Although Cindy proved to have a natural talent for basketball, it didn’t stop the varsity team from losing more games than they won. However, they were much more competitive than before, losing several games on last second shots.

However, the big news from the school district was that all gyms and athletic fields were to be replaced by new ones that were scaled to the students that took the shot. All current, normal sized, varsity teams were to be demoted to intramural status.

All lockers, showers, and equipment were to be equally scaled. The district apologized to the students that were going to be adversely affected, but stated that it was for safety reasons. Tom joked that his football career ended before it got started. His new friend, Victoria, agreed.

As the school progressed, Cindy went through a solid growth spurt, adding 5 inches between the middle of January to the beginning of March, standing 8’10” in height. And even though she was in fourth grade, she always made sure Tom was doing ok, especially after the incident at the playground.

Tom and Victoria became more than just friends when he asked her out, and she happily accepted. He also tried to keep his life somewhat on the private side, but when Cindy saw him holding her hand as they walked to the bus, she decided to go up to the older girl and see what her intentions were. Tom tried to intervene, but his sister ignored him. She was going to talk to the girl.

Since she was in the same situation as Tom, Victoria didn’t shy away when Cindy formally introduced herself. In fact, Victoria wanted to get to know his younger sister, but hadn’t had the opportunity. Cindy discovered that one of her classmates was her brother, and that kind of eased any misgivings she had about the freshman girl. 

Satisfied, Cindy went back to her friends, and boarded the bus for the ride home. Tom had felt a little embarrassed when his younger sister acted like a parent in front of him. It was a big reason why he didn’t want to tell her. But the incident was over, and all appeared normal. There was peace among the people, although later that night, Cindy told Tom that if Victoria ever broke his heart, he was to let her know. 

Cindy didn’t know what she would do if that happened, but she just wanted to let her brother know that she would look out for. Tom chuckled at her words. He knew his sister meant well, but lacked the maturity gained with age to properly say what she meant. But he really did appreciate her concern for his well being.

Tom’s science teacher assigned the class a project, and the students could pair up with someone. It was a perfect opportunity for him to go to Victoria’s house and meet her family, and vice-versa. It would be the best of both worlds. They could spend time with each other while doing school work too. And hopefully he could make a good impression on her parents. 

Once March ended, the last two months of the school year flew by. Cindy and her friends earned top grades in their class, and as a result, their teachers asked them to tutor the students that needed help. It would earn them extra credit in class. They agreed, and so, the last period on Fridays, normally a study hall/homework time, became their classroom, helping any and all classmates that were having issues.

Tom and Victoria got to work on their project. They got dropped off at the library on Saturdays to do research, and spent Fridays alternating between each other’s houses. One Saturday, while waiting for Victoria’s dad to pick them up, Tom surprised her with a kiss, which made her feel like she was floating on air. 

For Tom, it was the perfect opportunity. He didn’t dare do it at her house, especially with her parents there. And he didn’t think about doing it at his house, especially with Cindy around. So the library was the best spot, and he took his chance.

The school year ended late May. From that point up until her birthday, Cindy grew another 7 inches, now standing 9’5”. Tom felt a wave of disappointment, because now all sport areas were scaled to what Cindy would eventually grow to. And that meant that he could no longer practice basketball with her. The new balls were much too large for him, the courts too big for him, and the nets too tall for him. She would have to make do with her friends. He had actually enjoyed spending time alone with her, now he couldn’t. 

But their birthdays arrived. It was more low key than usual, just their parents, Cindy’s friends, and Tom’s friends, and Victoria. Tom and Cindy’s parents announced that they were going to have an in-ground pool put in for the following year. They just had to work out what the dimensions would be. This caused excitement among the children. Their very own pool. They looked at each other and smiled.