Neil stumbled about reacquainting with his senses little by little. The room was dim but his surroundings were familiar. The atmosphere was accompanied by music and distant chatter in the ambience.

“Hello, hey! Are you listening, yoo-hoo!”

“A-Ann?” Neil’s vision came to full focus and he recognized the girl in front of him, that wasn’t all he realized. His surroundings and Ann were at a normal scale relative to himself; he was regular size! That discovery should merit relief if it weren’t for his following epiphany, this location. He was back at the party.

So many questions. Was he warped back here, was he ever gone, was everything to this point fake- No. Nothing good ever came of him dismissing the validity of events. Whatever the answer Neil refused to leave anything to chance.

“Come on she’s right here, follow me.” Ann instructed and led the way. “Hey Grace, this guy wants to talk to you!”

Regardless of his inner turmoil, the long-awaited sight of Grace standing with serene presence stole his breath. Her blonde hair, welcoming face, everything. It was really her, the one person who he’s counted on through his ordeal. Neil rehearsed his plea dozens of times, but now face to face with her he couldn’t remember a word of it No matter, leaving was still the top priority at all costs.

“Grace I’ve been trying so hard to find you. I don’t know what’s going on and I promise I’ll explain everything, but we need to go right now.”

Neil anticipated her skepticism again however her response was beyond all expectations.

“Uh, do I know you?”

She was pulling his leg she had to be. Neil waited for the punchline where she’d say “Just kidding!” but her befuddled gaze remained. This couldn’t be, he refused to accept it.

“Of course, we’re friends!”

“Friends!?” Her face soured at the notion.

“Yes! We have English class together, we partnered together, you gave me your number, and you invited me to the party!” It was an accurate description of events as far as he was concerned however Ann and Grace looked at each other and laughed.

“What the hell? You don’t even know this guy!?” Ann cackled. “This whole time he wouldn’t shut up about ‘I gotta find Grace, I gotta find Grace!’”

“I-it’s not like that!”

“Excuse me!?” Grace scoffed.

“Is this another guy you’re leading on?” Ann inquired.

“I don’t know, maybe I got him to write a paper for me in English class?” Grace theorized inciting a residual wave of giggles between the two of them.

“Grace come on just listen to me we have to go NOW!” Neil snapped.

“Yeah, go off with some stranger at a party I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Grace marched forward with an aggression foreign to Neil.

“Uh oh, you should’ve walked away when you had the chance.” Ann said.

“I don’t know who you are but you’re the one who needs to get out! Better yet, why don’t you consider this, why would I EVER want to be friends with someone like you? You’re a LOSER.”

Neil stood stupefied, unable to connect the dots that what he heard was coming from the girl he thought he knew. Each word lacerated his psyche forming a new wound for the next insult to cut deeper. Why did this hurt so much? Because her words were true or perhaps because they were coming from Grace, someone he considered his… friend.

“DO YOU EVEN HAVE ANY FRIENDS?” Grace further demeaned.

“Don’t say that he probably thought you were his friend.” Ann patronized.

“Pfft, he wishes!” Grace spat. “I hang around cool people, popular people, people with futures, people who do things, people who are interesting, people who are talented, people who are part of something, and you? You’re a NOBODY.”

The acidic wave of vitriol further burnt into Neil’s diminished mind and her last attack was the worst. He always knew he was a nobody especially when compared to Grace. Anyone with a modicum of social intelligence could see that but hearing it from her struck his very essence and reverberated throughout his spirit. His thoughts slowed to a crawl and occurred in further intervals. His body was sluggish as if he was submerged in quicksand. Something was wrong, he was staring eye to eye with Grace and she was sprouting upwards.

“Jesus Christ, Grace where did that come from?” Ann cackled.

“He had it coming, I mean look at him-” Grace looked away for an instant to face Ann, however upon looking back the difference was evident. “Holy shit look at him! He’s getting smaller!”

No, no, no, no, no. Why was this happening? Better yet, how is this happening when he hasn’t taken a pill? It was the only strand of consistent logic left, now what was there? Reaching Grace was his only plan of action and she doesn’t even know who he is. Now that he was shrinking it was guaranteed nothing good would come of him staying at the party, he had to escape.

Neil turned opposite from Grace towards the wall then looked at the neighboring walls until he scanned all sides of the room wondering one thing. Where’s the door?

Cold sweat trickled down his neck as he turned back to the women; their insidious grins sent chills down his spine.

“What’s the matter Neil, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Ann asked and began sauntering behind him.

“Why are you trying to run away Neil?” Grace asked remaining in front of him separated by a few feet of distance.

Neil was paralyzed, lulled into frozen terror by the enchanting rhythm of their words. With all his strength he only managed small fidgets of his lips and inaudible murmurs.

“Are you scared Neil?” Ann said from behind and closed in on his blind spot.

“Why are you scared? Aren’t we friends?” Grace added.

Neil looked up to maintain eye contact with Grace having shrunk to collarbone level. She gestured a finger towards him and curled it to herself.

“Come here.”

Neil was neither able or willing to comply but Ann took initiative by under-hooking his arms. At his smaller size she simply plowed forward to force him ahead. Being propped against her body was the only thing keeping him from collapsing underneath his wobbling legs.

“N-no.” He squeaked out sinking deeper into the pits of dread.

“Shh.” Grace hushed waiting until Ann closed all space between Neil and herself. Ann tilted his head up.

“Neil was it? I think it’s starting to come back to me. That’s right we had English class together. You were always so happy to see me.”

Neil thought back to those classes making sure he was early enough to catch Grace’s attention when she walked by.

“Grace, Grace!” He cried out, standing on top of his desk waving his hands to ensure he was seen.

“Oh, hey there little guy.” Grace stopped to acknowledge the 3-inch squirt she nearly passed to wink and wave at him.

Ecstatic Neil jumped to hug one of her digits.

“Hehe, easy there little boy.” Grace giggled.

Now at Grace’s navel Ann hoisted Neil up by the waist.

“Ah yes, how could I forget how small you were. It always made you so nervous when my friends were around.”

She was right, he always hated it when she was with friends. Outside on campus Neil spotted Grace several feet away flanked by one of her gal pals. He considered changing paths before they reached him, but he had no chance given their immense size.

“Hey Neil, how’s it going!” Grace yelled down to him.

“H-hi, it’s going great.” Neil answered, with his focus fixated on her raven-haired companion. Putting his best foot forward he tried to initiate conversation. “I don’t think we’ve met, you’re one of Grace’s friends I take it?”

“…Uhuh.” She dryly answered and exchanged a look with Grace that was riddled with subtext. In that split-second Neil was sure they had an entire nonverbal conversation.

“Is this loser really your friend?” The raven haired asked.

“Something like that.” Grace chuckled.

“But he’s a fucking pipsqueak, why are you hanging around someone so small?” She looked back down at Neil.

“Come on, think of it as my community service for college. He can’t help being so pathetic.” Grace smirked.

“That’s freaking sad, maybe I should put him out his misery now while no one else is here.” Both girls giggled to themselves.

“That’s great, anyway we need to get to class, see you around.” Grace said and went on her way. He watched her friend follow suit stepping over him. Her strut delayed when her foot hung directly above him as if she considered crushing him then and there before deciding against it.

Neil was at Grace’s knees, craning his head allowed him to see her chin at best. Lucky for him Grace stooped down resting her hands on her kneecaps looming large over him.

“It only makes sense that someone as small as you are was terrified that I brought you to this party.”

It was true, Neil stuck to Grace like glue from the moment she entered. Whereas she was energetic and vibrant he was down at her feet clinging to the strap of her sandal so he wouldn’t lose her. That hope was lost mere seconds after her arrival and she spotted her friends. Neil tried to keep pace with her but after a few of her massive strides it was impossible to catch up.

Neil was a deer in the headlights looking up at the shadowy silhouettes of partyers cavorting in his proximity. His initial thought deemed it happenstance that he wasn’t crushed within seconds by their thunderous footfalls. Yet time after time his body was missed by the smallest margin.

Neil treaded at a snail’s pace, clutching himself to control his quivering. From his vantage and dim surroundings he couldn’t discern anything about the individuals beyond their gender.

“G-Grace.” He tapped at someone’s ankle.

“Ugh, what the fuck!? Beat it creep!” The woman spat.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to-” He didn’t get another word out before being drenched in a cold liquid from the woman’s glass. She walked off leaving him several times more nervous to interact with anyone.  After that commotion his skin crawled every eye in the building was on him, he was sure of it. What was undecipherable chatter became full audible comments that saturated the room.

“Who the hell invited the runt?” A woman said.

“Did he sneak in hoping he’d get some?” A burly sounding guy said.

“He wishes, he can’t handle this much woman.”

“Look how small he is.”

“I’ll take him with me. Campus policy doesn’t say I can’t have a tiny person as a pet.” A girl giggled.

One after another the onslaught continued overpowering Neil’s very thoughts. He covered his ears in a fruitless attempt to stop the barrage and fell to a fetal position.

“Grace…” He uttered.

Neil lied flat on his back staring up to Grace’s incoming hand that now eclipsed his 3-inch frame. She lifted him up near her face.

“Now I recognize you.” Grace said. “This is how small you really are and how small you’ve always been.”

“P-please… help… me” Neil begged.

“Shh, I can help you Neil. I can put you somewhere nice and safe.” She whispered over his prone body. “I need you to do one thing for me.”

“What…?”

Grace leaned in closer. “I need you to be smaller.”

“N-no… please… I can’t… no more.” He begged, shedding a tear.

“You can do it Neil. Tell me how you feel right now, how scared you feel, how small you feel, tell me EVERYTHING!” Grace boomed at the end and in a burst of adrenaline Neil let loose.

“Everything is bigger than me, I’m too scared to even move now, I’m so overwhelmed, and I’m too weak to do anything about it!” As Neil squealed, his flowing tears masked Grace’s expanding hand relative to him dwindling. A small piece of his conscience compelled him to stop, but like a rock rolling down a hill he was powerless to stop himself.

“Keep going.” Grace encouraged to the shrinking boy.

“Everybody knows how small I am too, that’s all they think about when they see me. They think I’m puny, that I’m nothing! I’m scared because they’re right and that they all want to crush me because of it!”

“Just a little more.” Grace said.

“I wanted to be here with you because I’m too scared to do it alone! I can’t handle it! You’re so much bigger than me, I’m nothing to you, I just wanted to rely on you because I’m too small to do anything! I wanted to believe you were my friend… I tried so hard to believe it, but I always thought people like you weren’t friends with people like me.” Neil’s dry voice cracked and laid smaller than ever on the canvas of Grace’s palm at an abysmal 1 inch tall.

As he heaved gathering his breath, Grace furthered him from her monumental face “You did so well Neil, now I’m sure you will fit.”

He didn’t have enough strength to question what she meant, however the answer revealed itself as she showed her opposite hand holding an empty pill bottle.

An exhausted Neil only managed a weak shake of his head at her unveil.

“You’ll be safe in here from now on.” Grace smiled positioning the bottle to the side of her hand.

Neil was a helpless passenger as Grace tilted her hand and he slid towards the container. Even if he was free to move gravity ran its course and sent him plummeting into the confines of the bottle.

Grace screwed on a white lid onto the container taking a last look at the pitiful creature inside and pressing her lips against the surface. “This is goodbye Neil.”

Neil looked at Grace with pleading eyes, willing to sacrifice anything for her not to leave him. It was with his last bit of paranoia and fading willpower that he was able to take a critical glance at Grace. What he saw was a familiar set of lambent gray eyes.

“…Angel.” He mouthed out as his vision faded out with his final sights blurring between Angel and Grace, watching them rise higher as he shrunk into oblivion.