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.