It didn’t take much to convince my Mom to let me head out with Kristen. In fact, the second I proposed the idea she was totally on board, even recommending some things to do after classes so that I’d be out longer. She was probably planning to take this chance to relax in her own home without worrying about me but I didn’t hold it against her. She deserved it and this was too good a day for that.

Around ten A.M. my friend finally showed up and off we went. I of course had shotgun in her right ear as she drove. Surprisingly good internet in there by the way, had a fantastic signal on my phone. We didn’t really get a chance to talk much during the drive (Remember to always stay off your phone while driving kids). But once we arrived on campus she immediately whipped out her phone and called me.

“Hello?” I answered.

“We’re here.”

“Kinda figured when the car stopped. When’s your class?”

“Twenty minutes. What should we do til then?”

I shrugged, “Same thing we always do when we have time to kill. Find the group and hang around for a bit.” She stiffened when I said that. Maybe not enough for her to notice, but easily noticeable to me. “Something wrong?”

“Oh no. I was just surprised. I’d have thought you’d want to stay away from people with how small you are.”

“I’ve spent the better part of two weeks away from people. If I don’t see some people I might go crazy. What’s the worst that could happen?” The memory of that date with Kari came back to mind. I knew what kind of things could happen. But I couldn’t just live my life in fear like that. These aren’t monsters. They’re my friends. Even Kari meant no harm she just…had a moment.

“Alright.” Kristen shrugged. “I’m gonna hang up though. My hand’s starting to get tired.”

“Kay.” I hung up first and started playing on my phone again. Who would be there I wondered. Would I see the people who’d been clearly avoiding contact with me? Would Kari be there? How is she? Is she still upset? This would be the first time I would have seen her in weeks. Things got so quiet between us I was worried…Were we still dating? Was this a silent break-up? I dunno if I could take that.

Nothing quite so dramatic though. This early in the morning next to no one was at our usual hangout spot. In fact, aside from me and Kristen only Jaz was there.

“Morning Kristen.” I heard her familiar voice call out.

“Morning.”

“And Good Morning to our little bug too.” She snickered.

“It’s too early in the morning for you to be sassing me.” I replied instinctively. Then I texted that to her when I remembered she couldn’t hear me.

“I should probably take him out.” I heard Kristen mumble seconds before her finger poked its way towards me.

“Nah. He can stay there a while, maybe help you clean your ears or something.”

“Tempting but no.”

I hopped onto Kristen’s finger and was brought to a small coffee table in front of a couch. Side by side on the couch were my two friends. Already next to me was Jaz’s phone, all set for me to communicate.

“Aw for me? How thoughtful.” I joked after hopping onto it.

“Yep, I’m the sweetest, most thoughtful girl in the world.”

“Don’t forget modest.” Kristen retorted.

“You’re definitely something.” I nodded.

“Says the ant.” Jaz stuck her tongue out at me.

I shrugged, too lazy to make a comeback. “How you guys been? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Now it was their turn to shrug.

“Same old same old.”

“Pretty much.” Jaz agreed. “Classes, sleep, games, the usual. How about you?”

“A lot less classes, a lot more sleep.”

“I bet. You’ve always been lazy.”

Kristen chuckled, “I think no matter what size you are that’ll stay the same.”

“Nah.” Jaz grinned, “Now it’s even worse. He doesn’t even have classes as an excuse anymore.”

“Oh! Speaking of class I better go before I’m late.”

“Better hurry. See what being late did to Rob?”

Kristen nodded, stifling a giggle. “Take care of him!”

“Sure.” Jaz lazily waved as Kristen ran off.

As I watched Kristen hurry to class I found myself smiling. “Some things never change.”

Jaz was still looking to where Kristen left. “Of course. We’re not the ones who changed.”

My smile drooped a little. “Yeah, I guess I am huh?”

“Still don’t know why you shrank?” Jaz’s eyes locked onto me with a surprisingly serious look to them.

“Nope. Woke up small and suddenly everything’s different. My case is still being assigned so I don’t know what to expect.”

“You’ll be fine.” Jaz smirked, “Cockroaches can survive anything.”

“Come on, I’ve had a rough few weeks. Not even a little sympathy?”

“Wouldn’t be me if I did that now would I?”

“Nah, would just be better.”

“Oh shut up.” She gently knocked me over with her finger, briefly scaring me with the sudden move. “Be nice to people bigger than you.”

“Pick on someone your own size.”

“Nah, it’s funner when I do it to someone smaller.”

I got up and brushed myself off. “Remind me again why you’re not as small as I am?”

“Cause I’m a good girl.” She made an innocent face and batted her eyes at me.

“I don’t think we have the same definition of good here.”

She shrugged, “Maybe, but mine’s right.”

I could only respond with some bizarre mixture of a shrug and a laugh.

“There you go.” Jaz smiled, “You got to relax more. You worry too much.”

“I will once I find out where I’m assigned.” I shrugged, “Til then I got to stay on my toes.”

Once again a massive brown finger knocked me over. “I said relax.”

“I don’t wanna!” I shouted playfully.

“Sounds like something Auntie Jaz should fix.” Jaz’s eyes narrowed as her fingers reached for me again. I braced myself, expecting her to pluck me up and do something to me. But instead she just brushed me off her phone and picked it up. I watched curiously as she began to tap away at the screen for a few minutes before setting it back down.

“What was that about?”

“I’ll tell you when I get a response.”

I didn’t know what she was up to but I didn’t like that gleam in her eyes.

Conversation died down a bit after that and we both ended up messing around on respective electronics. Every once in a while some people would show up and start to chat. Then when they realized I was there they tended to leave not long after. I tried not to let it bother me and went back to doing my thing, occasionally trading words with Jaz. Kristen came back for a few minutes an hour or so after she left but she quickly headed out again to another class.

Right around then Jaz shut her laptop, “I got a class I need to be going to too.”

“Oh yeah, this is your last class of the day isn’t it?” I only remembered since things were usually much less lively whenever Jaz left.

She nodded, “Yep, let’s go.”

“Wait, I’m coming too?”

“Duh. I’m not just gonna leave you out here alone. Who knows what you’d end up doing?”

I saw her point and ignored the implications of that last line. “Alright, lower your finger so I can hop on.”

“Only if you say please.” She slung a bag over her shoulder and grinned down at me.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I sighed, “Please.” Figured I’d let her take this one.

“Well if you insist…” She picked me up and I once again found myself in a girl’s ear.

“Just once I want to ride on someone’s shoulders or something.” I grumbled until I found a cozy nook a few meters in.

“No funny business while you’re in there either! I’ll hear it.”

“No you won’t.” I laughed.

“Yeah I will.”

It was at that moment I learned that Jaz had really good hearing.

“Wait, you can hear me?”

“Mmhm.”

“Damn. Anytime I ride in my Mom or Kristen’s ear I have to use my phone the whole time. This is actually really convenient.”

“Yeah…I’m pretty great.”

I let that one slide. “What class we going to anyway?”

“American History.”

“Riveting, can’t wait to relearn the Revolutionary War and Civil War.”

“I’ll have you know we’re learning about World War I right now.”

“Awesome, let’s go.”

Her class wasn’t that far away, at least as far as I could tell. I did a round of Sudoku on my phone as she walked. Right as I finished I heard her open a door and a female voice in the distance started talking about last week’s assignments and I was already getting bored.

Actually that’s not true. Compared to sitting at home for hours doing nothing this was really interesting. Funny how nice the mundane things like school became once you didn’t have them. I wish I was half as attentive as I was during that lecture; maybe I’d have had more A’s. Course, even amazing attentiveness only lasted so long before I was back to browsing the web on my phone. Though, out of respect for my giant friend, I muted my phone. So I was at least being considerate.

“Okay, class dismissed.”

Jaz took a few steps outside when I heard a loud tremor from below. Louder that the tremors that were every other noise that is. It was amplified but I managed to identify it as a phone vibrating. Jaz pulled it out and I immediately heard a chuckle. Instinctively I knew what happened.

“Guessing you got your reply.”

“Yep.”

“So now you gonna tell me what you’re up to?”

I heard her say it, but I blinked because I was certain I didn’t hear it right. But she said it so direct and matter-of-factly there was no way to misinterpret it.

“You’re spending the night with me tonight.”