Treasured Gifts of Many

Chapter 6
Chapter Five

Chapter Description: May brave the outside world in her shrinking body to deliver her best friend her last birthday gift. Unfortunately, a run-in with her past may just break May.

Treasured Gifts of May:

Chapter Five




    May tightened the straps on her sandals for the fifth time, before finally looking at the front door.  She stared at the door for a few heartbeats, then turned her attention to her sandals.

   May’s jaw twitched as she studied her sandals.  They looked ridiculous on her, her feet no longer fitting in the footwear.  She lifted her right foot into the air and gave it a quick shake.  The sandal flopped about, but remained on her smaller foot.

   May set her foot down and wiggled her toes.  She frowned/scowled when she saw how much room her footwear now had.

   May sighed after a moment.  She realized she was stalling, trying to gather the courage to step outside her house.

   May looked up at the door and stared at it for a few more seconds, then turned her attention to her phone resting on the backpack she borrowed from Michelle.  May frowned disheartedly, remembering how much closer to her younger sister’s eye level she was when she asked to borrow the bag and a ball cap.

   May was quick to banish those troubling thoughts and grabbed her phone, turning it on for the first time in weeks.

   Immediately, May saw how many missed calls and text messages from Besty.  May’s frown turned shameful as she scrolled through the notices, seeing how many there truly were.

   May’s frown deepened as she randomly picked out the voicemail Best left for her.

   She wasn’t prepared for the frantic voice of her best friend calling out to her.

   [May!  C’mon, this isn’t funny anymore!  Call me, shoot me a text!  Heck, FaceTime me!!!  Just get in touch with me!  I need to know that you’re okay!]

    May sighed and closed the voicemail, locking her phone soon after.  She looked at her comically large sandals, frowning disheartedly.  She wiggled her toes quickly before standing up, putting her phone into her right shorts pocket.

   May grabbed her borrowed backpack and made sure Besty’s birthday gift was safely tugged into the bag.  She then grabbed the pale green ball cap she also got from Michelle and slipped it on her head.

    The shrinking redhead looked at the door, feeling some of her nerves fraying at the thought of what was out there.

   With a settling sigh, May pushed all of her lingering fear deep into the back of her mind and grabbed the door handle.

   She didn’t hesitate; she opened the door and stepped out into the growing world before her nerves could flame up again.



(SC)



    Three blocks, May thought to herself in dismay.  That’s what separates my house from Besty’s place.

    May remembered that it would take 12 to 15 minutes to reach Besty’s house on a nice and sunny day like the one May found herself walking in.  And yet, despite this fact, May was barely half a block away from her house.

    May looked down at her feet, frowning.  Her body felt awkward to control; it was like her left foot was encased in several layers of lead, making it hard to lift.  Her right foot, however, felt like it was covered in ice, and taking a single step would cause her to go slipping and sliding in all directions.

   Not helping matters was the noise around May.  Sounds she was used to for her entire life were now near deafening.  It was like every single piece of noise cut through May and made her body feel that much heavier.

   To her right, May heard the sound of children laughing and couldn’t help but look over.  She saw two boys, both roughly seven years old, playing a game of tag.  One of the boys, a redhead with hair a shade lighter than May’s, laughed as he took a tumble to the ground, and his friend jumped on him.

   May watched this, a look of horror mounting on her face.  She imagined that redhead boy’s face being replaced with her face at that age, one she remembered seeing in her mother’s old family album.

   Breath catching in her throat, May hurried off, eyes cast to the ground.

   May was too frantic to realize that she ran out of her neighborhood and into the next block.  She continued running until her shifting body could no longer handle the stress.

   May stopped, hunched over, breath coming out in uneven pants.  She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart, trying to force it to slow down.

    “Girl!  I’m telling you, I can't wait to leave this boring town.  I was at the pool, and nothing new or exciting happened.  Just the same old, same old!  It was so boring I decided to head home and finished my sunbathing there.”

    A lump formed in May’s throat, and her eyes snapped wide.  She stiffly raised her head and felt her stomach drop.  

    Just a few paces in front of the shrinking redhead was her old school rival, Marigold Mileson, or as Besty mockingly nicknamed her, Mary Mouse.

   Frozen in place, May just stared at her old rival, lost in distant memories.

   May had competed against Marigold since entering high school.  Every single accomplishment May earned throughout the last four years, she had barely managed to win over Marigold.

   May could admit, even if it was only silently to herself, that she loved winning against Marigold.  It gave her a petty sense of pride when she saw that sour look on her rival’s face when she bested her.

   Now, however, Marigold, who had always stood just a few inches share of six foot even, look gaintitic to May, who probably stood just a few inches below five foot.

  Oh God, May thought, breathing out.  She’s so tall and beautiful!

   May had always known that Marigold was beautiful, but standing here, looking at her, she couldn’t help but feel some childish envy and admiration building within her increasingly childish’s mindset.

   May looked her rival over, a hint of pink highlighting her cheeks.

   Marigold had clearly just returned from the local pool.  She was wearing a bright red bikini with a matching sarong.  Her bleach-blonde hair had a hint of moisture to it, glittering in the afternoon sun.  In her left hand was an iced coffee while she used her other hand to hold her phone, tipping her right sandal against the ground as she listened half-heartedly to her friend on the other end.

    “I know, girl,” Marigold suddenly said, on the verge of laughing.  “That was one of the funniest things I ever saw.  And he was a teacher!!”

   Marigold finally broke out laughing, her teeth chattering shortly afterwards.  That’s where Besty got Marigold’s nickname from; whenever Marigold laughed, her teeth would always chatter, making one think of a mouse chattering its teeth.

   Hearing that laugh snapped May out of her trance, and a sickening feeling overtook her.  If Marigold saw May, the chances of her recognizing the shrinking girl were high.

   May could feel the color drain from her face at that thought.  If Marigold did recognize her, then it was all over.  The girl would plaster May’s condition for all to see.  Soon, everyone from school and beyond would come to see and point fingers at May.

   May could see pointing and hear her old schoolmate laughing at the poor, shrinking girl.

   “...I really would be a freak,” May muttered fearfully.

   Suddenly very self-conscious, May hitched up her shoulders and bunched her neck, trying to make herself seem smaller than she already was.  She grabbed the visor of her cap and pulled it down, trying to hide her face from view.  

    She grabbed the strap of her borrowed bag, holding it tight like some kind of shield, and slowly, but discreetly, tried to walk past her old rival.

   May was close to passing by Marigold when it happened; her right foot collided with a piece of protruding pavement.  She screamed out as she lost her balance and fell forward.  She reached out to try to grab something to stop her fall.

   Unfortunately, that something was Marigold’s sarong.

    “HEY!” Marigold screamed, feeling herself being pushed down.

   Acting fast, Marigold planted her feet on the ground and jolted her hip forward, forcing her sarong out of May’s hand.

   May hit the ground, letting out a small groan as her pack went flying from her back.   She winced as she felt the wind knocked out of her lungs.  Panting, May’s head swung as she tried to get air back into her lungs.

   “Do you know what you just nearly did?”

   The angry voice of her rival forced May to take a large, sharp gasp of air, and she turned her head to look up.  She gulped when she saw the angry scowl on her rival’s face.  May suddenly gasped as she realized something…Marigold was looking right at her face.

    Marigold’s face suddenly twisted as she leaned closer.  May watched as her old school rival’s brow furrowed and recognition entered Marigold’s eyes.

    No…No… no nononono, May screamed in her head, her panic growing.

   Marigold was looking May right in the face.  There was no way the bleach-blonde-haired young woman wouldn’t recognize someone she’d competed with for the last four years.

   Marigold suddenly let out a tired sigh, snow-white sparkles dancing in her eyes.  She looked away, checking to see if her iced coffee was intact.  Once she was sure her drink wasn’t ruined, Marigold turned back to May, glaring at the shrinking woman.

   “Next time, brat, watch where you’re going,” Marigold said scoldingly, then turned her attention back to her phone.  “Sorry about that.  Some brat almost made me spill my favorite drink.”

   Stunned, May got to her knees, watching as Marigold walked around her.  The teenager walked over to her house, her voice still ringing in May’s ears.

   “Yeah.  I heard a bunch of hunky guys are going to be in the dorms next to mine!  I’m already picking out some of my best outfits, the ones I know would turn some heads when I go to State in a few weeks.”

   May watched as her school rival walked into her house, not even bothering to look at the 14-year-old who almost caused her to fall.

   For what seemed like a lifetime, May just sat there, looking at the house where Marigold had disappeared into.

   “...She looked right at me,” May muttered breathlessly.  “She looked right at me and didn’t even know who I was.”

   May quickly realized with a lump in her stomach that Marigold didn’t look at her; she looked through her.  Marigold didn’t see someone she fought for the top spot in every single test.  No, she just saw some kid who got in her way and wasn’t worth her time.

   May’s hands flew to her chest, her breathing suddenly coming out in rigid, uneven gasps.  Her wide eyes darted around the block, taking in every single shadow that moved.  

   She suddenly felt like walls were closing in on her, trapping her.  And behind those walls were people she had known for years, walking away and not even bothering with a little shrinking freak like her.

    “...I can’t do this,” May suddenly whispered, tears burning at the corner of her eyes.

    May ran her hands frantically through her hair, repeating the word she just spoke, her voice growing louder.  

    “I can’t do this!  I can’t do THIS!!  I CAN’T DO THHHIIISSSS!!!”

   She was close to a full panic attack as she reached for her phone, ready to call her mother and have her pick her up.  May stopped, catching the sight of her borrowed bag out of the corner of her eye.  For a moment, her own anxieties were forgotten as the concern that her best friend’s gift was ruined ran through May’s mind.

   With shaking hands, May reached out and gingerly grabbed the bag by the shoulder strap.  She pulled it close to her chest and unzipped it.  A wave of relief flooded through the shrinking girl as she saw that her best friend’s gift was undamaged, thanks in part to the extra padding in the backpack.

    May stared at the box, a memory suddenly washing over her as snow-white sprinkles danced in her eyes.

   May remembered that during fourth grade she had run for class president, only to run into a nasty smear campaign.  The teacher never found the ones behind the campaign, and with passing day, the smears got worse.  

    The entire thing left poor May in tears.

     The only thing that kept her grounded during that trying time was Bethany.  The girl was a whirlwind of energy, going from comforting May to trying to find one behind the smears herself.

    May might not have made through that time if it wasn’t for her best friend.  It was during this time that May first called Bethany “Besty,” and that name had stuck with the girl long into her later years.

   “...You always had the strength to be yourself, Besty,” May muttered to herself softly.  “Even with everything you had gone through at home.”

    May sighed and ran a hand through her hair.  The events of just a few seconds ago were still fresh in her mind, but there was one thing that was more important than Marigold Mileson; her best friend was leaving soon, and part of May would feel terrible if she didn’t at least see Besty before she left.

    Steeling her resolve, May zapped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.  She rose slowly to her feet, her legs still shaking somewhat.  She took a moment to steady herself, breathing softly and steadily to calm the last of her nerves.

   May was about to leave when she heard the creak of a door opening.  Against her better judgment, she looked at Marigold’s house.

   Marigold had exited her home, dragging a lawn chair behind her.  She set up the chair and took a seat in it, stretching out to her full height.  With a loud sigh, the blonde relaxed into the chair, ready to soak up some sun.

   Marigold must have felt eyes on her, as she looked ahead, catching May staring at her.  The young woman turned a piercing, condescending glare to the girl she still hadn’t realized was her old rival.

   May could feel some of her anxieties creeping up again the longer she was under her old rival’s glare.  She turned away from Marigold and hurried down the sidewalk, her heart starting to beat rapidly again.