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Author's Chapter Notes:

And so we begin. Just to warn you, this one does get a tad... extreme. So hang on!

"I can't believe the car you had to hit was Chad of all people!" Samantha cried out.

"It was an accident!" I cried. "I didn't expect him to swerve out like that! I don't even know how I could have avoided him! What am I gonna do? He expects me to have the money to buy him a new car in three days!"

"Can you do it Ken?" she asked.

"He drives a Lamborghini!" I replied.

Sam leaned back in her chair running her fingers through her short brown hair as she usually did when she was stressed.

"Maybe you could try selling your invention again?" she suggested. "I mean you DID invent a shrink ray for heaven's sake!"

I shook my head dejected. "There's surprisingly little market for shrink rays believe it or not." I complained. "And even if I did, those government agents would just threaten me again. Something about offsetting the balance of the global economy or some equal rot."

In desperation I found myself rocking back and forth in the fetal position. "I knew it." I cried. "He's seriously just doing this for an excuse to get rid of me!"

Sam put a strong hand on my shoulder pulling me out of my trance. The determined look she gave as she stared into my eyes was somehow encouraging.

"Listen," she started. "If there is anything, and I mean ANYTHING I can do to help you in this.... do it. Ask me for favours, use my stuff to build something crazy, sell my pictures online if you think there's anyone desperate enough to buy them! Just do it! You can make it up to me later."

I stared in Sam's eyes for a good minute. We had been roommates since college, and through better or for worse we had helped each other through all of our problems. With her short brown hair and athletic build, many people considered her to by boyish, but to me she had a feminine charm that made my heart beat like crazy. Not that I would ever have the courage to tell her that, nor would she probably believe me if I told her. She tended to believe no one could ever view her as a girl. Probably how we ended up sharing an apartment together.

Sam's expression softened as she saw I was beginning to relax. "You've helped me out of more jams than I can remember!" she replied with a smile. "And put up with all my craziness on top of that. I don't mind if someone like you gets a bit selfish in a time of need. Use me however you need!"

As Sam walked back to her room, her last phrase struck a chord with me. 'Using her' to earn the money... Part of me believed this to be too cruel, especially to do to someone who meant so much to me. But as thoughts of what Chad would do to me if I couldn't pay up started to raise the temptation all the more. If Sam was involved, maybe there was a way I could earn some money with my shrinking technology...

 

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