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By the time the two had finished Maggi and June were long gone, and so the two continued walking by themselves. Their conversation turned to more mundane things - class, friends, as well as the holiday break that seemed still so achingly far away. Michelle was thankful for the reprieve, though Sam never hesitated to crack a joke about her larger chest whenever the opportunity arose. Soon though, the sight of the main campus came into view. The dignified spires and long-standing brick architecture that the university was known for slowly grew in size as they approached.

“Well, here’s Jackson Hall…” Michelle said, jabbing her thumb towards one of the larger buildings, “I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Oh, no no!” Sam interjected, “I’m not going anywhere yet. I’m coming with you.”

Michelle looked at her funny, “Don’t you have class though? Aren’t you gonna be late?”

“Maybe…” Sam smiled, “...but I told you already. There’s no way I’d miss Jeremy going gaga over those things.” She looked pointedly at Michelle’s chest as she held the door open for her friend, “I’ll bet he won’t be able to tear his eyes away!”

“Yeah…” Michelle said quietly, still not entirely convinced. Her whole life she had felt invisible, her petite stature and unimpressive curves allowing her to blend into a crowd. That wasn’t the case anymore. Her longer legs shifted her perspective higher, giving her the ability to see the appreciative glances directed towards her by the students passing by in the halls. Though some were able to meet her gaze, she immediately noticed how many of them focused on the eye-catching motion of her overgrown chest, the roundness of her heavy bosom. The extra attention made her feel a little self-conscious.

Michelle could fathom why the spell had made her grow. She was a little on the short side after all… It was only natural for someone like Jeremy to want her taller, but boys didn’t seriously like boobs this big, did they? She felt like she was smuggling grapefruits under her shirt! As anxious as she was though, she was still eager to see him. What if Sam was right? Maybe this was what he wanted...

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t look forward to this class every week… and not at all because she enjoyed the material. She liked being around him, the fluttery feeling that she got whenever he greeted her. Rather than sit with his friends he usually picked a seat close to her, normally asking her to be his partner whenever a group project reared its ugly head. Having no one else to pair up with she always agreed, though even if that weren’t the case she knew she would still eagerly accept his offer. She just hoped this wouldn’t change all that.

The two idled outside the classroom, waiting for Jeremy and continuing to chat about whatever came to mind, but as the minutes ticked by Sam began to grow impatient.

“So, like… Seriously, where is he?” She asked impatiently tapping her foot, “Does he always take this long?”

“It’s not like him to be late.” Michelle shrugged, “Maybe he got held up?” Using her new height to her advantage, she stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd for her crush. She couldn’t find him anywhere, which was odd. He was fairly tall, so she could normally pick him out of a crowd pretty easily.

‘Where the heck is he?’

“H-hey guys…”

Michelle recognized Jeremy’s voice immediately, but without even looking she immediately could tell something was off. It was quiet like a mouse - timid and unsure. The two turned to the source of the hesitant greeting, their mouths simultaneously gaping at the sight of him.

“Hey... uh, What’s going on?” Jeremy’s hand raised in an awkward wave, failing to hide the apprehensive look on his face as he nervously greeted the two friends.

Michelle balked at him, scanning him from head to toe, ‘Ohmigosh! He’s so short!’ She could clearly see over the top of his head. He barely came up to her nose! Sam was similarly incredulous, remembering how she normally had to look up to meet Jeremy’s eyes. Now they were both taller than him, and by a good few inches at least!

After an awkward few seconds, Michelle was the first to say something. “Jeremy... what... what happened to you?”

Jeremy’s hand lowered and he looked at her sideways, “Erm, what do you mean?”

“Oh, uh, well…” Michelle stammered.

“You’re short!” Sam blurted, putting it bluntly “You’re like half a foot smaller! What the hell happened to you?”

Jeremy’s eyes widened and he stepped a little closer. “You guys can see this?” He asked, gesturing towards his reduced stature. He received a nod from the both of them.

“Oh, thank God… I’m not going crazy…” His shoulders slumped, a deep feeling of relief washing over him. It was short lived though, the panic in his voice taking on a manic quality.

“You guys have to help me. This is crazy… I just... woke up all short like this! And besides you two, everyone I’ve talked to is acting like I’ve always been this way!”

Michelle and Sam shared a cautious glance.

“It’s the spell.” Michelle whispered, “It has to be.”

“Yeah, no doubt…” Sam agreed, also whispering, “Something’s wrong. It didn’t say it was gonna affect him!”

Michelle turned back to Jeremy, forcing a smile. “Hey... Sam and I need to talk. I’ll meet you inside, okay?”

Jeremy’s mouth opened in protest, but the two were already walking away. With no other options he entered the auditorium, taking a seat near the back away from everyone else.

“You need to fix this.” Michelle told her with an uncharacteristic firmness, “Not tomorrow, not next week, today.”

“Ah, well… see, here’s the thing…” Sam stammered, scratching the back of her head, “I kinda don’t know how.”

“Oh, please tell me you’re joking!” Michelle admonished quietly, her grip on Sam’s arm tightening, “How could you do something like this and not know how to reverse it?”

“Hey, don’t put this all on me! You could have said no too!” Sam countered.

“I didn’t ask you to shrink him!”

“Alright, alright…” Sam putting her hands up defensively, trying to de-escalate Michelle’s temper, “There’s gotta be some way to change him back.”

“Change us back.” Michelle corrected.

“Right. Lemme just do some more reading. As soon as class is over I’ll head back and figure it out.”

Michelle fidgeted, scratching her arm, “What am I supposed to do until then?” She asked, “What am I supposed to tell him?”

“I don’t know… I guess just play dumb for now.” Sam squirmed.

“You want me to lie to him?”

“Well it’s either that or tell him that we shrunk him. It’s your call I guess…”

Michelle thought it over, imagining the look of betrayal on his face. She’d be lucky if he ever even looked at her again. “No, I guess that probably wouldn’t be good…”

“So did all this come from him?” She asked, motioning towards her longer legs, her larger chest, “Did I steal his height?”

Sam bit her lip. “I don’t know… Maybe?” She said honestly, “I’ll have to see… I’m sorry…”

Michelle said nothing, letting the silence hang thickly in the air.

“Okay…” Sam awkwardly shifted to her other hip, “Just give me until tonight. I’m sure I can come up with something. Until then I guess just keep him from freaking out any more than he already is… and don’t answer too many questions.”

Michelle nodded again and the two parted ways, Sam bounding away in a half jog in order to make her class somewhat on time. Michelle sighed and turned to face the door, pushing on its large wooden surface and walking into the auditorium. She recognized the back of Jeremy’s head sitting in their usual area, though the fact that it didn’t reach as high above the back of the chair made her think it wasn’t him at first. She briefly considered finding a seat away from him, avoiding him entirely.

‘No, that would probably just make things even worse…’

Finding the correct row, she began squeezing past people’s feet, awkwardly uttering apologies as she maneuvered her larger body between the seats. Jeremy watched her the whole way over, his eyes growing wider and wider as she approached. For some reason, looking down at his wide-eyed stare made something leap inside her ribcage, and as she approached the sensation only got stronger. Just being near him sent a wave of tingles washing over her, the pleasant feeling confusing her. With a heavy -plumpf- she sat down in the seat next to him, noticing the way that she now sat a few inches higher than him as well. For some reason this little detail made her heart flutter and her pulse quicken.

A few awkward moments of silence passed as she dug her things out of her backpack, pulling open the tray attached to the seat that gave her a surface to write on. She slapped her notebook down on top of it, and without a word she began to transcribe the notes already written on the giant chalkboard at the front of the room.

Jeremy observed her, noting their difference in size. He hadn’t noticed out in the hall, but seeing her squeeze past all those people, the way she sat higher in the seat next to him… She was definitely bigger.

“Michelle, are you… taller?” He asked hesitantly.

Michelle’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Crap, he’s already noticed!’ After a moment of hesitation she squeaked out a single-word reply.

“Yes.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened, “So… So is it the same for you then? Has anyone else noticed that you’re…” Jeremy trailed off. She heard him swallow loudly, “... Uh, bigger?”

Michelle squirmed, trying to stretch her skirt so that it covered a little more of her thighs. “No, nobody's noticed…” She answered, “Besides Sam, everyone’s acting like I’ve always been this way.”

“Sam?” His brow furrowed, “Is she any different? Has she noticed any changes like you or me?”

“No, it’s just me.”

Jeremy could tell by the brevity of her responses that she was uncomfortable. After all, who wouldn’t be? This was a scary situation that they were dealing with, something clearly supernatural. This wasn’t just some oddly timed bout of growth and shrinking on their parts. No, he would be way less freaked out if that were the case. This was something more. Something had changed. Reality, it seemed, was different. People’s memories had shifted to fit, and hell, even his driver’s license noted his change in height. A diminutive 5’4”… That had been his first clue. He needed to figure this out for both of their sakes… even though he could tell she was getting a little defensive.

“Can you think of anything that may have caused this?” He asked, trying to be analytical.

“No.” She told him, a sick feeling descending in the pit of her stomach. Her first lie didn’t taste very good.

“C’mon, there’s gotta be something…” Jeremy insisted, “Did you like, I don’t know... maybe piss off a gypsy or something?”

“No, nothing like that....” She told him. He was already getting closer to the truth. “Look… I’m just trying to take some notes here…” She said quietly, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Notes?” Jeremy looked at her funny, a single eyebrow raised in astonishment, “How can you think about notes after all that’s happened to you?”

Just then he glanced downward at her chest - bad move. He didn’t mean to... It just happened, but she caught him red handed. Her face reddened in embarrassment, and he meekly stammered out an apology.

“Oh, uh…” He said lamely, losing his nerve as his face pinkened. “...sorry…”

She crossed her arms over her bosom, hiding it from view and looking away. This made Jeremy feel especially crummy.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Nice job asshat, you embarrassed her...' He berated himself.

And so, the two sat in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say to the other as they both scribbled down lecture notes. Jeremy kept his eyes forward as much as he could, not wanting to cause Michelle any more discomfort.

For her part, Michelle was a ball of conflicted emotions. She felt guilt at having done this to him, guilt for lying to him, but there was also something else… a tiny thrill that came whenever she snuck a glance at him. Something about his size… how she was bigger than him. It stirred something inside of her, something she didn’t understand.

‘Gosh… he’s just so little…’

After a long, awkward lecture Michelle breathed a sigh of relief when the bell finally rang. The professor dismissed the lecture and the two started packing their things. Michelle almost sprinted away she was so nervous, but she stopped when he called out to her.

“Wait!” Jeremy began hesitantly, grabbing her arm. He had succeeded in getting her attention, but now that he had it, with her beautiful emeralds boring down at him, he felt his legs turn into jelly and his voice soften. He wasn’t usually this nervous around her, but there was a lot about the both of them that had changed.

“H-Hey uhh…” He began hesitantly, stuttering for the first time in years. Summoning his diminished courage, he took a deep breath and continued, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He stopped, seeing the nervous way she scratched her arm, the self conscious way she slouched. She was obviously still uncomfortable, so he decided to just drop it.

“Are you still coming over to study tomorrow?” He asked, changing the subject, “I still do need some help with Physics…” He looked up at her guiltily, his foot twisting nervously against the floor. He needed the help for sure, but in truth it was just an excuse to spend time with her. “And um… I could use somebody to talk to anyway… about all this…"

Michelle knew she shouldn't, it would be easier that way. She needed to help Sam study the book, help find a way to reverse all this. She was going to tell him that, but hearing that adorable little stutter, seeing the pitiable look on his face, those unintentional puppy-dog eyes peering shyly up at her… It was like someone had sent an arrow straight through her heart. That warm, tingly feeling from earlier returned stronger than ever, and suddenly she couldn’t possibly turn him down. He needed her… She didn’t want to let him down. And besides, a full day should be enough for Sam to find a way to change them back, right?

“Oh, uh… Yeah! Of course!” Michelle answered brightly, hiding her hesitation, “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Relief flooded Jeremy’s body and he thanked her profusely, “Oh good, I’m really glad! Thanks a lot!”

On pure reflex, his body stepped forward for a hug. He only realized when it was too late what his body was already doing, but by then it was too late, and it’d be awkward if he backed away now. He’d done it a hundred other times with plenty of girls, and he had even managed it a few times with Michelle when his confidence had been especially high, but this time was so much different. He had never hugged a girl that was so much taller than him. Somehow it felt more intimate.

“Oh!” Michelle was surprised, but with a soft laugh she reciprocated the unexpected hug. Her arms gently wrapped around him, securing him in place, “It’s no problem… Really…” She said softly, resting her chin on the top of his head. Her hand came up to grasp the back of his head, nestling it into her shoulder. It felt good having him depend on her. “Everything is gonna be just fine, don’t you worry.”

They stood like that for a few seconds, the rest of the world falling away from the embracing pair. Jeremy had never felt so comfortable, so safe in all his life. He would have stayed in her arms forever… if not for the funny looks they were getting.

“Uhm, alright then…” Jeremy managed awkwardly, squirming away from her grasp, “… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then? At my place?”

Just then Michelle felt a little cold, like a piece of herself had escaped. She looked down at him, seeing his fragile little face looking expectantly back up at her. She just wanted to take him back into her arms and keep him there, like her own personal little teddy bear. She had also seen the looks that they were getting though, and allowed him to retain his dignity. Instead, she managed a small gentle smile.

“Alright, see you then.”

Description

Previous part:

www.deviantart.com/doubleburge…

-------------

By the time the two had finished Maggi and June were long gone, and so the two continued walking by themselves. Their conversation turned to more mundane things - class, friends, as well as the holiday break that seemed still so achingly far away. Michelle was thankful for the reprieve, though Sam never hesitated to crack a joke about her larger chest whenever the opportunity arose. Soon though, the sight of the main campus came into view. The dignified spires and long-standing brick architecture that the university was known for slowly grew in size as they approached.

“Well, here’s Jackson Hall…” Michelle said, jabbing her thumb towards one of the larger buildings, “I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Oh, no no!” Sam interjected, “I’m not going anywhere yet. I’m coming with you.”

Michelle looked at her funny, “Don’t you have class though? Aren’t you gonna be late?”

“Maybe…” Sam smiled, “...but I told you already. There’s no way I’d miss Jeremy going gaga over those things.” She looked pointedly at Michelle’s chest as she held the door open for her friend, “I’ll bet he won’t be able to tear his eyes away!”

“Yeah…” Michelle said quietly, still not entirely convinced. Her whole life she had felt invisible, her petite stature and unimpressive curves allowing her to blend into a crowd. That wasn’t the case anymore. Her longer legs shifted her perspective higher, giving her the ability to see the appreciative glances directed towards her by the students passing by in the halls. Though some were able to meet her gaze, she immediately noticed how many of them focused on the eye-catching motion of her overgrown chest, the roundness of her heavy bosom. The extra attention made her feel a little self-conscious.

Michelle could fathom why the spell had made her grow. She was a little on the short side after all… It was only natural for someone like Jeremy to want her taller, but boys didn’t seriously like boobs this big, did they? She felt like she was smuggling grapefruits under her shirt! As anxious as she was though, she was still eager to see him. What if Sam was right? Maybe this was what he wanted...

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t look forward to this class every week… and not at all because she enjoyed the material. She liked being around him, the fluttery feeling that she got whenever he greeted her. Rather than sit with his friends he usually picked a seat close to her, normally asking her to be his partner whenever a group project reared its ugly head. Having no one else to pair up with she always agreed, though even if that weren’t the case she knew she would still eagerly accept his offer. She just hoped this wouldn’t change all that.

The two idled outside the classroom, waiting for Jeremy and continuing to chat about whatever came to mind, but as the minutes ticked by Sam began to grow impatient.

“So, like… Seriously, where is he?” She asked impatiently tapping her foot, “Does he always take this long?”

“It’s not like him to be late.” Michelle shrugged, “Maybe he got held up?” Using her new height to her advantage, she stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd for her crush. She couldn’t find him anywhere, which was odd. He was fairly tall, so she could normally pick him out of a crowd pretty easily.

‘Where the heck is he?’

“H-hey guys…”

Michelle recognized Jeremy’s voice immediately, but without even looking she immediately could tell something was off. It was quiet like a mouse - timid and unsure. The two turned to the source of the hesitant greeting, their mouths simultaneously gaping at the sight of him.

“Hey... uh, What’s going on?” Jeremy’s hand raised in an awkward wave, failing to hide the apprehensive look on his face as he nervously greeted the two friends.

Michelle balked at him, scanning him from head to toe, ‘Ohmigosh! He’s so short!’ She could clearly see over the top of his head. He barely came up to her nose! Sam was similarly incredulous, remembering how she normally had to look up to meet Jeremy’s eyes. Now they were both taller than him, and by a good few inches at least!

After an awkward few seconds, Michelle was the first to say something. “Jeremy... what... what happened to you?”

Jeremy’s hand lowered and he looked at her sideways, “Erm, what do you mean?”

“Oh, uh, well…” Michelle stammered.

“You’re short!” Sam blurted, putting it bluntly “You’re like half a foot smaller! What the hell happened to you?”

Jeremy’s eyes widened and he stepped a little closer. “You guys can see this?” He asked, gesturing towards his reduced stature. He received a nod from the both of them.

“Oh, thank God… I’m not going crazy…” His shoulders slumped, a deep feeling of relief washing over him. It was short lived though, the panic in his voice taking on a manic quality.

“You guys have to help me. This is crazy… I just... woke up all short like this! And besides you two, everyone I’ve talked to is acting like I’ve always been this way!”

Michelle and Sam shared a cautious glance.

“It’s the spell.” Michelle whispered, “It has to be.”

“Yeah, no doubt…” Sam agreed, also whispering, “Something’s wrong. It didn’t say it was gonna affect him!”

Michelle turned back to Jeremy, forcing a smile. “Hey... Sam and I need to talk. I’ll meet you inside, okay?”

Jeremy’s mouth opened in protest, but the two were already walking away. With no other options he entered the auditorium, taking a seat near the back away from everyone else.

“You need to fix this.” Michelle told her with an uncharacteristic firmness, “Not tomorrow, not next week, today.”

“Ah, well… see, here’s the thing…” Sam stammered, scratching the back of her head, “I kinda don’t know how.”

“Oh, please tell me you’re joking!” Michelle admonished quietly, her grip on Sam’s arm tightening, “How could you do something like this and not know how to reverse it?”

“Hey, don’t put this all on me! You could have said no too!” Sam countered.

“I didn’t ask you to shrink him!”

“Alright, alright…” Sam putting her hands up defensively, trying to de-escalate Michelle’s temper, “There’s gotta be some way to change him back.”

“Change us back.” Michelle corrected.

“Right. Lemme just do some more reading. As soon as class is over I’ll head back and figure it out.”

Michelle fidgeted, scratching her arm, “What am I supposed to do until then?” She asked, “What am I supposed to tell him?”

“I don’t know… I guess just play dumb for now.” Sam squirmed.

“You want me to lie to him?”

“Well it’s either that or tell him that we shrunk him. It’s your call I guess…”

Michelle thought it over, imagining the look of betrayal on his face. She’d be lucky if he ever even looked at her again. “No, I guess that probably wouldn’t be good…”

“So did all this come from him?” She asked, motioning towards her longer legs, her larger chest, “Did I steal his height?”

Sam bit her lip. “I don’t know… Maybe?” She said honestly, “I’ll have to see… I’m sorry…”

Michelle said nothing, letting the silence hang thickly in the air.

“Okay…” Sam awkwardly shifted to her other hip, “Just give me until tonight. I’m sure I can come up with something. Until then I guess just keep him from freaking out any more than he already is… and don’t answer too many questions.”

Michelle nodded again and the two parted ways, Sam bounding away in a half jog in order to make her class somewhat on time. Michelle sighed and turned to face the door, pushing on its large wooden surface and walking into the auditorium. She recognized the back of Jeremy’s head sitting in their usual area, though the fact that it didn’t reach as high above the back of the chair made her think it wasn’t him at first. She briefly considered finding a seat away from him, avoiding him entirely.

‘No, that would probably just make things even worse…’

Finding the correct row, she began squeezing past people’s feet, awkwardly uttering apologies as she maneuvered her larger body between the seats. Jeremy watched her the whole way over, his eyes growing wider and wider as she approached. For some reason, looking down at his wide-eyed stare made something leap inside her ribcage, and as she approached the sensation only got stronger. Just being near him sent a wave of tingles washing over her, the pleasant feeling confusing her. With a heavy -plumpf- she sat down in the seat next to him, noticing the way that she now sat a few inches higher than him as well. For some reason this little detail made her heart flutter and her pulse quicken.

A few awkward moments of silence passed as she dug her things out of her backpack, pulling open the tray attached to the seat that gave her a surface to write on. She slapped her notebook down on top of it, and without a word she began to transcribe the notes already written on the giant chalkboard at the front of the room.

Jeremy observed her, noting their difference in size. He hadn’t noticed out in the hall, but seeing her squeeze past all those people, the way she sat higher in the seat next to him… She was definitely bigger.

“Michelle, are you… taller?” He asked hesitantly.

Michelle’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Crap, he’s already noticed!’ After a moment of hesitation she squeaked out a single-word reply.

“Yes.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened, “So… So is it the same for you then? Has anyone else noticed that you’re…” Jeremy trailed off. She heard him swallow loudly, “... Uh, bigger?”

Michelle squirmed, trying to stretch her skirt so that it covered a little more of her thighs. “No, nobody's noticed…” She answered, “Besides Sam, everyone’s acting like I’ve always been this way.”

“Sam?” His brow furrowed, “Is she any different? Has she noticed any changes like you or me?”

“No, it’s just me.”

Jeremy could tell by the brevity of her responses that she was uncomfortable. After all, who wouldn’t be? This was a scary situation that they were dealing with, something clearly supernatural. This wasn’t just some oddly timed bout of growth and shrinking on their parts. No, he would be way less freaked out if that were the case. This was something more. Something had changed. Reality, it seemed, was different. People’s memories had shifted to fit, and hell, even his driver’s license noted his change in height. A diminutive 5’4”… That had been his first clue. He needed to figure this out for both of their sakes… even though he could tell she was getting a little defensive.

“Can you think of anything that may have caused this?” He asked, trying to be analytical.

“No.” She told him, a sick feeling descending in the pit of her stomach. Her first lie didn’t taste very good.

“C’mon, there’s gotta be something…” Jeremy insisted, “Did you like, I don’t know... maybe piss off a gypsy or something?”

“No, nothing like that....” She told him. He was already getting closer to the truth. “Look… I’m just trying to take some notes here…” She said quietly, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Notes?” Jeremy looked at her funny, a single eyebrow raised in astonishment, “How can you think about notes after all that’s happened to you?”

Just then he glanced downward at her chest - bad move. He didn’t mean to... It just happened, but she caught him red handed. Her face reddened in embarrassment, and he meekly stammered out an apology.

“Oh, uh…” He said lamely, losing his nerve as his face pinkened. “...sorry…”

She crossed her arms over her bosom, hiding it from view and looking away. This made Jeremy feel especially crummy.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Nice job asshat, you embarrassed her...' He berated himself.

And so, the two sat in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say to the other as they both scribbled down lecture notes. Jeremy kept his eyes forward as much as he could, not wanting to cause Michelle any more discomfort.

For her part, Michelle was a ball of conflicted emotions. She felt guilt at having done this to him, guilt for lying to him, but there was also something else… a tiny thrill that came whenever she snuck a glance at him. Something about his size… how she was bigger than him. It stirred something inside of her, something she didn’t understand.

‘Gosh… he’s just so little…’

After a long, awkward lecture Michelle breathed a sigh of relief when the bell finally rang. The professor dismissed the lecture and the two started packing their things. Michelle almost sprinted away she was so nervous, but she stopped when he called out to her.

“Wait!” Jeremy began hesitantly, grabbing her arm. He had succeeded in getting her attention, but now that he had it, with her beautiful emeralds boring down at him, he felt his legs turn into jelly and his voice soften. He wasn’t usually this nervous around her, but there was a lot about the both of them that had changed.

“H-Hey uhh…” He began hesitantly, stuttering for the first time in years. Summoning his diminished courage, he took a deep breath and continued, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He stopped, seeing the nervous way she scratched her arm, the self conscious way she slouched. She was obviously still uncomfortable, so he decided to just drop it.

“Are you still coming over to study tomorrow?” He asked, changing the subject, “I still do need some help with Physics…” He looked up at her guiltily, his foot twisting nervously against the floor. He needed the help for sure, but in truth it was just an excuse to spend time with her. “And um… I could use somebody to talk to anyway… about all this…"

Michelle knew she shouldn't, it would be easier that way. She needed to help Sam study the book, help find a way to reverse all this. She was going to tell him that, but hearing that adorable little stutter, seeing the pitiable look on his face, those unintentional puppy-dog eyes peering shyly up at her… It was like someone had sent an arrow straight through her heart. That warm, tingly feeling from earlier returned stronger than ever, and suddenly she couldn’t possibly turn him down. He needed her… She didn’t want to let him down. And besides, a full day should be enough for Sam to find a way to change them back, right?

“Oh, uh… Yeah! Of course!” Michelle answered brightly, hiding her hesitation, “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Relief flooded Jeremy’s body and he thanked her profusely, “Oh good, I’m really glad! Thanks a lot!”

On pure reflex, his body stepped forward for a hug. He only realized when it was too late what his body was already doing, but by then it was too late, and it’d be awkward if he backed away now. He’d done it a hundred other times with plenty of girls, and he had even managed it a few times with Michelle when his confidence had been especially high, but this time was so much different. He had never hugged a girl that was so much taller than him. Somehow it felt more intimate.

“Oh!” Michelle was surprised, but with a soft laugh she reciprocated the unexpected hug. Her arms gently wrapped around him, securing him in place, “It’s no problem… Really…” She said softly, resting her chin on the top of his head. Her hand came up to grasp the back of his head, nestling it into her shoulder. It felt good having him depend on her. “Everything is gonna be just fine, don’t you worry.”

They stood like that for a few seconds, the rest of the world falling away from the embracing pair. Jeremy had never felt so comfortable, so safe in all his life. He would have stayed in her arms forever… if not for the funny looks they were getting.

“Uhm, alright then…” Jeremy managed awkwardly, squirming away from her grasp, “… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then? At my place?”

Just then Michelle felt a little cold, like a piece of herself had escaped. She looked down at him, seeing his fragile little face looking expectantly back up at her. She just wanted to take him back into her arms and keep him there, like her own personal little teddy bear. She had also seen the looks that they were getting though, and allowed him to retain his dignity. Instead, she managed a small gentle smile.

“Alright, see you then.”