“And…that’s pretty much it,” ended Joey, his expression forlorn despite the surrounding company. “It’ll probably happen this week, too, just based on the symptoms.”
Everyone stood in silence, staring at Roni and Joey. It made Joey feel uncomfortable, isolated, and alone. It wasn’t that they were judging him. Joey could see that his closest friends were in shock, still trying to digest what he told them, almost not thinking it was real, just like Roni had Saturday.
No, it was something that only Joey could see: pity. Pity and mourning. Those were the exact emotions that Joey was able to pick out in his friends’ eyes. As far as he could tell, they were looking at him like he had already changed. Like his humanity no longer existed, no longer held any relevance now that he was something else. A lesser species, one that would forever live in the shadow of those lucky enough to be born as full-fledged humans.
His stomach tightened as the silence seemed to stretch on forever. Joey wondered what it was they were thinking, why no one was speaking yet, if they were considering their options on how to desert him and let him wallow in a new world of obscurity as Roni’s pet Little. He could feel his pulse start to race and was suddenly completely aware of how warm he was starting to feel and the moisture forming on his palms. Joey just wanted to retreat, to run back to the parking lot and drive off, going back to the Hales and not leaving until the time he shrunk.
However, it was the sudden grip on his hand that grounded him, calming his anxiety, grounding him in reality, and letting him truly see what was happening before him.
Roni had noticed how tense Joey suddenly got and took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze, similar to how he would when her own nerves would cause her to pause and tremble before a bike race or an audition for local theatre.
Though she wasn’t certain, Roni had a feeling that Joey’s pessimism was causing him to see things that weren’t really there. She knew all too well how anxiety could make someone see the worst in a situation. Joey had every right to feel that way, but she didn’t want him to torture himself.
From what she could see, their friends were in shock and deeply saddened by the news. Roni knew what they were feeling, and she didn’t blame them at all. Joey was always dependable, smart, and wanted what was best for his friends. Hearing that he would no longer be able to be in their lives in that capacity was just as jarring to them as it had been for her.
However, based on how Joey was reacting, it looked like he wasn’t seeing the same expression that she had been, that maybe his own fear and new insecurity about his fate were making him misinterpret their reaction. That was why she took his hand. She needed to bring him back to reality so he could see these weren’t the callous or self-centered people he was expecting from most of the other students. They were his friends, and they cared about him.
After what seemed like an eternity, it was Sophie who broke away from the others and approached Joey. Before either he or Roni could do anything, she wrapped her arms around him, some tears rolling down her face.
She spoke softly to him as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. “Joey…I’m so sorry….” Sophie said through choked-back tears, “I hope you know I’ll always be here for you, right by Roni’s side supporting you both.”
Returning her hug, Joey pulled back and smiled at her, feeling relieved that someone finally said something to him. “I know you will, Soph. And hey, on the bright side? I’ll still be in your life,” he said before hesitating. “Just smaller…and in Roni’s hand…and harder to hear…”
Sophie still couldn’t pull away from Joey, though, as if the idea of holding onto him would keep him full-sized forever. It wasn’t until Zay spoke that she turned around.
“Sophie, you’re going to cause a scene,” hissed Zay so only the group could hear. “I’m sure the last thing Joey needs right now is for the whole school to see you grabbing him like he’s terminal.”
Sophie glared at Zay before realizing that several students had taken notice of their group, whispering among themselves and casting curious glances their way. “Damn it,” she muttered, releasing Joey and stepping back to adjust her hair, attempting to mask her emotions with a forced smile.
Zay exhaled deeply, his gaze meeting Joey’s. “That being said, dude, she’s not wrong. We’ve got your back. You’re not going through this alone.”
“Yeah,” Cam chimed in, offering a lopsided grin. “Plus, you ended up in the best situation. If you’d stayed with your parents, you’d probably be in a case on the mantel.”
Joey tensed for just a moment, the words hitting him before he could filter them out as a joke. Cam noticed and winced, quickly backtracking.
“Shit—Joey, sorry,” she said, rubbing her arm after Sophie elbowed her. “It was supposed to be funny, but… yeah. Not my best.”
Joey took a breath before giving her a half-smile. “Yeah, that one needs work.”
Lauren stepped forward, offering Joey a reassuring smile. “We’ll still have our board game nights. Cam and I can even craft some outfits for you so you can be right in the action!”
A chuckle escaped Joey’s lips as he envisioned himself, miniaturized, participating in their gaming sessions. The thought brought a glimmer of light to an otherwise daunting situation.
Roni squeezed his hand gently. “See? You’ve got all the family you’ll ever need. No one’s abandoning you. Promise.”
Joey let out a shaky breath as he looked around at his friends. “Thank you. All of you… I’d be lying if I said this isn’t hitting me hard, but knowing you’re here for me—it helps.”
The warning bell rang, signaling the start of the first period.
“Welp,” Cam sighed, rolling her eyes. “The bell tolls for hell. Guess we should get going.”
Joey let himself take comfort in their presence, in their easy banter and stubborn loyalty. But as they walked toward the school entrance, his eyes flickered to the students around them.
Were they staring?
It was hard to tell. A few glanced his way before quickly looking elsewhere, and whispers seemed to follow in the wake of their group. His stomach twisted.
Had they overheard? Did they already know?
It wasn’t like the school was short on gossip. If the wrong person had picked up on their conversation, rumors could be spreading already. His mind conjured worst-case scenarios—people dissecting his situation in hushed voices, turning his future into lunchtime speculation, or worse, twisting it into some kind of joke.
A sudden spike of self-consciousness made him shrink inward. His clothes, his posture—did he look different? Smaller? He’d spent years keeping his head down, avoiding attention, but now, it felt impossible to escape.
“Hey,” Roni murmured, nudging his shoulder. “You good?”
Joey forced a nod, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “Yeah,” he said, but the word felt thin.
She didn’t push, just walked a little closer. He appreciated that.
His friends kept talking as they stepped inside—Cam was already complaining about first period, Zay was shaking his head at her dramatics, Lauren was mumbling something about a quiz she forgot to study for. The normalcy should have been comforting. Instead, it only made the contrast sharper.
Because no matter how much support he had, the hardest part was still ahead. And as the crowd swallowed him whole, Joey couldn’t shake the feeling that his world was already shifting—whether he was ready or not.
I would think smart people like Joey would set up a computer system that doesn’t rely on physical movement or contact but doing everything online so people don’t know he is a little through Roni’s internet. He has the money to do it and tech isn’t that expensive. And move to a less restrictive country for internet freedom or use a vpn lol. Like a gun is called the great equalizer, so is tech =)
He would be registered as a little though and entered into the government database. People could just look.
I agree tech can be a equalizer, but it’d be a massive uphill battle for a little to get anything substantial enough to even the playing field. I’d assume anything for them would be a curated OS and have tamper proofing to prevent re-imaging over it lol
1) “As far as he could tell, they were looking at him like he had already changed. Like his humanity no longer existed, no longer held any relevance now that he was something else. A lesser species, one that would forever live in the shadow of those lucky enough to be born as full-fledged humans” it would feel like that for the poor guy.
2) “Joey just wanted to retreat, to run back to the parking lot and drive off, going back to the Hales and not leaving until the time he shrunk.” I’m sure many littles would do that.
3) “Roni had a feeling that Joey’s pessimism was causing him to see things that weren’t really there. She knew all too well how anxiety could make someone see the worst in a situation” She’s gonna be a great guardian.
4) “their friends were in shock and deeply saddened by the news. Roni knew what they were feeling, and she didn’t blame them at all” that’s a completely fair reaction.
5.1) “maybe his own fear and new insecurity about his fate were making him misinterpret their reaction” can’t blame him for that, though I do feel bad.
5.2) “That was why she took his hand. She needed to bring him back to reality so he could see these weren’t the callous or self-centered people he was expecting from most of the other students. They were his friends, and they cared about him.” good on ya Roni.
6.1) . “Joey…I’m so sorry…. I hope you know I’ll always be here for you, right by Roni’s side supporting you both.” Sophie seems good.
6.2) “I know you will, Soph. And hey, on the bright side? I’ll still be in your life, just smaller…and in Roni’s hand…and harder to hear…” Brightsiding is good.
7) “I’m sure the last thing Joey needs right now is for the whole school to see you grabbing him like he’s terminal.” Being vulnerable pretty much is terminal.
8) “That being said, dude, she’s not wrong. We’ve got your back. You’re not going through this alone.” I’m liking Zay and Cam too
9) “Plus, you ended up in the best situation. If you’d stayed with your parents, you’d probably be in a case on the mantel.” Cam, you are very, very wrong.
10) “Shit—Joey, sorry,” she said, rubbing her arm after Sophie elbowed her” another win for Sophie.
11) “We’ll still have our board game nights. Cam and I can even craft some outfits for you so you can be right in the action!” Reminds me of Sara dressing Jordan up as her D&D character.
12) “If the wrong person had picked up on their conversation, rumors could be spreading already” Such is true of all secrets.
1) I know I’d feel like that. It’d be hard not to feel like everyone you care about pity’s you when you get life altering news like that
2)Agreed
3)I hope so. She’s gonna have some struggles but ultimately will have his best interest at heart
4)yeah. I’ve had similar ones to awful news from my friends
5.1) it’s wild how you mood can make you see things that aren’t a certain way. That was more of my goal of the chapter, to point out that he’s probably seeing things and feeling things that are biased cause of his own emotional state, even though he is trying to hide how much it is actually bothering him
5.2) she’s got his back, no matter what. She is 100% team Joey
6.1) Sophie’s probably the next closest to Joey and Roni. I’d say Zay and Joey are kind of the only ones that tend to be close with everyone even though not every one is close with them, if that makes sense. Like each friend has their preference and level of trust and stuff, but Joey and Zay tend to have that with everyone in their group and can basically hang out with whoever without issue
6.2) Always look on the bright side of life, dodo, do-do,do-do,do-do
7) Yeah but it’s also probably not best to televise it, otherwise you get a charity or maisy treatment from someone lol
8) They’ll be cool characters I think. Need to work a bit on how to get them express their flaws but still fun to add in. Cam’s going to be a bit more blunt than others though
9) I think is probably just projecting how it’d go based on how much she knows
10) Lol they have a good dynamic. should be entertaining when it’s the two of them in the same chapter
11) Admittedly I took inspiration from you and Asuka on that front, but I think we have similar enough interests that we might cross up on ideas from time to time lol
12) for sure. Just worst for teenagers I think lol
1) especially with the laws that are in place.
3) Struggles are part of life.
5.1) He does have a biased view of things.
5.2) All guardians should be that way with their littles
6.1) That’s a good skill to have, but could be taken advantage of.
6.2) lol
7) I’m still curious how Charity’s vulnerability became public knowledge.
9) Valid
10) I agree
11) It’s a common idea