Despite coming to grips with his newfound power it was still too overwhelming. He felt smothered in his own room -- barely able to catch his breath. He got dressed and headed out, avoiding Mark and June downstairs in the kitchen, and quietly let himself out the front door. Nobody even noticed him.
Ty walked. To the end of the street at first, then to the end of the next block. Then several streets down. He barely noticed how far he'd gone as his mind swirled with moral dilemmas, possibilities, and dangers. At last, exhausted, he sat down on a bench in a green city park and watched the people go by.
Before long, he saw a pretty blonde girl his age walking down the path. She was conservatively dressed in a classic skirt and blouse, wearing a loose jean jacket and carrying some books. Like a boy his age would, Ty noticed she wasn't too developed. He also noticed like most kids his age, she was taller than him.
Such a nice girl, Ty thought to himself. I wish girls like her would talk to me. And then, to Ty's sudden realization, the blonde girl stopped in mid stride and rather casually turned towards his bench, where she sat down next to him. The sweet aroma of her feminine perfume and hair was intoxicating.
"Nice day, huh?" The blonde said cheerily.
"Uh... yeah." Ty grinned back nervously. "Yeah, it is." He scratched his head.
"What's your name?" The blonde turned to him with a friendly grin. "I'm Emma."
"Ty." He barely whispered, so painfully shy. "I'm Ty."
"Oh, like, our quarterback's step brother?" Emma realized.
"Uh, foster brother." Ty gulped.
"Oh yeah. Well, whatever." Emma chuckled. "That's got to suck, you know? Being in that house."
"What do you mean?" Ty gulped again. Surely this was about to turn into a jab at him, or an insult, or something. Why wasn't she laughing at him?
"Well, like, Dustin's this huge sports hero, and we all know his mom and dad are really... uh, like, difficult. Right?" Emma realized she might be offending. "Sorry, I kind of talk without thinking. It... just... must be hard for you, is all. A nice boy like you, there."
"Yeah." Ty hung his head. "It's... well..." He grinned suddenly. "Things have been better lately."
"Hey, that's good, then!" Said Emma brightly. "So, you like books too?"
"Huh?" Ty blinked.
"Well, you've tried to see what I have like six times already. I notice things, it's okay. Here, take a look!" Emma handed over her pile of books for Ty to inspect, grinning.
Ty read the titles. Some post-apocolyptic teenage love story. Not his thing, but popular. An astronomy guide, kind of cool. A book about dinosaurs!!
"You like science stuff?" Ty asked, as if in awe.
"Yeah, is that weird?" Emma giggled, seeing his reaction.
"Well, most girls don't... I mean, that is..." Ty laughed nervously, blushing.
"Yeah, I'm a bit of a weird girl." She paused, looking into Ty's eyes. "But... some guys like that."
Ty's heart raced frantically. Did she? Had she? Was she? What should he say?
"Like... me?" Ty said cautiously.
"Yeah." Emma smiled warmly. "Like you. You wanna go grab some lunch, or something, Ty?"
Emma stood up, and held out her hand gently. Ty gulped, stood up, and marveled as she was nearly ten inches taller than him. He felt small, and pathetic. He wished he knew what she was thinking. Or why she was being so nice.
"Hey... don't be scared." She said with a reassuring grin. "I don't have a boyfriend, and I remember you from school. I like you, you're not a big stupid jock. Let's go hang out, see where it goes."
Ty practically wept in joy, fighting back tears as he took her hand. "O-Okay." He said simply, and Emma grabbed her books as she and Ty began to walk together, hand in hand.