We entered and found the party already in full swing.  Each of the spacious rooms I could see from the door was pact, even though there were not as many people as Tanisha had boasted.  Dozens of conversations mixed with loud music that permeated the house, and I momentarily dissociated.  I tried to step back out, but Meredith took my hand and held my tight.  “Come on, you can do this,” she reassured me.  “It just takes a few minutes to get used to, really.  Let’s go get a couple of drinks, okay?  It’ll help take the edge off.”

I scanned the line of heads and shoulders around me while Meredith spoke, looking for a curtain of blond above all the others.  “Tanisha said she’d hook us up when we got here, whatever that means,” I said.  “We should probably find her first.”

“Why, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” Meredith remarked, and began looking around as well.  With her higher vantage point, she would have an easier time spotting someone in the crowd.

After searching for a few seconds, Meredith looked down at me and shook her head.  “Can’t see her,” she reported, “and she should be easy to spot.  She’s not waiting for you at the door like a creep, at least.”  She winked and added, “Let’s go see what your sidepiece wants, try to keep up.”

Meredith strode into the crowd, and I stumbled forward when her hand jerked on mine.  She weaved between people, pushing some to the side to make way for me.  Two things stuck out to me as I walked among Tanisha’s guests: women were represented far more than they should be considering our class, and every single person was taller than me.  While I was the shortest guy who had graduated, I was by no means the shortest person.  It was a little conceited, but I suspected Tanisha had selected her guests specifically to mess with me.

We entered the kitchen, which kept the house’s theme of every surface being unbearably white.  I easily spotted Tanisha on the other side of the center island, talking to a group of girls in a semicircle around her.  Meredith guided me to her, acting as a plow for people who were blocking her path.  When we got to her, she stood where Tanisha would easily be able to see her, though host pretended not to notice.  It was not until she stood to the side, practically offering me to Tanisha, that our presence was acknowledged and she pushed through the crowd to get to us.

Tanisha had chosen her outfit to stand out, with black ankle boots and flesh-toned stockings.  Her black dress looked more like lingerie, with spaghetti straps, a deeply plunging neckline, and a lace hem that did not even fully cover her garters.  Winged black eyeliner made her eyes shine brighter than usual, and a black hairband contrasted with her hair.  She had a red cup in her hands, the only thing here that blended in with her black fingernails.

She wrapped me in a tight hug, shoving my face against her tummy.  “I’m so glad you could make it!” she exclaimed.  “I didn’t think I’d be able to see you tonight!”  Then she turned and gave a curt, “Hey Meredith.”

“Yes, I get it,” I said when she released me.  Tanisha was still close enough I had to look straight up to see her face, which she thought was the best way to interact with me.  “I’m short and you like making puns.  You said you’d hook me up when I got here?”

 “Of course,” she replied, stepping toward the center island and setting her cup on it.  “You’re about to get a bottle of Tanisha’s special punch, reserved only for my close friends.”  She grabbed a bottle labeled vodka from the cabinet below, though it was filled with a red liquid.  While she poured it into an empty cup, she explained, “It’s good, I promise.”

“Do you think you could hook Meredith up, too?” I asked. 

“Yeah, sure.”  Tanisha sounded less enthusiastic about it, but poured the drink nonetheless.  When she was done, she turned and offered them to us, and waited for us to take them to say, “Drink up!  A little token of apology from me.”

I moved to take a drink, but Meredith put her hand over my cup.  “Say, Tanisha,” she began, “if we’re going for a reset here, I think a toast is in order!  And we all know you need a fresh drink for a proper toast.  So why don’t you pour one for yourself and join us?”

“Do I sense some distrust?” Tanisha asked, chuckling.  “Honestly, that’s fair, just give me one moment.”  She turned around and poured a new drink for herself, then presented it to Meredith.  “See?  It’s the same amount you got, from the same bottle and everything.”

“Well then, cheers!” Meredith declared, holding her cup out.  “To a new beginning!”  Tanisha held her cup low so I could reach it, and we all touched our drinks.  Meredith kept her hand on my arms to keep me from drinking while Tanisha immediately threw hers back.  Four seconds later she was done, and she held the cup upside down to demonstrate that it was empty.

This was apparently enough to satisfy Meredith, and she let go of my arm as a sign we could both drink.  I took a sip while Tanisha grabbed her old drink and let it roll around on my tongue a bit.  It was surprisingly sweet, without even a hint of alcohol to the taste.  After I swallowed, I went back for another, much longer drink.

Tanisha put a hand on my shoulder, clamping her fingers all the way to my bicep.  She looked to Meredith and asked, “Mind if I steal the little guy for a minute?  I’d like to talk to him in private.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Meredith replied.  Before letting go of me, she added cryptically, “Remember, I’m okay with this!”

Tanisha gave her a puzzled look, then pulled me away.  The crowd seemed to part for her, and when we reached a corner she firmly guided me into it, then positioned herself to block me.  She stood close enough that I had to hold my drink under my chin, and I could tell she got a rush from looking down so far at me.

“Before we get down to it,” she started, “why don’t you tell me what she meant by that?”

I pondered a moment, trying to think of the best way to mess with her.  “If you want in on a three-way with us, we’re down,” I answered.  “But she wants to be clear that it’s not an open relationship.  Any time you’re involved, she has to be too.”

Tanisha gasped, and I thought I had finally disgusted her into leaving me alone.  Then she squatted until we were eye-level with each other, making sure I got a good view of her cleavage.  “How did you know?” she asked in a whisper.

I thought about it for a second, trying to come up with a plausible explanation for my lie.  “It wasn’t too difficult to guess.  You’ve been laying it on a little thick recently, and we knew a party and a drink wouldn’t be enough to make up for kidnapping me and almost getting me killed.  Not to mention that Meredith gave you a very, let’s say useful skill, that you’ve employed to your advantage several times.”

“Shh!” she hissed, placing a finger over her lips.  “The less said about that, the better.  Okay, so you’re right, I want a three-way.”  She stood back up so she could loom over me again.  “Both of you meet me in Eve’s room in five minutes, I want to ruin that nerd’s bed.  Stop by my bathroom first, though.  I’ve got a stash of condoms in the top right drawer under the sink inside an empty box of tampons.  Get three; it’ll be a long night.”  She grinned slyly and stepped away, running a finger down the length of my arm.

Immediately I went back to Meredith, who was penned against the sink by a pair of volleyball players.  I had never spoken to either of them, and from her expression I doubted Meredith had either.  Seeing me was a great excuse for her to leave the conversation, and she came ot meet me halfway.  “What’s up, buttercup?” she asked with a smile.

“Tanisha thinks that we think that she thinks that we want a threesome,” I explained.  “She even wants to do it in her sister’s bed.  If she’s offering me what she thinks is every man’s dream…”

“…then there are conditions attached,” Meredith finished.  “Think she’ll try to divide and conquer us?”

“She already is.  She told me to get condoms out of her bathroom, which would give her enough time to ambush me.”

Meredith took my hands and leaned in to my ear, and I saw the two girls she had been talking to lean like they were trying to subtly listen.  “I want to feel your fucking cock inside me in five minutes,” she whispered loudly in hopes they would hear.  “She can have your tongue, but I want you to fuck me.”  She stood up, giving me what she thought was a seductive grin.  It looked more like she had just smelled rotten eggs, but I appreciated the effort.

She stormed out of the kitchen like a woman with a mission, pulling me after her.  People cleared out of her path for their own good, not wanting to get violently shoved aside.  Her strong grip dragged me up the stairs while I struggled to keep up with her running three steps at a time.  At the top she paused and hoisted me before herself, then grabbed me by the shoulders.

Without a word she leaned down and kissed me, pressing her tongue into my mouth.  I responded by embracing her firmly and pushing back with my lips, sliding my tongue along hers.  Before we got too involved in making out, she clapped her hands on my shoulders and pulled away.  “Now, which one is her sister’s room?”  I pointed toward it, and she nodded.  “Got it.  I’ll wait in there for one minute, then I’ll come looking for you, okay?”  I nodded back, and we parted ways.

The door closing must have been audible downstairs, and I made my way to Tanisha’s bathroom.  I took my time looking, giving her plenty of time to set up whatever she had planned, before going exactly where she had told me.  Sure enough, there was a batch of sealed condoms, and I tore off three.  Folding them into my palm, I headed for Eve’s room, ready to see Tanisha blocking my path at any point.

When I turned into the hallway, I thought I was home free, but a hand clamped down on my shoulder.  “Going somewhere, twerp?” Tanisha said, then spun me around.  She stood close enough that her chest eclipsed her face, but I knew she was smiling.  With her free hand she snatched the condoms out of my hand, then held them up to her face.  “I think you’ll like living in one of these.  Did you really think I was going to bang you?”

I needed to keep her in place long enough that Meredith could save me.  “You mean you don’t?” I asked, doing my best to sound surprised.  “Do you not want to bury the hatchet, either?”

“Cut the shit, pipsqueak.”  Tanisha squeezed my arm hard enough for me to cry out in pain.  “Our truce only lasted until the end of the semester, and we all graduated tonight.  Our deal is over, and I’m free to shrink you however small I want.”

“I thought you found me weird and disgusting,” I challenged, “and that my relationship with Meredith was unnatural?”

Tanisha let loose a loud belly laugh.  “I don’t want to date you!” she proclaimed.  “I want to own you!  I want to smush you underfoot to remind myself how powerful I am.  I want to laugh at how pathetic you are compared to me.  You’ll be nothing, and there’s nothing that goth girlfriend of yours can do to stop me.”  She glared down at me with an intensity I had never felt before, and I started to worry Meredith would not get here in time.

Tanisha started to grow, and I reached her waist very quickly.  I knew that she was shrinking me, and with her grudge against me there was no telling where it would stop.  In no time at all I was past the hem of her skirt, then down to her knees, gazing up at her towering over me.  She continued shrinking me, and I descended along her shins and past her ankles.  When she finally stopped, the soles of her shoes came up to my waist.  An after-effect I had never felt before kicked in, and I felt an intense feeling of dread.

She looked down at my triumphantly and put her hands on her hips to look more imposing.  “You didn’t have to shrink me!” I shouted up at her.  “You could have picked anyone else to be your trophy and let me alone, I doubt we’ll even see each other at college!”

“But I didn’t shrink you!” she protested.  “It’s not my fault you’re this puny naturally!  Now come on, I’m having a party downstairs and some of my friends would just love to meet you.”  She leaned over to pick me up, and I fought the urge to break and run.

A black and white streak slammed into Tanisha, and the ground quaked when they slammed into the ground.  I heard a struggle, complete with grunts and gagging, while ankle boots and knee-high boots kicked at the floor in an attempt to get an advantage.  Tanisha tried to flip Meredith as she had last time, but stopped after a loud slap.

The ankle boots began to recede, sliding over the carpet, while one of the women whimpered.  “Remember what I said about establishing control?” Meredith asked, as Tanisha’s feet receded past hers.  “Pinning works.”  Tanisha continued to get smaller, screaming into Meredith’s hand over her mouth the whole time.

Meredith stopped before Tanisha reached anywhere near my size and got off her.  She stood, then grabbed her hand and pulled her up.  Tanisha heavily slouched, not wanting to stand up to her new height against Meredith.  A quick shake to her shoulders along with a reminder that she could get even smaller brought her around, and she snapped to attention.  Though they were both still colossal to me, Meredith was clearly a head taller than her now.

“I’m five-foot-nothing!” Tanisha wailed, barely holding back tears.  “This is an outrage!”

“Maybe don’t try to kidnap my boyfriend, then?”  Meredith countered, sounding as smug as she could.  “He’s chosen me multiple times.  Why don’t you go get your own little man if you want one so much?  Though… I suppose it’ll be hard for you to find a man shorter than you now, won’t it?”

“No, grow me back!” Tanisha screamed again.  “You know he’s stuck at that size, right?  I had time to practice with the people I shrank after I passed on your ‘growing’ bullshit.  I found a way to make their sizes permanent unless the person who does it breaks the limiter.  No one can make him bigger except for me, and I won’t do it unless you make me seven feet tall again!”

Meredith laughed and shoved Tanisha back.  “He literally told me on the ride over here that he wants to be small all the time,” she said.  “You’ve got no leverage this time, volleybitch.  Hope you’re good at playing center, because you’re going to college on a volleyball scholarship at five feet tall.”

“Fine then.  If you don’t grow me back I’ll smash him!” Tanisha cried.  “I may be small, but he’s a lot smaller than me!”

Meredith laughed.  “You’d have to get through me first!” she replied.  “Go ahead, try it.  I can always make you smaller.”  She reached forward with one arm, grabbing Tanisha in a headlock, then leaning down toward me.  Her thumb and forefinger gently settled around my sides, then she plucked me off the carpet.  Slowly she lifted me from the ground while Tanisha struggled against her headlock, trying to manage both of us.  My comfort was more important to her than Tanisha’s however, and I got a nice, slow elevator ride while she strained against someone much stronger than her.

When she finally had me at chest level, Meredith gave me a long, serious look.  “Guess you got what you wanted after all, huh?” she said.  “Don’t even have to write a letter.  That’s fine, though.  I’ll take care of you for as long as you’ll let me.”

“Ugh, you made me puny, do I have to stay here for your mushy bullshit?” Tanisha protested. 

Meredith snapped her head to the other person she was holding.  “And you!  Don’t you have a party to get back to hosting?”  She grinned while Tanisha cringed.  “Normally I’d give you a swirlie or two, but since it’s your house I’ll be lenient.”  She pulled Tanisha down the stairs, and despite all her struggling she could not break free of Meredith’s grip.

At the bottom, Meredith pushed Tanisha toward the nearest group of people.  “Have fun!” she said.  “I’m sure your friends will like you just as much now!”  Then she turned and started walking toward the door.

“Hey, Meredith?” I piped up, and she stopped.  “I want to stay a while.  This is the first party I’ve ever been to where people didn’t start playing Dungeons and Dragons halfway through.”

Meredith gave me a tender look and smiled.  “If you want to, then we will,” she said, and headed back toward the party.  Unsurprisingly Tanisha ignored her for the rest of the night, but Meredith had a good time making the “figurine” disappear as I ran up her sleeve.  More importantly, we had access to Tanisha’s special drink, but more than anything we had each other.