As Scott woke up, he did his best to climb out of bed. The pain from yesterday's beating was still prominent throughout his body. God how things could change so fast. One minute it seemed like everything was fine, and the next his whole life had been flipped upside down - leaving him at the mercy of his merciless stepsister.

He knew the virus shrunk people in bouts, but he had lost nearly two and a half feet of height in one night! He was as small as Ethan already… Well at least as small as Ethan was the last time they saw each other…

Throwing some clothes on, Scott headed straight out of his room and downstairs. As he moved past the front door and into the kitchen, he caught sight of Jackie pulling into the drive. His heart sank. She was the last person he wanted to see right now, not after last night.

He was grateful, however, for her bringing the car home. Still tall enough to drive, he planned to use it. A day out was just what he needed, especially if she was going to be home for the rest of the day.

As Jackie entered, she dropped her shopping bag and keys on the counter, "Hey Dweeb!"

"Hey Jackie, thanks for picking up our car from the shop." Scott replied, not making eye contact with her as he went for the keys.

"Our car?" She scoffed as she swiped them from the counter before he could, "What do you mean our car? It's my car."

"Hey! I'm still tall enough to drive!" He countered, extending his much shorter arm out as he reached for them.

"Barely!" She shouted back, raising them into the air and baiting him to jump up for them. "Besides, who said I'd let you?" She asked as she closed the already small gap between them and enticingly dangled them over his head.

"God, you're such a bitch sometimes!" Scott spat as he reached up and embarrassingly jumped to stand a chance at getting them, the height difference already dizzying to him from this close.

Crouching down, Jackie brought herself to his level. God she was big. "Wow, you got some rocks on you still, huh small fry?! Did you forget the little lesson I taught you yesterday?" She asked as she lightly pushed on his chest, striking fear into his heart and causing him to look away from her. "No, look at me!" She demanded, grabbing his face and turning it towards her, "Well?"

"I didn't…" Scott mumbled in defeat.

"You didn't what?" She asked, grinning at him all the while, not quite satisfied with his answer.

"I didn't forget about the lesson." Scott replied, his gaze pinned to the floor.

"That's a good boy…" She said as she stood back up, scruffing his hair approvingly. "Tell you what bro, I'll make you a little deal - you can have the car until you’re too small to drive… IF… you can beat me in a game of hoops.”

Hoops? He laughed to himself. Having been an expert shooter, even at his current size he’d give her a good run for her money. It was a small chance, but a better chance than had she chosen a different game, so he’d take what he could get.

“And if I don’t?” he asked as he looked up at her, slightly concerned about the coming answer.

“If you don’t… Then you call your little friend Ethan, and ask him to come over. I’ll call Vicky and you guys can meet us at the pool. You’ll be our little Cabana boys!” she laughed, the idea having come to her in a brief flash of genius this earlier this morning. Continuing, she explained, “So I went out this morning and got you the costumes and everything!”

Digging into her bags on the counter, she pulled out the costumes - brandishing to him a pair of boy-sized speedos. “What? How did you… How did you know I’d want the car?” Scott asked, confused and feeling even less confident about his win. She had more on the line than he had initially thought.

“C’mon, of course I’d assume you’d want to get out of here. After what happened last night? So yeah, I knew you’d do just about anything to get these keys!” she replied, jingling them over his head as she spoke.

“Alright fine, let’s just get this over with.” Scott huffed. The pair of them headed straight outside, eager to get started. As they entered the garden, Scott immediately grabbed the ball in an attempt to warm up.

Dribbling felt foreign at his new height - his timing was all off and his grip on the ball was near non-existent. Jackie could only laugh as she watched him struggle, “You ready little guy? Need some time to practice your moves?”

“I’m ready… Even like this I could whoop your ass!” Scott shouted back, his threat appearing firm but hollow inside.

“Well let’s go then, you can start!” Jackie replied, making her way towards him in a nonchalant stroll. Scott struggled to dribble as she approached him, any attempt to get past her was met with a sidestep of her towering body - eclipsing the net from his view. Lining up his shot nonetheless, he used all of his strength to send the ball the distance.

They both watched with bated breath as it flew through the air, directly towards the hoop. As it hit the rim, it spun around the edge for a moment before going in. “Woo! He shoots, he scores! Looks like I’ve still got it, big sis!” Scott cheered, jumping around the court as if he had won the lottery.

“Yeah, yeah. Lucky shot, little guy. I’ll give you one…” Jackie replied as she collected the ball from beneath the net. Walking back across their half court, she got into position, “Alright, come at me bro!”

Hesitating for a moment, Scott made his way towards her, keeping his stance wide and his guard up. Jackie turned her back towards him, her huge ass in his face as he tried to reach around for the ball. “Alright, let’s see what you…” he began, cut off as she backed up into him, her ass slamming into his chest and throwing him backwards towards the ground.

Dazed on the floor, he could do nothing as she dribbled past him and took a shot from just beneath the net, it going in with no trouble at all. “Come on, little bro! Is that all you got?”

“Dirty play for someone with such an advantage!” Scott shouted back as he climbed to his feet, brushing his hands together to free them of the dirt now covering them. They were red and grazed, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Alright, let’s go again. What we saying, first to five?” Scott asked.

“Sure bro! Here, catch!” Jackie said sharply as she threw the ball towards him, it slapping into his hands and chest as he absorbed the forceful throw, only barely keeping it in his possession. Once more, he made his way towards her, trying his best to get past.

Despite feeling so uncomfortable at this size, he found himself still able to do a decent crossover before sprinting past her towards the net. Looking up, he lined up his shot. As he jumped into the air and the ball left his grasp, he was immediately denied. In the time it took him to get into a decent position, Jackie had already closed the gap and an outstretched hand was all it took to intercept.

Desperate, Scott skirted around her as she laughed at him and tried to defend. Stretching his arms out up to her, he found he could barely make it up to her chest as she held the ball at her head height. His failed attempts making no difference, she nonchalantly took a shot and smiled as it met its mark without even touching the rim - swishing into the net.

Scott, frustrated at how the game was going thus far, ran to grab the ball with both hands and carried it back to his starting position. “Okay, again!” he growled as he began dribbling.

Jackie held her hands up, “Okay! Okay! Big boy! Let’s go.” She walked towards him, expecting him to attempt the same move as before. As the ball switched from his right to his left, and he mentally prepared himself for his run, in a flash he had lost possession of it and turned to see Jackie already dribbling the ball. “Lose something?” she asked teasingly as he ran towards her.

Turning her back towards him once more, she giggled as she began backing up with the ball out of his reach. Her ass bumped his chest with each step and his futile attempts to reach around her were only met with more bumps. He had to protect his face, she’d break his nose at this rate. He could do nothing as she reversed into him, each step threatening to only knock him further towards the net.

Before Scott knew it, he was beneath the net and Jackie was jumping into the air. He could only watch as she scored yet another basket, the ball descending upon him like a meteor as he winced and tried to catch it over his head. “Come on! Are you gonna do that every time?” he complained as he made his way back to try again.

“Haha! Maybe!” Jackie replied, laughing at herself. “What are you gonna do about it? Bite my ankles?” she asked as she returned to her position to defend.

Scott slowly made his way back into position to try again, his spirit lessening with each failed attempt. This time he figured he’d try something new, maybe a little rougher. As he came forward, he shoved his arm into Jackie and pushed her back - expecting to at the very least throw her off balance.

Much to Scott’s surprise, and Jackie’s glee, as he sent his body into hers - he bounced off her as if running into a brick wall. The difference in core strength and stability between them was staggering, sending him flying backwards towards the ground once more. The ball flew out from his possession, bouncing along the floor as he collided with it. He screamed out in pain as his elbows took the brunt of the fall, scraping along the concrete.

Jackie couldn’t help but wince at the force of the collision. Sure he had tried to be rough with her, but that had to hurt! “Bro… What are you doing?” she asked, her tone similar to a disappointed, but concerned, parent.

As Scott recovered from his fall, she collected the ball from the edge of their half court and slowly jogged it over to the underside of the net. Jumping up, she spun it against the backboard and watched as it dropped in. “That’s four, bro. One more to go. And at what cost? Look at yourself? You’re all scuffed up!” Jackie complained, showing slight sympathy.

Walking over to him with the ball under one arm, she extended her arm out to offer her help. Scott paused, looking at her outstretched hand. The same girl who had beat him within what felt like an inch of his life, now offering her help. Hesitantly, he reached out to clasped his much smaller into hers and she pulled him up. “You ready to go again, Scott?” she asked calmly, as she held the ball out for him to take.

Scott stared at the floor, mumbling, “I concede…”

“You what? Sorry I didn’t catch that?” she asked, genuinely not hearing what he had said.

“I concede, okay?! You win!” Scott clarified more loudly, the defeat obvious in his facial expressions and general demeanour.

“Great! You’re going to love being my little Cabana boy, bro. I promise! Now let’s get you inside. Look at the state of you!” Jackie replied as she took his hand and led him in. As Scott began to walk, she couldn’t help but notice his slight limp and grazed arms and hands.

“Aw bro, you’ve really managed to hurt yourself! Come here…” she cooed as she placed her hands beneath his arms and lifted him up onto her hip.

“No Jackie! This is wrong!” Scott resisted, trying his best to push away from her.

“What? Can’t your sister help you? You can barely walk!” she replied, ignoring his futile attempts to get down as she carried him inside. As they entered the kitchen, Jackie lifted him from her hip and sat him upon the counter.

Scott looked down at the drop from the counter, nothing too bad really. But considering how weak his leg was feeling, he’d risk not walking for the next few days if he landed on it wrong. And with Jackie around, he really needed to get out of here sooner rather than later. He watched as she looked through the cabinets before finding what she had been looking for - a first aid kit.

As she opened it up, she pulled out some anti-bacterial wipes and moved back over to him. “Here, show me your elbows.” Jackie asked, her tone calm and caring, a tone he hadn’t heard from her in a very long time. He lifted his arms, displaying his reddened elbows covered in bits of gravel and speckled with broken skin. She gently wiped them until all that was left was the redness from the abrasion of his fall. “There, that’s looking a lot better…” she said, smiling at him. He almost enjoyed this side of Jackie, it was so refreshing in comparison to their usual aggressions towards each other. It just felt wrong, and unfamiliar. He wasn’t sure if it would change at any moment.

“Now there’s not much I can do about your leg. You’re going to have to just try your best to keep moving it, you still have a job to do and I can’t have you too stiff on me!” Jackie explained, as she inspected the rest of him. As she turned his palms upwards, she noticed the redness on them too and gave them a wipe for good measure.

“There, that should do it!” she concluded as she moved back over to the first aid kit and packed it away. Scott looked for a way down once more, shuffling towards the edge of the bench. “Woah, woah, woah, little man! Here, I can help you.” she quickly stated as she sidestepped in front of him, reaching under his arms once more and gently lowering him to the ground.

“Now, don’t worry about calling Ethan. He and Vicky are already on their way.” Jackie said as she placed him on the ground before her.

“What? But we had an agreement?” Scott replied, confused.

“Yes, we did. But you were never going to win. You scored one basket because I let you and conceded before I even scored my fifth. Let’s be real here, bro.” she countered, “I called Vicky before I even got home, and she called Ethan. He was never going to say no to her, you know that.”

She smiled at him as he looked back at her, shocked, “So, run along upstairs with your little swimsuit from the counter, and go get changed. They’ll be here any minute now.”