I was bewildered by her answer. “What?”

“I can shrink people,” Maxine repeated.

“I don’t believe you,” I said shaking my head, “not even slightly.”

“You want me to prove it?” She asked, assuming a forward position on her bed.

I scoffed, “yeah sure, go ahead.”

“Your wish is my command,” she threw her hands in the air dramatically, until she gradually lowered her arm and pointed at me.

My eyes narrowed, there’s no way. Little did I know. Instantaneously, my stomach dropped, like I was on a rollercoaster but worse. Everything around me shot into the far distance, most of her wall coverings now looked like they’d been unfocused by a camera. At my feet, the grain of the wooden chair was blown up and stretched like a plain of oak around me, the golden, brown spires of the back rest towered over me. It was utterly overwhelming.

That was until the immense thud of Maxine getting to her feet broke me out of my stupor. Up and up my gaze went, tracing along her body hidden by jersey. Her beefy quads disappeared into her baggy white shorts and her bust deformed our school name across her chest. Placing her hands on her hips, she leaned forward slightly, a triumphant smirk plastered across her face. The girl I’d watch decimate an entire basketball team now loomed as a mighty titan, a stature more befitting of her ability.

Since shrinking, the air had grown thicker, I had to breathe deeply to feel like I was getting enough oxygen. That, or I was having a panic attack. The aroma I noticed earlier now stuck to the miasma that filled the room, Maxine was an athlete, it wasn’t overly surprising.

“You believe me now?” Her voice rumbled from the heavens like thunder.

I nodded my head stupidly, recovering from the initial shock.

“Do you trust me?” She asked, a certain tone of concern in her voice.

I nodded again. There was something about her larger-than-life presence that terrified me, however with the knowledge of who Maxine was, I also had a feeling of comfort.

It took Maxine two steps to close the distance between herself and the chair. If I thought she was intimidating before, I was not prepared for her to stand so close. Those tanned white quads stretched out across the width of the chair, leaving me in their shadow. The muscle in her thighs alone would be enough to outsize my house. My stare could barely make it over the protrusion of her legs and had no chance of going any further than her bust, my neck felt a twinge from straining so far back.

Immediately, I noticed the stench of stale sweat increase tenfold thanks to her close proximity. At first, I thought I was gonna dry heave from the deep breathing, but I soon realised I didn’t find the smell horrible, it was almost intoxicating. Maybe that was the lack of clean air speaking.

Like watching a masterwork of machinery, I gawked as Maxine began to squat down. The muscles in her legs bulged momentarily to take the weight of her upper body, the display of physical prowess sent a tingle along my spine. God, she was fucking huge. A slight tremor ran through my body as she gripped the sides of the chair, all that I could see were the tops of her broad shoulders and her billboard sized face hovering over me.

“Damn, look at you,” she giggled as her eyes scanned over me, “you’re like a little pixie.”

For the first time, I was glad I was tiny, so that Maxine didn’t see the bright red blushes her thunderous words had caused. Being addressed as a pixie by someone the size of a colossal giant filled me with a primal submissiveness. There was a stir in my pants, she probably never would have noticed it if I hadn’t immediately tried to cover it up.

Maxine’s intrusive face loomed closer, the edges of her lips curled upwards. She scoffed, sending a wave of hot air from her nostrils against my diminished face, my dark hair whipped wildly in the rapid wind.

“You’re speechless,” she commented, brushing one of her wavey bangs behind her ear.

Once again, my head nodded dumbly. During our interactions before, I tried not to stare at her too much out of fear of looking like a creep, but I finally had a chance to admire Maxine’s facial features. She had nice pink lips, not too full but not too thin, a smattering of freckles that danced across her cheeks and a cute, upturned nose. My favourite feature had to be her brilliant blue eyes, the spectrum of different shades and tones in her iris was hypnotising.

“Lemme know if it’s too much, kay?” she said, leaning back with a knowing look woven on her face.

I felt the chair beneath me begin to move, the screech of the seat’s legs along the floorboard pained my eardrums. Shooting my arms out to the side to keep balance I watched while Maxine dragged the chair towards her bed, heaving what would be tonnes of weight to me now. With a thump she sat on the bed and shuffled backwards, a brief sound of exertion later and two magnificent feet loomed above the horizon of the chair.

“You know, after a game my feet get sooo sore,” she feigned exhaustion, heavily plodding her socked feet on either side of me. The way the wooden plain shook reminded me of our severe difference in mass. “They probably stink too, huh?” she cracked her toes far above my head.

They did, badly. The thick woollen sock was firmly adhered to her long soles, a build-up of grime created a dark cloud of grey around her plump toes and the ball of her foot. The miniscule amount of time they’d been freed from her shoes hadn’t helped them air out in the slightest. Maxine had big feet, I’d kind of noticed as we spent more time together, but now? Big was an understatement.

Entranced by the absolute size of them I took a step forward, I only came up halfway on her heel. I placed my hands on the damp fabric, my fingers could fit around individual strands. My vision was encompassed by the off-white wool, no matter how far I strained my neck backwards I couldn’t make out her toes over the ball of her foot.

The mammoth wall lifted with a whoosh of wind. “Are those your little hands I feel Ali?” she asked. Her heel hung like a guillotine above.

“Um, yeah. Sorry,” instantly embarrassed by my actions, I stepped back. Why did I do that?

A dull thud rumbled along the wooden plain as Maxine’s heel touched back down, the socked flesh splayed slightly as it touched down. The immense warmth returned, she snickered, “no it’s alright, knock yourself out.”

So I did. My whole body this time, pressed against the solid white wall, balmy wetness imprinted itself on me. Moving my hands in circular motions, I tried to generate as much of a massage as I could. A few minutes passed and a feeling of bravery bubbled up inside me, I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her sweaty sock. Even though she couldn’t see me, my face went flush at my humiliating display of affection. My first kiss was with Maxine’s sock.

Both feet were hoisted away. Shit, did she feel it?

“Hmm, now what was that?” her brow was furrowed as she sat forward, casting a long shadow over my position.

I screwed up. I bet she’s pissed, she probably thinks I’m a freak or something. Fuck. I buried my head in my hands and mumbled, “nothing.”

Maxine began to chuckle until she fell into laughter, “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone kiss my feet after a game.”

“I’m sorry,” my head still hung low, a hole being burned in both cheeks.

“Shut up you,” I let out a small yelp as her finger and thumb compressed my torso, she brought me to her face and smiled. “Seriously, it’s fine,” she assured me, “it’s kind of cute.”

Recovering from my g-force fuelled daze, I focused on her smile, still totally embarrassed but more at ease. Maxine was good at making me feel like that.

“So, you’re into feet?” she asked.

“Well, no, I mean, I don’t know. I guess,” I’m not even sure if I am, but there was something about the immensity of hers that allured me.

My stomach turned as Maxine rolled me gently between her two fingers, “mm, well I would really appreciate a personal little foot rubber.”

She really knew how to push my buttons, all within two weeks of knowing me, it was commendable. I laughed nervously, unsure what to say. I really gotta get better at this.

“I should let you go, it’s almost 1,” she glanced at her phone.

Mattress springs groaned as she awkwardly shuffled forward on her bed, she placed me at her giant feet, their familiar scent returned. From such a vantage point I swear I could see the floorboards dip marginally from her weight. I didn’t get a chance to admire her physique from the ground before I began to shoot back up.

We were standing close. I rose my gaze from her lips, and she lowered hers from the top of my head.

“How was it?” She asked.

“It was…crazy,” I trailed off.

Maxine thought that was amusing, “I can imagine.”

While we spoke, I thought I noticed something off. “Did you make me shorter?” I asked.

Without answering she walked to the door and turned back with a mysterious grin, “who knows.”

I began to protest as I followed her to the front door. Being below average in height already, I didn’t need another hit to the self-esteem. As I started to voice my opinion, she turned and grabbed my waist. I froze.

“Who cares, I like your height,” she said.

“Th-thank you,” I stammered, my complaining came to a halt. My self-esteem issues seemingly cured in the blink of an eye.

Maxine opened the door for me and I stepped out. “I’ll see you next week Ali,” she said with a wave.

“Bye,” I said as the door closed in my face.

Wow. My mind was racing at a million miles an hour as I made my way down the apartment block stairs. That just happened. Holy shit, that just happened. By the time I reached the street I wanted to sprint home, adrenaline was coursing through my veins.

There was a massive shit-eating grin swathed over my face, I couldn’t steer my thoughts clear of Maxine the whole way home. I was like a little kid on Christmas, happily prancing down the middle of the street in the dead of the night.

Maxine’s smile, her hair, her eyes, her feet, her height. Everything about her. I’ve never been so completely enamoured with someone. That didn’t even begin to cover what happened at her place. She can shrink people. Are you kidding me? I can’t tell anyone, not that I have anyone to tell.

I looked to the sky and imagined her towering form standing over the suburb, her grand face hundreds of metres in the air. I needed to experience that again. A bright light broke me out of my daydream, I scrambled off the road as a car zoomed by. Reel it in Alistair, you probably look like a lunatic staring at the sky like you’ve just won the lottery.

Arriving home, I grabbed the spare key from under the doormat and tiptoed inside. We lived in a nice little one-storey home only a fifteen-minute walk from where Maxine lived. I snuck down the hallway past my parent’s room and as I was passing my brother’s room I heard him call out. I’d been caught.

I opened the door, the smell of weed hit me in the face. “Hey Pete,” I said.

“Where were you?” He asked, his shaggy dark hair bounced as he turned to me.

“At a friend’s place,” I replied.

“Mum was worried and I covered for you,” he said, “so go on, tell me the truth.”

Sighing, I leaned against the door frame, “I was at this girl from school’s place.”

Peter smirked wide, “bullshit.”

“Dead serious,” I put my hands up in defence, “I don’t even know how it happened, she just came onto me.”

“Likely story,” he turned back to his desk, “you want a cone?”

“Nah, I’m going to bed.” I said, desperate to dream of Maxine. I softly clicked the door close and sped walked to my room.

Collapsing on my bed, my shit-eating grin had returned. Last week I was worried about seeing Maxine at school, but now I could hardly wait. She wouldn’t have to convince me to come to her grand final this time, I would be there no matter what. I began to drift off, visions of Maxine and I played through my mind. Right as I faded into unconsciousness, I watched as she started to stretch further and further above me.