"Sure," Brandon said. "Do you want to build some stuff with your magnetics?"
"Sounds good," Tony said, smiling. He pulled out his box of magnetics, and the two started putting them together.
"Hey... Brandon?" Tony asked. "A lot of people at school call you stuff like 'little guy' or 'short stuff,' right?"
Brandon held his breath, but the question didn't shrink him. "Sometimes, yeah."
"How do you deal with it?" Tony asked quietly.
Brandon frowned. Tony was short for his age, but Brandon had no idea he was getting bullied about it.
I guess now that I'm smaller, he thinks I can relate.
"You just have to shrug it off," Brandon said. "I know it's hard, but it doesn't really matter, in the long run."
"But... when you're so little, like you and me, people can do whatever they want."
Brandon lost another inch.
"They pick on the little guys like us because they know we're too little to fight back."
He went down another two inches. He was now only an inch taller than Tony, and his shirt was hanging off his shoulders, revealing most of his torso.
"Wow you're getting tiny," Tony said. Brandon shrunk yet again, now 4'4, just like Tony.
Brandon sighed. "You were literally just talking about how awful it is when people tease you about your height, and now--"
Tony blinked. "Oh. Wow. I'm being a jerk, huh?"
Brandon hesitated, an idea forming. "I just... I really don't like being treated like I'm small, or young. Can you please not do that? Please?"
Tony nodded. "I promise. I'll stop." He looked at Brandon again and frowned. "Uhm... do you maybe want to borrow one of my shirts?"
"Please," Brandon said, smiling. "If you've got some extra sneakers, that'd be cool too."
"Sure." Tony said. He threw Brandon a polo shirt and some socks and shoes. Brandon pulled them on, a bit weirded out that he was wearing his 10-year-old brother's clothes. Still, it was better than being half naked.
"So... so what do you do? When people tease you for being little? They can say all the mean stuff they want, and you're too small to fight back."
"You come tell your big brother about it," Brandon says. "And you feel bad, but you learn how to let it roll off you, until they stop teasing you."
"Okay, okay," Tony says. "I mean, you're not exactly my 'big' brother, but still... thanks."
Brandon shrunk another inch. He still managed to smile at Tony. As much as it sucked to be small, he was glad he'd gotten to connect with him.
"I'm going to head up to my room now. Let me know if you need me," Brandon said.
"Thanks for your help," Tony replied.
Brandon sprinted up the stairs, then closed his door. He was already down to 4'2, which was more than a foot shorter than he'd been earlier this afternoon. It sucked, but he figured the smaller he got, the more small jokes people would make, and the faster he'd end up shrinking.
At least James can just not ask questions to avoid his wish, Brandon thought. Then he chuckled. Who am I kidding? James will be a toddler by now, with all the questions he asks.
Brandon laid flat on his bed. His family would call him down for dinner in a while, but after that, he could just hide in his room. It was Friday, so he didn't need to worry about school, and on Saturday, he could keep hiding to wait out the wish.
"Time for dinner!" his mom called after an hour.
Brandon hesitated. If he played sick, maybe he could get out of spending time around anyone. He decided to
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