As Jon was thinking, Zoe walked downstairs. She apparently got rid of her Goth clothes, swapping them for something more "normal", consisting of a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of worn sneakers. He almost didn't recognize her.
"Mom, I'm going out shopping."
Their mom dropped her book. "Zoe? You look ..." She was astonished.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the ass these last few years. You don't deserve that kind of treatment. You're my mom."
"Oh, sweetie," Jon's mom said, smiling.
"I'm turning over a new leaf. I don't want to be a Goth anymore. I want to be normal."
She looked up from her smiling mother to Jon, who walked into the room holding a bag of chips and a Mountain Dew can. "Hey, you're not supposed to eat before dinner."
"Jon's always allowed to eat before dinner."
"What? Since when?"
Their mom looked confused. "Since ... forever. I've always let him."
"No, you haven't," Zoe said.
"Actually, she has," Jon said.
"Of course, she has," Zoe said. "I just think its unfair that you get to have some but not me."
"But you don't want any," Jon said. "You want to watch your figure."
"Of course, I don't want any. I'm really trying to lose a little weight here. Could you imagine what that stuff would do to my figure?" She shook her head, then turned back to her mom. "I'm gonna go now. I might be a while. There's a lot I need to buy."
Then she left the house, leaving Jon alone in the living room with his mom.
