"My little friend"
Chapter 2: Getting to know her
The words in class seemed to just bounce off my head that morning. Maybe it was the fact that I had only gotten a few hours of sleep, but more than likely, I was thinking of her again.
She was really all I could think about, as my teacher rambled on about the art of poetry, and writing. When was I ever going to use this stuff? As my teacher spoke on, my pen was moving on the page, but I didn't really write anything coherent, just faded streaks of ink here and there, and finally the frustration ended.
My class was over, and I was free to go and I really hoped that Jen was still at the courtyard in front of the Branford House. I was contemplating whether I'd call her first or just kind of show up.
Well, my contemplating didn't last long, because Sarah quickly stopped me the second I walked outside of the academic center.
"Hey, Bobby" she said, in a cheerful way, that made it impossible to ignore her.
"Oh, hi Sarah" I said, turning towards her with a sense of reluctance, while still being somewhat happy to see her.
"Whatcha up to?" she asked.
I open my mouth to answer when I remember that "I'm off to see my friend who's 3 inches tall, and a fairy" usually doesn't qualify as a sane response, so I just utter "uh...nothing really"
"Cool," Sarah said, "So ya wanna play pool then?"
"Well you know I don't really play pool, I'm more of a foosball guy, and even that's starting to get old and..."
As I rambled on, I noticed Sarah's facial expressions indicating mock sadness and decided to give in. I walked into the student center with her without saying another word, all the while looking out into the distance, wondering where my friend was.
"It's your shot!" Sarah said.
"Huh?" I asked, in a haze of bewilderment as she handed me a pool cue "Oh yeah, the pool game"
I lined up a poor shot on the 8 ball and it bounces off a knick in the table, sending it off in an outlandish direction.
"Uh Bobby, you know that if you make the 8 ball in, you lose, right?"Sarah asked, as some spectators watching me had started chuckling.
"Oh yeah... you're right..." I mumbled, as I handed her the pool cue back, gazing outdoors, wondering where she was.
I wondered what she did all day, and if she enjoyed being outside all the time. Sure, Avery Point was a fun place to be, and for her, it must've been infinitely larger to explore, but how much could one really do there all the time? And what did she on windy days, or rainy days? Well then again, she's been small her whole life, so I guess she had to have some kind of plan for those situations. Still, I can't help but think of her situation further and feel this inevitable sense of guilt, even though I hadn't done anything wrong, except try to hit her, of course.
"Bobby!" Sarah said, handing me the pool cue again. At this point I had almost lost the game anyway. Sarah was a pretty good pool player and I sucked even on normal days. A good pool player offered to sub in for me and I took his offer, handing off my pool cue.
I started to head for the double doors and the exit when John cut me off, simply pointing at the foosball table, which was our usual signal for "Game on", but this time I really didn't feel like playing. Again, I remember though, that I can't tell anyone about Jen, unless of course, she wanted me to, but she didn't seem too fond of us "bigger people".
"So what's up?" John asks, after moments of silent foosball.
"Oh y'know..." I sighed, fighting off all of his foosball shots with relative ease, "Just a little stressed out"
"yeah I know what you mean" he said, not focused in the game, just like me, "Can you believe my teacher wants ANOTHER 7 page paper?"
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Well I told you how my american studies class has this big, final paper that's 7 pages long?" John asked, not waiting for me to answer before he kept speaking, "well now I heard we have 2 7 page papers due and one of them is due next week... I gotta get on that...y'know... now"
"Then why are we playing foosball?" I asked.
"We ALWAYS play foosball" he exclaimed, in a fashion consistent with his personality.
"Fine, fine, you're right" I said, cracking a smile. Even though I loved the game known as foosball, I realized that Jen was more important at this point. I had to think of a legitamite excuse to get out, but I could only think of a vague one.
"Hey uh... I'm gonna go" I said suddenly, stepping away from the foosball table mid-game.
"Where do you have to go?" John scoffed, "you don't have class for 2 hours"
"I know, but I kind of... need a walk" I said.
"Oh, are you going to that dumb hideout again?" John laughed.
"Uh yes! That's where I'm going!" I said, my eyes lighting up with excitement that I just might escape, "So you probably wouldn't want to come..."
"That's not true... I love the hideout" John said, "remember the time we almost got arrested there?"
"Which time?" I chuckled. "I mean... maybe I'm not going to the hideout"
"Fine. Fine." John groaned, "Go where you gotta go... I'll find SOMETHING to do..."
Of course, I didn't hear much more from him, because I left mid-way through his sentence. He didn't think I'd actually leave but I had, and I walk outside to the Branford House.
The scene is quiet, as the only noise in the environment are some sprinters running on the brick path, but they were far from the Branford House, which is where I'd go to search for my friend.
I didn't want to be seen by any bystanders passing by talking to the air, so I whispered "Jen" several times as I paced the outside of the branford house.
The outside was actually really gorgeous with old-styled mosaic stone tiles, and pillars about 10 feet high. I walked slowly into the stone garden, being careful not to step on her. God, wouldn't that be awful.... I don't think I could live with myself if I ever killed someone, especially like that, that's beyond horrible.
I decide to pick up my cell phone and call her. I dial 4 digits on my phone when I feel a curious tap on the back of my sneaker. Too scared to move, I simply aim my vision downward and see her, waving to me from down below, her hand gripped on the back of my sneaker.
"Heh, you mind letting go?" I asked, too scared to move too fast and throw her away. She backed up so I had room to kneel down now.
"Hey" she said, with a strange smile on her face. It was only strange because I'm not used to seeing girls so happy to see me. "I didn't think you'd come back"
"Well why wouldn't I?" I said, and I slowly put my hand down in front of her. She stepped onto it and laid down like before. "It's not everyday I meet someone so..."
"Small?" she laughed.
"Well that too, but I was going to say awesome" I chuckled.
"You don't have to flatter me" she said.
"I'm not... I'm just saying" I said, feeling really weird inside all of a sudden. Not so much that I was holding a girl in the palm of my hand, although that was certainly surreal in itself, but just this weird feeling like everything was perfect, which isn't usually the case.
"Hey, let's sit somewhere with a better view" Jen said, as we had been in the middle of the stone garden, with me still knelt down. "How about down more by the water?"
"Okay" I said, slowly getting up with her balanced in my palm, "hang on"
"Yeah yeah, I know the drill" Jen said. She tried to be cool about it but something in her eyes told me she was still a bit uneasy about me holding her. That's why when we sit on a stone bench down by the shore, I put her down next to me, so she has the entire bench to navigate.
"Bobby..." she said, after a few moments of silently looking out at the water, "...I haven't known you long, but you seem different..."
"Different?" I asked, "well I could say the same about you"
"Y'know what I mean" she chuckled, "you seem a lot different than most people I've encountered... being in this area so long I've been able to observe a lot of people from afar and you seem more keen to details... I don't know... I mean, I like it... I really do..."
"You like me?"
"Well yeah..." she said, sounding very confused in general, as she kept switching her focus between myself and the ocean. "I don't know what I'm trying to say... it's just really nice, I haven't had any friends since... well..."
"Since what?" I asked.
"Nothing. It's nothing" Jen sighed.
"You can tell me" I said.
"I said it's NOTHING!!" Jen said, her voice raising to a level louder than I had ever heard.
"Okay, I'm sorry" I said.
"No, I'm sorry" Jen said. "I shouldn't snap at you, it's not your fault... none of this is your fault..."
"I suppose..." I said, and suddenly cut my speech off. For the first time in the day, I had no clue what to say next and it scared me.
"Hey, whats that noise?" Jen asked, backing away from me now. I looked down and noticed my phone was vibrating in my pocket.
"Oh, my phone" I said, and picked it up really quickly, not wanting to divert my attention from Jen at all. "Oh geez, it's Kim"
"Kim?" she asked.
"My ex-girlfriend" I sighed, "she's a bit of a...well, I won't say it, but you know"
"Why don't you talk to her anymore?" Jen asked, as I put my phone away.
"It's a long story..." I sighed.
"Yeah, I understand" Jen said, and kind of choked up when she said "I had problems... with my ex too..."
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking down at her with concern.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine" she said, and regained her composure. "Y'know there is something I want to ask you"
"Sure" I said.
"Being this small..." Jen said, "it gets kind of tiresome to walk long distances... so I was wondering if you could show me around campus... maybe...?"
"Sure" I said, kind of excited by the opportunity. "Let's uh..."
Before I could finish my sentence, I got another phone call, this time from John.
"Is that Kim again?" Jen asked.
"No, it's my friend, John" I sighed, "hold on... I gotta take this, or else he'll keep calling"
I pick up my cell phone and say "Hello?"
"Hey, you're not in the hideout" John said.
"I told you I wouldn't be in the hideout!" I sighed with frustration. John could be so stubborn sometimes.
"Then where are you?" he asked.
"Where am I?" I asked again out loud "I'm just outside with..."
I looked down at Jen really quick to see her shaking her head and making hand motions signaling "don't tell him anything", so I interuppted myself.
"You're where?" John asked.
"Uh... I'm not on campus... I left, for Wal-Mart" I said, "I needed... tea-bags"
"Tea-bags?" John asked, "You're weird..."
"I'm weird?" I asked, "you're the one standing around the hideout alone"
"Hey, you do it too!" John said.
"Yeah I do..." I replied. "Can I go now? This call is costing me valuable minutes"
"FINE" John said, and we ended our call.
"Hey Bobby" Jen said, "What's... the hideout?"
"Oh, it's stupid" I said, "You wouldn't want to go"
"No, c'mon.... show me..." Jen said.
"You serious?" I asked.
"Yeah, c'mon... take me there" she said again, and stepped into my hand.
"Well the hideout is just this place..." I started to explain.
"Don't TELL me, SHOW me!" she said, and so I kept walking onward, without saying another word.
Giantess World
