless sleep for some reason, and even after sleeping in for 20 minutes, he was feeling a little groggy.
And combined with Zoe's spell of inattention, which had not yet worn off, Jon didn't notice that the legs that swung out from his bed were more bare than usual. He didn't notice the small, powder blue triangle of cotton that peeked out from below the hem of his T-shirt, the one that grew somewhat to reveal a flat front when he stretched his arms.
And besides, out of sight out of mind, it was gone after only a few moments when Jon shunked a pair of jeans on and swapped his night shirt for a shirt that was more appropriate for the day. Socks, shoes, backpack, and he was hurtling down the stairs.
Zoe was sure that nobody else noticed, and was even fairly confident that she wouldn't have noticed if she wasn't looking for it, but her brother's gait was just slightly different that morning as he walked into the kitchen. Was he wearing the new jeans that had made him taller the day before? No, this was an old pair and he was still his usual height. He was definitely walking differently because of what he was wearing under his jeans, Zoe concluded.
The girl hid a smile behind a spoonful of cheerios. Today was going to be fun.
