Max
decided to skip his second evening lecture in a row. And I used to
be such a good student, he thought, pulling into the driveway at
Bill’s house. After a long day at the lab, he needed to just kick
back, relax, and be in the company of friends.
The
door wasn’t locked, and he let himself in. Loud music came blaring
from the living room. Tara and Melinda were playing Rock Band – a
pretty hard song by the look of it. He decided to let them finish.
Melinda, on lead guitar, was staring intently at the deluge of notes
cascading down the screen. Tara clutched the microphone tightly,
singing into it with all the passion she could muster.
The
song ended, and Max clapped for them. “Encore! Encore!”
The
girls laughed. Tara took a bow, and crossed the room to hug him.
“Wow, twice in one week. You must’ve missed us.”
“You
might say that,” he answered. “Where’s Bill tonight? I didn’t
see his car in the driveway.”
“Oh,
he finally got up the courage to ask out that secretary that’s
always making eyes at him,” Tara replied, feigning a swoon. “He
told us not to wait up.” Just as expected, Tara was indeed two
inches taller than her natural height. The girl now stood a very
respectable five foot five. It also seemed as if the drug had given
her a small, permanent boost to her muscle tone. “Looking good
there, kid,” he said, giving her forearm a little squeeze. “The
gym is already doing you some good.”
Tara
made a face. “Gym...don’t even mention that word around me. I’m
so sore that I can barely move.” She turned gingerly, and
retrieved her microphone. “I sure could’ve used all that
strength I had the other night. But when I woke up, I looked like
this. It’s not bad, I GUESS,” she conceded, looking herself up
and down. “But damn, I miss being six feet plus...that was
something else. What about that girl, the one who took the stuff
first? What’s her name...Lily?”
Lily.
At the mention of the name Max’s face fell. “You mean was she
taller than normal?” he asked. “Yeah, she was. Hey, do you guys
mind if I play too? I’ll take the drums.” Max picked up the
pair of sticks off the shelf, and started to pull the kit into place.
He
stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Melinda. “Max,
is everything okay?”
“I’m
fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”
Melinda
looked at him skeptically. “You’re sure? We’re here if you
want to talk.” Tara was beside her now, nodding agreement.
“Well....”
Before
he knew it, the whole sordid affair was spilling out of him. Max
held nothing back – Lily's new height, the plan to find a way to
reproduce the drug, how he had asked the girl on a date, their
romantic interlude, and its bitter ending. It took him the better
part of an hour, and when he had finished he was surprised to find
that he felt a little better.
“Wow,
what a bitch,” Tara said. If Max had been expecting the girl to be
upset by the news that he was interested in someone else, he was
disappointed. She fished a pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket,
lit one.
“Yeah
Max. I know opposites attract and all,” Melinda said, plucking the
cigarette out of Tara’s mouth and snuffing it in the ashtray. “But
from what you’ve told us about this Lily girl, she seems totally
wrong for you. Why would you want anything to do with her?”
He
rubbed his eyes, scowling. “God, I don’t know. She’s...I
guess she’s like a mosquito bite. Irritating, and when she’s
around you just wish she was gone. Still, there’s just something
about her. I really...umm....”
“...want
to scratch her?” Tara supplied, concealing a smirk.
“Whatever,
the analogy breaks down. But you see what I’m getting at.”
“I
do.” Melinda sat down next to him, and took his hand. “Matters
of the heart are always complicated. If I had any advice, it would
be not to worry so much. It’s usually the heart that makes the
decision, anyway. The head just gets in the way.
“And
if you light that, I’m going to make you eat it,” she added,
without changing expression or looking over her shoulder. Tara had
another cigarette pursed between her lips, lighter halfway to the
tip.
“How
do you DO that!?” she cried, jamming the smoke back into the pack
and throwing it across the room.
“Intuition.
Look Tara, I know it’s hard. But if you keep sucking down those
cancer sticks, you’re never going to make any progress at the gym.
How do you expect to keep up with me on the track if you can’t even
breathe?”
“I
know, I know. I’m just so jittery.” Tara held out her hand,
demonstrating. “Today has been a nightmare. My whole body aches.
And....” She paused, glancing at Max. “And...everyone at the
gym looks so fucking good. You should see the bodies on these girls!
I’m like, the weakest person in there by far, and it’s
embarrassing.”
A
crazy idea was beginning to form in Max’s head. “But it’ll be
easier once you get a little stronger. Right?”
Tara
rolled her eyes. “Of COURSE it will. It’s just that...it’s
going to take months before I’ll be able to compete. I don’t
know if my will power is going to last that long.”
Max
looked at his friend slyly. “If that’s the situation, then maybe
I have something to get you over the hump. You know, help you put on
a little muscle, literally overnight? Let you reach those health
food cereals they put on the top shelf at the grocery story?”
Tara
was on her feet, grinning from ear to ear. Max was sure that, if
she’d had a tail, it would’ve been wagging furiously. “REALLY?
CAN I?”
“No,”
Melinda said flatly.
“Oh
come on!” Tara cried. “That’s SO unfair!”
“It’s
cheating. You’re cheating nature.”
“Well
wait a minute. That protein stuff you made me drink, that’s
supposed to ‘boost your metabolism and help you get more from your
workout.’ THAT’S not cheating nature?”
“I...that’s
different,” Melinda said, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.
“Hey,
matter of fact, you have a whole cabinet full of stuff you take to
help you stay in shape. Creatine, multivitamins...how is that any
different? Except maybe that my stuff could actually WORK.”
Melinda
sighed, covering her face with her hands. “Just one dose?” she
asked, sounding utterly defeated.
Tara
nodded. “One dose.”
Now
where had Max heard THIS conversation before?
He
started to prepare the serum for Tara, while she scampered off to her
bedroom to change. Melinda sat down next to him. “Are you sure
it’s a good idea to indulge her like this?” she asked quietly.
A
minuscule drop of liquid fell from the syringe onto the blotter
paper. “I don’t see why not. If she wants to be taller and
stronger, that’s her prerogative. And like she said, this will
help her stay motivated with her workout routine.”
Melinda
shook her head. “It just doesn’t seem fair. I mean...I had to
work, and sweat, and bleed for every ounce of muscle I’ve got. And
you...you’re just handing it to her on a silver platter.”
“You
know...YOU could take it, too,” he said. He held up the vial for
her to see. “Yeah, why not? A couple more inches might make you a
little more intimidating when you go on patrol. People you pull over
will be less likely to hassle you. Plus the mystery bonus! You
could get muscle like Tara, or maybe bigger tits, or...or anything!”
Melinda
eyed the test tube, her lower lip beginning to quiver. “I....”
“Ta-da!”
Tara cried, re-entering the room. She wore a loose-fitting fuzzy
blue robe, the garment open in the front and tied with a matching
sash. “Ready to get the party started?” She paused, looking
back and forth from Max to Melinda. “I didn’t interrupt
anything, did I?”
“Nothing
worth mentioning.” Melinda stood quickly, and picked up the dose
that Max had prepared. “So come on already, are you going to take
this stuff or aren’t you?”
“Um,
duh!” Tara snatched the blotter paper from Melinda’s hand, and
stuffed it into her mouth. A slight grimace as the pain washed over
her, and then the changes began.
“God,
this is the best feeling in the world,” she groaned as her head
inched toward the ceiling. Melinda stepped back to give the growing
girl some room, but Tara caught her by the shoulder. “No Mel, stay
right here next to me. I want to watch everything shrink around me –
especially you.”
Tara
had started the day five full inches shorter than Melinda. Only a
few seconds into her transformation, she had nearly closed that gap.
Her arms snaked further and further out of her sleeves; the sash of
her nightgown pulled taut. She moaned in ecstasy, catching Melinda
in a rough embrace, her height surging. Now the girls were the same
height...then the top of Melinda’s head only came up to Tara's
forehead...to her eyes...the tip of her nose.
By
now Tara’s muscles were starting to show some serious definition.
Her arms were plumping, her legs becoming thick and powerful. The
last bit of paunch on her stomach had evaporated, replaced by the
lines and contours of a perfect six-pack. The girl crowed her
approval, squeezing Melinda even tighter as she continued to grow.
After
what seemed an eternity, the process came to a stop, and Tara
released her friend. Melinda backed away quickly, rubbing her
shoulders where the taller girl had been gripping.
“Wow
Max, went a little overboard on the dosage, didn't you?” Tara
asked, giving him an approving wink. “Not that I mind of course.”
To
his knowledge he hadn't, though he saw what she meant. Tara was at
least a hand taller than her friend – about six and a half feet,
Max guessed, and more than a foot taller than she had been
previously. He had expected a gain of nine, or perhaps ten inches at
maximum. The bath robe she wore now looked incredibly tight and
risque on her expanded frame: the skirt stopped just a few inches
below her crotch, and its v-neck opening had spread wide enough to
reveal a huge portion of her stomach and most of her chest.
Tara
grinned down at them. “Hey Mel, I’ve got an idea. How about
another round of arm wrestling.” The girl began to stretch, her
outfit utterly failing to protect her modesty. “Double or nothing
this time?”
“Double
or nothing?” Melinda repeated, uncomprehending.
“Mmmhmm,”
Tara answered, an evil smile pasted on her lips. “If you win, you
get to make me do something even WORSE than go to that wretched gym
of yours. But if I win....”
“I’d
have to take TWO doses of the serum?” Melinda finished, her eyes
going wide.
Tara
nodded. “Oh, but it’s okay if you want to chicken out. I mean,
if big scary Melinda doesn’t think she has a chance against poor,
weak little Tara....” The amazon girl laughed cruelly.
“Agreed.”
Melinda looked nervous, but there was a thin smile of anticipation
on her face, as if she was looking forward to the challenge. She
pointed up at her friend. “If I win, you have to quit smoking.
For good. Besides that...we’re doing ten miles on the track
tomorrow. And if you can’t finish, you have to give me a foot
rub.”
Tara’s
face twisted in horror. “Before, or after you shower?”
Melinda
grinned back. “What do you think?”
The
taller girl cracked her knuckles. “Alright then, you’re on.”
She sat down at the kitchen table. Melinda joined her.
“This
time, we’re going to let Max count it down. No cheating.”
Melinda glared up at her friend.
Tara
laughed. “Please – I don't NEED to cheat anymore. I’m going
to stomp you into the ground, little girl.”
Max
placed one hand over the girls’ clasped palms. “Everybody
ready?” he asked. “Okay. One. Two. THREE!”
Both
girls grunted in exertion as they threw themselves into combat. Tara
quickly gained a small advantage, but Melinda was able to push her
back to neutral. Their arms shook. Sweat dripped from their faces,
smacking against the table in a staccato of audible, wet slaps.
Seconds ticked by, then a full minute. Veins were popping along
Tara’s neck, and Melinda was gasping for air. Still, neither side
could break the stalemate.
Finally,
Max saw Tara’s arm beginning to slip toward the table. Panicked,
the oversized girl fought back with everything she had, and still
couldn’t manage to slow her inevitable defeat.
Just
then, Melinda caught Max’s eye. She stared at him for a moment and
then, as plain as day, she winked at him. At that moment Tara
started to climb back into the contest. Melinda’s arm was pushed
further, further...and then, with a heavy thud, her arm crashed onto
the table.
“I
WON!” cried Tara, jumping up from her chair and doing a triumphant
turkey trot. “I can’t believe it, I beat you!”
“Good
match,” Melinda said breathlessly, extending her hand.
Tara
grasped it firmly, and the two opponents shook. “You did great.
Maybe one of these days I’ll be some competition for you at NORMAL
size.”
“Not
any time soon,” Melinda said, laughing. “Especially because MY
normal size is about to get much, much bigger. Isn’t that right,
Max?”
He
nodded, already preparing the serum. “Let’s see, one dose is
about one-hundred fifty nano-liters...so...three-hundred is...GOT
IT!” Max handed the paper to Melinda, looking at her skeptically.
“You’re sure about this? I mean, you can still back out if you
want. You always said five foot ten was tall enough for you.”
“It
was a decision of the heart,” she said, and gave him a significant
smile. “It knows what it wants, and I listen.”
Max
nodded. “I understand.”
“I
think you do,” she said. Melinda took a deep breath, and dropped
the wad of blotter paper into her mouth.