Chapter 2:

James and Calvin walked home together after school. This was the first time they’d interacted outside of classes, but their shared circumstances had brought them together. The boys were headed to James’s house. His mother was out at work still, so they’d have the privacy to go over their plan. 

Once they were up in James’s room, Calvin began strategizing immediately. 

“You need to apologize to Arlia,” he said.

“What? No! I meant what I said!” James replied. 

“Hey idiot, you don’t have to mean it. This is just so she’ll agree to meet up with you after school tomorrow. That’s when you steal the key to shrinking lab.”

James sat down on his bed, while Calvin continued to pace throughout the room. He tried to imagine himself with Arlia. How would he manage to get the key off her neck?

“I still don’t know how I’m going to steal it,” James said, collapsing onto his mattress. 

Calvin scratched his chin for a few moments, saying nothing. He looked back at James with a blank stare. 

“So, it sounds like I’m going to have to improvise.”

“Yes,” Calvin said. 

“It kinda sounds like I’m doing all the hard work for this plan. What are you going to do?”

Calvin laughed and bellowed, “I’m gonna destroy every last single oppression-inducing machine in that room!”

James scoffed. “Yeah, my point still stands. I’m doing all the hard work. All you have to do is swing an axe.”

“Whatever, man. You said you were on board. Are you changing your mind?”

“No! No, I’ll talk to Arlia. I’ll have that key by tomorrow. And get a second axe, because I’m going with you, tomorrow night.”

“Damn, alright! Growing some balls, huh?!”

“Sure,” James said. 

Little did Calvin know, James wasn’t carrying out this whole scheme to prevent himself from getting shrunk. That was definitely why Calvin was doing it, but he was an idiot. James knew damn well that even if they destroyed the machines at their school, the boys would be taken to another school to get shrunk somewhere else. 

Then, he recognized a hole in his plan. If the principal simply bussed all the boys to where there were functioning shrinking machines, the bet would still be on. His friends would still be at risk for getting charged with illegal gambling. 

Calvin was about to leave when James told him to wait. 

“Let’s make this a whole lot bigger,” he suggested. “Let’s get all the schools within a fifty-mile radius on the same page. Why not, right?” 

“Dude, I love the way you think! OK, me and my boys have contact with dozens of other boys-rights groups from other schools. I’ll reach out tonight. You focus on getting that key from Arlia.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” James mocked the short man who was trying to give him orders. 

“Whatever, man. I’m heading out. I have a lot of work to do.”

Once his new confidant was gone, he thought intensely about how he’d move forward. Knowing his friends were on the line, it didn’t take him long to cobble together a plan of action. He didn’t know if his quickly formed plan would work, but he decided it had to be done. He gave Arlia a call. 

Sounding surprised to hear from him so soon, she answered, “James?”

“Hey, Arlia. I just want you to know that I’m sorry for what I said in the cafeteria,” he said, the contrition heavy in his voice. 

“Why are you sorry?” she asked. God, she was really going to make him spell it out.

“Because I questioned your judgment. I know you’re just trying to help me, and so I want to make it up to you. Ugh, how do I say this next part,” he said, pausing for a moment. “I don’t know if I’ve been too obvious with my feelings, but I’ve kinda had a crush on you for a while now. And I’ve kinda never been on an actual date before, so I was wondering if you’d wanna, you know, go out with me?”

There was silence on the other side of the line. He feared the worst. Did she not share his feelings? Was she offended by his proposal? As the possibility of rejection from Arlia swirled around in his head, he almost forgot the actual reason why he was doing this. To steal the key to the shrinking lab. 

“Arlia, are you there?”

“Yeah, James. I’m here. You just caught me a little off-guard. I mean, you were so harsh toward me today at lunch, and now you’re asking me out? It just seems—”

“Weird, I know,” James finished her sentence, “But trust me, I like you a lot Arlia, and I’ve only recently figured out truly how I feel about you. And not to sound desperate, but I’m going to fit in the palm of your hand in a week. I really want to have one chance at a retro-style relationship with a girl. You know, the kind of thing where you go out to dinner and hold hands and laugh and the guy is not an accessory to the girl’s jewelry.”

After a small bout of silence, she simply said “You know what, OK. I’ll pick you up at seven. You better have a plan for our date by the time I come over.” 

James hadn’t thought that far ahead yet and cursed himself for getting into this mess. He didn’t expect to be going out with her this soon. But he couldn’t deny how thrilling it was to actually have a date with Arlia. 

“You got it! See you at seven,” he responded. 

Knowing he only had a few hours, he scrolled through the internet looking for ways to impress a girl on a first date. The answer he arrived at was: flowers, chocolate, and a snappy outfit. He had one of the three already, he now just needed to go grab flowers and chocolate for Arlia. 

Luckily, he’d saved some money from his one-year party. A one-year party was traditionally thrown for 17-year-old boys a year before their graduation. Close relatives would come and celebrate their young family member and wish them good luck in their last remaining year of being full-sized. They’d also receive money, hear stories from relatives, and get advice on how to re-enter society at a fraction of their former size. 

At James’s party, his Uncle Perry (who was three inches tall) told him fantastical stories about what he used to do when he was full-sized. He was an avid rock-climber, a surfer, and an all-around exercise-aholic. He was also apparently a massive flirt, and soon enough, he met James’s Aunt Lydia. Lydia and Jerry spent five years together before he was forcibly shrunk by the government. 

James always liked Uncle Perry’s stories, and now he was getting a chance to be with a girl he liked as a full-sized man, just like his Uncle Perry. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t have five years like his uncle, but he’d just have to make the most of the time he had.

With cash in his pocket and determination in his heart, James hopped on his scooter and went into town. He got the chocolates first, then made his way over to the local flower shop. He picked out a bouquet that looked nice and put it on the counter. The woman working the cash register, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, rang him up.

“That’ll be 160 dollars, sir,” she said.

James’s jaw was practically on the floor. Stupidly, he hadn’t even looked at the price. He had no idea flowers costed that much.

“What? That much? Yikes, I can’t afford this. Is there anything cheaper?”

“I’m afraid not, honey. There’s an economic crisis in Colombia where the United States imports most of its flowers. Unfortunately, it’s forced me to charge a pretty steep price for them.” 

“Crap,” he said, “Well, is there anything you can do to help me out? Is there maybe another store I can go to to get a cheaper bouquet?”

“Who are the flowers for?” she asked, totally dodging his question. He didn’t know why she wanted to know who the flowers were for, but he went along with it. He hoped he could spin a yarn that would perhaps have her take mercy on him.

“They’re for a girl I like, and you know, I really wanna impress her. I’m going to be shrunk in about a week, and before that happens, I want her to know that I care about her.”

The woman clasped her hands together and beamed at the story he’d told her. “Aww, that is just so cute! Here, I can give you a discount now if you promise to come work a few shifts in the store after you’re shrunk.”

“Really?! Well, OK, I guess. What would you even have me do? Won’t I be pretty useless when I’m well…tiny?”

“You’ll be sweeping the floor and pulling flower petals out from crevices our giant hands can’t reach. Believe it or not, I offer this opportunity to boys who are about to shrink all the time. They come in panicked, kinda like you, trying to sweep a girl off her feet before they shrink. They rarely ever have enough money, but I’m all about helping young men who want to secure their future.”

“Well, fantastic! I only have ten dollars, is that OK?”

“A-OK, I’ll take whatever you have.”

He forked over the money, and he was allowed to take the bouquet. 

“What’s your name?” she asked before he turned around to leave. 

“I’m James, how about you?”

“I’m Scarlet, and I’ve owned this place for like a year. I just love working with flowers! Constantly surrounded with beautiful smells, and it does wonders for my wellbeing.”

“Oh, I bet,” James said. 

Scarlet then asked for his phone number and address, which James readily handed over. She appeared utterly harmless with her cute face and her frizzy golden blonde hair. Her features were more fitting for a young college co-ed than a shrewd businesswoman. Additionally, she was shorter than James by a several inches, making her his physical inferior. At least for now. 

They had some small talk before she veered the conversation back to his new temporary job.

“Now remember, James. You’re going to have to come in for a few shifts after you’ve been miniaturized. You gave me ten dollars. The bouquet you bought was 160 dollars, so depending on how small you become, I’d say the least you’d have to work is two weeks,” Scarlet said.

“Two weeks?! Um, isn’t that a little much? I thought you said only a few shifts.”

She wagged her finger at him in a condescending manner. “Honey, it’s all about the minimum wage laws for shrunken men. If you’re five inches tall, for instance, your labor is worth two dollars an hour. But let’s say you end up an inch tall, your labor is only worth 25 cents an hour. So, if you end up an inch tall, you’ll have to work for me for 15 weeks to pay back your debt. Eight-hour days, of course.”

“What?! That’s crazy for one bouquet of flowers! Give me my money back. I’ll get flowers some other way.”

“Sorry, sweetie. All sales are final,” she said, motioning at the sign on the counter that read ‘No returns.’

Realizing he’d been tricked into an indentured servitude scheme by this five foot nothing conwoman, he stormed out with his flowers, determined to make this date with Arlia a massive success. As he left, Scarlet called out to him, “Stay in touch! Or I will come find you!”

He didn’t doubt that. She had his address and phone number. She also had a record of a voluntary cash transaction between them. He just hoped he would end up big enough not to spend four months in a flower shop.

James returned home and relaxed for a few minutes, trying to get his mind off what Scarlet had done to him. He thought about what he could do with Arlia that would get her to take her necklace off. Then, he came up with it! He could take her to the beach! It was a hot day anyway and Arlia loved to swim. She certainly wouldn’t wear her necklace in the water. 

He texted Arlia, telling her to bring a bathing suit because they would be going to the beach. She responded with an excited emoji. Then he texted Calvin to alert him to his plan.

***

Here, a text message to James read. It was Arlia, and it was seven sharp. He was already ready to greet her at the door, wearing a white linen shirt with a pair of stylish swim trunks. He had a change of clothes in a small bag in case they decided to go somewhere else after their trip to the beach.

He bounded down the stairs with the flowers and chocolates he’d bought in hand and charged to the front door. James was just overflowing with positive energy and excitement.

“Don’t run, James! You’ll hurt yourself! The last thing you need are bruises right before you shrink!”

“Relax, Mom! I’m not a baby, OK!”

James flung open the door to find exactly what he was expecting. A striking young woman in a white, floral beach dress ready to drive across town for a romantic evening with him. He could hardly believe it and grinned uncontrollably.

“Gosh, you are so pretty,” he said, his voice cracking at the most inopportune time. Nonetheless, she let out a reserved laugh and blushed a little. Trying to make her forget that he almost certainly sounded like a pre-pubescent boy when he greeted her, he held up the bouquet and the box of chocolates. 

“For you,” he said in a purposefully deeper voice. 

“Oh my god, that is so sweet, James. Come here.”

She was wearing sandals with at least two-inch heels, making her even taller than usual. To properly thank him for his gift, she bent down, grabbed the sides of his face, and left a quick kiss on his forehead. If James was smiling before, his mouth was now hanging open in disbelief. But he couldn’t bask in this wonderful moment long. 

“Aww, you guys are so cute,” James’s mom interrupted, “Have fun! And don’t come back too late!”

The young, budding couple turned around to his mom and told her they’d be back at a reasonable hour. As soon as they shut the door behind them, they looked at each other and saw that both had their fingers crossed.

“You did it too!” she laughed.

“I have a week left. I intend to have a little fun,” he said, a sly smile forming on his face.

“OK, mister rebel. Let’s go, then!”

Once they were driving, Arlia cranked up the music. Music was yet another reminder of men’s place in this new world. Men didn’t play music anymore. Once they were shrunk, men’s voices didn’t have the same resonance or pitch or volume they had when they were full-sized. Not to mention, at a few inches tall, it was impossible for men to play instruments. 

Therefore, all the artists were female. A week away from shrinking, James was abnormally hyperaware of these inequalities. He pushed the thoughts out of his head and opened his phone to text Calvin that they were on their way.

“Who’re you texting?” Arlia asked while she drove.

“Oh, it’s nobody,” he said as he hit ‘send’. 

***

A scant thirty minutes later, James and Arlia were walking the sandy shores of their town. He delighted in the therapeutic feeling of the grains crunching beneath his toes. But the stroll wouldn’t have been nearly as delightful without a beautiful girl like Arlia by his side. He sipped in her glamour with nervous glances every few seconds, especially when their conversation lulled.

One glance revealed her dark hair fluttering all about in the wind. Another longer glance showed her well-tanned leg peeking out from the underside of her flowing dress. He marveled at how well-toned her thigh and calf were, and when he was done gawking, he looked down at his own legs. Skinny, white, and unimpressive. It was like comparing a noodle to a steel column.

Yet another furtive glimpse from James was directed at her breasts. They were a bit small, as she was a slender girl, but they were unmistakable. He imagined what they looked like and how they felt. Perky, but firm and round. He imagined putting his hands on them. Then his face in between them. Kissing them. Licking them. 

Then he realized his glimpse had turned into a seconds-long stare. Her chest was eye level with him because she was walking on a ridge slightly above him. Catching himself perving out, he averted his gaze and kept his eyes peeled forward. After a minute or so of silence, James regained the courage to look at her once more, only to find that she was already staring intently at him. 

Without even thinking, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Your hair,” she said, “It’s just so…thick and beautiful. Have you ever considered growing it longer?”

She was actually complimenting his appearance, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with it. Should he compliment her right back, or would that just seem like he was deflecting her compliment?

“No, I’ve never really thought about it,” he said, deciding not to flatter her just yet. “How long are you talking?”

“Like, super long. I’ve imagined you with a mane of luscious hair down to the middle of your back before,” she said as she ran a hand through his medium-length brown locks. 

“Really?!”

“Really.”

They went back to staring straight ahead, James especially not knowing how to carry the conversation forward. Until Arlia prompted him. 

“There must be something you like about me,” she said with her eyebrows raised.

“Well, yeah. I guess,” he said, immediately regretting his phrasing. 

“You guess? You guess? Don’t think I didn’t see you eying me up and down for the past ten minutes.”

James’s face went red. Unable to respond, he just looked down at his feet, thinking he’d ruined his chances. Arlia grabbed his shoulder, softly rubbing it with her huge hand. 

“Oh, Jamesy! Don’t be embarrassed! I think it’s cute that you find me attractive!”

“Cute? I’m cute?”

“OK, not cute. Manly? Is that better?” she asked, her hand shifting to rub the small of James’s back. “My point is, I like when you look at me with those wide eyes of yours. It makes me feel good about myself that someone else thinks I’m…something to look at.”

His face returned to a normal shade after hearing the way she described herself. “Something to look at.” Did she really lack that much self-esteem to minimize her looks that much?

“Arlia, you’re not just ‘something to look at.’ A rock is something to look at. But you…you’re gorgeous.”

He hopped up on the ridge of sand to equalize their height disparity as much as he could, then cranked his head upwards to meet her eyes. 

“And you’re not just gorgeous. You’re wicked smart. You’re fun to hang out with. You take shit from no one, and you’re forgiving when it counts.”

Arlia’s hand was over her mouth now, and her eyes were misty with tears. He hoped he didn’t drop too much on her during their first date. 

“I’m sorry, did I overwhelm you?” he asked, “I just really wanted to tell you all this before you have to shrink me down. It’s kinda hard to pour your heart out to a girl when her ankles are taller than you.”

Still choked up and fighting off hysterics, Arlia sputtered to him, “You’ll be taller…than my ankles.”

Realizing what she was getting at, he simply stayed silent, hoping she would elaborate. And elaborate, she did. 

“The plan is, you’ll be nine inches tall,” she was now smiling as she wiped away the wetness from her eyes. “Can you believe that!?”

James ran into her and wrapped his arms around her lower back, just above her butt. He hugged her tight and nestled his head into her chest. His voice muffled, he said, “You’re a miracle worker.”

Never in a million years did he actually think he would end up that tall. His grades were good, but he didn’t have many extracurriculars. He wasn’t some sort of upstanding volunteer trying to make the world a better place. That was what it took to keep 18% of your height. So, the fact that the principal was allowing him to be nine inches tall was truly a miracle to him. He’d be three times taller than his Uncle Perry. He’d be four and half times taller than his dad, who pretty much lived in his mom’s underwear drawer. His voice wouldn’t be super squeaky. He would be among the taller men. And women wouldn’t appear ridiculously gigantic. Gigantic, yes, but they wouldn’t be like skyscrapers.

As he was nose deep in Arlia’s taut, athletic chest, a thought came to mind. If it was ever proven that he helped Calvin in his plan to undermine the shrinking of boys, James wouldn’t end up nine inches tall. In fact, as punishment, he’d probably end up being even shorter than his uncle and his dad. 

Yet, the problem of Arlia, Juliana, and Mia running an illegal gambling operation persisted. If he didn’t stop them, they would be caught. He was certain. And upon being caught, they’d be hauled off to jail, and sure, he’d be nine inches tall, but with no friends left. 

He lifted his head up from Arlia’s body and saw her beaming down at him. Without warning, her hands slid under his armpits.

“Upsie daisy!”

With a swift motion, she lifted his 120 pounds off the sand like it was nothing. His flipflops dangled from his suspended toes. They were eye to eye, and she smirked, enjoying the fact that James was caught off-guard by her sudden forwardness. He quickly looked around to make sure no one was seeing this. 

“Who cares if people see you in the arms of a girl, huh? Boys are supposed to be stronger than girls before they shrink, but you’re a neat little exception, aren’t you?”

“Arlia!”

“Oh, stop whining. I lifted you for a reason, you know?”

“What possible reason do you have for—"

His insecure whimpering was interrupted by Arlia locking lips with him. He was still in the air, still being hoisted by her, and still mumbling nonsense as she tried to kiss him. 

“Stop talking and kiss me, you idiot.”

“Sorry,” he said genuinely. 

The two rejoined their lips in an explosion of longing for one another. The taste of her caramel lipstick left him reeling, and he immediately wanted more. But she was even more eager, she entered his mouth first. The crashing of the waves punctuated the swirling of their tongues, and the dark orange sun just barely hovering over the horizon made Arlia’s skin glow. Still, he wanted more. He swung his legs around her body and wrapped them around her butt like he was clinging to a tree. This brought him closer to her, allowing him to kiss her with more vigor. Still, he needed more. He draped his arms over her shoulders, and she transitioned into carrying him against her chest. Now her breasts pressed into his stomach, making him moan. 

Knowing what he wanted to do, she spoke directly into his open mouth, so as not to break the kiss and said, “Feel them. Please.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, James took one hand and gently grazed her left breast. Annoyed with his timidness, Arlia reached down and squeezed his butt while she rammed her tongue even deeper into his mouth. Getting the hint rather quickly, James escalated his strokes to gentle squeezes. When that didn’t satisfy her, he gripped her breasts with both hands and clamped down. She squealed, thrilled with his roughness, and in kind, she spanked him. Hard. Not hard enough to bruise, but hard enough to send a flash of pain all throughout his body. But despite it hurting, the spank was synonymous to a cowboy whipping his horse to make him go faster. 

It was only when a passerby whistled at them did Arlia break the kiss. She lowered him back to the ground slowly. He tried to pull her head down to meet his, but she was the one in complete control. Her face didn’t budge, and he sank lower and lower until his feet were back on the ground and once again, she was too tall to smooch. 

But her shoulder wasn’t too tall to smooch. So, he gave it a light peck. 

“James, stop it. We’re in public,” she said, suddenly concerned with how they appeared.

“Says the girl who told me to fondle her boobs in public,” he said.

“Hey, I got swept up in it. You did too, dork.”

“Yes, I did. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that. Not quite how I thought my first kiss would go, but I’ll take it.”

She rubbed his head affectionately and told him to lay down a towel. James went through his bag, found a towel and put it down on the sand. Arlia tore off her dress in a hurried manner and threw it on the towel. All that was left to cover her body was a skimpy two-piece bikini that left little to the imagination. 

He’d seen Arlia in a bikini before, but after their steamy encounter where she’d utterly dominated him, it was different. She was bigger, taller. He knew she was, in actuality, the same size, but it didn’t change how he saw her. Before, she was somewhat of an equal peer. Now, she was a worthy protector. Of course, she wasn’t perfect. She was involved in an illegal gambling ring. But the way he saw it, if she protected him from physical threats once he was tiny, it was his responsibility to protect her from a prison sentence. 

As James had hoped, Arlia removed her necklace and placed it under her dress. 

“Remember where that key is. I cannot lose that,” she said. 

“No problem,” he said. Like clockwork, Calvin called. 

“Who’s that?” she asked. 

“It’s just my mom. Go test the water, I’ll be right there with you in a sec.”

And just as he’d planned, Arlia left him alone, allowing him to speak candidly with Calvin. Not wanting to be seen together, Calvin was set up about 100 feet up the beach from James and Arlia. 

“Calvin, the key is under Arlia’s dress. Take it to the locksmith on Forester Ave, get it copied, and bring it right back. I shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping her in the water for a long enough time. But when you come back, put the necklace in the same spot, alright?”

“Got it, ringleader.”

“Don’t call me that, alright. I’m not the ringleader. You are.”

He hung up, tossed his phone on the towel and went to go join the beautiful girl wading in the ocean. But as he made his way over to her, James couldn’t help but think that maybe he had morphed into the ringleader. It was he who suggested getting boys from other schools involved in the destruction of shrinking machines. And it was he who was giving orders to Calvin.

A shiver went down his spine. Not because his feet touched the cool water. But because being the mastermind behind an event that disrupted the status quo to this extent could destroy him. There was just one conclusion. 

He could not get caught.