With the incident at the playground behind them, Tom and Cindy celebrated the arrival of the New Year. They watched everything unfold on TV, from the start of the countdown to the eventual lowering of the shiny giant ball and blizzard of confetti that followed. Their parents invited some of the neighbors over, and alcohol was consumed.
While the adults talked, the children were in the living room playing a board game. Neither Tom nor Cindy hung around the others that were there, as the girls were a couple of years younger than she was, as were the boys compared to Tom. But they were in the same situation. Brothers too old to get the shot, while their younger sisters were the right age. And the boys noticed that their little sisters quickly grew taller than they were. Tom sympathized with them. He was in the same boat, and in the quiet moments, he tried to reassure the males that everything would be ok. The girls wouldn’t change their personalities, and if they were kind before the shot, then they would be kind after it.
Once the New Year arrived, it was time to go back to school. One thing that Tom noticed was that the boys in the upper classes were nicer to him for a change. All the smug, superior attitudes that they exhibited towards him mysteriously disappeared, replaced with live and let live sentiment. Tom instantly knew it was a direct result of what happened at the playground. The boys were afraid of Cindy, and were going out of their way to be nice to him, so that they wouldn’t incur her wrath. He found the whole thing equally amusing and a little uncomfortable. The fact that boys aged 15-18 were afraid of a 9 year old girl made him laugh. But those thoughts were tempered by the reality that his little sister had become his protector. And he found that a little uncomfortable. He was used to fighting his own battles, but now, he didn’t have to. He had in essence become her “little” brother. It would take some time to get used to it.
Tom and Cindy, along with the rest of the school, discovered notices that had been taped all over the school walls and classrooms. Effective immediately, all high school varsity sports would be open to fourth graders who took the shot. Rumors spread that their high school was the only one in the state that had kept varsity sports strictly for normal sized students, only to be blown out by at least 80 pts in every game they played against the much taller students. Boys, Girls, it didn’t matter. The high school coaches were begging the district to change their policy.
It wasn’t too much longer before word got out that within 2 years, all playing fields and courts would be scaled to the size of the growing athletes. Everything would be pretty much doubled in size. The only holdup were the exact measurements, which were to be calculated based on a government formula. So all Jrs and Srs that were playing varsity were immediately demoted to intramural activities against players of their own size. There were many heartbroken players that were affected by the new regulations that were put into place to “protect” them from injury.
Tom had been interested in trying out for the varsity baseball team, but those feelings were quickly dashed. He did encourage Cindy to try out for the basketball team, but she wasn't interested. Although growing at a good clip, she still preferred to stay at home and read or listen to music or hang out with her friends.
It wasn't until Lucy and Patty decided to play basketball that Cindy decided to give it a try, if for nothing else than to stop her friends from bugging her. She figured that she would try out, be so bad as to not make the team, then go back to living a quiet life. But, to everyone’s surprise, including hers, she had a natural talent for the sport. She had never played any kind of sports in her life, but she was able to pick up basketball very quickly, and found herself enjoying it in the process, and she made the team as a result.
Tom was very happy for her. He had secretly hoped that she would come out of her shell and meet new people. She did that with her three friends from their development. But Tom was of the belief that one could never know too many people.
Once Cindy made the team, her parents installed a basketball net in front of the house. Tom practiced with Cindy everyday, helping her with her skills. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world for having a brother like him. She had promised him that she would protect him from danger, and she was going to honor her word, no matter what.
Around the beginning of February, Tom and Cindy got on the school bus one morning. That was when he saw her. A girl with light brown hair and green eyes, sitting by herself. Tom saw his friends, and apologized for not sitting with them, and then made his way over to the empty seat next to the girl.
Tom asked her if it would be alright with her if he sat in the empty seat next to her. She had been looking out the window, minding her own business when he spoke, which startled her. Tom apologized for that, and repeated his question. She looked up at him, and his heart was instantly smitten with her. She said that it was ok.
Tom introduced himself. The girl did the same. Victoria West. That was her name. Tom thought that Victoria was the prettiest name for a girl, and one that fit her like a glove. But once he sat next to her, he found it awkward to ask her if she was new. Sensing what he was wondering, she told him that her family just moved in to town because of her father's job. And that they had to move into a development for people who took the formula, because her twin brothers had taken it and outgrew a normal sized house.
Tom explained that he was in the same situation, and turned and pointed out Cindy, who was talking with her friends. Victoria was going to make a joke about how they would both have to rely on their younger siblings to protect them, but she knew boys in her old school that were very sensitive about the subject, like they thought themselves as less than men because of it. So she decided to casually mention how she would be able to feel safe as her brothers got older. Tom mentioned the same thing applied to him, and brought up the playground incident from Christmas break. He hated to admit that he was so glad that Cindy stopped him from getting his face beat in by the three seniors.
Victoria was slightly impressed by his admitting what happened. To her, it meant that Tom was completely comfortable with the situation. And it took maturity to admit the obvious fact of life. And once the bus pulled up to school, Tom and Victoria let everyone else exit before they got off. Tom noticed that she was as tall as his 6’1” frame. And she noticed that he was ok with that also. It hurt her tremendously when boys would be intimidated by her natural height. And as a result, they wouldn't talk to her. But the boy she just met, Tom, was completely different. He intrigued her.