When I woke up this morning, there was one thing I knew with unshakable certainty: Dr. Feldspar was wrong. I wouldn't grow to 6'2". In fact, I would never grow another inch.
I didn't have any evidence to back this up. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was an active, healthy 12-year-old boy that had just started puberty. A licensed medical professional had just told me that my growth spurt should be starting soon and that I would probably end up over 6 feet tall. But none of that mattered. My brain would brook no argument. Logic and data reduced to falsehoods before the Truth: I was done growing.
I entered the kitchen on autopilot, pouring myself a bowl of cereal as I tried to remember anything that would have led to this impasse. After we returned from the doctor's visit, we ate dinner, I watched TV, then joined Hannah and Jess for some hypnosis.
"Aha", you say, "they hypnotized you and stopped your growth". But no. Jess was practicing using hypnosis as a sleep aid. Evidently, that's what it is mainly used for. Calming the mind to combat insomnia and anxiety, working through phobias, stuff like that. I guess she could have made me believe I was done growing, which would be a relief, since my body would still grow regardless. But I just couldn't accept that. I knew I was done growing, just like I knew the sky was blue. No, even more certain than that. It was a Fact, with a capital F.
A few minutes later, I was joined by my little sister, who descended the stairs full of energy, a radiant smile on her face. We traded good mornings as she fetched her own bowl and filled it to the brim. I continued to pick at my food, absorbed in my impending shrimpitude. What finally roused me was the sound of Hannah going to the fridge to get the milk again. Somehow, in just a few minutes, she had eaten a whole bowl of cereal and was going for seconds.
Now Hannah had a healthy appetite, as you might expect. But that was a full-sized adult bowl (the kiddie bowls having been banished from breakfast for almost a year now). Even Hannah rarely needed a second serving. But as I watched, she proceeded to demolish this bowl even faster than the previous one. And then she started pouring in more.
"Wow sis," I commented. "I've never seen you eat a third bowl. Just how hungry are you?"
"Starving", she replied, with a self-satisfied grin. "I must be starting a growth spurt. I'm going to get sooo much taller this year, I can feel it."
"Huh", I stated. Just great. Not that even a big spurt would let her outgrow me, I was still 8 inches taller than her after all. But it would be embarrassing for her to be the one sprouting up while I was the one going through puberty. Not that it matters, a part of my brain reminded me, she'll outgrow me eventually either way.
"Ahhh!" Hannah's satisfied sigh caught my attention. I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes. While I had been lost in thought, my little sister had finished off her third bowl. She had just eaten basically a whole box of cereal in one sitting. I looked back at my own breakfast, still only half eaten. Hannah followed my gaze and her smile widened.
"Are you gonna finish that?" She asked. I slid the bowl over to the black hole that had replaced my sibling.
"I'm just not that hungry", I stated, standing up. "You can have it."
"Thanks bro." I turned to walk back up to my room as she dug in. As I climbed the stairs, another thought hit me. A problem much more immediate than Hannah's height.
Sam! What was I going to tell Sam?
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Too quickly, the weekend was over and it was time to go back to school. I still had no idea how to break the news to Sam, so I had to just pretend everything was normal. Eventually, classes were done and it was time for the basketball team tryouts. I had tried to convince some of my other friends to join me in applying so that there would be some guys I knew going, but I wasn't sure any of them would show up.
By the time I got to the gym, there was already a sizable crowd of kids there. Luckily, my girlfriend was easy to spot even with a bunch of 8th graders in between us. I made my way across the room to find her chatting with another tall redhead.
"Hey, babe", I said, looking up at her.
"Oh, Nate! I didn't even see you get here. This is my friend Chelsea, from basketball camp", Sam said, gesturing to the girl beside her. "Chelsea, this is Nate. My boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you", I said. We shook hands and I was only momentarily distracted by how long hers were compared to mine. "I've heard so many stories about you." That was the truth. Basically, any time Sam talked about camp, Chelsea was at least mentioned.
"Well, we gingers have to stick together, ya know?" She replied, wrapping her arm around Sam's shoulders. This gave me a good opportunity to compare the two. Chelsea was about an inch taller than Sam, but skinnier, with the classic pale skin and freckles to contrast my girlfriend's perpetual tan.
"I've heard a lot about you too", Chelsea continued. "Nice to finally meet 'The Little Boyfriend.'"
"Oh great!" I groaned, turning to Sam. "You've got her saying it too." But Sam didn't hear me. She was distracted by another girl walking by.
"Kerry! What are you doing here? This isn't cheerleader tryouts."
"Hmph. Shows what you know, meathead", the snooty blond shot back. "This lousy school doesn't even have a cheer team."
"Then why are you in the gym? You might break a nail if you're not careful."
"Do have any idea how hard it is to look this good? I have to work to maintain this figure. And if I can get my aerobics in while showing you up, that's even better."
"C'mon guys", I interrupted, stepping between the two. "Let's not get kicked out for making a scene before tryouts have even started."
"Oh look, the little boyfriend", Kerry said, casual dismissal dripping from every word. "Run along now; the big girls are talking." I groaned inside. I guess this is just my identity now. Though I couldn't deny how fitting it seemed in this group. And it will be only more and more fitting from now on, my brain chimed in. Yes, thank you. I really needed the reminder.
"That's another thing I'll never understand", Kerry had gone back to talking to Sam, right over my head. "How you can stand to date someone so much smaller than you."
"Hey", Sam replied indignantly. "He'll grow. He's still one of the tallest boys in our grade. And it's not like I've ever seen your boyfriend. Let me guess. He's 6 feet tall, but he goes to another school, so we wouldn't know him." Kerry just smirked.
"5'8" actually, but he does go to a different school. Douglass High, he's a sophomore." Sam's jaw dropped.
"A highschooler!?"
"Of course. Boys our age are much too small and immature." I expected Sam to jump back in to defend me, but instead she paused, a thoughtful look on her face.
"I dunno", said a voice right behind me. "I kinda like how small they all are." I turned and looked straight into a set of bright yellow braces.
"Hi Alice", I greeted the newcomer. Alice used to be bullied for her buck teeth and skinny figure, before puberty blessed her with more than the usual amount of height and curves. Now she was one of only a few girls that had outgrown me without at least being taller than average beforehand.
"Hi Nate", she replied, smiling down at me briefly before continuing to talk to the other girls. "I mean, I used to think you guys were huge, but now all the boys are shorter than me. Honestly, it'd be kinda nice if they didn't get to catch up." Little does she know. Shut up, brain.
Before anyone had a chance to reply, a shrill whistle pulled everyone's attention to the front of the gym. A tall, fit woman in her 40s called for everyone to come over.
"That's Coach Anderson", Chelsea told the group softly as we shuffled forward. "She's super serious about basketball, so no talking while she's talking. She almost kicked me out of tryouts last year just because I wasn't being quiet enough."
"Told you", I whispered. Sam stuck out her tongue at me. Kerry didn't even bother to turn away from the stage.
As everyone gathered together, I saw that two of my friends, Matt and Damian, had shown up. They were both athletic and almost as tall as me, so I figured they had a good chance at making the team, even if they'd rather play football (the football season wasn't until next semester). But given that I hadn't even noticed they were here until just now, maybe being almost as tall as me wouldn't be enough.
"Alright, listen up! My name is Coach Anderson and this is the basketball team tryouts. Now let me make one thing clear: this is not a fun, relaxed, after-school club. I am not running a daycare. I am looking for dedicated talents to form a national-level team. If that doesn't sound like you, leave now before you waste everyone's time." A couple of kids walked out.
"Well at least two of you were honest", Coach continued. "For the rest of you, make a line and we'll run some drills." It turns out the basic qualifications were successfully dribbling while weaving through a line of cones, and scoring at least 2 shots out of a set of five. I got three, as did Kerry. Chelsea made 4 out of 5 shots. And Sam casually sunk all 5, including backing up to the 3-point line for the final shot.
"Show off!" Chelsea declared, raising her hand for a high-five as Sam joined us on the qualified side. In the end, 18 of us managed to qualify, while about a dozen did not. The only one from our little group that failed was Alice. This didn't surprise me too much; she was never much of an athlete, and I don't know that she ever played basketball outside of P.E. She only made one basket and, while she made it past the cones, her dribbling was painfully slow.
Luck was on her side, though, as it seemed Coach Anderson needed a round number for the next stage. She picked Alice and an 8th-grade boy I didn't know before sending the others away.
"You'd better up your game quick", she warned. Alice and the boy nodded and jogged over to the rest of us.
"Whew", Alice sighed. "I wanted to try basketball now that I'm finally one of the 'tall kids', but I totally forgot how hard it was." No time to reflect on rash decisions, though, as we were quickly divided into four 5-man teams. I ended up with Alice, Kerry, and two eighth graders: Victoria (a member of last year's team) and Raymond (a guy about my height).
"Now we'll run 10-minute games until each team has played the other three. Then I will pick the 12 best players to form our final roster."
And so the games commenced. Turns out my practice method works. Most of the people there were taller than me, but I was still able to get a solid number of shots and passes through by dodging the player sent to guard me. Defense was another story. One game I was guarding an eighth-grade guy that was only a little taller than me, so that wasn't too bad. But against the other 2 teams, I was paired with a tall girl. I couldn't stop them. Often, they wouldn't even bother to jump, just shooting over me effortlessly. The best I could do was throw off their aim.
Kerry surprised me, though I definitely wouldn't tell her that. She moved gracefully, almost like she was dancing. And she had a lot of stamina, allowing her to be on the move constantly. I guess she wasn't lying about those aerobic exercises. If she improved her basketball-specific skills to match her height and general athleticism, she could be very good.
Speaking of basketball skills, Alice wasn't wasting her second chance. Realizing her dribbling and shooting were subpar, she decided to play smart. At the start of every game, she immediately latched onto the shortest member of the other team. Even though her height wasn't remarkable in this group, each team had at least one member that was shorter than her.
This meant that on offense, she could pass or shoot over them, so she just pivoted in place and waited for an open teammate, only dribbling when absolutely necessary. On defense, she just got right in her opponent's face, using her speed and height to deny them a clean shot. Her strategy wouldn't fly in a higher-level game, of course, but given her skill level it was remarkably effective.
The first two games we played went very well, and left me feeling good about my abilities. Watching the other games was also fun, as I got to see my girlfriend absolutely dominate the field. It was clear that she was a cut above even the best 8th-grade girls. But then it was time for the final game: Sam's team vs mine.
It started out well enough. Sam immediately went for Kerry, which left the eighth-graders and I with more chances to score. And Alice got to go up against my friend Damian, who, while a fine athlete, was about 4 inches shorter than her 5-foot height. She milked that advantage for all it was worth, basically shutting him out of the game. He didn't get to make a single shot in the first half of the game, and she even managed to steal the ball once, as he desperately tried to dribble around her.
About 6 minutes in, my team was up 10 to 7. I managed to get away from my defender just in time to catch a pass from Alice. I dribbled straight towards the basket before my opponent could catch up. I was almost ready to shoot when Sam jumped in front of me.
I was startled but immediately looked to pass to Kerry, who should now be open. But Sam knew this and had positioned herself between the two of us. I couldn't even see Kerry past my girlfriend's imposing frame. I tried to juke left and right, but I couldn't get past her; in fact, she was slowly backing me towards the other side of the court.
"What now, little boyfriend?" She taunted, a smug grin on her face. A quick glance showed no openings for a pass. Even Kerry was covered now; the girl who had been guarding me had switched by this point. But past Sam's head, I could see the basket, still right in front of me.
Desperately, I moved backwards, hoping that would provide enough distance to arc the ball above her reach for a 3-pointer. I jumped, but as the ball left my hands, I knew it was all for naught. Sam didn't even bother jumping herself, just taking a single step forward before reaching up and knocking the ball out of the sky.
"Not in my house!" she yelled, raising her fist in victory. The game went downhill from there. Sam turned up the heat, the girl opposite me realized she could just shoot over my head, and the whole team just stopped giving the ball to Damian altogether. Four minutes later and it was all over, 14 to 21.
After that, Coach Anderson revealed the results. Sam and Chelsea made the cut, of course, but me, Kerry, and even Alice were chosen too. The rest of the roster was filled with eighth-graders, although only two of them were guys. Looking around, I realized a fact that shouldn't have surprised me but still did: I was the shortest member of the team. Even the other guys were an inch or two taller than me. Better get used to it, that one part of my brain chimed in.
"Yes! Nate, you made it!" Sam exclaimed, pulling me in for a one-armed hug. "This semester is going to rock!"
"Thanks for the invite, Nate", Damian called out sullenly as he and Matt walked by. "I really needed to end my day getting clowned on and made to feel like a shrimp by Alice of all people."
"Sounds like you need to get good", I replied, far too happy to feel sympathy for my friend's sour grapes.
"Yeah, yeah, have fun flirting with your girlfriend all semester", Matt responded. "Just wait till football season starts in January, then it'll be our turn."
Today started out weird and stressful, but ended with a high that not even the voice in the back of my head or the sight of my little sister repeating her morning performance over dinner could dampen.
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Over the next month, my life settled into a new normal. The certainty that I was done growing remained just as strong, but for now things were going well. I wasn't just a part of the basketball team, I had even made the starting lineup. I still hadn't figured out how to tell Sam about my condition, but otherwise, we were closer than ever.
And even though she was consistently eating about twice as much as before, my little sister hadn't suddenly shot up like a character in a fantasy story. On the other hand, she wasn't getting fat, so who knows what her body was doing with all those extra calories.
I got back from school today to find that Hannah and Jess had already claimed the couch. Jess was sitting super close to Hannah, almost like she was hugging her when I walked in, though I only got a glance before she jumped away. She started to stutter an excuse, but my attention was immediately drawn to my sister as she turned around to face me.
"Oh, Nate. Welcome home." Hannah said, nonchalantly.
"Whoa! What happened to you?" I exclaimed. Hannah's face was swollen just under her left eye, which was already beginning to turn into an epic shiner.
"This? I had a run-in with Chris Struthers today", Hannah replied, waving her hand like getting into a fight with a boy three years her senior was no big deal. "I guess he thought I was fair game since you go to a different school now."
I suppose this deserves a bit of backstory. I've mentioned before how Hannah and Jess met two years ago when Hannah started first grade. But while they became friends almost immediately, the event that would make them inseparable happened about two weeks later. You see, Jess had always had a problem with bullies. Being short, skinny, introverted, and seen as a teacher's pet made her an irresistible target.
But that day was particularly rough. Jess had brought a book to read during recess instead of playing with the other kids. This caught the attention of three boys in her class. They took her book from her and spent the rest of the period taunting her and shoving her to the ground whenever she tried to get up and escape. When they finally got bored, they tossed the book into some bushes and left Jess crying in a ball on the ground.
Jess' reading spot was out of the way, which is presumably why the teacher didn't notice her missing. She was still there when the next class, Hannah's class, came out for recess. Hannah found her still crying. After calming her down and wiping her tears, Hannah got Jess to tell her what happened. She then retrieved the book and, in a voice that brooked no argument, demanded to know the names of the three boys. Jess told her, probably figuring she was going to give the names to a teacher.
But Hannah had something else in mind. By the end of the day, she had tracked down and picked a fight with each of the bullies. Now you might be wondering how a 6 year old girl could win three separate fights against 8 year olds in the same day. Even a girl as big and athletic as Hannah. What you have to remember is that these were little kids.
A normal fight would only last a couple of punches before one kid started crying or ran away. But my sister wasn't fighting to prove she was the toughest kid on the playground, or because some teasing made her mad. She was fighting with a determination born from righteous fury. Taking a couple punches was just the price of admission. So even if each fight was pretty even in terms of damage taken, her opponent was always the one trying to flee or begging for mercy.
After that, it was open season on bullies for a few weeks. Eventually, everyone learned that Jess was not a viable target unless you were willing to fight a rabid wolverine in the rough shape of a first grader before the day was over. Most of the bullies moved on to easier targets.
This just left a few kids like Chris Struthers. Chris was a fourth-grader. He wasn't particularly large for his age, though still several inches taller than Hannah at the time. But he was mean. He had established himself as the toughest fourth-grader and figured backing down would damage his standing. So he was one of the few kids that came back for a second fight with my sister, and then a third.
Until eventually, I had to intervene. I told him that if he didn't stop getting into fights with a first-grader, then I wouldn't feel bad coming down from the fifth grade to take my turn kicking his ass.
Back in the present, I thought history might be repeating itself.
"Do you need me to come back and teach him a lesson?" I asked. Hannah chuckled.
"Nah. I don't think he'll be messing with us again. This", she gestured to her black eye, "was just a slip-up. I haven't been in a real fight in a year and a half. It was pretty one-sided after that."
"One-sided?"
"Yup. I don't think Chris realized how much bigger and stronger I've gotten since first grade. I'm almost as tall as him now, and I'm pretty sure I'm heavier than he is. I gave him a bloody nose, then I punched him right in the gut. Wham!" Hannah punctuated her statement by punching the air.
"Then with the wind knocked out of him, he couldn't stop me from picking him up and slamming him against the wall. Then I just sorta held him there until he promised to leave us alone."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah. I mean, I was holding his arms, and he couldn't really get any leverage to kick me with his legs dangling against the wall."
"Not that. I'm surprised by how casually you're talking about lifting an 11 year old. All that extra food you've been eating must have gone straight to your muscles."
"Some of it, yeah... Wait! didn't I tell you?"
"Tell me what?" I asked. Hannah hopped up from the couch and suddenly I saw it. Her clothes were tight, and the t-shirt that I was sure had covered her last time she wore it, now exposed a sliver of her firm stomach.
"That I got taller! I just measured the other day. I'm 4'3"!"
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My time with the basketball team continued. We had spent the previous month in training, honing our skills and practicing our teamwork. The first two weeks focused more on the basics and letting Coach Anderson get a handle on our individual strengths so she could assign positions. That way, we could spend the rest of the time before we faced another school practicing as a team.
I got picked to be the Shooting Guard. Clarise (one of the players from last year's team) became the Point Guard. Chelsea was chosen as the Center and Sam got Power Forward. The position of Small Forward was given to Victoria. Kerry immediately noticed the ironic naming.
"Wait! There's literally a position with small in the name", Kerry had said, "and you didn't give it to Nate?"
"The small in Small Forward is to differentiate it from the Power Forward", Coach explained, deciding to ignore the jab at me in favor of a teaching moment. "They're usually in the middle height wise, since they need to be able to play in the Key with the Power Forward and Center. Both the Shooting Guard and the Point Guard are shorter on average."
"Oh, I see", Kerry remarked snidely. "Congratulations, Nate. I guess that makes you smaller than small."
"And what position are you?" Sam interjected. "Oh right, Back-bencher."
Funny enough, Kerry got assigned to Small Forward on the backup team. The rest of the positions were filled by the two other guys on the team and two of the remaining eighth-grade girls. The final eighth-grade girl was designated "the Sixth", which coach explained was the term for an experienced player that could sub in for any of the five roles on the main team if necessary.
That just left Alice. Coach had obviously seen some potential in her, but she clearly lacked the basics. So while the rest of us practiced mock games, she continued basic drills under the supervision of whichever player was currently off the field. Usually the Sixth, a girl named Sandra, but sometimes one of the members of the backup team would take over, so Sandra could get some game time in.
A few days after I learned Hannah had grown, it was finally time for our first real game. We were playing a home game vs Edison Middle School, another small public school in the next town over.
The game started out well, when the opposing Shooting Guard turned out to be a guy not much taller than me. I covered him decently well on defense, and on offense I was able to get clear to pass or shoot pretty easily. I mostly looked to pass, because despite "shooting" being in my position's name, I still wasn't that confident in my 3-pointer skills.
Thankfully that just played into our team's main strength: my girlfriend. Sam dominated the key, and by the end of the first half, she had scored more points and blocked more opposing shots than any other player in the game.
The second half wasn't as one-sided, but the backup team still played well. Kerry's performance was especially impressive given her lack of experience. She was still no match for Sam, but her stated goal of beating her rival on her home turf no longer seemed completely insane.
After the game, my day only got better. The whole walk home, I listened to my girlfriend gush over the experience, while admiring her muscular body, emphasized by her sweat-soaked uniform. The past month had only made her stronger. While the need to concentrate on my own play had kept my libido in check during the game, just walking next to her afterwards was enough to give me an erection.
Once we reached her house, she leaned down and gave me a kiss to rival the one from the first day of school. The only thing that could have made it better would have been her picking me up again, but I didn't have the courage to ask. And honestly, it was probably good that I didn't; if she had done that, I might have blown my load right then.
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Unfortunately, that first game turned out to be the high water mark of my basketball career. As the next few games played out, it became clear I was outmatched in a couple different ways.
First, while my skills were pretty decent for a casual, the starting lineup of most teams was a place for hard-core basketball enthusiasts. Against that group, my skills were average at best.
Second, not a single team we faced put seventh-grade boys in the starting lineup. And a few were made up of only eighth-grade girls. That meant that sometimes even the shortest member of the opposing team was 4 or more inches taller than me. And, as that one part of my brain liked to remind me, that gap was only going to widen.
Whereas in the first game, I really felt like I was an asset to the team, now I was beginning to feel like I was holding them back. And I wasn't the only one. Kerry was particularly vocal about my performance, and only became more so as her own skills continued to improve.
Today's game was even worse than usual. The other team's Shooting Guard was at least 5'3". She towered over me, and it quickly became clear that she had more experience and superior skills as well. My only advantage was a slight edge in speed. This let me get a couple passes around her. It also opened up a chance for me to make a play.
A few minutes into the game, I managed to get around her and make a break for the goal. Even though I was far too short to play close to the basket normally, in this situation, no one was blocking me. And if one of the other players moved to intercept, it would leave Sam, Chelsea, or Victoria open and I could pass to them. In this case, no one got to me in time, and I was able to score a quick 2 points.
It was a nice play, but I couldn't feel good about myself, since my opponent had already sunk more than one 3-pointer. And afterwards, she continued to shoot over my head like I wasn't there. Eventually, Clarise had to switch with me just to stop the bleeding. The situation barely improved, however, as the opposing Point Guard was still much taller than me. She just preferred to pass and direct plays over my head instead of scoring herself. By halftime, I was exhausted and our team was down 24 to 37.
"Great", Kerry complained loudly as the backup team took the field. "Once again, Sam's little boyfriend leaves a mess and I have to clean it up." Her use of my nickname was always mean-spirited instead of teasing, but today it actually hurt. Not as much as what came next, though.
As she walked by me, Kerry shifted slightly, casually hip-checking me. While the impact barely slowed her down, I was almost knocked off my feet. She might not have Sam's muscles, but six weeks of intense training had left her toned body firm and solid. Worse, her long legs and height advantage combined so instead of taking the blow on my own hip, I was struck right in the gut. She left me gasping for breath, hands on my knees. Eventually, I was able to stumble back to the bench.
Luckily, Sam had been walking in front of me, so she didn't notice anything past Kerry's comment. My girlfriend getting into a fight in my defense might have made me feel better, but it was the last thing the team needed right now.
"Don't let her get to you", Sam said after I sat down next to her. "Everyone has an off day. I'm sure you'll do better next game."
I wasn't so sure. I had been so proud to get selected for the starting lineup, but now it just seemed like a mistake in judgment from Coach Anderson. Hell, joining the basketball team in the first place was starting to look like a bad decision. I just didn't have the drive to improve that everyone else seemed to have. While I would give it my all in game or during practice, after school I just wanted to relax in front of the TV.
Maybe Hannah was right about me. I had always relied on my height and natural athleticism to get me through any physical challenge. I could stand up to bullies like Brad and Chris because I had always held the size advantage. Just the basic skills I gained from playing casual games with my sporty friends allowed me to outperform most of my age group. Even spending the last two years watching several girls pass me in size and sometimes strength, hadn't worried me. It had seemed like a temporary problem. I just had to wait until puberty combined with my favorable genes to put me back on top.
But all that changed when I stopped growing. I would never catch up to the girls, and even compared to other guys I wouldn't be tall for long. Honestly, it's surprising that it took so long to finally click in my head.
Now the game hadn't stopped during my mental revelation. The backup team was desperately trying to even the score. While it would have been nice if Kerry had been all talk, she was playing harder than anyone. I guess she really hated to lose, no matter the circumstances. And her effort was actually paying off. Between her own shots and assists with the Power Forward and Center, she was directly responsible for at least a dozen points by the time the game ended. Sadly, it wasn't enough, and the other team managed to squeak by to win 55 to our 52.
Afterwards, Coach Anderson called everyone over for a team meeting.
"Alright, everyone played their heart out today. Even though we didn't win, you should still feel pride in that. That being said, now that we've played five other teams, it's time to change the lineup to better reflect who has grown and who still needs some work."
"About damn time", Kerry grumbled, just loud enough to make sure everyone could hear.
"You'd better curb that attitude, young lady", Coach responded. "Don't make me change my mind about you." Kerry's face lit up.
"You mean?"
"That's right, I'm moving you to the starting line-up. You'll be our new Shooting Guard. I saw your potential during tryouts, and out of everyone here, you have done the best job growing into that potential. Sandra will fill in on the backup team for the next few games, until I can figure out everyone's new positions."
Well, there it is. I guess reality had finally caught up to me.
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You'd think that my new realization about myself (and such a blatant object lesson on the consequences) would motivate me to turn things around. Maybe I would set some time aside every day to focus on improving my skills or strengthening my body. Maybe I would look up videos of NBA players to see how they handled taller opponents. Maybe I would go to Coach for guidance.
Turns out none of those things would happen. Oh, I thought about them, but really, what would be the point? I could dedicate dozens of extra hours to basketball, work my ass off for weeks, and what? Maybe Coach would put me back on the starting lineup? Right before the playoffs? Not likely. And even then, I would still be 4'10". How tall would my opponent have to be before no amount of skill would make up for the difference? 4 inches? Five? Six? Eight?
Sitting on the sidelines for a week only cemented those doubts. You see, on practice days, I was now the one helping Alice catch up. Not that Alice herself was mean to me. While we weren't exactly close (she had always been on the opposite side of the jock/nerd divide in elementary school), I did consider her a friend. She had many of the same interests as Timothy, but while Tim was quiet and introverted, Alice would talk your ear off whether you understood the topic or not. In short, she was cheerful, energetic, and friendly. And the last few weeks hadn't changed that.
The problem was the way she played and how fast she was improving. During tryouts, she could barely get the ball in the basket, even without someone guarding her, and any time she tried dribbling, it was just an invitation for the opposite team to steal the ball. Now her skills weren't too far behind what mine had been during tryouts. And I had only improved marginally in comparison.
Worse was her playstyle. Clearly, the reason Coach Anderson had kept her on the team was her ability to single-mindedly lock her opponent out of the game. I say clearly because her training had been heavily slanted toward improving that skill. Our time was basically divided between me coaching her through drills, and her mercilessly crushing me in 1-on-1's. While I could pretty reliably throw off her aim, she could completely shut me down. I couldn't even get off a shot with her guarding me, let alone make one.
And in those 1-on-1's, I saw my future. I could train all I liked, but what would it matter if I could be shut down by someone with less than two months of experience and a few extra inches of height? And it really was a few, not a couple, because (to really drive home that everyone else was still growing) at some point Alice had hit 5'1".
Now I wasn't going to quit. I wouldn't be able to face Sam if I did. And coach did eventually put me back in play. I was now the backup Shooting Guard. The guy who formerly had that spot was bumped over to Small Forward so Sandra could return to her role as the Sixth. I would still try my best during games, but that was the limit of my motivation.
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Thankfully my life wasn't solely composed of basketball training and games. Take today, for example. It's Halloween. And while I was stuck in the weird limbo of being too old to trick-or-treat, but too young to go to Halloween parties, I could still dress up if I was willing to chaperone Hannah and Jess around the neighborhood.
I was wearing a Star Wars costume while they were going as She-Ra and Entrapta from "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power". No bonus points for guessing who was cosplaying which character. One interesting point was Jess' decision to use purple lipstick. Interesting because I hadn't really seen Jess wear makeup before, and I didn't remember any lipstick in the character's design.
Honestly, Jess had been acting weird for a while now. It felt like she was annoyed whenever I was around, though I had no idea what I could have done. On the other hand, Hannah and I were getting along better than ever. I guess she had decided that she was going to outgrow me one day, so there was no reason to be mad about our heights now.
We circled our cul-de-sac and then ventured out in the vague direction of school, Hannah pointing out each new target with her giant plastic sword. We had been at it for about 45 minutes before we ran into the person I was waiting to see.
"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" A voice behind me said.
God, I love my girlfriend. I turned around and looked right into the undersides of a pair of boobs, encased in a tight blue jumpsuit.
"Wha..." I said, my cock jumping to attention. The blue jumpsuit I expected. Sam had told me that she was going to be cosplaying Zero-suit Samus. Hell, I even expected the boobs. It was the elevation that was wrong. The top of my head came up to Sam's chin, so usually, if I was looking straight ahead, I would be eye-level with the top of her breasts. Now, somehow, even her nipples were above my view.
"Ha, I knew keeping these a secret would be worth it." Sam's voice came from above me. "Check it out." She took a step back and I was finally able to tear my gaze away from her chest and look down. She was wearing a pair of blue and yellow high heels. I didn't even know she owned a pair of heels. Did she buy these just for Halloween?
"Hey! It's Zero-suit Sam!", Hannah exclaimed. Dammit, libido! That pun should have been mine!
"Y-You're so tall..." Jess mumbled, her face turning red.
"Hey Hannah, hey Jess", Sam said, grinning. "I'm 5'10" in these. But you know what? That's still not as tall as Samus herself. She's 6'3"."
"Wow", I whispered breathlessly. A vivid image of Sam standing 5 inches taller than she was now flashed through my brain, causing my dick to surge again. I was suddenly very grateful for the cardboard armor covering my crotch.
"Nate! Nate! Look how much candy I got!" A high-pitched voice interrupted my fantasies. I looked down to see a miniature Queen Elsa holding up a plastic bucket decorated to look like a snowball. A couple steps behind her was a little boy in a fireman outfit. Just in case you thought Sam had come just to see me. She had chaperone duty as well. The kids were her little sister, Taylor, and her little brother, Edward. They were 4-year-old twins.
"Wow, what a haul! You too, Ed! And your costumes look great." I leaned down close to Taylor and whispered, "I don't have any candy to give you. I hope you won't freeze me with your ice powers."
"I wouldn't do that!" She giggled. "I only freeze bad guys!"
"I guess we should get going", I said, standing back up. "There's a lot more houses to get to before it gets dark."
"I dunno", Taylor said. "We've already walked so far; I'm getting tired." This was a blatant lie. Taylor was a ball of inexhaustible energy, even more than a normal preschooler. "But maybe I can keep going if you carry me." She lifted her arms.
"As you wish, my Queen", I stated seriously, squatting down with my back facing her. She squealed and jumped on my back. I stood up and was joined moments later by Sam, with Ed on her back.
"Ladies man", Sam teased, as we started walking towards the next house.
"Hey", I replied, "she may be my queen tonight, but you'll always be my lady."
"Jess. You know you can't get what you want, if you don't ask for it."
"P-Please..."
I had almost forgotten that I was watching two kids as well. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Hannah running to catch up with us, Jess bumping up and down as she tried desperately to hang on to Hannah's back.
Eventually, the setting sun forced us to call it a night. We stopped by Sam's house first, the twins dashing inside with their spoils. Sam paused at the door, leaning down (and down) to give me a kiss goodnight.
"Thanks for being so good with Taylor tonight", Sam said. "She has quite the crush on you."
"I don't mind", I replied. "Whatever I have to do to spend time with you."
"Maybe next year Hannah and Jess can watch the twins, and we can go somewhere more fun."
Once we got to our house, Hannah asked me to go ahead while she walked Jess back to her place. I wasn't about to argue; I had walked enough today. It didn't take long for Hannah to return, but as she passed me on the way up to her room, I saw something that wasn't there before. For some reason, she now had purple lips, just like Jess.
...Oh!
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Sadly, after every Halloween comes November. And for me, that meant another month of basketball. The games themselves were actually better than in October. Being on the backup team meant facing the opponent's backup team. Which meant less skilled and usually shorter opponents. I wasn't having a good time, like at the start of the season, but at least I didn't feel like I was dragging everyone else down.
No, the problem was the rest of the time. Or, to be specific, spending the rest of the time with Kerry. Before, her disdain towards me had been mostly just because I was Sam's boyfriend. So any verbal grenades lobbed my way would hit Sam with the shrapnel.
But ever since Kerry joined the starting lineup, she and Sam seemed to sign a truce. They weren't friends by any stretch, but there was respect there, if only begrudgingly. For me, though, no respect. Whether due to my lackluster performance affecting her chance at winning or some other reason, I was her main target now.
Her previous undermining of me verbally was out thanks to Coach, so she found two new ways to make me feel small and useless. First, we were paired up during practice games, since we were both Shooting Guards now. And she took every opportunity to show me up, shut me down, and push me around with her size and increasing skill.
Second, she evidently liked how effective her hip attack had been. So, whenever no one else was watching, she would repeat it. Or she would back into me, knocking me over with her ass. If I was in front of her instead, she would just run right over me, then claim she didn't see me "down there".
The worst part of it was, part of me enjoyed it. The fact that she was able to do all this to me. How it emphasized her size and strength. Though I hated to admit it, it turned me on.
Mentally and emotionally, this was very different from the effect Sam had on me. Kerry made me feel pathetic, small, helpless. Like I was a lesser being. With Sam, I still felt small and helpless, but also somehow safe, like it was okay to be small and helpless as long as she was there. My dick didn't care, though. Evidently, "Big, strong woman!" was enough. Yeah, that settles it; I'm definitely a weirdo.
Eventually, Kerry got tired of dominating me during practice games and opted for outright dismissal instead. On defense, she had to interact with me somewhat, but on offense, she acted like I didn't exist. She would just pause and casually line up her shot before shooting right over me.
Finally, she went to coach and asked how she was supposed to practice without a suitable opponent. And this time, Coach sided with her. But instead of subbing in Sandra like everyone expected, Coach decided to give Alice a chance to play. On the bright side, this gave me a chance to watch Kerry actually struggle, as the defensive technique Alice had worked on for so long finally got to shine.
What happened next was easy to predict. Within a week, Coach had subbed Alice in for me during a real game, and then changed the roster for good. I had completed my slide from promising talent to bench warmer.
Thankfully, there wasn't much of the season left. Before long, it would be time for Thanksgiving and then Christmas break. I did have to spend the first week of December attending the regional tournament, and the following Monday at the state-level tournament. But this isn't a shonen manga; we got eliminated in the Round-of-8. I was finally free.
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The next day, I finally got a chance to talk to Jess. I hadn't wanted to confront her in front of Hannah, but for once, Jess was the one to call me up for hypnosis practice.
"Hey Jess. Where's Hannah?"
"She's taking a bathroom break. We can get started without her."
"You know, we don't have to keep doing this if you don't want to." Jess' eyes widened in surprise, but she covered it quickly.
"What do you mean?"
"You've seemed frustrated for a while now, and the only reason I can see is that I'm taking up time you'd rather spend with my sister. I mean, I get it. I'd be upset too if a third wheel was always interrupting my time with my girlfriend." Jess blushed, then looked away angrily.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Maybe not", I admitted, sitting down on Hannah's bed. "It did take me a while to even realize that you two were more than best friends. But if you'd just talk to me..."
"Just drop it", Jess interrupted, her gaze locking onto mine.
10
Immediately, I began to feel sleepy.
"Jess..." I tried to keep talking.
"Drop it." Her voice had settled into the soft, rhythmic monotone she used when performing hypnotism, but there was a surprising amount of steel in those two words.
9
I felt myself slipping away...
8
...
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My grandparents (on Dad's side) had a big ranch house out in the country, so they would always host the family Christmas party. It was held about a week before Christmas, usually over 2 days, so relatives that lived a few hours away, like us, could spend the night before having to drive back. I usually had a good time, even if it tended to get boring if we stayed too long. But this year was harder to enjoy for a couple reasons.
"Oh, a sweater. Thanks, Aunt Denise."
"I know your mom sent that email with your sizes so everything would fit, but boys your age grow so fast, that I figured it would be better to go up a size."
That was one reason. Why do adults think clothes are good presents? I guess I finally have a reason to be happy to get socks. At least those would fit. Not that I could blame them for expecting me to grow. Many of them hadn't seen me since last year's party, and I actually was a couple inches shorter then. The "Oh, look how much you've grown" comments still stung.
"Oh dear. I'm glad I kept the receipts. That top is clearly too small for you. I was sure I bought the correct size."
"No worries, Nana. Mom sent the measurements out a month ago. I've just gotten bigger since then."
"You sure have! And look at those guns. You might even be stronger than your brother." Hannah giggled.
"Not yet, Uncle Ben."
"Ha ha! Careful, Nate, she's gunning for you."
I sighed. If my uncle knew the power in those words, maybe he would have used them more responsibly. This was the other reason I wasn't having a good time this year. Hannah was now 4'4". This was a good 4 or 5 inches taller than she was last year, so I couldn't blame everyone for commenting. But did they have to make such a big deal out of it?
Thankfully, carols and hot cocoa should be activities without a reason for height comparisons. Then I just had to make it through breakfast tomorrow, and I'd be on my way back to see my girlfriend.
I met up with Sam on Christmas Eve. I brought some toys for Taylor and Edward, but the main gift was for Sam. I had found a basketball signed by Candace Parker (her favorite WNBA player) on eBay and managed to get it for cheap. Although, cheap for signed sports memorabilia still took a big chunk out of my savings. But the look on her face made it all worth it. And getting dragged under the mistletoe didn't hurt either.
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January and the new school semester came way too fast for my liking. At least this time, I wouldn't have to worry about playing a sport. I didn't even attend tryouts for the football team, even if Matt and Damian considered it bad form. I wasn't about to spend another semester slowly getting outgrown and outshone by my classmates. I mean, Matt was as tall as me now, and my other guy friends were beginning to catch up too.
Christmas break had been surprisingly rough on my physique. While my gains had seemed small compared to my teammates, I had gotten stronger thanks to basketball practice. But now, just a month later, and I was back to the body I had at the start of the school year.
Maybe I should start lifting weights. Not that I would ever look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Or with my height, Danny Devito, if he was actually Arnold's twin and followed him into bodybuilding.) But at this rate, in another month or two, I would be a skinny wimp. Eh, why bother? The voice chimed in. I'm going to be a shrimp anyway, and exercise is too much work.
At least Kerry was leaving me alone now. Not that her opinion of me had improved; we just didn't share any classes, and I guess she didn't think I was worth tracking down.
That said, Kerry did do me a massive favor about 2 weeks into the new semester, though I doubt that was her plan.
"Whoa, Sam, slow down!" I said, as my girlfriend raced off the bus, practically dragging me behind her. I knew that she wanted me to come to her house for some reason, but she had refused to give any details until we were alone. Finally, we got through the front door, and I could try to catch my breath.
"What's, hah, going on?" I wheezed.
"OK, this is going to sound stupid, but just listen to me", Sam said. "Kerry was bragging about her relationship with her boyfriend, and she asked how far we had gone. I was feeling defensive, and without thinking, I blurted out that we had gotten to second base."
"But we haven't..."
"I know, I know. But I couldn't just take it back. And now I feel like a liar. So I figured, if we do it now, it'll be true, and I can stop feeling bad." I gasped.
"You mean it?"
"Yes", Sam sighed. "But we have to hurry. Mom will be home with the twins before too long. So, my room. Now."
"Yes Ma'am!"
As I followed Sam, something about her seemed off. I had had this nagging feeling for a few days now. She seemed sexier, somehow, maybe even a bit intimidating. Especially when I was standing close to her. I shrugged it off after a second; I had more important things to think about right now.
After we got to her room, Sam closed the door and shut the blinds. Only then did she take off her coat. My eyes were locked on target as she began unbuttoning her blouse.
"Do you have to stare so hard?" I looked up. Sam was blushing.
"Sorry. I'm just really excited."
"Boys." She shook her head, and her nervousness seemed to fade a little. She shrugged off her blouse, and her bra soon joined it on the floor.
"Oh my god", I breathed, entranced. They were beautiful. I raised my hands, only to realize they were shaking. Seeing my hesitation seemed to bring back Sam's confidence, and she smiled.
"Well? Go on", she said, stepping forward. I reached out and cupped them, my fingers sinking slightly.
"Mmm. Be gentle. They're sensitive."
I was in awe. Her skin was so smooth. Her breasts were soft, but somehow also firm, with a perkiness that belied their weight in my hands.
"I didn't think they would be this big. I can't fit all of them in my hands."
"My bras have been tight since break. I think I ate too many sweets."
"If this is what happens when you overeat, I promise to dedicate my life to the culinary arts." Sam snorted.
"Dork."
I continued to gently massage Sam's tits, slowly moving my hands to make sure I covered every part, occasionally rubbing her nipples with my thumbs.
"This is awesome", I thought, harder than I could ever remember being. "This is the greatest day of my life."
Sadly Sam didn't seem to feel this rapturous emotion. As the seconds turned into minutes, her playful smile slowly transitioned into a look of boredom, then one of resignation. Eventually, she gently but firmly pushed my hands down, and took a step back.
"Ok, that should be more than enough to say we did it."
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Was I not doing it right?" She sighed.
"It's not your fault, I just wasn't feeling it. I don't think I can, as long as we're like this."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't get aroused, OK?!" Sam exclaimed. "Not when you're so much shorter and weaker than me."
"But the dates we've gone on", I protested, "all the times we kissed, the mistletoe on Christmas Eve. You didn't feel anything?" I could feel tears starting to form. This couldn't be happening.
"Oh, Baby. No", Sam's voice softened, "that's different. I still like you." She leaned down so she could look straight into my eyes. "It's just... How can I explain it? Romantic vs sexual, I guess? You're sweet and funny, but not sexy. I enjoy going on dates, and even kissing you, but I don't, like, masturbate thinking about you." Sam straightened back up.
"I mean, look at us. You look so small from up here. I know we're the same age, but it feels like I'm trying to get it on with a kid. Imagine you were getting felt up by a little 4th grader, maybe one of your sister's friends."
"But..." I tried to interrupt.
"It's not like it'll always be this way, OK?" Sam continued. "We just have to wait until you catch up a little." She bent down and grabbed her bra off the floor.
"But what if I never..." I didn't get a chance to finish.
Sam had started to straighten up again, and as her face passed mine, she stepped forward. She was probably planning to get close to emphasize our size disparity, but she misjudged the distance. As her face continued to rise, two other objects were also gaining altitude. Her bare breasts engulfed my chin, then my mouth, then my nose.
Now while my brain had been getting rocked emotionally, my dick hadn't been deterred at all. It had remained rock hard throughout, even twitching when Sam said "short", "weak", "small", and "little". With her boobs trying to swallow my face, I was barely holding on.
Then, as her tits started to cover my eyes, it hit me. I knew what had seemed off about her. It wasn't just her boobs that were bigger. She was bigger. My girlfriend had gotten taller. That thought sent me over the edge.
"Aaaaahhhh!" I yelled. My face slipping out of its velvet prison as my body hunched over from the force of my climax.
"What the hell?" Sam exclaimed, jumping back. But as I looked back up at her, my face beet red, my hands trying to cover my crotch, she understood.
"Wait! Did you just cum? Oh my God!" She started to laugh, but cut it short. "Shit! You've got to go. This would be a thousand times worse than Mom catching you feeling me up." She grabbed my shoulders and started pushing me towards the door.
------------------------------------------------------------
I can't believe I almost blurted out my secret in front of Sam. Of course, I still meant to tell her eventually. But after learning how she felt about me, it was even harder to figure out what to say, let alone get up the courage to say it.
Things were weird between us for a while, but in the end, we just settled back into the way things were before. We even had a nice date today, it being Valentine's Day and all. I got her chocolates and flowers (OK, one rose; flowers are expensive), and she managed to resist the urge to ask if "I was still dry down there" after her tits brushed against me when we kissed.
Now it was evening, and my parents were about to head out for their date night. Thankfully, Hannah and I were old enough to not need a babysitter. Mom and Dad had even allowed Jess to stay over.
"T-thank you for letting me spend the night, ma'am", she said.
"Of course, dear", Mom replied with a smile. "If only all of Hannah's friends were as polite and well-behaved as you."
"Better than her trying to sneak a boy over, at least", Dad joked.
"That's enough out of you", Mom retorted lightheartedly. "You'll have to forgive him, he has romance on the brain tonight. Don't stay up too late."
After the parents left, I headed off to my room. I figured I should make myself scarce this evening. Especially now that I knew Hannah and Jess were more than friends. No reason for me to watch two kids awkwardly kissing.
Eventually, I had to take a leak. So I left my room and went down the hall to the bathroom. On the way back, I noticed a sliver of light shining from Hannah's room. Weird, I was sure the door was shut when I came by a minute ago. Then I heard the sound. It was a rhythmic, high-pitched noise, almost like whimpering.
I crept to the crack in the door and peeked in. What the hell? Inside, I saw my sister standing in the middle of the room. One foot on the floor, the other raised on a stool so that her thigh was parallel to the ground. Her shorts were rolled up so that basically her whole leg was uncovered. And straddling that thigh, her toes not quite brushing the floor, was Jess. And she was naked.
I knew that I shouldn't keep watching, but I couldn't look away. Jess was seated close to Hannah's knee, with both her hands gripping Hannah's thigh near the top. She was pulling herself forward several inches and then pushing herself back. And every time she moved, she let out a whine. Then I realized that wasn't the only sound in the room. Hannah was talking. Not quite whispering, but speaking so softly that I hadn't noticed it before.
"Look at me, Jess. I'm getting so big. I'm so much taller than you now."
Jess' pale skin was flushed, her nipples hard as they bounced atop her budding breasts. Hannah looked down at her, her expression one of calm satisfaction mixed with a kind of protective affection.
"I've waited so long for this. To just grow, and grow, and grow. And it's all thanks to you, my little Jess."
Jess' breathing was becoming ragged. Instead of whimpers, she was now letting out short gasps.
"My thigh's so thicc, you can barely get halfway 'round it even with both your hands. Oh, Jess, your toes don't even reach the floor. I wonder what would happen if I did... this?"
Hannah lifted her leg slightly, and then swung it to the right, so her foot was no longer resting on the stool. And then she just stood there, suspending Jess' entire weight in midair. Jess gasped.
"Oh... My... God... Hannah!"
"You're so light! Take all the time you need; I could do this all night."
"Hannah! I'm gonna cum! I'm! Cummi-"
Jess' cry was cut short, as Hannah reached forward and grabbed her by the thighs, completely stopping her from moving.
"H-Hannah?"
"I don't remember giving you permission to cum."
Jess let out a long, frustrated whine.
"That doesn't sound like a 'please' to me."
"Please, Hannah! Please let me cum!"
"Hmmm... I don't know..." Hannah's thumbs started rubbing small circles on Jess' inner thighs, never quite touching her swollen lips.
"Ah! Ah! Hannah! Ah! Please!"
Hannah leaned forward until their faces were almost touching.
"Remember who's in control." Hannah's voice was still quiet, but no longer soft. "This isn't up to you. You only get to orgasm when I want you to."
"You're in control, you're in control! Ah! Oh god, please!"
Hannah paused for one second, her left thumb lifting off of Jess' skin.
"Alright. You can cum. CUM!" As Hannah said that last word, her thumb jammed itself against Jess' clit. Jess screamed, her whole body shaking as the dam finally burst. Then she collapsed, falling limply into Hannah's arms. Hannah slowly sat down on her bed, settling Jess onto her lap. One arm continued to hold her while the other reached up to softly brush her hair.
"There you go. There you go, baby. I've got you. You did such a good job."
Finally, I was able to move. I tiptoed back to my room and softly shut the door. What was that? When did Hannah learn to do that? How? Only then did I look down and notice my throbbing erection.
What The Hell?