When Eric got home, he laid out the jacket on his bed. He stood and admired it for a moment. But just as he was about to try it on, he realized he desperately needed to use the bathroom. So he left, planning to try it on when he got back.
Meanwhile, his kid brother Hank walked by the door to his room. Hank was like Eric, built small and skinny, but 10 instead of 15. He was a prankster and a clown, and he thought it would be funny if he took his brother's new jacket and showed it to his friends. So that's what he did.
Of course Eric searched for it and questioned Hank, but Hank was a very good liar. Eric concluded that he had just lost it and he was going to have to tell Kyle what he'd done.
The next day Hank went to school with the jacket in his backpack. He showed it and told his story to a couple of friends, who were twins, who did indeed think it hilarious.
Then one of the boys, named Parker, asked, "Why don't you wear it?"
The other boy, Alex, said, "Yeah, you should! With a cool jacket like that you'd make some of the guys super jealous. Plus, I bet Lily would go for you if you did," he said, winking and grinning.
Hank thought about it. "All right," he said, with a devilish grin. He put it on. "What do you think?" he asked, mockingly flexing a bicep.
Hank went through his day as normal. He did see some jealous looks at the jacket from the popular boys, and he caught Lily looking at him a couple times.
But he was a little more concerned with the fact that his clothes seemed tighter than they should. He must be having a growth spurt, he decided.
After school, Lily came up to him (she seemed shorter than usual, he thought). She said, somewhat shyly, "Hey, Hank? I guess I haven't really noticed before, but you're really cute. Would you want to go out with me?"
Hank was stunned. "I...uh...I'd...YES!" he blurted out before he could take it back or say something dumb.
Lily beamed. "Great!" She stood on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. As she walked away, she called out, "See you later, Mr. Bigshot."
Hank stared for a moment trying to process what had just happened. Then he yelled with joy.
Walking home with his friends, he told them the news.
"Awesome!" Alex said. "I knew she'd go for you!"
Parker said, "That jacket looks really good on you. You look like you could pass for 12 or 13. And have you grown recently? I didn't think you were that much taller than me."
"I guess things are just looking up all around," Hank joked, and they all laughed.
Hank slipped off the jacket and hid it so Eric wouldn't see it when he got home. Then he went to use the bathroom. As he was washing up at the sink, he noticed that he did look different. He looked like he really was 12 or 13 like Parker said, but he wasn't wearing the jacket anymore. And he did look taller. And did his shirt cling to him more tightly than he remembered? His arms looked a little thicker, and pulling up his shirt he thought he saw the start of abs. Hank brushed it off. Maybe he was just imagining.
But that night at the dinner table, he faught Eric looking at him with a puzzled expression on his face. When he questioned him (his voice sounded lower too) Eric said it was nothing and went on eating.
That night Hank went to bed happy. He couldn't wait to use the jacket again tomorrow.