Melinda was rubbing her hands together nervously, waiting for the drug to take effect. Her two friends watched, the six and a half foot Tara sitting next to Max on the couch, the both of them wearing identical grins of anticipation.

“You know, it occurs to me that I’m about to destroy this shirt,” Melinda said, plucking at the collar of her hoodie.

“Well yeah. Ripping out of your clothes is all part of the fun, my dear,” Tara said, winking.

“But I like this shirt,” Melinda pouted.

Max laughed. “In about thirty seconds you’ll have outgrown it. And even tomorrow, you’ll be too big to ever wear it again. So it really doesn't matter WHAT happens to it. But if it bothers you, why don’t you just take it off?”

“Well, to be honest...I’m not wearing an under-shirt...or a bra.” Melinda was blushing now – a first in the history of the universe as far as Max knew.

“Look honey: one way or another, we gonna see those titties,” Tara said, teasing. “You can go the easy way, or the hard way.”

Melinda scowled as the pre-growth pain wracked her body.

“Almost out of time. What’s it going to be?” asked Amazon Tara, cracking her knuckles.

“It might hold,” Melinda said, hugging her arms to her chest protectively.

“Nope!” Tara and Max shouted in unison. They looked at each other, and collapsed in giggles.

Melinda’s shirt was beginning to look a bit stressed. The cuffs of her sleeves were gradually riding up her arms, her pants climbing up her long beanstalk legs. Max was reminded of a time-lapse video he had once been shown in elementary school, of a tiny seedling poking out of its shell and rapidly growing before his eyes. As he watched, Melinda was sprouting. Her body rushed skyward, as if something deep inside her was thirsty for every inch of height it could possibly gain.

“I’ve never been on this side of it before,” Tara whispered, the oversized girl leaning far down to reach his ear. She gave his hand a little squeeze. “Of seeing someone grow, I mean. Is this...umm...is it supposed to turn you on this much?”

“It DOES get the blood flowing, doesn’t it?” he whispered back. He looked up, and spoke louder. “How’s that hoodie doing, Mel?”

Melinda didn't answer, perhaps couldn’t. Her eyes were clenched shut, and the only sound she seemed capable of making was a tiny, high-pitched whine of pleasure. The girl easily matched Tara in height by now, and her growth was just beginning to hit its stride. Max wondered if the low ceilings of the apartment were going to present a problem – it would be a shame if his giant friend got a nasty bump on the head.

The elastic on Melinda’s sweat pants had long since snapped in two, and the garment was tearing in half down the inseam, revealing her powerful, shapely legs. Her hoodie was stretched, bulging awkwardly as the girl beneath it expanded in every direction – yet the stubborn thing refused to give up. “Come ON already,” Tara yelled, the couch creaking under her weight as she threw herself back in frustration. “Tear!”

Max grabbed Tara by the arm, getting her attention. “Something’s happening, something different,” he told her, pointing. “Look!”

Subtle changes were taking place in the musculature of Melinda’s face. The angle of her jaw was becoming softer, more feminine. Small marks and minor imperfections in her skin were smoothing, her nose becoming smaller, cuter. And her figure, her curves...there was a certain extra-wide flare to her hips, an hourglass narrowing at the waist. Melinda had always been an attractive woman, but now...she was absolutely gorgeous! With each passing second, as her body continued to stretch taller, she was becoming more beautiful. She was at least as lovely as any woman Max had ever seen on the cover of a magazine. And before long, she was so radiant that it almost caused him physical pain to look at her.

Melinda’s head just barely made contact with the ceiling. She bent her knees, swelling upward another few inches, and abruptly her growth came to an end.

“Damn, that was a rush.” She grinned, surveying the room around her. “You guys look so tiny! Or, well...Max, YOU look tiny. Tara just looks like she’s supposed to.”

“You’re a freaking giant, Mel,” Tara said, staring up at her friend in awe. “And wow, you look...REALLY hot!”

“Thank you sweetie,” Melinda said, framing her flawless face with her hands.

Tara sighed. “But your stupid hoodie! I can’t believe it survived all of that.”

Melinda put her hands on her hips, a truly intimidating posture for a woman of her height. “Do you guys really want to see my boobs THAT bad?” she asked in a long-suffering voice.

Tara and Max both nodded vigorously.

The giant girl rolled her eyes. “Fine!” She grabbed her shirt at the neckline with both hands, and pulled with all her might. The garment instantly ripped to shreds around her. Melinda stood before them, completely naked except for the formality of an overstressed pair of white cotton panties. The alabaster skin of her unclad body seemed to shine with a kind of inner light, the tiny pink nubs of her tits standing out against this backdrop like a perfect pair of roses growing in the middle of an endless field of cotton. Her breasts themselves were small, no larger than A-cups disregarding her height, but they were perky and beautifully formed. Max had never known it was possible for a woman to be so...so perfect.

“Seriously Mel, you look AMAZING,” he told her, the words dry in his throat.

“Thank you, Max,” Melinda drawled, her voice surprisingly loud and deep. She smiled down at him seductively. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to butter me up.”

“Butter, Crisco...anything you want, babe,” he said, catching a trickle of drool at the edge of his lips before it could drip down his cheek.

Melinda laughed, and winked at him playfully.

“How do you feel?” Tara asked, climbing to her feet to stand before Goddess Melinda.

“Good...very good. I think a way to describe it would be ‘at peace.’ It's just the way you described it to me, Tara – like being on a mild mood-enhancing drug. It's wonderful.”

“No, I meant...how do you FEEL?” Smirking, Tara reached up, letting her fingertips gently stroke the larger girl’s shoulders, her neck. Her hands worked lower...lower....

The seven foot plus girl slapped Tara's hands away. “Look here Shorty: I may be in a great mood, and as horny as I’ve ever been in my life. But unlike you, I have self-control. You’re not going to be able to seduce me. At least...not THAT easily.”

Tara pouted.

Melinda laughed kindly, then all at once grimaced in pain, squeezing her eyes shut. She rubbed at her temples, shaking her head back and forth slowly. “Um...guys....I don't feel so hot. Maybe it's the sudden change in elevation. Do you mind if I go lay down for a few minutes?”

Max gave his gargantuan friend a concerned look. “Of course not Mel. I hope everything is okay.”

“I’m sure it is,” she replied, smiling down benevolently at the two of them. Walking carefully, the enormous girl made her way to her bedroom, stooping and turning sideways to fit through her door, and was gone.

Now alone together, Tara once more came and sat down next to Max on the couch. “Hell of a night,” the six and a half foot girl remarked, looking down at him.

“Yeah,” he agreed lamely.

The two of them stared at each other. They grinned the same, nervous grin. And then, like a pair of magnets suddenly reaching their critical point, they were drawn together.

The kiss was soft, tentative at first. She was warm and wet like a gentle summer rain, her taste the saccharine sweet of her lip gloss. The bigger girl wrapped one powerful arm around his shoulders, and Max let himself be subsumed into her embrace. He wondered briefly when the last time was that he had been with a girl that was shorter than him, and if he ever would be again. He certainly hoped not.

A large, wet tongue was frantically tracing the edges of his lips, a long-fingered hand crept under his shirt. It would be so easy to give in, to allow himself to accept Tara, to use each other this way by mutual consent. He wanted her. She wanted him. But, once again, Max found himself tortured by the curse of his conscience.

He pulled away from her, and Tara, recognizing his intentions immediately, released him. “This isn’t right,” he told her sadly.

“It’s okay,” she told him, her eyes shining. “I just want to be with you. Is that so awful?”

Max covered his face with his hands, rubbing savagely at his forehead. “Tara, you’ve been with so many guys, and I was only one of them. That doesn't bother me, but...I know for damn sure I wasn't the best. And you...look at you! You could have any man you want! You could even when you were five foot three. So...why me? Is it just because I’m HERE?”

Tara shook her head. “It isn’t that. My reasons...I can't explain them. There are no words. Except...yes, I’ve been around the block a few times. But as far as not being the best...you...you know...you were my favorite.”

Max sighed. “Tara...I like you. I REALLY like you. But....”

She placed the tip of her finger on his lips, silencing him. “I know. Your heart wants someone else. Just...let me have you, tonight. Lay down with me. One last time.”

Max looked up, losing himself in the deep blue ocean of her eyes. It took him nearly a minute. At long last, he leaned forward, climbing onto his knees. He kissed her long, his eyes never leaving hers for a moment. When at last he pulled away, he smiled at the uncertainty on her face, and allowed it to be dispelled with one, tiny nod.

“One last time,” he whispered.