“Here Kyle.” Sydney said, passing Kyle a drink. Kyle couldn’t help but stare at her feet. Those same checkerboard Vans, still somehow holding together by a thread after all these years. The white had long turned yellow, with splotches and stains adorning the material in all parts.

Her ginger-hair was as vibrant as ever, curling elegantly around her sharp features. Her green eyes looked at Kyle with their usual judgmental expression, surrounded by an array of refined freckles. 

Her skin was still remarkably pale, almost contesting Victoria’s, but having more of a rosy tone than Victoria’s ivory color. She opted to maintain a minimal effort look, only wearing eyeliner with a slight wing.

Her outfit was reminiscent of her style from high-school, unsurprising from the rebellious tomboy: a band-tee, with tight-fitting black shorts, and finalized by her Vans, no visible sign of socks peeking out from the rim.

“You good, dude?” she scoffed, causing Kyle to jump in panic as he realized he was staring.

“Uh, yeah, sorry. Just… in my head…” he stammered, taking the drink and thanking her. She simply rolled her eyes, and left. At the very least, her level of low remorse was visible. Refreshing, in the face of being surrounded by potential fakers.

“Hi Kyle!” Victoria chirped, nearly making Kyle spill his drink in surprise.

“Victoria… hi…” he awkwardly responded, staring at the woman before him. She was… still visibly slutty, and now was sporting several tattoos across her body, all the way down to a butterfly above her chest.

She wore a flowy black dress that was hugging her body, the side splitting into two and revealing her milky white legs leading down to a pair of expensive looking black stilettos. 

Her black hair was still dark as the night sky, matching with her smokey cat-eye makeup decorating her hazel eyes, and giving great contrast to her face’s centerpiece, her lips, painted with deep red lipstick.

“How’s life been?” she asked, stepping closer to Kyle until her chest was pressed against him.

“Um… good… you?” Kyle stuttered, trying to pull away but unable to escape her proximity.

“Good! I’m in nursing! I love helping people, so I figured it was my calling. What about you, what’s your major?” she inquired, swaying back and forth as her cleavage threatened to eat Kyle’s arm.

“Computer Science…” he answered, getting a giggle out of Victoria.

“Figures, you were always nerdy. But… It's cute. You’re cute…” Victoria continued to giggle.

Kyle was flustered, unable to think of a response. Suddenly, Victoria pulled away, her face covered in surprise.

“Hey!” she shouted, before Kyle realized what had happened.

“Get your tits off of him, you’re gonna make him shrink…” Kayla grumbled, yanking Victoria away from Kyle. She looked back at him longingly with a saddened face, then grumpily left.

“Hey, glad to see you’re doing good, Sorry about Victoria, she still…. fucks anything that moves....” Kayla said with tired disdain, before walking off too.

Kyle didn’t get much time to evaluate her looks before she turned around, but as usual with Kayla, her most prominent features were her exaggerated curves, shown off by a skin-tight white off-shoulder top and a pair of blue jeans, ending in a pair of strappy sandals with a high heel.

Though she had put on some weight since Kyle last saw her, it only enhanced her feminine curves rather than detracting from her beauty. Her hourglass figure was emphasized by the way her clothes clung to her body, accentuating her hips and ample bosom. The light-blue denim jeans she wore struggled to contain her generous rear, its momentum swinging it back and forth in a hypnotic motion as she distanced herself from Kyle.

Then the new girl made an appearance. 

She walked up to Kyle, a light smile on her black-lips. She had split-dyed hair, one side red, one side black. 

She also had a septum-piercing, like Victoria, and unlike Victoria, black-gauges in each earlobe. 

Her style was clearly alternative, as she was wearing black ankle boots instead of the more classically feminine shoes of the other girls, barring Sydney of course. They extended up into a pair of dark nylons, leading towards a black leather skirt that was finalized in a long sleeve black top, resting just below a studded black choker. Evidently, she liked black.

“Hi, I’m Heather. I heard you have that shrinking condition… what is it called… ASD? No, that doesn’t make sense, that’s autism…” Heather pondered, touching a finger, decorated with a sharp black nail, to her lip as she looked to the ceiling in thought.

“Yeah, it's a little confusing, It's called ARSD. Thank the stupid person who came up with that acronym.” Kyle laughed. Getting a chuckle from her too. This girl seemed different. It wasn't clear if that was a good thing yet.

“Oh. Well, that must be tough, how often does that happen?” she inquired, getting closer to Kyle, not as bluntly as Victoria, but still stepping into his personal space.

“Uh, well, it used to happen all the time, but as I’ve gotten older, I’m better at avoiding triggers, so not as often.” Kyle responded.

“Hm. Interesting… Well, I’ll be seeing you, Kyle…” she smiled, walking off with swaying hips, drawing Kyle’s attention with ease.

“Huh.” Kyle muttered. She only seemed interested in discussing his shrinking capabilities. Unfortunately, that wasn’t uncommon for the people who sought Kyle out in conversation.

He thought for a moment, but decided it wasn't worth the effort, and tossed it to the side…

“

Kyle sighed. This was going better than he’d expected, but it was still a disaster, because his shrinking condition had already made its way into the conversation. Just another oddity in the crowd. He needed to find Luke and get some guidance on the situation. Just before he was about to go find him, Luke came to Kyle.

“So… how’s it hanging? Making friends?” Luke asked hopefully.

“Somewhat. It’s hella awkward, dude.” Kyle responded, not pulling his words.

“Yeah, it’ll be like that for a bit. Just throw a few back, you’ll lose your nerves…” Luke laughed.

The two clinked their glasses together, then chugged their drinks.

Just as they finished them, the door opened once more.

"Hey!" a group of voices called out from the front. Luke's friends had arrived, bringing a lively energy with them. Kyle recognized a few faces from previous encounters, and they greeted him warmly.

Luke leaned in and whispered to Kyle, "See? It's not so bad, right? Just enjoy the night and have fun."

The guys started to mingle with the girls, and with that, night had begun…

-

As the pregame continued, more drinks were poured, and inhibitions loosened. The living room transformed into a lively space filled with music, laughter, and friendly vibes. Kyle was happy, something that was rare to come by nowadays. He sat and watched as the girls danced, and the guys had stupid conversations about whatever was on their mind.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to give the girls a second chance…

“Alright guys, I think it’s time to head out!” Luke called out, getting a cheer from the group.

Kyle began to get up, but suddenly felt… off. He knew what this was…

“Luke!” Kyle called out, causing his friend to turn with concern as Kyle fell to the ground.

“Aw, shit!” Luke groaned, realizing what was happening.

“Hold tight buddy!” he continued, trying to get Kyle onto his back.

“Here, let me help!” Cynthia offered, leaning down next to Kyle and helping to support his head.

Kyle felt dizzy, unable to tell which way was up. All he could see was the worried expressions of Luke and Cynthia, as he began to lose consciousness. There wasn’t even a point in fighting it. He knew, the next time he woke up, he’d be shrunken down. The question was, by how much…