We found an open row of seats, and I slumped into one near the end.  Sarah took more time sitting, setting her tray down next to mine and running her hands behind her thighs to make sure her skirt would not get caught on the seat.  The first thing she did when settled was grab her spoon and slide it under my mashed potatoes, picking them up in one huge lump.  She quickly shook it out over hers, making a headless snowman on her tray.  “Hey!” I protested.  “I was going to eat that!”

“Probably, but I need it more,” she replied, digging her spoon into the mass she had lifted from my plate.  She shoved it between her lips and yanked out the spoon, then gulped it down without chewing.  “I’m a growing girl, after all.”

“What, again?” I asked.  She already had a growth spurt that ended just a few months ago.

“Yep!” Sarah enthusiastically replied.  “Another inch and a half last night!  And I think I’ve been growing this morning too, it’s hard to tell without getting measured.”

“You don’t look taller to me,” I said.  That had been true for a bit.  While we were sitting nobody would ever suspect Sarah towered over me, giving them a good surprise when she got up.

“That’s because it’s mostly in my legs,” she explained.  “I’m kinda worried that if it keeps going I’ll have to get new uniforms mid-year, the teachers are already giving me the stink eye.”  Sarah carved off another heaping spoonful of my mashed potatoes and held it in front of her mouth.  “So, what’s this about a dream where I ate you?”  She slid the spoon into her mouth and winked.

“To start off, we weren’t friends anymore,” I began.

“I hate it already,” she interjected, swallowing the lump in her mouth.

“Not only that, but you were my worst bully.”  Sarah made a grossed-out expression, remembering how we had to fend off bullies in middle school.  “And each time you were mean to me I got smaller until I fit in your hand.  Then I kept getting even smaller, until I was, like, bacteria-sized.  After that you licked me and I stuck to your tongue, but right when you were about to swallow me I woke up.”

“Huh, that’s weird,” Sarah said after gulping down another huge bite.  “I had a dream about you too, wanna hear it?”  I nodded, and she took a deep breath.  “Okay, so, we were out in the field, you know the one by my house?  Anyway, I started growing really fast and lost sight of you after a few seconds.  I looked down and saw you next to my shoe, trying to get my attention.  And like, I saw you, but I heard myself laughing and I took another step, then you went squish.”

“Hm, that’s really odd,” I said, taking a sip of my soda.  “We both had dreams where you were a giantess.”

“No, I had a dream about being a giantess,” Sarah corrected me.  “You had a dream where you shrank.  Big difference.”

“I fail to see the distinction,” I retorted, taking a small bite of food.  “In either case you’re gigantic to me.  I even thought you were growing for a while.”

“It’s like this,” Sarah began, holding her hands in front of her.  “If I were a giantess, I’d have to tear the roof off the school to find you right now.”  She mimed ripping the top off something and picking a tiny object off her tray.  “Now, let’s say you’re the tiny one.”  Sarah picked up her spoon and held it beside the last ball of potatoes on her tray.  “For all I know you’re trapped inside there, struggling to get out.”  Her spoon scooped up the bite and she slowly raised it to her mouth, stopping to lick her lips before sliding it inside.  Sarah took a second to roll it around with her tongue before swallowing.  “Oops, there you go, with me none the wiser!  Now, am I a giantess?”

“Yeah, kind of,” I answered.  She leaned in close, bumping her nose into mine and pushing me back a little.  Sarah grinned and closed her eyes halfway.

“Mmm, just to you, little guy,” she purred.  “You’re lucky I don’t gobble you up right now, I’m still feeling peckish.”  Sarah leaned in closer, nearly pushing me off my seat, and breathed in deeply as though she were trying to get my scent.  Then she sat back up and gave me a broad smile, deeply dimpling her cheeks.

After we finished we sat there for a bit, chatting until it was time to go.  When we stood I did a double-take.  She seemed taller, though only a little.  I probably wouldn’t have even noticed had she not been standing a foot away from me.  “Um, Sarah?” I started.  “About that growth spurt you’re having…”

“Yeah,” she answered, shifting her eyes down to me.  “You do feel smaller to me.”  Sarah leaned over, putting her face in mine again.  Her brilliant gray eyes locked with mine and she huskily whispered, “Better hope I don’t get too tall or I might step on you just for fun.”  She smirked and stood up again, but when she did she seemed a little bigger.  Before I could say anything, we parted ways and headed for our afternoon classes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any classes with Sarah in the afternoon, making them seem to drag on forever.  Several times I lost myself in daydreams looking out the window, imagining I saw one of Sarah’s eyes filling it or her shoe ready to come down against the wall.  When the final bell rang I rushed out of the room to meet at her locker, as we had been doing every Friday for the past four years.

Upon arriving I saw that Sarah was being accosted by one of the teachers.  “Put your heels together and stand straight, young lady!” she commanded, and my friend did as she said.  “Just as I thought, at least an inch between the hem and knee!  I suppose you have a good reason for violating our uniform dress code so flagrantly?”

“Yes, Mrs. Walker,” Sarah began.  “See, it fit when I left the house this morning, but I’m having a growth spurt, and –“

“Bull honkey!” Mrs. Walker exclaimed.  “You have the weekend to get a skirt that fits you properly, if I see you in here dressed like a street walker again you’ll be suspended.”  Her reprimand finished, the teacher stormed off, her high heels clicking on the tile.

When I got to her Sarah was still shaking.  I put my hand on her back and she spun around, hand open and swinging down to slap my face.  When she saw it was me her hand stopped in mid-air, mere inches away from my face.  “Oh!” she yelped, her eyes wide.  Sheepishly she moved her hand away and scratched the back of her neck.  “Sorry, I’m a little worked up right now.”

“Yeah, I saw.”  With the threat of being laid out by a girl gone my fight or flight reflex calmed down.  “So, any plans for the weekend?”

“Buying some new clothes, apparently,” Sarah replied, then blew a lock of hair out of her face.  “How ‘bout you?”

“I was kind of hoping I could hang out at your place,” I said.  Sarah’s eyes widened a little, and I continued, “My mom’s gone for the weekend, and I get a little lonely when the house is quiet…”

“You’re welcome at my house any time, little dude!” she said, suddenly brimming with happiness.  “Besides, my parents are gone too, and I could use the company.”  I thought I saw her wink, but that might have been my imagination.

We walked side by side on the sidewalk toward her house, enjoying the cool air of the crisp autumn weather.  She was looking up and doing her best to keep pace with me while I walked naturally, making sure not to step on any cracks.  Occasionally I would glance up at her, but from her placid expression she might as well not even realize I was there.

Sarah took a deep breath and asked, “You know why I like walking with you, shorty?”  The question took me aback, but she filled in the answer anyway.  “’cause you’re short.”

My brain slipped a gear, expecting a much more elaborate answer.  “Come again?”

“You’re short, so you’ve got short legs!” Sarah elaborated.  “And I’m tall, with long legs.  I get to have a nice, leisurely stroll.  Plus, when it’s just you, I feel even taller.”  She straightened her back and closed her eyes, looking incredibly pleased with herself.

“Oh,” I said, trying to sound dejected.  “And here I thought it was because I’m fun to talk to and hang out with.”

She swerved, bumping into me and pushing me into the grass.  “That’s just an added bonus,” she replied.  We took a few more steps in silence before she spoke up again.  “So, about that dream you had.”

“What about it?”

“Do you often dream of me as a giantess?”  She looked down at me, grinning smugly, and wiggled her eyebrows.

“I thought you weren’t a giantess in that dream?” I replied, taking a quick glance up at her.

“Let’s not split hairs,” she replied, stepping closer to me.  “So come on, answer the question!  I won’t tell anyone.”

I hesitated.  While I had been imagining her as a giantess for years, I never expected her to ask me about it, and suddenly felt ashamed.  Sarah offered an innocent smile, and I realized that if I couldn’t trust her with it, I might as well not even trust myself.  “Yeah,” I admitted.  “A couple times a week, actually.”

Sarah’s eyes widened and she clapped a hand to her mouth.  “A week?” she repeated in a loud whisper, then regained her composure.  “Sorry.  That is a lot, though.”  I stayed silent since it looked like she had more to say.  “When did you start having these… dreams?”

I thought about it and sighed, considering not answering at all.  She already knew about it, though, and I might as well jump in with both feet.  “About five years ago,” I replied, keeping my voice low.

She tapped her chin with a finger and furrowed her brow.  “Hm, five years,” she mumbled after me.  “Can it be a coincidence that that’s when you started having to look up to me?”

I chuckled.  “Doubt it.  That night was the first time I had the dream, and I still remember it.  You came through the doors, and I felt the same shock I did when you first looked down at me.  Then I ran toward you, but instead of getting closer you just towered over me more and more until I was the size of your shoe.”

“Oh.  So you were getting smaller?”  I nodded.  She leaned closer and arched an eyebrow.  “You usually get smaller in these dreams, don’t you?”  Sarah was starting to sound invested in this, and I nodded again.  “And how often do you… die at the end of them?”

She was asking a lot of questions about this, and I was not totally comfortable answering them.  Still, it was just her and I, and if I tried to back out of it now she would bug me all weekend about it.  “Pretty often,” I answered.  I was trying to make it sound less weird, and it was categorically the same but easier to deal with than “almost always.”  “The first time I had it, actually, you walked toward me, and I tried to get your attention.  You didn’t see me though, and crushed me by accident.”

Sarah smirked.  “Kind of a lame way to go, isn’t it?” she asked.  “I mean, getting stepped on accidentally?  I could have at least messed with you a bit first.”

I perked up and met her gaze.  She was a little too amused with this.  “Sounds like you’re no stranger to these,” I suggested.

Sarah continued grinning and gave me a light shove, pushing me onto the grass again.  “All right, you got me,” she confessed.  “You told me, so it’s only fair that I tell you.  I’ve been having these dreams, too, and I even remember my first one.”

I smiled, suddenly feeling much less embarrassed about this.  “Well, go on!” I chided.  “What was it?”

She nibbled on her lower lip.  “I’ve never told anyone about it before,” Sarah began.  “I was worried they’d think I’m weird.”  After a deep breath and loud exhale, she was ready.  “You said hi, but when I looked around I couldn’t find you until I looked down.  Then I saw you beside my shoe, and you were jumping up and down, waving your arms, you looked so excited to see me!  So I waved back, then I raised my foot and stepped on you.”

“That’s cold, Sarah,” I teased.  “Crushing your best friend like that?”

“Hey, you’re the one who dreams about getting crushed, so I don’t want to hear it!” she shot back, laughing.  Sarah took a second to compose herself.  “Have yours been getting more frequent, too?”

“Yeah, they have,” I admitted.  “It used to just be every couple of months.  They used to scare me, but now I’m used to them.”  I almost told her that I look forward to them sometimes, but figured it was best to keep that under my hat along with the daydreams.  “Now the only ones that worry me are the ones where we aren’t friends.”

“Well, that’s even more ridiculous than the whole getting smaller thing,” Sarah assured me.  “I promise you, even if I grow so much I can fit you in my pockets we’ll still be friends.”

I leaned into her, resting my head against her shoulder, then looked up into her face.  “And do you also promise that you won’t step on me?”

Sarah blushed and put an arm around my shoulder, holding me against her.  “I promise… to do my very best not to squish you!” she declared, and pressed her face into mine while scrunching up her nose.  She quickly withdrew, then added, “But no guarantees.  And only because you look so good I just might gobble you up first.” 

She let me go, but I kept resting my head against her.  It was so comfortable, and she was warm enough to keep that side of me from feeling the chill air.  Suddenly she halted and I was unable to stop in time, finally coming away from her and almost walking into the door.

“Psst.  Short stuff.  We’re here,” she announced, sliding her key into the lock.  She quickly turned it and pushed the door open.  As she crossed the threshold she said over her shoulder, “Try not to shrink before I get my shoes off.”  Something was off about her again.  When I was leaning against her I did not quite reach her shoulder, and now that I was looking at her in full she was definitely a smidge taller.

I followed her and slipped off my shoes by the door while she untied hers.  “This might be a strange time to bring it up,” I started, “but I think you’ve gotten taller since we left school.”

Sarah pulled off her shoes, then stood and turned to face me.  She walked forward until she was only a couple inches from me and looked down.  “Oh yeah?” she said, staring into my eyes while placing her hands on her hips.  Her face assumed an air of stern arrogance.  “Guess there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”  Very low, quiet chuckles came from the bottom of her throat, and I wondered just how, exactly, she measured her height that required posturing like this.