It was their second day of school. Hebe waited in semi-darkness for Elaine to return. She had joined an intramural volleyball team. At first she was nervous to do so, since Hebe obviously couldn’t compete or join, but they were glad to have a restful time before their class (they only had one on Tuesdays). Elaine had carefully positioned her backpack so that Hebe could have a fair amount of room to move around and locked it safely in her locker. She had left her phone for Hebe to use to listen to music or watch videos or whatever, so Hebe wasn’t too bored.

              Hebe was in the middle of a boring but weirdly entrancing video about the airline industry when they heard the doors of the locker room open and a dozen or so women came in to gather their things, mixing and mingling all the while. Hebe could make out Elaine’s voice and could tell that she was talking to one of the girls on her team. At first, they weren’t all that interested in their conversation, but when they heard their name mentioned a few times they became curious. They paused the video and exited the backpack through the gap in the zipper Elaine had left for them and peeked through the slits of Elaine’s locker. Quickly, they turned bright red and turned away: they had not stopped to consider that this was a locker room and people were changing. They waited until they were certain most people were decent, and checked again.

              From the locker, Hebe could make out Elaine and a few others. Hebe could see that Elaine was looking slightly up in front of them as she talked. They adjusted their position so that they could see who else was there. Though her height made it difficult to fully see her from Hebe’s position, they could at least tell that they were much taller than Elaine, who stood at about 5’5”. All they could see currently was the woman’s volleyball shoes, the size of which far dwarfed Elaine’s own, her short black athletic shorts, and up to her back, where long bright pink hair fell in two neat braids down to her lower back.

              Hebe continued to try to adjust their position to get a better look at the person, but before they could, the two walked over to the locker Hebe was in. Not wanting to seem like a creep. Hebe leapt back into Elaine’s backpack just as the locker door opened.

              “They should be somewhere in here,” Elaine said to the woman standing with her.

              “I can’t wait to meet them!” a loud, energetic and bubbly voice responded. Hebe pressed the power button with some effort and made their way to the front of Elaine’s backpack just as she undid the rest of the zipper.

              “Oh my god hello!” said the woman with pink hair, bending over to get a better look at Hebe. Her eyes were bright blue and the teeth that formed her wide smile were perfectly straight. Hebe didn’t want to be rude, so they didn’t mention it, but they could smell the sweat from the two, poorly concealed by dollar store deodorant.

              “Hebe, this is Sarah. Sarah, Hebe,” Elaine said, politely introducing the two. “I met Sarah today at practice, we mostly bonded over some anime we’re both into.”

              “It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you!” Sarah and Elaine laughed. Sarah pondered for a moment before gently outstretching her palm toward Hebe. As she did this, she looked back at Elaine and said, “you don’t mind, do you?”
              “By all means!” Elaine responded. Hebe shot Elaine a scowl for answering for them, and Elaine took the hint, “er, with their permission, of course.”

              Sarah looked expectantly at Hebe. They sighed and obliged the pink haired woman’s request, climbing step by step onto the woman’s incredibly long fingers. With less care than Elaine usually took, Sarah brought Hebe up to her eyeline as she stood up straight. The change actually made Hebe a little nauseous: the only person they’d been picked up by in years was Elaine, but Sarah was at least seven inches taller than her, which at Hebe’s size was nothing to sneeze at.

              “Oh my god, you look-“ she cut herself off, “-uh, you look great! I love your top!” Hebe could tell Sarah was about to say cute, but they at least appreciated the effort to be respectful.

              “Thanks, got it online,” said Hebe, speaking up for the first time in this whole interaction. Sarah tried to conceal an obvious squeal by closing and covering her mouth. Strangely enough, Sarah’s behavior didn’t bother Hebe as much as Izzy's had. They could tell from Sarah’s tone and body language that this was coming from a place of genuine admiration, rather than a place of humiliation or objectification. Hebe suspected she acted this way with many of her girlfriends. Their size was part of it, sure, but Sarah was being genuine.

              “So, do you ladies - and, uh, theydies? - have time to go get coffee?” Hebe laughed at the nickname. It wasn’t their favorite term, but Sarah was making an effort to be inclusive, which they appreciated.

              “I’m down!” said Hebe. This elicited a big smile from Sarah and she looked toward Elaine, who nodded in agreement. “Great! Let’s get changed first. I wasn’t expecting a mile run on the first day.” Sarah held Hebe out for Elaine to take, but Elaine looked to Hebe and said “why don’t you hold onto them? I’m sure they’ll be fine without me for just a minute. Right Hebe?”

              Hebe’s mind immediately returned to their encounter with Rose and they hesitated. But Hebe could see that Sarah was taking much more gentle care than Rose had, and didn’t detect any malice, so they shrugged and responded, “I guess, if that’s what you want.” Hebe was also made more comfortably by the fact that this would only be a minute and Elaine would be within shouting distance if anything happened.

              Elaine beamed. “Great!” And with that, she skipped off to one of the showers with her gym bag in hand...

              “What do you think that was about?” Sarah asked Hebe.

              “Oh, uh. Elaine has been telling me I need to socialize more. Clearly it’s not super easy at my stature.” Said Hebe, turning on Sarah's wide cupped palm to face her. Sarah laughed and brought Hebe down to the bench which sat in between the rows of lockers for them to depart.

              “I get that. I’m gonna rinse off really quick before we head out.” said Sarah. Hebe nodded in understanding. Sarah pulled her gym bag out of her locker and set it on the bench a safe distance away from Hebe. She pulled out a pair of green overalls, a pair of artsy socks with flamingoes on them, a pair of normal black tennis shoes, and a plain white top, and set it all in a pile before bending down to untie her volleyball shoes.

              “Quite the fit you’ve got there,” said Hebe in a mocking tone. Sarah laughed and responded, “yeah, I get that a lot. I just buy what I like from thrift stores, and it doesn’t usually match. Not a lot fits me.” Hebe could understand the sentiment of clothing-size being difficult, though probably in a much different way.

              Between the bag and Hebe, Sarah placed her orange volleyball shoes and sports socks. Hebe covered their nose covertly. The smell wasn’t overwhelming, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant. Sarah didn’t seem to notice.

              “Be right back!” assured Sarah before grabbing a towel and her change of clothes and walking off to the shower rooms.

              Hebe was left alone to their devices in the locker room, and started to looked around to pass the time. They were sitting on a wood bench, though it felt more like plastic, and on either side of the bench stood medium-sized green steel lockers, which were numbered. There wasn’t much else of note in here. Finally, Hebe’s eyes fell to rest on Sarah’s huge shoes and socks. The shoes could have easily been a men’s size 13, and Hebe guessed Sarah often had to buy men’s shoes. Elaine’s shoes were often easy enough to climb onto in one jump, but Sarah’s would have been a challenge. Not that that was something Hebe wanted to do, they thought, shaking their head. But the more time passed, the more they felt drawn toward them. This was not the first time they had felt this, but it certainly wasn’t a welcome feeling. After at least eight minutes, Hebe could still hear the water running. They gave in with a sigh and crept over to Sarah’s white tube socks and felt them. They were still pretty moist, presumably from sweat. They were large enough that just the foot section could have fit maybe twenty of Hebe into each, if they packed in tight enough. They shook their head to try to rid themself of this unwelcome thought, but the opening of the sock was enticing.

              Just as Hebe was getting some bad ideas, they heard a loud “All done!” Sarah’s shout startled them so bad they fell backwards. Sarah noticed them exploring her shoes and laughed. “Yeah, I know, they’re huge. Probably even moreso for you!” Hebe was relieved Sarah hadn’t assumed anything weird about finding Hebe there. She picked up her shoes and socks and shoved them back into the bag before extending her hand once more for Hebe to join her. When they got on, Hebe noticed that Sarah smelled much better than when they’d met a few minutes ago, and the smooth skin on her palm was soft and warm. It smelled like she’d used lavender lotion or something before they left, and it was pleasant. Elaine joined the two not long after. The three walked to a coffee shop just a block and a half off of the main campus, discussing the latest episode of whatever shows they were watching. Sarah told the two about some interesting podcasts she was listening to, some of which had strangely specific topics for any medium of entertainment. Elaine said “oh, we should check those out!” lying, of course. No one ever actually checks out the podcasts you recommend.

              The three found a table for them to sit at. It was early afternoon, so the coffee shop had patrons, but wasn’t bustling like it might be in the morning. After they had ordered, Sarah put her stuff down and went to the bathroom, leaving Elaine and Hebe alone.

              “Sooooo,” said Elaine, “what do you think about her?”

              “What do I- what?” Hebe asked, confused.

              “Not like, romantically or whatever, just, as a… companion?”
              “That is possibly the least normal way you could have said friend.” Hebe said, rolling their eyes.

              “Okay whatever, I just… What do you think?”

              “Is it important what I think?” said Hebe. They saw Elaine take offense to that, and quickly added, “no no I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean – why are you looking for my approval?”

              Elaine frowned. “You’re my best friend, we’ve been together for like almost a decade! Why shouldn’t I consult you?”

              “Yeah, that makes sense I guess. I just don’t…” Hebe looked down and thought about what they wanted to say. “Sometimes… I don’t know, I feel like I a burden. Especially on your social life…”

              Elaine was shocked and reached out to scoop their friend up in a big hug. Hebe found themself pressed between Elaine’s palms and her chest. “Sweetie! No! It’s nothing like that!” She was tearing up a bit, but she held it back. She didn’t want to make Hebe feel even worse. “Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have a social life at all.”

              Hebe laughed and hugged Elaine back, to the best of their ability. “I guess you’re right.” The two enjoyed the moment together, before Hebe finally answered Elaine’s original question: “I mean, she seems super nice, and friendly, and…. tall.” Hebe shrugged and Elaine laughed.

              “Do you think we should invite her over?” Elaine said, setting Hebe back down on the table and resting her arm.

              “God, only if you fucking clean up first,” said Hebe, and punching Elaine’s elbow, “It’s literally a fucking bomb test grounds in there,” they said between laughing fits. Elaine didn’t find it as funny, but smirked anyways at how funny Hebe seemed to think it was.

              “You’re riiiight, but I have to clean up after two! It takes time!” she objected.

              “Elaine I’m THREE INCHES TALL! What kinds of messes could I POSSIBLY make!” Hebe’s stomach was hurting from laughter at this point and they tried to catch their breath.

              “Small ones!” Elaine said, joining the laughter finally. “They’re hard to see!”

              Sarah returned while the two were in an uncontrollable laughing fit, tears in both of their eyes. She looked confused, but smiled. “Uhh, what did I miss?” she asked, but the two were too busy laughing to respond.

              “Uh, alright,” Sarah said and chucked nervously. At that point, the barista arrived with their order, which was two milk coffees and a coffee cake. The barista looked at Hebe and asked, “uhm, did you get anything ma’am- or, sir- uh-“

              “It’s fine, I’m sharing,” Hebe interrupted. They unhooked a plastic bottle which probably held less than two milliliters from their belt loop and held it out to Elaine, who took it gently, dipped it in her coffee, and handed it back. Sarah watched this ritual with adoration on her face.

              “It must be hard living with a big person like Elaine. Or at the very least weird. How do y’all do it?” Sarah said, watching the two interact as naturally as two people of the same height would.

              “Oh, it’s a lot of trial and error.” explained Elaine as she took a bite of the coffee cake.

              “And yeah, a lot of weird,” Hebe added

              While she was chewing, Elaine moved a crumb in front of Hebe with her fork. “Some stuff doesn’t ever get less weird, like it’s really hard for Hebe to comfortably go to the bathroom. We made something work, like a tiny little toilet that kinda flushes, but if we don’t empty the tank it's connected to regularly it starts to smell. Just small stuff like that, stuff you take for granted when you’re our size.”

              “Yeah, and I sleep in a shoe,” said Hebe with a mouthful of coffee cake crumble. Sarah found that very amusing.

              “The little old theydie that lived in a shoe,” she snorted, almost spilling her coffee.

              “Hahaha, never heard that before,” Elaine rolled her eyes.

              The three continued on with the banter for a few minutes while they all finished their drinks. When the conversation lulled a bit, Elaine spoke up.

              “Hey, I was thinking,” she said, swirling her straw around in her drink, “or, Hebe and I were thinking- we should have you over some time this week.” Elaine was very timid, but seemed determined to make at least this one friend. “It’s not much, but we can make burritos or something and just hang out. We have Hulu!”

              “That sounds like so much fun! Uhmm I’m busy tomorrow but maybe Thursday?”

              “Sounds good to us!” the roommates said in unison.

. . .

              Elaine and Hebe were talking about plans for the week on the bus ride home from campus. They were excited to hang out with Sarah, but it would be Hebe’s only new friend since at least middle school, so they were a little nervous. While they were discussing things they could do with their new friend, the bus stopped again to let on a few people, including someone both roommates now recognized: a girl with wavy black shoulder length hair and a nose ring. Their conversation quickly ended and Elaine did her best to conceal Hebe, who was sitting on her lap, with her hands. Last time, the girl was already on the bus when the two boarded, so they could easily keep their distance. This time, however, she walked leisurely to the back of the bus where the two were sitting and sat on the seat directly across the aisle from them. Elaine discretely opened and closed her legs, allowing Hebe to fall through the gap. Hebe now found themself in a dark space with little room to move, pressed between the fabric of Elaine’s pants and the hard plastic of the seat.

              Elaine watched the woman carefully. She didn’t look back to meet Elaine’s glances, but Elaine could tell she was paying attention to her. She was so focused on the woman that she almost missed their stop. She pulled the chord to request a stop, and as naturally as she could, picked Hebe up with her right hand in the same instant she stood up. Though the movement was fast and concealed, as Elaine passed she found the stranger glancing in her direction.

              Once the two were off the bus, Elaine let Hebe rest on her shoulder, but not before glancing around to see if they had any other “admirers.”

              “What was that about?” Hebe insisted while fixing their clothes and short blonde hair which had gotten jostled in the commotion.

              “That girl, have you met her before?” asked Elaine with concern in her voice.

              “Not really, but she was staring at me in class.”
              Elaine looked to Hebe with fear and confusion. “Class?”
              "Yeah, she’s in our American political history class, she sat pretty much at the opposite side of the room but at the end of class she started walking over just before we left.”

              Elaine bit her lip and started walking home. “I don’t know,” she said, looking straight ahead as she walked. “She just gives me the heebie jeebies.”