He heard footsteps in the hallway outside his bedroom. They were too light to be his father's, but too loud to be his little brother Mikey's. Could that be his new sister? He rushed to the door, opened it, and saw Athena standing there. She was dressed pretty similarly to what he was used to, but not exactly...it seemed a bit more toned down than he was used to.
"Jon, I need a favor," she said.
"What?" He asked, uncertain how to treat her. Was she his sister in this reality? What other reason would she have for being there?
"My friends are coming over...I was hoping you would stay out of our way...I mean...do you remember last time?" She said. "Maybe you could go out for a bit...They'll only be here till dinnertime."
"But this is my house..."
"Please, Jon...I'll clear out the next time you want me to...promise."
He paused. "Fine...I won't embarrass you in front of your friends," he said.
"Thanks," Athena said. "And it isn't embarrassed. They just are still mad about last time...I told them it was an accident and you didn't do it on purpose."
"Thanks," he said...hoping he didn't do whatever it was on purpose. Athena was definitely more even-tempered than Zoe and some of their other friends before this...and she seemed basically the same...except she had siblings now. He knew Athena was an only child.
He grabbed his phone and started down the stairs, followed by Athena. "Maybe you could go out the back door...."
And miss the opportunity to see who her friends were? "I'll just say hi and go..."
