Ty had to make a serious effort to concentrate on his afternoon classes. It would be so much easier just to daydream about Lisa, but now he had even more motivation to get good grades, and he would see her again soon enough.
Finally the bell rang, and Ty met Dustin walking 5o the bus. Dustin said, "I couldn't resist measuring my height after you started my growth increase. I've already gained about an eighth of an inch! Thanks again, Ty."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." They boarded the bus, and when they got home, Ty went to his room to do his homework. His new assignments weren't due until Tuesday and Wednesday next week, and in the past he might not have started working on them immediately, but having a girlfriend he wanted to see as much as possible made him eager to get the homework done as soon as he could.
After completing both homework assignments, he went downstairs, just in time to greet June on her return from work. "Hi, Mom," he said, and hugged her.
"Hi, Ty," she replied, as she hugged him back. She wasn't used to him being this affectionate, but then, she had not been very affectionate to him in the past, either. Their recent experiences had definitely formed a bond between them, and she was very glad of that.
"I just finished my homework that's due next week," Ty told her. "May I stay at Lisa's house after dinner?"
"Yes, you may," June said. "Just call us when you're ready to come home."
"Thanks, Mom, but if it's OK, I'll walk home," Ty said, surprising her.
"Walk? Not teleport?"
"Since Lisa's parents don't yet know about my abilities," Ty replied. "I'll have to leave her house via the front door. I could teleport after I'm out of sight of the house, but it's not far and it will be a nice walk."
"From your use of 'yet', I take it that you do intend to let them know about your powers?" June asked.
"Yes, but not tonight. Maybe in a week or two."
"I suggest that you do that in a gentler way than how you let us know," June requested.
"Oh, Mom, I'm sorry about how I handled that! I was angry, so I turned it into a big confrontation. I know now that I should have handled it better." He hugged her again. "Lisa and I will try to work out a better approach."
"That's good," said June. "And don't fret over how you revealed it to us. Given how badly we used to treat you, I honestly can't blame you, and I don't know how well a gentler demonstration would have worked. We were terrified at the time, but it has brought us all closer together, which probably wouldn't have happened otherwise. I don't in general believe that the ends justify the means, but I think they have in this case. I'm sorry that I had such a hard time believing you, after being frozen, when you said you didn't want to hurt any of us. But I do believe you now."
Ty said, "Thanks, Mom. I imagined that it would be difficult for you, Mark, and especially Dustin, to believe that. I hope you're not afraid of me any more."
"No, son, I do worry a little, but not about your harming us. More about unanticipated issues like last night. I'm not sure how much Mark and Dustin are still afraid of you."
"I'm not sure either," Ty said. "At first I thought they were being nice to me only out of fear, but now that doesn't seem to be the whole reason, or even the majority of it. I hope any remaining fear they have will diminish over time."
"I think it will," agreed June. "They definitely see that you're nicer to them. And it's not just between you and us. We've all been nicer to each other, as you suggested, and things really have been more pleasant. I wish we had been that way in the past."
"Thanks again, Mom! I really meant it last night when I said that you're are the best. I love you!"
"I love you very much too," June said, getting teary-eyed again. She hugged him, and kissed his cheek. "Now I need to start preparing our dinner. Do you want to dress up for your date? I'm sorry that we haven't bought you any stylish clothing."
"I hadn't even thought about it," Ty said, "but you're right. I'd Ike to dress up a bit. If you don't mind, I'll 'get' some suitable clothing my way."
"That's fine, honey," she replied, and she went to the kitchen.
Ty went back to his bedroom. He texted Lisa that he had permission to stay after dinner. She quickly responded, "Great! See you soon!" He went into the bathroom, showered, and shaved. While he was showering, he thought about what clothing to wear. He wasn't entirely sure what was appropriate. He decided on khaki slacks, a cornflower blue dress shirt, and a gray sport coat.
Back in his bedroom, he stood before the mirror and concentrated. The clothing appeared on him, and looked exactly as he had envisioned.
He got out his dress shoes, and saw that they were scuffed up and in need of polish. They also had always been rather uncomfortable, even after breaking them in. He concentrated, and they looked new and shiny. When he put them on, they felt comfortable, for the first time ever.
Ty went downstairs to the kitchen. "Oh, you look so nice," June complimented him.
"I sure hope I make a good impression with Lisa's parents!" Ty said.
"I'm sure you will!"
Shortly thereafter Mark got home. "I see you're ready for your date. You look really sharp!"
"Thanks, Dad!" Ty smiled.
"We'll head over in about 20 minutes," Mark said, "and you can call us when you want us to pick you up."
June said, "Ty and I discussed that, and he wants to walk home."
"That's fine," said Mark, a bit surprised.
Ty went to the living room, and sat down to wait. He picked up an architecture magazine and idly flipped through it, admiring the photos but mostly thinking of Lisa.