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Knock-knock-knock

AJ knocked roughly on the red door in front of him, taking a step back when he was done to wait for an answer. The sun beat down on AJ’s back and arms. It was especially hot today. Sweat was already beginning to make some stains beneath AJ’s arms in his grey tank top. The news had said that it was bound to go into the triple digits that day, one of the hottest of that month, and at 3:30 it was already feeling like the hottest day of the year.

He better answer soon, AJ thought trying to fight against the heat.

AJ was visiting one of his classmates, Ed, at his house that day. The reason he was only a classmate and not a “friend” was because they honestly didn’t know each other that well. AJ was a senior at the local high school, a strong and confident jock at 6’4 that was close to graduating that year. Well, close in the sense that he was falling behind a bit, but that’s where Ed came in. Being a freshman at the same school AJ went to, Ed stood only at about 5’6, nearly a whole head shorter than the towering jock. Ed wasn’t the strongest physically, but around school, he was known to be fairly smart in all the common classes, excelling the most at math and science. These were exactly the classes AJ found himself lacking in at the moment, a passing grade being the difference between graduating and getting held back another year. It seemed like a godsend when Ed approached him in the cafeteria and offered to help tutor him at his place after school that day.

So now here he was, standing outside Ed’s house waiting for him to answer. It was a decent two-story house in the suburbs, a nice little pink plastic flamingo standing up on the lawn.

Suddenly there was a rustle at the door, the sounds of locks and door chains opening. The door slowly swung open, revealing the small frame of a teenage boy. He was much shorter than AJ and wore a black tshirt leading down to his dark blue jeans, ending in noticeably bare, soft looking feet. His hair was more on the long side and a rich brown, some strands falling just past his eyes and resting gently on his glasses. It was Ed, the boy who a lot of girls thought was pretty cute, in a small nerdy sort of way. At least his skin was clearer than most other freshmen’s. He gave a little smile as he saw AJ standing before him. The much taller teen was dressed in a grey tank top and matching sweatpants, fitted with red running shoes. His hair was a standing buzzcut that now seemed to glisten as beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his head.

“Oh AJ! Hey! You here to study?” Ed said, a note of cheeriness in his voice.

“Yeah..” AJ said, exhausted by the heat. He also wasn’t the happiest about having to do this, crawling to a damn freshman for help.But there wasn’t really anywhere else to turn. It was just humiliating.

“Well come on in,” Ed said, motioning towards the stairs just across from the doorway, “I’m upstairs and to the right.”

Ed turned around and walked lightly up the stairs, followed behind by the lumbering form of the sweaty AJ. As they walked through the house AJ took a glance around, everything seemed pretty okay. The floors and counters were clean enough, some pictures on the walls showing Ed to probably be an only child.

They both entered Ed's room, warm light coming in through the window. The walls were white with a tan carpet. The bed sat there in the corner, next to it a nightstand with a radio with some random little objects strewn across it. Opposite of that was a large dresser with a TV on top, a white PS4 right next to it. A few feet to the side was a desk that ran until the corner with some books and papers stacked to one side with some other objects lying around.

Ed walked over to his desk, motioning for AJ to take a seat on his bed. As he did Ed picked up a remote looking thing and looked at it in his hands.

“I'm really glad you decided to come over AJ,” Ed said, not looking up from the remote, “I know how much trouble you’d have just trying to pass your classes without me.”

“Well.. yeah?” AJ said slightly confused, not really liking Ed’s tone.

“I mean, we both know you’re not the sharpest guy around. But then again neither are any of those other cavemen on the football team.”

“Hey what the hell is that supposed to mean?!” AJ said upon hearing this. When he’d entered Ed seemed to be nice enough, but now he was openly insulting him and his friends? What was this guy’s deal?

“What I mean to say,” Ed continued, still not even taking a moment to look at AJ, “is that you’re all morons. Idiots. Am I really having to spell it out for you? Gosh you need even more help than I thought.”

That was it. AJ had been in there only a few moments and already he was sick by these surprise insults. Did this little nerd really think he was better than them just because of some grades?

AJ stood up, adrenaline pumping through his large body as he walked up to Ed. He grabbed the smaller teen by his shoulder and forcefully turned him around.

“Listen shrimp, you don’t talk about me or my friends like that or I’ll pop ya in the jaw, got it!?”

As the smaller boy was turned around he could only smile as he looked at the angry face above him as AJ’s large body cast a shadow onto his body. The smell of AJ’s sweat was very evident from this distance, and he could practically feel the heat still radiating off his large body.

“Oh I got it,” Ed said, the smile still not fading from his face, “but I think you’ll be feeling differently in about five seconds.”

“Huh?” AJ said, but it was already too late.

Ed pointed the remote he had been holding towards AJ, and with a smug little smile pressed a red button. In that instant AJ went blinded as a light shone out of the remote. The strange sensation of electricity running through him washed over the teen, like he was getting tased on a lower setting. AJ grunted with continuous effort not to fall back but instead keep his feet planted on the ground. But in his disorientment, the ground beneath him felt to be moving and spining along under him. After another moment the sensation and light were gone, but AJ’s eyes were still blinded for another few moments. He reached forward, trying to grab onto the wall or Ed for support.

“What the hell was... that?” AJ said still in a daze. He was caught off guard as his hand touched something large, warm and soft. He didn’t see anything like that in here when he came in, right? With his eyes still failing him, AJ reached forward with his other free hand, feeling up and down this new strange wall trying to decide what it was. Suddenly there came a sound from above, a loud but distant “heh heh”.

Finally his eyes were beginning to come back, and AJ could see before him was a large pink circular wall nearly three times his own height. To the right was a similar wall but even larger, and to the left were rows of similarly sized walls progressively getting smaller. Were those…?

In his great confusion AJ finally looked up, causing his heart to nearly stop and deny reality itself. Above him, knelt down for a better view, was the smiling and now gigantic face of Ed, who was looking down in delight at the older senior who just a second ago threatened him.

“So now what was that about popping me in the jaw, AJ? I don’t think you can reach it now, I’m afraid.”

AJ took a step back, his eyes fixed on Ed's blue eyes. What the hell was going on

“Oh, and I don't think you'll need to be worrying about our little study session anymore. As you can see, I've got some… bigger things in mind~.”
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