Tags: establishing the universe, some female muscle admiration, handheld, sorry no smut :( it’ll come eventually

Mateo arrived early at school on Friday morning. He went straight for his locker to retrieve a textbook when his girlfriend Tricia ran into him. “Hey hot stuff,” she gave him a wink as she leaned into a locker near him. “We’re still on for dinner tonight?”

“Absolutely.” He stuffed his text into his bag and closed the locker door. “Italian sound good? I found this place with great reviews.”

“Look at you, Mr. Fancy pants! Italian sounds great! Text me the address when you can.” She beamed with joy. “I gotta run, but I’ll see you soon!” 

Tricia got on her tippy toes and leaned in to kiss Mateo on the cheeks before jogging off towards the opposite side of the school.

Mateo took a detour to his class and headed for the acrylic glass wall that overlooked the Puny Express’s train station. He watched the miniature train, painted white with a red stripe, race into the station, making a hum like that of a transformer. The downsized students unloaded from the train and adjusted their bags over their shoulders as they disembarked. Some of them looked up at Mateo, unsure what to make of the expressionless human, but eventually ignored him and headed for class.

They scurried to the escalators and raced to the first golf carts they could find. Others took the elevators that zipped to different floors of the school. Some just huddled in groups, cliques, gossiping about whatever the hot topic of the day was.

Maybe it won’t be so bad, Mateo thought. Those carts look fun. That train is badass and must be lightning fast to them. The downsize world looked just like his. The miniature students had the freedoms he had. They hung out with friends—joking about each other while they casually trekked to class. Others sat and read books peacefully. Some students ate breakfast burritos while riding their electric carts. There were differences, sure, but the similarities were identical to what Mateo’s life was like now—except he didn’t have giants looking down at him from the skies.

Someone tall placed their hands on his shoulders and stood close behind him. Without looking, he knew it was Bethany. Her powerful hands and her perfume gave her away.

“Adorable aren’t they? It’s so unfair I can’t play with them,” Beth said. The same young girl from yesterday, who was last off the train, dropped her books as soon as she disembarked from the miniature train. She looked stressed and frazzled as she got on her knees to gather her belongings. “See that? If I had my stupid permit, and if she signed her consent to me, she wouldn’t have to deal that shit. I could carry all her books in my pocket and carry her to class in my palm. Wouldn’t that be better than lugging her shit around like a pack mule?”

Beth’s voice was a blend of frustration and longing, which, before, Mateo would’ve just chalked up to Beth being Beth. But with his future downsizing, Beth’s voice and words made his stomach turn. Malaise overwhelmed him as he felt the weight of her stare shooting past his shoulder, her gaze fixed intently on the downsizers far below.

“I just gotta pass that damn test,” she said, her warm breath washing over his ears. “It’ll be my fourth try on Sunday. Stupid Hazel. She’s always rubbing it in that she got it on her first try. But I’ll get it this weekend. I’m sure I will. Then maybe someone like her,” she nodded towards the girl, gathering her books, “will trust me enough to consent to me handling them.”

Mateo nodded. His thoughts were a whirlwind of dread. The idea of being handled by someone so brutish like Beth sent a chill down his spine. The girl looked so fragile and Beth—wasn’t even on the same spectrum. Beth was so strong and tall … an alpha. Why would someone like that little frail girl ever consent to Beth? It was a pipe dream, and he wondered if Beth knew that, or if she clung to the thinnest thread of hope.

“Do you even know any downsizers?” he asked.

“I know Emma.”

“Barely.”

“I know her and she knows me.”

“But Beth, Emma doesn’t want you to ever touch her. What makes you think a random downsizer would ever sign a CoH to you?”

Beth’s expression dropped to one of anger. She pinched Mateo’s arm, which elicited an expletive from him. “Why do you have to be so fucking cruel?” she asked.

“What? I’m not. I’m just being real.”

He rubbed his skin where she pinched. He couldn’t look up at her. His eyes went back to the station, which was thinning out with students. Some of the remaining downsizers saw Beth hurt Mateo and were pointing and gossiping about the mean-looking giantess.

“Just shit on my dreams, Mateo.” Beth said under her breath. “Just like everyone else does.”

Mateo wanted to feel bad but couldn’t bring himself to care about Beth’s feelings at that moment. His life was about to radically change. In only a few short days, Beth was going to be standing in the same spot, yearning to snatch him so she could fulfill whatever twisted fantasy she had with tiny people.

Beth, not appreciating Mateo’s silence, shoved one of his shoulders so his whole body rotated and faced her. She stood tall and looked down at him menacingly. Her lats flared and her bulging shoulders made her look like she grew to an Amazon before his eyes. Mateo stared right back at her, but he couldn’t resist letting his eyes wander and follow the contours of her body.

Her physique was like that of an Olympian competing in the pole vault. Shapely thighs and ass that stretched her leggings. Arms and shoulders that showcased her power, yet she carried a femininity that would put any Greek goddess to shame. She stood before him, a female warrior that had something to prove to the world—someone who could effortlessly carry a fallen comrade out of battle, all while returning fire from a minigun she held in one hand. Yet, her distinct feminine figure, coupled with the gentle curves of her face, that softened her menacing presence, suggested she could easily charm her way to winning a beauty pageant—not that she would be caught dead entering something like that.

Mateo didn’t know what to think of her. She was clearly out of his league. If it wasn’t for her dogshit attitude and her rudeness towards everyone she met, maybe she’d have a line of suitors a mile long. Instead, the school alienated Beth. Avoided, mocked behind her back, and gossiped about incessantly. Mateo wished the other students weren’t so hard on Beth, because maybe—just maybe—she’d be a different person. Easily the most popular student in school, as opposed to the most infamous.

Beth took a step towards him, forcing him to step back. It hard not looking at her breast that filled her top. He whimpered the same way Hazel and Emma did yesterday. Was she getting bigger, or was he spontaneously downsizing?

“You got three fucking questions wrong on my homework yesterday,” she said.

“So?” He tried to remain cool.

“So? I told you I wanted a 100% score on that assignment.”

“Three questions wrong in a class I’m not even taking is good enough.”

“I don’t want good enough. I want fucking perfection.” She used her fingers to shove Mateo’s shoulder. Again, she underestimated her strength and overestimated Mateo’s strength. He went flying back and had to catch himself with a step back.

“I’m done, Beth.” He fought back tears.

“What do you mean?” Her demeanor did a 180, and Bethany had a rare worried look on her face.

“We’re done with this. I’m never doing your homework ever again. I’m backing out of our chemistry project. And frankly, you can go fuck off and never talk to me again.” Mateo was shaking as he heard himself take a stance. Pent up frustration from a year was finally exploding.

Beth crossed her shoulder and chewed on her inner-cheek. “Is this because I pushed you? Listen, sorry. Okay?”

“No.” Mateo shook his head and tightened the straps around his backpack. “No more manipulation. Whatever this was, it’s done. I don’t want you ever talking to me again. Just get out of my life forever!”

“Mateo, wait.”

He turned and walked away. He did it. Mateo finally stood up to Beth—probably not at the most opportune time. He couldn’t defend himself from Beth as a human. Two-inch tall, Mateo might not even be able to fight back against her pinky.

-

At lunch, the foursome sat together at their usual table by the window. Jack sat next to Hazel. Emma was sitting in Hazel’s bowl of jello, as if it were a beanbag chair. Mateo sat across from them, with eyes looking down at his carton of synthetic chocolate milk. He looked up to see Jack shoveling highly processed food down his gullet without taking a breath.

The principal of the school once said, ‘integration of the downsizers is key to a diverse student body’ or something along those lines. Mateo and most of the school weren’t paying him attention. But the point was, to integrate downsizers where possible. Such as the classroom and the indoor dining facility.

Inside the large dining room, along a wall, was the downsizers’ version of a dining facility. It looked like an aquarium, with multiple floors capable of housing hundreds of miniature students. Not only did they have the standard tables, they had couches, TVs, and live bonsai trees growing inside. It certainly looked more extravagant than the prison-style dining facility the humans had. Emma told the group that the downsizers get fresh food and real milk. It was easy feeding the entire downsized student body with a single fresh apple, for example. There weren’t enough fresh apples to feed the humans, so they got mass-produced food. Hence the enormous disparity between the superb nutrition the downsizers enjoyed versus their bigger cousin.

“Hey, Emma?” Mateo asked.

The tiny girl turned and looked up at him with a smile. She swallowed some jello and asked, “What’s up?”

Mateo felt the weight of his news bearing down on him. “If you could choose between being a human or downsizer? What would you choose?”

Emma lifted one brow. “Uh, downsizer, of course. I don’t even know what it means to be human. Born tiny, remember?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Mateo stuck his straw in his mouth and drank the chalky chocolate milk. “Is it scary to be so small?”

“I’m used to it.” Emma leaned back into the jello as if she were on a lounge chair. “We have lots of protection, like all the laws, our tiny communities, and enclosures. Not to mention all the cameras watching. I think I’m safer than you guys, actually.”

Hazel set her orange juice down. “Hey, you forgot to mention me.”

“Oh, yeah,” Emma said. “I got a personal security guard that watches me 24/7.”

“You gonna eat that?” Jack asked, pointing at Mateo’s cardboard-like pizza slice.

“You can have it. I’m not hungry.”

“Bro, something wrong?” Jack reached over and grabbed the slice. He chewed loudly with his elbows on the table. “Is it Beth? Just say the word, bro.”

Mateo mentally prepared himself for a moment before speaking. “Guys, I have something to tell you.” The seriousness in his voice caused his friends to pause. “I just found out … My family and I are downsizing tomorrow afternoon.” He carefully watched Emma’s reaction.

There was silence among them. Except for Emma, who clambered out of the bowl of jello and walked off Hazel’s tray, clapping her hands almost uncontrollably.

“Awesome!” Emma said. “Welcome to the club! It’s very exclusive.”

“Whoa,” Jack said. “How are you feeling?”

“He’s excited!” Emma said. “This is so freaking cool! Trust me, Mateo, after you’ve shrunk, you’re gonna wish you’d done it sooner.”

“I guess so.”

“Hey, why so glum?” Emma placed her hands on her hips. “Got something against being downsized?”

“Nothing like that, Emma.” The last thing Mateo wanted was to offend Emma. “It’s … y’know, life changing. I can’t help but feel nervous. I don’t know how things are going to change between us. Trish—I haven’t even told her yet.”

Hazel leaned over on the table. “Nothing will change between us.” She smiled. “We’re all friends, no matter what size we are. Right Jack?”

Jack stared, expressionless. “Bro, do you know what this means?”

“What?”

“You can finally find a downsized girl that wants to hook up with me.” He sat up and became giddy. “Y’know, since Emma outright refuses to ask if any girl is interested in me.”

“You eat like a pig!” Emma shouted. “That puts us tiny girls off, especially when watching you from down here.”

“Well, sorry!” Jack mocked. “I just get hungry, is all.”

Mateo felt relieved. His friends took the big news swimmingly, without a trace of negative energy.

“Thanks guys,” Mateo said. “I was really worried things were going to … I don’t know. Change?”

“I mean,” Hazel said. “Things will change. But you’re our friend, no matter what. We’ll watch out for you. Won’t we, Jack?”

Jack nodded.

Emma said, “And I’ll show you the ropes for being a downsizer. Oh, this is so awesome. Our group will be even! Two humans and two downsizers.”

“Three downsizers,” Jack said. “As soon as Mateo hooks me up with a cutie pie.”

Hazel shook her head and rolled her eyes at him.

“What’s that for? You’re allowed to have a tiny girlfriend and not me?”

-

Mateo waited for Tricia in front of the restaurant for almost half an hour, having arrived well ahead of their agreed upon meet time. He paced back and forth in the lobby, running the conversation with his girlfriend through his head—trying to anticipate her reaction. 

Mateo and Tricia had a solid relationship, and he knew she’d take the news just good. If not better than his best friends. He was going to remain the same person, after all. Just … tinier.

“Hey, sweetie,” Tricia said. 

She looked gorgeous in her black dress. She was on the thin side and shorter than him, which made him feel big when standing near her. It was the polar opposite feeling he got with Beth.

He hugged Tricia and said, “You look amazing.”

“You too, sweetie.” Her smile was infectious. “Our table ready?”

-

It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but the tables were adorned with linen cloth, candles, and shiny cutlery. Mateo couldn’t keep his eyes off his girlfriend. The warm illumination from the restaurant made her skin glow. Her smile melted his heart, and her beauty was simply stunning. For a moment, he was excited about downsizing. He wondered how amazing Tricia would look when magnified exponentially.

Mateo got the cheapest spaghetti on the menu, and Tricia ate a Caesar salad. They hardly touched the garlic bread in the center.

“I hear this place is rated with less than .5% microplastics in their food.” He said after swallowing his noodles. The sauce was way too watery.

“Is that good?”

“Really good. I mean, 0% would be best, but this is pretty low considering the statistics.” Mateo downed some of his water and prepared for the revelation. His heart thumped erratically as he struggled to open up. Trish was enjoying the moment, eating her food, and discussing the latest gossip that occurred throughout the day. 

“You okay?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

“You look like the food just upset your stomach or something. Tell me,” she said, extending her arms and reaching for her boyfriend’s hands. “What’s wrong?”

His lips curled into a slight smile, just seeing how supportive she was of him. However, this news was going to be the ultimate test of their relationship.

“What do you think about downsizers?”

Tricia’s smile turned into a neutral expression as she chewed on her food and swallowed. “I-I don’t want to talk about it.”

“How come?”

“I don’t enjoy getting political.”

“Political?” 

Tricia sighed and set her fork down. “Yes, political. Why are you asking anyway? Thinking about adopting one or something?”

He let out a nervous laugh. “Umm, no. Even if we could, no. Nothing like that.”

“Good.”

“Good? Do you have anything against that idea?”

“If you really want to know—I just don’t care for them.”

“You don’t? Why not?”

She gave him a dumbfounded look. “You know why. We talk about it in my government class all the time.”

He didn’t like where the conversation was headed, but had to press her because of his future. “Talk about what, exactly?”

“That they’re a drain on our economy. They contribute nothing to society and depend completely on humans. Downsizers are just on one big vacation, while the rest of us have to work and pay taxes.”

“That’s not fair, Trish. Most downsizers still work and pay taxes.”

“Not proportionate and not a fair comparison.” She waved a fork with greens stuck to it, before shoving it into her mouth. “Everything’s turned to shit since this fad started.”

“Fad? It’s been around for like forty years.”

“Yeah, shouldn’t things have gotten better for humans since then? It hasn’t. And all these ridiculous laws surrounding downsizers. Freaking nanny state. Oh, and you can’t call them insects or bugs, otherwise you’d offend someone. You’ll get canceled for calling them out for the vermin that they are.”

Mateo sat uncomfortably as she continued her diatribe. He’s had a feeling Tricia was like this, but he’s always skillfully avoided the topic and now he understood why she did as well.

“They should just,” Tricia said, “ship them out into one place, and let them survive on their own. Enough with this integration and coddling. For real. We should be a human-first country.”

Mateo’s jaw dropped as he stared at Tricia.

“Can we … just drop this, please?” Tricia asked. “I want to continue our date.”

“I don’t think you’d want to.”

“Why’s that?” she asked slowly.

“Trish,” he said, holding up one hand, “My family is downsizing tomorrow. They’re not giving me much of a choice, and I’ll be downsized with them.”

Tricia tilted her head in disbelief. “What now?”

“We can’t afford life—as humans—anymore. We’re strapped and we have to downsize.”

“You’re just gonna do it? Not fight back?”

“There’s no way out of this.” Mateo was feeling sick. He could feel the spaghetti rising back up. “I was hoping things wouldn’t change between us after I shrunk.”

“I don’t know what to say.” 

“I mean you like me, right? I don’t see how my shrinking is going to change that. I’m still going to be me.”

Tricia shook her head and had an I-don’t-know-what-to-say expression and nervously laughed. “Mateo, I do like you, but do you really think things will be the same? I would be a giant compared to you. You’d be—well, you’d be like a bug to me.”

Mateo’s heart shattered. She was already denigrating him and he hadn’t even downsized yet. 

“I guess not.” He looked down at his plate and shoved the noodles with his fork. “My stomach hurts. I’ll be right back.”

Mateo excused himself and went to the restroom to splash some water on his face. He calmed his nerves and the feeling of vomiting eventually passed. After the vitriol Tricia spouted, he wasn’t expecting their relationship to continue.

He returned to an empty table. She’d left. He sat there for another fifteen minutes, alone with his thoughts. He knew sizeists existed. But he didn’t know Tricia was one. She kept her charged views a secret so well. Mateo tried to find the silver lining. Better he learned she was a horrible person now, rather than when he was two inches tall.

-

The next morning, Mateo stood in the center of his room without moving a muscle, and with a blank stare painted on his face. There was nothing he wanted to keep. No mementos to cherish or carry over to his new life.

“Ready, mijito?” Sofia asked, her soft voice cutting through the dead silence of his room. He turned and looked up at his mother. He nodded and walked past her.

The liquidators were waiting in the halls of the apartment. Once the Rodriguez’s left their apartment for the last time, the vultures would sweep in and take all their things. Value their household items for a fraction of what they’re worth and send the money to the family when complete. The apartment would then be turned over to the landlord and that would be it. Their entire human lives—gone before the afternoon.

There wasn’t anything to pack. Mateo carried his phone and the clothes on his back, and that was it. He texted Hazel and Jack and told them he’d be at the bus station for an hour before they depart.

He left his old home and looked back one last time before heading to the bus terminal.

-

Mateo was relieved to see his friends waiting for him when his family arrived. He excused himself from his parents and ran up to his friends. He hugged Hazel. Gave a bro embrace to Jack. And waved to little Emma—who was the most excited of the bunch.

“This is it.” Jack said with a smile, patting him on his shoulder. “Why does it feel like you’re dying, and this meetup is a final farewell?”

“He’s not dying!” Emma shouted from Hazel’s palm. “He’s evolving.”

Hazel rubbed his arms. “How’d things go with Trish?”

Mateo couldn’t look any of them in the eyes. He cleared his throat and said, “She left me.”

Each of his friends exclaimed in their own way. They all tried to cheer him and ask how he was feeling.

“It’s fine,” Mateo said. “I found out she was a sizeist last night.”

Jack and Hazel shook their heads in disgust.

“I knew it!” Emma said. “What a bitch. Good riddance.”

“I agree.” Mateo said, his attitude somber. “Still, it kinda hurts. Before I learned about this, I thought we’d be together forever. It stings. But I don’t need someone like that in my life. So, it’s all for the better.”

The mood between the group was solemn. Everyone could see Mateo struggling to keep himself together.

“Cheer up, bro.” Jack wrapped an arm around his friend. “It’s gonna be a fun adventure. And you got us to support you.”

Emma turned to her giant girlfriend and said in a whine, “Haze. Tell him.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hazel said, tinged with nervousness as if she were about to perform public speaking. “Emma and I were talking last night. After you downsize—well, you’re gonna be stuck with the other downsizers at school and won’t be able to hang out with us, unless …” She made a wincing face as if someone was pinching her.

“Unless I sign a Consent of Handling over to you?” Mateo nodded. It was a minor detail he missed.

“I’m the only one with a MHIP. You can actually sign your CoH over to me right now—I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to do it as a downsizer. But only if you want to. I’ll understand if you don’t.”

“I never thought I’d deal with this,” Mateo sighed with a smile. As a downsizer, humans were hands off of Mateo unless they had an unexpired permit, and he signed his consent over to them, which would allow them to touch and pick him up. 

This was awkward for Mateo, because the idea of being in a segregated part of the school was appealing. Safely tucked away in the menagerie, away from curious, giant fingers. But Hazel was right. This farewell to human-hood might as well be a goodbye forever if he didn’t sign consent to Hazel. 

“Let’s do it.” He forced himself to stop thinking about it. “How do I—sign a CoH to you?”

“Pull out your phone.” Hazel brightened up.

She pulled out a card from her pocket. The card was laminated, had her picture on it, and lots of holograms plastered throughout it, which made it look like a rare collector’s card rather than a government issued ID. The card was her coveted Micro-Human Interaction Permit, which was uncommon for humans to possess considering the lengthy process and grueling tests.

“Now what?” Mateo asked.

“Scan this code.” She lifted her card to display a QR code printed on e-ink that constantly changed every 30 seconds.

Mateo scanned it, and a special app launched on his phone. He followed the application process, which was lengthy because it was his first time. It also recognized Mateo as currently human, but he could still sign his consent to Hazel pre-downsizing. The system was purposefully designed this way so that fresh downsizers had the option to go home with a human. Mateo registered his fingerprint and eye biometrics and was complete with the registration.

He was then on a last page to sign the Consent of Handling over to his friend. It displayed a summary of Hazel as if it were a review page of a restaurant. It showed that Hazel had zero infractions, and she passed the exams with almost perfect scores. A button at the bottom would officially give Hazel exclusive rights to interact with him when he was shrunk. A downsizer could sign multiple consents to as many people as they wanted.

“Huh.” He said.

“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked, alarmed.

“Oh nothing. It’s just … this makes you kinda special, huh? You’ll be the only human in the world that’s allowed to carry me.”

Emma shouted, “I love that feeling!” She rubbed her girlfriend’s fingers, which were as large as she was. “Actually, Mateo, I don’t think I want you to consent to Haze. I only want her to interact with one downsizer: me!” She teased.

Hazel giggled. “I think I’m big enough to handle two pipsqueaks.”

It was a harmless word, but it got to Mateo. All those little names would denote his new stature. He pressed the consent button. The government’s database will now have a record that Hazel Bennett has the legal rights to handle two downsizers: Mateo and Emma.

“I did it.”

“Neat! I got the notification. And Ma-mato,” Hazel said, her tone turning serious. “I realize that this wasn’t a simple decision to make. It takes a lot of guts to trust your life in the hands of someone that’ll look like 200 feet tall to you.”

Mateo got light-headed. “T-t-two hund-hundred feet?”

Hazel scrunched up her face like she was delivering unpleasant news. “Yeah, I’m going to be really big to you.” She winked.

Mateo collapsed on a vacant bench beside them. “Nobody told me you were going to be that big.”

“Y’know, I’ve said nothing in a while,” Jack said. “Bro, I’m going to study my ass off for the MHIP. I’ve already started studying last night. Not only do I want a cute downsize girlfriend to hold, but I need the permit so we can hang out and stuff. That way, you’re not stuck on Hazel’s cruddy fingers all the time.”

“Look who’s talking.” Hazel shot back.

Mateo watched his friends do their back-and-forth while seated on the bench. As he looked up at them, he tried to imagine what it was going to be like when they’re towering over him at 200 feet tall. He shuddered at the thought.

-

Sofia and Miguel spoke about their son while he was across the bus terminal speaking with his friends.

“If I ever meet that woman,” Sofia said, “who said those mean things to my son, I’ll give her one putasa—”

“I don’t think she’ll feel it, amor.” Miguel was flipping through a welcome booklet for Lilliputian Lakes. “You’ll be the size of a toothpick to her.”

“True, true. Maybe I should do it now,” she said. “We got time, don’t we?”

He let out a grunt, which was a mixture of a laugh and acknowledgment.

“Sizeist whore.” Sofia looked through her purse for a piece of gum. “Those people should rot in hell. It’s okay if she wants to break up with him. It’s fine if she doesn’t want to date someone tiny. But to say those mean things? To think you’re better for someone because of your height? She’s a coward; ghosting him without the decency to tell him they’re split. Despicable woman.”

Miguel nodded and mumbled. “Mhmm.”

They spoke in greater detail for some time. Actually, Sofia did most of the talking while her husband nodded and grunted. Unbeknownst to them, Beth overheard the entire conversation. She followed Mateo from his home to the station, hoping to apologize for her behavior, when she overheard a torrent of unexpected news.

It was almost too much. A flurry of emotions overcame Beth as she learned about Mateo’s impending downsizing. But there was also that unfortunate news about Tricia. Beth didn’t care for Tricia. Despised her even for being so lucky to date Mateo. Now, she cast him out like toilet paper because he was downsizing?

This wasn’t an injustice Beth couldn’t let flyby.

-

Tricia was at the mall with friends. They took a quick respite from shopping to purchase fresh baked pretzels, the intoxicating aroma from the heavenly treats beckoning shoppers like harpies. Tricia was next in line and walked up to the counter, her wallet and card in one hand, and her other hand carrying four bags.

“Hello?” she asked around the empty counter. She could’ve sworn she saw the customer before her order.

“Welcome. Would you like to try out pretzel bites?”

Tricia looked around for the source of the disembodied voice. Then she saw it. Behind the counter, protected inside a box that looked like it was made of bullet-proof glass, was a downsized teenager, working behind a register.

Roaches. Was all Tricia could think of at that moment. Not enough jobs in their teeny community. They have to steal from humans now? “Is there a tablet I can order from?”

“Sorry, ma’am, but we don’t—”

Tricia lifted her hand in a stop gesture, turned, and walked away.

“Did you get anything?” one of Tricia’s friends asked.

“No.” Tricia shrugged. “It didn’t look sanitary there.”

Beth came storming down the corridor, looking for signs of Tricia and her entourage of vapid friends. Mateo had confided to her once that Beth shopped at the mall on Saturdays like clockwork, spending her dad’s hard earned cash on frivolous things.

Beth spotted Tricia and her group of friends seated at a table in the food court, laughing and giggling about god knows what. With purposeful strides, she marched over to them, her large presence known to them before she reached them. In one smooth move, Beth grabbed a chair and sat down, and leaned over the table.

“Tricia, we need to talk.” Beth looked at her Valley Girl entourage and said directly to them, “Alone.”

The girls looked at Tricia, who gave them an uncaring shrug with heavy eyebrows. The girls gathered their shopping bags and drinks and left Beth and Tricia alone.

After a brief pause, Tricia asked, “What?”

“Where do you get off dumping a guy like Mateo just because he’s downsizing?”

Tricia raised a brow. “Seriously? He sent you here to … what? What do you want from me?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here, or that I know he’s downsizing.” She leaned in further. Her skin turned hot with rage. “There are people like me that don’t put up with sizeist assholes like you. Mateo is my friend, and I won’t stand by and watch you treat him with disrespect just because he’s downsizing. And that extends to all downsizers. Got it?”

Tricia scoffed, but Beth’s looming stance made her falter. “Are you some white knight for downsizers or something? Why bother? Those things don’t like you the same way humans don’t like you.”

Beth slammed her fist on the table. She pointed a finger at Tricia and said, “Watch it.”

“Or what?” Confidence returning to Tricia. “You gonna hit me?” She asked in a mocking tone with her head bouncing left and right. “Good luck getting a MHIP with an assault charge on your record.”

“Keep it up, bitch.” Beth stood up. “Downsizers might be two inches. But I’m not.” Tricia looked up high at the imposing woman, whose shadow covered her. “No threat you make to me will prevent me from protecting Mateo and downsizers from cunts like you.”

Before leaving, Beth did a small, one-inch lunge towards Tricia to intimidate her. It worked. Tricia cowered in the booth, afraid of what Beth might do. Beth grinned and walked away.