PT 1

As the boys, who were best friends, got off the bus, their journey began. Greg Walker and AJ Barnett had a closeness that was unbreakable. Both were only children, sons of fathers who were also best friends,as well as co-workers at the coal mine that was the lifeblood of Ridgemont, an old fashioned town just a stone’s throw from the mine itself.

Greg was fairly tall for a six year old, standing 4’2”, easily the biggest kid in his grade. AJ was also fairly tall, around 3’10”. And when they got off the bus, they entered and were directed by a group of teachers as to where to go.

The class of first grade consisted of 24 students, equally divided between girls and boys. Greg and AJ didn't know a lot of the students. Many had moved in during the summer. It seemed that a lot of their parents worked for the mine. His dad had mentioned that the mine was expanding, as more and more coal was being discovered. 

But, the newer kids all seemed very nice, and as the school year unfolded, the class became tight. Greg and AJ never had to move. Ridgemont was their home. But they had friends in kindergarten that had to leave mid year, due to the dads being transferred to another mine within the company. 

Greg's parents, Tom and Debbie Walker, had tried to explain about what work was like, and how sometimes people had to leave and that there was nothing that could be done about it. The best he could do would be to try and make the new students welcomed, because moving was also tough on them. 

So Greg did his best. And the new students appreciated the effort Greg made. He soon became the most popular student in his class, always there to help, lighten a mood with a joke, and always respectful to the teachers. 

Unknown to students in first grade, on Halloween day itself, the world was informed of a new formula that would improve the quality of life for those who would take it. The GH-X2 formula. And details emerged that the formula could only be administered to children aged 6, with another dose at aged 11. Nobody was really sure what would happen, or what the true side effects were. The government insisted that the formula was safe, and had pamphlets printed touting the health benefits. Greater resistance to disease, more stamina, a slight increase in height. The lab responsible for creation of formula had stated that clinical trials involving mice improved their health and energy, but some mice grew slightly bigger, some stayed the same. 

But no mice ever died, and clinical trials on humans were used as the template. Given to adults at first, it really didn't do anything to help prevent illness, or increase stamina. Eventually the testing subjects became younger and younger, and the lab conducted extensive tests to ensure every variable was accounted for. The results were staggering. When administered to children as young as six, there was an increase in height by about a foot compared to children of the same age. The exact difference varied from male to female, and who there bodies handled the formula. When a second dose was administered around age 11, the height of the test subjects were off the chart. Males could grown, on average, a little over 2x the size of the average adult male, while females grew to an average of 2x the size of the average adult male. So the formula was made available to the public, and the lab that developed it stressed that they would work closely with federal, state, and local officials to ensure that society would run as smoothly as possible as the changes occur. The formula would not be cheap.

The dose would be available to children between the ages of 6 and 7. A lot of the older families in Ridgemont were very distrustful of anything from the government, big pharma, and labs promoting wonder cures. They were necessary evils, but otherwise something to be avoided, and many parents opted out, including Greg's and AJ’s, plus a few more students in their class, including two girls named Sophia and Peggy Sue.

Greg had asked his parents about what he heard, and his parents told him that the government offered a formula, developed by a lab, that supposedly made kids healthier. But since Greg was an extremely 

healthy child, his parents told him that he didn't need a formula to make him healthier.

In truth, Greg's parents had watched the news and read the stories of drug companies offering the same type of magic formula that was now being offered. But most of the stories ended with large financial settlements being paid out to the families of the people who took those formulas, and contracted one form of cancer or another and died. And Greg's parents just couldn't bring themselves to put Geg in that situation.

And when Christmas break came, half of the students in class went away to a camp, in order to receive the first treatment. The cost was extremely steep, but parents who had seen seemingly healthy were wrecked by mysterious viruses, so the financial sacrifice was made. 

Christmas break ended, and the rest of the school year flew by. Greg got close to the girl named Sophia, while AJ took a liking to the girl named Peggy Sue. And soon, the four became inseparable, dubbing themselves the Four Musketeers. And in the blink of an eye, the school year was over. Summer vacation brought joy to all students, regardless of age or grade. 

PT 2

Greg, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue were oblivious to the world around them. They were always at each other's houses, watching TV or playing video games. They would even play football together. 

Greg and AJ were best friends, and Sophia and Peggy Sue grew really close also. Like the boys, the girls were only childs, and the group of four were each other's brothers and sisters.

Greg grew another 3 inches, standing 4’6”. AJ grew to 4’1”, while Sophia and Peggy Sue grew to 3’10”. And as the summer grew to a close, the four friends were about to discover that their world was about to change.

Greg caught the bus for the first day of school, and spotting his three friends, made his way to their seats. The four were having fun, and didn't notice anything different about some of the other riders.

Once the bus arrived, they got off they entered the building. And then it hit the four of them. Twelve students, about half the class, and split evenly between girls and boys, were noticeably taller.

Of the six girls who were noticeably taller, 2 were just a couple of inches shorter than Greg's 4’6” height, while the other four were as tall as him. The six boys were over 5’ in height, causing Greg to look up at classmates for the first time in his life. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling. And AJ, Sophia and Peggy Sue couldn't believe what they were seeing. None of them had any idea what had happened, or how their classmates grew so much, but it was clear as day that something wasn't right.

At some point during the day, Greg and his friends found out that their twelve taller classmates had gotten an injection during Christmas break, and as the summer started, they had a growth spurt. But otherwise, the first day was uneventful.

When Greg got home from school, he told his mom Debbie about what happened at school, and a funny look appeared on her face. Greg asked if he could get the injection like his classmates, but all his mom said to him was that since nobody knew what all the side effects were regarding the formula, she and his dad had decided that the risks of the unknown were too great, and that his safety was their top priority.

Greg was disappointed. He heard what his mom had said, but didn't understand how she could say no. He went to his room, and only came out when dinner was ready. By then his dad was home, and Greg's mom told him about Greg's question and her answer. When Greg came to table to sit, his dad asked him about his day. 

Greg relayed all the events of the day, especially about the students who grew over summer, and asked his dad about getting the formula. His dad sat silently, studying Greg's face, and said the same thing his mom had said. The unknown side effects were too much of a risk to Greg's health. He was sorry, but the answer was final. 

After dinner, Greg went to his room, and turned off the light, and went to bed. He was bitterly disappointed that his parents had refused to let him get the formula. He was a little jealous of his classmates, but there was nothing that he could do. It wasn't there fault that their parents did what they did, and it wasn't his parents fault that they put his safety above all.

And as the school year progressed to Christmas break, Greg's came to terms with his parents decision.  The twelve classmates had grown even more. The boys were around 5’9” and the four girls who were as tall as Greg on the first day of school were now taller than him by 9 inches, standing 5’3”. The two girls who were slightly shorter than Greg now stood an even 5’. 

Greg had grown more comfortable with the situation. And his classmates were as nice as ever. Greg liked them, they were funny, and were the same kids that they were in first grade, just bigger. AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue felt the same as Greg. Their parents all instilled in their children the ability to respect people, especially those who were different, and to be kind at all times.

And as the school year raced to the end, the four friends grew closer and closer. The twelve kids who took the formula now were taller than Greg's 4’9” by at least a foot. But summer was here, and so were his friends. The four Musketeers charged into summer vacation.

PT 3

Another summer vacation went quickly. The musketeers were about to enter third grade, and their friendship was growing stronger. Greg's dad said that the mine was expanding, and hiring workers as quickly as the could. And the influx of workers to Ridgemont was reflected by the school enrollment nearly doubling since Greg enter first grade. 

The bus stopped and Greg got on, and seeing his three friends seated near the rear, made a beeline for them. One thing all four noticed was that some of the kids seemed to be getting really tall. Greg grew an inch,, standing at 4’10”, while AJ grew to 4’6”, and Sophia and Peggy Sue were both 4’3”.

As the bus stopped at the school, the principal met all the students outside to welcome them to the school. He informed them that since there was an increase in students, a new school would be built next door, and construction had just started. 

Greg met up with his classmates, and was taken aback. He only came up came up to chest level to the girls, each one 6’3” tall. The boys were nearly two feet taller then Greg, hitting 6’8”. 

Once the shock wore off, Geeg said hi. The boys replied hello back to him, while the girls playfully teased Greg about his height. But it wasn't done with malice, and Greg laughed along with them.

Even though Greg was more comfortable with the sizes of the twelve, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue were starting to feel a little uneasy. They had seen tall people before, but they had been adults. These were their classmates. And they were bigger than most grown ups. And they had a fear that their taller classmates would lose their tempers and do something.

But for now, all was well. They made their way their new classroom. The new school was bigger, and wider, and cleaner. The walls were white, not stained with pencil drawings. The Principal, Joel Skinner, still getting used to looking up to 8 year olds. In fact, there was a private school board meeting after work, and his presence was required.

And once again, the year started to rush towards Christmas break. The twelve had grown a couple of inches. Sophia had wondered how they could afford to buy new clothes every couple of months. But with the mine booming, the employees were making really good money, so buying clothes wasn't much of an issue.

Christmas came and went, and the rest of the year followed the familiar pattern of flying by. The end of school came, and Greg invited his friends over for a cookout. The unbreakable nature of their friendship was something to behold. They hung out every day. Sophia felt close to AJ and Peggy Sue, but she felt closer to Greg. Greg had tremendous sense of humor, and Sophia had the warmest smile that he had ever seen. But they were only going to be 9, so they blushed when teased by AJ and Peggy Sue. 

But the musketeers were friends for life, and could talk to each other about anything, without judgement or snarky comments. And before they knew it, summer vacation was over.

Pt 4

The school year may have ended in late May, but changes were taking place all through Ridgemont. The school board had an open meeting with parents. It was heavily populated by medical personnel. It seems that, although the scientists couldn’t come up with an exact number, by extrapolating the current numbers, there was a great chance that the students that had taken the formula would outgrow both the current school buildings and their homes, and businesses within the town. 

Therefore, it was determined, with state and federal aid, that a new school would be built to accommodate the students’  future height. This meant that doors and desks would have to be built to a future scale. They would decide on sports at a later date.

A vacant plot of land, almost 150 acres in size, was claimed by the town and 100 of those were set aside to start construction on houses that could accommodate the size of the students. And the other 50 acres would be set aside for businesses that were catered exclusively to people of the new size.

And with all but a handful of students below the incoming 4th grade class having taken the formula, serious consideration was given to the idea future segregation of the formula students, as they were referred to currently, and the non formula students. 

Psychologists had raised some red flags about the effect of the formula mixed with the over hyper hormones that kick in during puberty. But for now, school would proceed as normal.

Greg caught the bus, and made his way to AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue. Greg hit a growth spurt, hitting 5’1”, but as he walked to his friends, he noticed that more and more he was almost eye level with the kids that were seated. And it left him feeling small for the first time in his life. AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue had noticed his reaction also, and tried every joke they knew to improve his mood.

It wasn’t until he got off the bus that he saw something that he couldn’t believe. The girls in his class that had taken the formula were now taller than the boys who had taken it. The girls grew to around 6’10” while the boys were 6’8”. Greg thought he would hurt his neck if he had to look up to them for any length of time. 

But what really made Greg feel bad was looking at the class below his. All but six of the students had taken the formula. And as a result, he looked up to everyone who took it. Girls had to be around 6’3” and the boys around 6’6”. In fact they were taller than all the boys in with 8th grade.

And as an ultimate feeling of smallness, he was looking up slightly at the kids in second grade. He had always been the tallest in his class. Now he looked like he was in preschool compared to the third graders. And with the mine hiring more people, his class size went from 24 to 32 students, and every one of them was tall. 

When Greg and his friends got to the classroom, they could see twelve regular sized desks, and twenty four larger desks that had been installed for the other students.

Greg was feeling a little down. AJ, his best friend did what he could to cheer Greg up. But AJ,  didn’t want to admit that he was kind of feeling out of place also. The incredible size of his classmates had left him feeling intimidated. Although not as tall as Greg’s 5’3” height, he nether-the-less was fairly tall for his age at 4’11”. And even Sophia and Peggy Sue were slightly above average for females at this age. Yet, compared to both their classmates and the school kids below them, he stated to wonder how the future would unfold.

PT 5 

The school year started off uneventfully. Their teacher, a middle aged lady known as Mrs Jones, was an old school instructor. The students had to get what she was teaching, or she would call them up to the blackboard and make them go over the problem one step at a time. This was done in front of their classmates as a way to try and shame them into learning. The school board was going to replace her, but held off as they worked on a solution to accommodate the ever increasing size of the formula students.

It just so happened that Mrs Jones was giving a lesson, and one of the formula students, a boy, was having issues with a problem. She called him up to the blackboard, and told him to write out the problem. The boy complied, but even with writing it out, he still couldn’t find the solution. Mrs Jones was losing her patience, and her attitude was becoming snippy. The boy couldn’t get the solution and Mrs Jones gave him the answer in a condescending way. The boys frustration level was already high, and combined with Mrs Jones attitude led him to bring his fist down on her desk out of frustration. 

A loud crack, and there was a hole in the desk. Mrs Jones looked like she was going to faint. The boy meant no harm. It was just that he was extremely upset about the problem, and without thinking, just hit the desk.

Mrs Jones went to get Principal Skinner, and when they returned, told the boy to follow them to the office. The boy’s mother was called, and when she arrived, was informed of the incident. The mother apologized profusely to both Principal Skinner and Mrs Jones. She told them that her son had never done something like that before. 

Principal Skinner thought for a moment, then suggested an apology to Mrs Jones and to pay for the repairs to the desk. The boy’s mom agreed and thanked both of them. The boy apologized, and then returned to class along with Mrs Jones.

Once the boy’s mother left, the the boy and Mrs Jones were back in class, Principal Skinner dialed the number of the Board of Education, and asked to speak with the president, Mrs Barbara Eden. 

When Mrs Eden was on the line, Principal Skinner recounted the events that just transpired. He stressed that the situation was handled satisfactorily. But he also expressed a growing concern, namely that the formula students were growing so big that the long time teachers that were at the school would be unable to handle them in the near future.

Mrs Eden explained that steps were being taken to address this issue. She told him that the lab that created the formula anticipated that this would happen, and of the five thousand children they tested the formula on, almost all of them had expressed an interest in becoming teachers when they grew up. So the lab built a couple of housing developments around the facility, because they realized that as the children grew bigger, the present houses wouldn’t be able to accommodate them. They did this with the understanding that the children would receive a free education if they followed through and became teachers.

And the federal government had searched colleges for students that were tall enough to play basketball, and were at least 6’8”, but weren’t talented enough to make it as a pro, were given incentives to go into the education field. The same offer was made to retired players. 

She told him that she found this out when the Department of Education sent representatives around to each school district to keep them undated and to work out the logistics of moving the new teachers in. She told him an announcement was coming that the following year, the new teachers would exclusively teach 4th grade on up.

Principal Skinner thanked Mrs Eden and hung up the phone. He was in equal parts excited about the new teachers and sad that a lot of long time educators would be out of a job. But the school had no other choice.

Pt 6

The bus stopped at Greg’s house to drop him off, and Sophia decided to go with him. She could sense that Greg was feeling down, and she wanted to make sure he was ok.

Both of them entered through the side door that led through the kitchen and saw Debbie, Greg’s mom, sitting at the table. She said hi to the both of them, and Greg asked her if she could give Sophia a ride home when she wanted to leave. Debbie told them, but that there was a condition. Sophia had to eat dinner with them. After that, Sophia called her mom and said that she would be eating at Greg’s house, and after a couple of  I love you’s, hung up the phone.

Sophia and Greg made their way back outside, and sat on the steps. They talked about the incident at school. Both of them put the blame squarely on Mrs Jones, who they felt should have been nicer and more understanding. 

The boy in question was a little on the shy side, and never displayed any sort behavior or disrespect that would have foretold what he did. They also tried to put themselves in his place. They had seen really tall people, mostly basketball players. But those people were adults. Here, they had a adult sized nine year old, growing up in a world that wasn’t really built for them at their age. They knew about the new houses, and the stores that catered specifically towards people of that size, but they thought it would make them feel like outcasts.

But they also quietly discussed the incident again, this time with them being in the wrong place, wrong time if ever such an outburst would occur again. Greg was really tall for his size, but compared to the formula students, he only came up to their chests. His size would be useless.

The two must have talked for hours, because next thing they knew, Debbie announced that supper was ready. The two went in, and saw Greg’s dad Tom sitting at the table. They said there hellos, and cleaned up for dinner.

After dinner was over, Greg went with his mom to drop Sophia off, and after a brief chat with her mom, drove home. Greg kept thinking about Sophia, and how she always made him feel good just by being around. He hoped that they could remain friends for the rest of their lives. But once home, he showered and went to bed.

The school year progressed quickly. Christmas break was upon them. The Formula kids kept growing. The boys grew about a foot, and now stood around 7’8”, while the girls grew about six inches, standing around 7’4”. Greg barely came up to the girls mid section, and it was a little unnerving. But the formula kids were still nice to their smaller classmates, so the feeling would disappear.

The year was flying by. May arrived, signaling 3 more weeks before summer vacation started. On the next to last day of school, Principal Skinner called an assembly in the gym, both to announce the retirements of Mrs Jones, and the teachers of grades 5 through 8, most of them on the older side, to inform the student body that when the new school year started, classes would be in the new building that had been completed on the site of the old one. And he let them know that it will be a big adjustment to them, but that they should enjoy their summer.

At some point during the assembly, Greg noticed a girl in the second grade just staring at him. He didn’t know what her name was, but it felt really strange. He tried to ignore the girl, but she just kept staring at him. And thankfully for him, the assembly was over, and back to their classroom they went. Summer vacation was so close, and Greg and his friends couldn’t wait.

Pt 7

Summer started with an idea among the musketeers. They would set up tents in Greg’s backyard and have sleepovers outside during the summer. And they really enjoyed it, until a thunderstorm hit one night and blew the tents down. The four of them raced into Greg’s kitchen looking like they had just swam in Ridgemont Lake fully clothed. Greg’s mom made them hot chocolate and they shared a laugh at their experience. They had turned 10 within a month of each other, and would start 5th grade come August. 

And when the bus stopped to pick up Greg, the year officially began. But even after growing to 5’6”, which was extremely tall for a normal 10 year old, when Greg was making his way to where his three friends he found himself eye level with a couple of girls seated. Greg recognized them as being a grade below his, and he felt small on the inside.

The bus pulled into the lot of the new school building, and a set of tables were out front with school staff taking attendance and passing out key cards for the students. It was explained that the cards would open the doors outward towards them, so they needed to pay attention or risk injury. Greg was the first of his friends to get his card and moved off to the side as to not get in the way. It was then that girl who was staring at him during the assembly came up to him and wanted to know his name. She may have been in third grade, but she was a good nine inches taller than Greg, as the top of his head only came up to her chin. He told her that his name was Greg. She said her name was Candace, and that she thought he was cute. Greg blushed at her description of him, but he thanked her for the compliment, and excused himself as his friends were done getting checked in. Candace told Greg that she would see him later, and left to join her class.

AJ asked Greg who was he was talking to, and Greg told him about what she said. The four friends laughed about it, but unknown to Greg, Sophia only laughed on the outside. She had felt her first pang of jealousy at the thought of Candace talking to Greg.

When they met up with their classmates, it was obvious that the formula kids got taller. The boys were about 8’4”, while the girls were about 7’11”. And they met their new teacher, who himself stood 7’. Mr Steve O’Neal was a former college basketball player who wasn’t quite good enough to turn pro, so he used the government’s financial incentives to become a teacher. 

And he wasn’t the only the one. The new teachers that replaced the ones who retired were all around the same height, and were in a similar situation as Mr. O’Neal.

But the biggest shock was when the got inside the building. The front doors must have been between 15-17 feet in height, and each one was 5ft wide. There were two keypads, one about 4 ft off the ground, the other around 8 ft.

The hallways had higher ceilings than anyone had ever seen, and the new lockers were easily double the height of the old ones.

And then they entered the classroom. There were 12 regular sized desks that were on top of portable platforms that were 3 feet off the ground, and were on the right side of the room . There were twenty large desks, bigger than any ever seen, and they were flushed to the floor. They were located on the left side. Principal Skinner made a point to visit all classrooms personally, and when he got to Mr O’Neal’s, he explained that the new school had to be constructed with the future height of the children who took the formula in mind. They had to project potential sizes when scaling desks, lockers, doors, etc. and that each class going forward would have desks scaled to the students potential heights. And he wished the students well, and then made his way to the 4th grade.

And when the class took their seats, the desks that were situated on platforms helped the regular sized students appear to be level with the formula kids. And with that, the school year began in earnest. 

Although the formula students were at least a foot taller than Mr. O’Neal, his natural height made it easier for the taller students to relate to an adult, and it really helped them relax. And with the mood of the classroom lightened, time flew towards Christmas.

Pt 8

One of the things that was announced at the beginning of the school year was that gym class would be separate. The school board thought that regular sized students interacting with the taller students in any activities that could result in a collision, would cause serious injuries to the regular students. So the decision was made. And for a brief moment Greg didn’t like the idea, until he looked over at his classmates, and decided that the correct decision was made.

As the class headed out to the bus area to start their break, Greg felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Candace walking with him and his friends. She asked him what his plans were for break, and Greg replied that he was going to hang out with his friends, and he pointed to AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue. 

Candace looked at the three, and then asked Greg if he wanted to go to the mall with her. Greg stifled a laugh, and politely declined her request, and told her that he and his friends were going to work on a project over break. Candace looked disappointed, and after looking at the four friends, smiled and said that she would see him later.

And as soon as the four of them were on the bus, Greg, AJ, and Peggy Sue laughed about the scene with Candace. But Sophia wasn’t laughing at all. She sensed what had happened. A third grade girl had developed a puppy crush on an older student. But Sophia wasn’t sure if Candace would understand that Greg wasn’t interested, and Sophia definitely wasn’t sure if she would grow out it.

But the break came an went. And the four of them got off the bus, and headed towards their classroom. And then the mad dash began towards the end of the school year. 

It was clear that by the time May came the formula students had grown even more. The boys were around 8’8” and the girls were around 8’3”. And as they headed towards the bus after the last day, they were joined again by Candace. She was slightly taller than she was at the beginning of the ear, stan hi ding 6’6”, a full foot taller than Greg. 

She asked Greg what he planned to do during the summer, Greg lied and said he and his parents were going to visit an aunt for a month. Candace eyed him, thinking about it, and then said that she would see him later. By now, Greg had sensed what Sophia had sensed earlier. 

And Greg felt a little upset. He was always taught to teach people with respect. But if he came right out and told Candace that he wasn’t interested in being her boyfriend, he could picture her crying, and that made him sad. However, he also didn’t want to lead her on, or giver her the impression that he was interested in her. But he had the summer to come up with a plan.

Pt 9

After turning 11, Greg knew that would start to hit puberty soon. He stood 5’10”. In normal circumstances, he would be the literal big man on campus. But compared to the kids who took the formula, he looked like he was in preschool. And he still had to come up with a solution to Candace, the girl two grades below him that had a crush on him. Normally, Greg would be secretly be honored if a girl had a crush on him, but this girl was two years younger and a foot taller. Greg didn’t like the idea of being with a girl so much taller and bigger than him.

He caught the bus first day of school, and as he was walking to his usual spot at the back of the bus, he noticed that he was looking up at kids that were seated. And he finally noticed that seats had been removed to accommodate the formula students. He never noticed before because he never paid attention. He was strictly interested in being with his friends.

The bus pulled up to school, and the four got off and headed towards the building. As he made his way to towards his classroom, he met Candace in the hallway. He was relieved that she hadn’t grown since the end of the school year. She asked him how his summer trip to his aunt’s house went. Greg forgot about the lie, and eventually stuttered that it was fine. He told her as gently as he could that he thought that she was a very nice girl, but she should hang around kids her age. She looked at him with a hurtful expression on her face, and Greg immediately felt bad. She hadn’t come right and said that she wanted to be his girlfriend, but she did have a crush on him.

A tear formed in her eye, and she turned and ran away. Greg almost started crying himself. If there was one thing that he hated more than anything else in the world was hurting people. The thought of her crying would stay with him the rest of the day. 

Greg made his way to his classroom. He saw that the taller students hadn’t grown at all over the summer, and Greg, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue wondered if they were done all together. What they didn’t know was that as part of the treatment regarding the formula, they needed a second dose, which they received during the summer. 

The school year progressed normally, except that all the students found the tests becoming harder and harder. But as a class, their grades were pretty strong. 

And then before they knew it, Christmas break came. As they walked to the bus, Candace passed Greg and totally ignored him. That was nothing new. Ever since Greg had talked to her on the first day of school, she ignored him. Greg thought that was best for everyone.

Greg spent most of Christmas break hanging with Sophia. Both AJ and Peggy Sue were on family trips. They had been friends since kindergarten, but now, unbeknownst to each other, were starting to feel differently about one another. The feelings of friendship were slowly being replaced by feelings of something else. They weren’t quite sure what those feelings were, but just being around each other made their day brighter.

Once back at school, the time from early January to the end of the year went by as quickly as ever. Soon, they were on the bus heading towards summer vacation.

Greg’s mom took him, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue into town to do a little shopping for the upcoming school year. And as they shopped, the four musketeers talked excitedly about how in one more year, they would be 8th graders, and 8th graders ruled the school, at least that’s what they had been told. Then it was off the high school. 

On the way back, and out of sheer curiosity, Greg asked his mom if they could drive through the section of town that had been built to accommodate his classmates. He had always wondered how they would cope with the changes happening to them, and now was his chance to see.

Greg’s mom, Debbie split left at the fork in the road that led to that new section of town. And a short time later, they were driving down the main road. One thing that they noticed was that the road was extremely wide. They couldn’t get true look at it, but Greg thought that it could fit two tractor trailers side by side in each lane. 

And the new shops were constructed in such a way that it reminded kids of school. Tall, wide doors and windows. And the sidewalks were just like the road, very wide. And there were extremely tall children, some he recognized from school, that were walking with their parents. Greg never fully understood the inner workings of the formula that his classmates had taken, but looking at children ranging from 6’+ to almost 9 ft by his estimate, with normal sized parents walking besides them like they were toddlers was a sight that he would never forget. 

And as they drove through the housing developments that were built, it was like they were built the same as school. Greg kept wondering how the kids parents would live in a house like that. They were obviously built with the size of the children in mind, but if everything was built to scale for the formula kids, how would the parents be able to do anything in the house.

And it seemed that each house had an old delivery style truck in the driveway, the kind that a parcel delivery service would use. Greg wondered what they were for.

Greg's mom had gone silent after driving by the shops. When she saw that the children who were given the formula looked extremely healthy, she was overwhelmed by a sense of guilt. Did she and Greg's dad do the right thing in refusing their son’s repeated requests to receive the formula. She didn't know what the answer was, but the question left her feeling upset.

Pt 10

Debbie was so lost in thought over the formula question that was running through her mind, she didn't realize that she was lost. She couldn't remember what street she should turn down, and just kept driving. Greg, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue didn't realize that they were lost. 

It wasn't until Greg’s mom pulled up to a group of girls walking that they knew what was going on. Debbie lowered the passenger side window and apologized for the interruption, but ask them if they knew how to get out of the development.

Greg's heart sank as a girl turned around and lowered herself to look into the car. It was Candace. And she recognized Greg, and her mood brightened. After her talk with Greg the previous year, she was initially hurt with what he said to her, but she never outgrew her crush on him. And she would ignore him when she saw him in the hallway at school, but secretly glance at him when he was walking to and from the school bus.

She gave Debbie the directions, the reached into the car and put her hand on Greg's arm and said hi. Greg gave an awkward hi back to her, and totally ignoring his three friends in the back seat, said that she would see him in school. She winked at him, then stood up and then went back to her friends.

Greg was horrified. He had spent all of last summer’s break trying to come with words that would gently let Candace down with regards to her crush on him, only to basically tell her to hang around kids her own age.

And when she ignored him afterwards, he felt pretty confident that she would move on to a crush involving someone else. 

But when his mom stopped to ask for directions, and she saw him in the car, Greg wasn't so sure her crush on him lessened in any way. In fact, a troubling thought popped into his mind. What if she took this meeting, as coincidental as it was, as a sign that they were meant to be together. He shuddered at the thought.

His feelings for Sophia had grown, and she and Peggy Sue had developed well defined mounds in their chests. And he hadn't noticed before, but Sophia stood around 5’8”. How could he not notice growth like that?

But summer ended, and Greg got on the bus. He had grown to a height of 6’3” and had a bounce in step. He saw his friends in their usual seats, and made a beeline for them. Even after his growth spurt, he was still looking up at students who were seated. But he didn't care this year. 

And when he saw Sophia, his heart fluttered. She was wearing a little makeup, and she looked like the most beautiful girl in the world to Greg. For the rest of the trip to school, he couldn't take his mind off Sophia's appearance. He had known her since kindergarten, and had developed feelings for her over the past couple of years, but the emotions running through his body right now were completely different. He couldn't explain it, they were just there.

But his feelings for Sophia were halted as soon as he got off the bus. He had stated for a few seconds to chat with the bus driver, so he was the last one off the bus.  Candace met him, and Greg could see that she was wearing makeup, and could smell that she was wearing perfume.

Although he was 6’3”, Candace was still a foot taller than him, his head about 2 inches above her chest. She smiled and took him by the hand and took him over to her friends. Greg tried to remove his hand at first, but it was useless. As tall as he was, her hands were a little bit bigger, and Greg could also feel that they were stronger.

So, against his will, she brought him over and introduced him to her friends, like they were an item. It became apparent to Greg they his worst fears had been realized. Candace took that chance meeting the other week as a sign that Greg liked her and that they should be a couple. 

Greg tried to excuse himself, but the girls ignored him as they kept chatting away. Candace just held his hand in hers.  Candace's friends were as tall as she was, but Greg eventually raised his voice enough that they stopped talking and looked at him. He told Candace that he didn't like her like that, that he had feelings for someone else, and that he needed to get to class.

Candace released his hand, and Greg left to go to his class, but as he was leaving, one of the girls said that Greg was rude, and that Candace shouldn't put with such behavior, and that she should teach him a lesson in manners. And it was said loud enough for Greg to hear, which put a knot in his stomach.

After Greg reached his friends in the hallway, he informed them of what happened with Candace.

They couldn't imagine what he told them, and they could see that he was shaken by the incident.

Pt 11

Greg calmed down enough to realize that the formula students had grown a lot during the summer. The boys had to be around 9’6”, while the girls were about 8’10”. The top of Greg's head fell on the lower end of the area between the girls’ navels, and their chests, which seemed to him to be developing nicely. After a few minutes, they made their way inside their new classroom, and were immediately struck by the sheer size of the desk in front of the blackboard. The top of the desk was almost two feet taller than the top of Greg's head, and there looked to be a four foot platform in front that had five steps leading to the top. Greg also noticed that the platforms that raised the level of the normal students desks were also higher than last year, maybe by two feet. Again a group of five steps led up to their seats.

The bell rang to start the day, and after all the students were seated, the classroom door opened, and in walked Principal Skinner, followed by the most gigantic human the kids had ever seen. Principal Skinner introduced Mr Franks as the new 7th grade teacher. Although Principal Skinner was around 6ft in height, if he stood on his toes like a ballerina, he may have been a couple of inches below the man’s waist. Maybe.

After the principal left the room, Mr Franks smiled, and announced that instead of first period history, the time would be used to have a question and answer session allowing the students to ask him anything, and he would answer as best he could.

AJ asked the obvious question first, which dealt with his height. Mr Franks replied that he was 12’7”. And the following question dealt with how did he grow so tall?

Mr Franks said that he would answer the question, but that he needed to give a brief history lesson first. He explained that when the lab was working on what became the GH-X2 formula, they had run clinical trials on three previous groups. The first group consisted of 25 year olds, and after they were injected, it became apparent that there would be no change in height or any greater resistance to illness.

The second group consisted of 16 year olds, and the results were the same as the first. And the third group consisted of 11 year olds. That group only averaged a 2-3 inch difference to what their normal height would have been. 

The lab, and the federal government poured over the results of the tests to determine what had gone wrong. Their findings indicated that the formula had no effect on the first two groups, as their bodies had essentially stopped growing. For the third group, it was determined that the formula was introduced to close to the onset of puberty to have it's intended effects. The hormones produced during this period basically negated the formula. It was then determined that it needed to be introduced earlier, thereby allowing the body to integrate it into the DNA structure, and by the time a second dose was administered, the body thought of it as a natural condition of the body. It allowed the formula and the hormones produced during puberty to basically sync up and act as one.

The only effect that took the scientists by surprise was they originally, they had projected that men would grow to around 10’ in size, and women would be around 9’.

But the six year olds that took the formula regularly reach heights of around 12’ for males and 11’ for females. But the children were healthy, and showed the desired resistance to illness.

Mr Franks explained that he knew all of this because the lab was very upfront about everything. All the families of the last group were told of all prior test groups and their results, the issues as to why the formula didn't work.

The lab had constructed the housing developments behind the building to allow the families to live there permanently, as they wanted to monitor how the children would adapt to their new sizes. And it would also give the government a better understanding of how to adapt the houses for regular sized family members. A school was also constructed so that the children could learn in what would become a normal sized environment for them. And the children were encouraged to pursue careers in education that would be totally paid for by the government. And that was how he grew so tall and became a teacher.

A girl who had been given the formula ask Mr Fanks if there was a better option for transportation, as the parcel delivery vans that were modified to allow normal sized parents to drive their growing children around. Mr Franks said yes, that better vehicles were about to be offered to the public. He explained that once it became clear to the government that the formula was working, they contacted auto industry to map out the specific measurements for the new vehicles.

But a complication arose. The children were growing taller than there projected heights, which meant the auto manufacturers would have to go back to the drawing board. They would need plants that could build cars for people of great size, and would have to make sure their parts suppliers would be able to meet the new specifications, as every component of the car would have to be scaled about twice their normal size.

And the government rigorously tested the vehicles so they could get a better understanding of the new height, weight, gas mileage and safety issues. And now that was done, the vehicles were about to be offered to the public, many with modifications that can be easily installed to allow a normal sized person to drive.

Final question came from Peggy Sue, and she wanted to know if Mr Franks was married. He said he was, to a woman a little smaller than he was, around 11’5”, and that they were planning on starting a family. But he let all the students know, especially the ones who had taken the formula, that all children, no matter what size their parents were, would be born normal sized. That if they wanted their children to be taller, then they would have to sign up to get them the formula.

And after the Q&A ended, classes began. All the students took an instant liking to Mr Franks. He may have been a giant, but he was down to earth, so that made him a friendly giant.

Pt 12

As the school day ended, Greg, AJ, Sophia, and Peggy Sue headed for the bus area. At least until Greg's hand was grabbed by Candace, who drug him to where her friends were. Greg tried desperately to struggle free, but it was no use, she was too strong.

As soon as Candace grabbed Greg, Sophia made a beeline for Mr Franks, and told him about what happened this morning, what was happening now. Mr Franks got up quickly from his desk and made his way out to area by the entrance. 

Greg demanded to know why Candace grabbed him. She told him that he was very rude to her and her friends this morning, and she wanted an apology. Greg told her he wouldn't apologize, as she grabbed him this morning without his permission. 

Candace bent down so that she was eye level with Greg, and told him softly that if he apologized, there would be more of this. Greg asked more of what, and Candace pulled Greg closer and kissed him.

Greg was taken aback. He had never expected her to kiss him, and was about to say something when Mr Franks arrived. He wanted to know what was going on. Candace replied that Greg was rude to her on and her friends this morning and she wanted him to apologise. 

Sophia had shown up and told Mr Franks that Candace just grabbed Greg this morning without permission and took him to her friends. Mr Franks asked Candace if this was true, and she meekly replied it was. 

So Mr Franks asked Candace how would she have liked it if the roles were reversed, if someone bigger and stronger than her just grabbed her and drugged her around. Would she have liked  it?

Candace was quiet, then started crying. She didn't mean to do what she did, she just thought Greg liked her enough to be her boyfriend. But she kept crying.

Although he was the victim, Greg hated to see her cry like that. He cleared his throat and apologized for being rude to her and her friends. Candace looked at him for a moment, and apologized for her actions, and she promised that she would leave him alone for now on.

Greg thought for a moment, and then told her that he would still like to be her friend. Candace stopped crying, and a big smile came across her face. She gave Greg a big hug and said that she would like to be his friend too.

And with that, everyone made their way to their busses, and life kept going on, with more and more changes.