The Shrink Program

Chapter 4

Did it matter that my entire world had been turned upside down?

That I had been charged for a crime, I did not commit?

That I had gone from being the toughest bad girl on the planet....this might be a slight exaggeration but still, to a tiny little toothpick of a person who got beaten up by her little sister's kitten?

No. Because I. Had. Cake.

Giant chocolate cake.

Nothing bad can happen to you when you're eating a slice of chocolate cake the size of a car.

Nothing.

"You're going to make yourself sick, Mad," Devin muttered from above me, somehow managing to contradict my thoughts right on cue. He and Vain watched me eat the giant slice with mixed looks of fascination, and horror.

"Shut up. I can't concentrate when you nag at me, Devin." I growled, stuffing another crumb into my mouth.

Vain sighed, dragging his hand tiredly through his hair. He hadn't stopped looking at me ever since he came here.

Figures. It wasn't every day you saw your childhood friend at the size a doll....well smaller than most dolls.

Even the ever-practical Devin had been so nervous about hurting me at this size that it had taken hours just to convince him to touch me.

All the while, pretending I wasn't just as nervous as he was.

Though he was probably just as surprised as anyone to see me like this, Vain wasn't really one to show his emotions. Even before the bullying, he had been a stoic kid.

Now, his face showed only mild interest as he watched me eat his grandmother's chocolate cake.

"Just to clarify, do you have any intention of letting me help you?" He asked, addressing the elephant in the room with nerves of steel.

"Nope." Was my immediate reply.

Vain was good at dealing with reality. I was even better at ignoring it.

He nodded, calmly excepting the answer he already knew was coming.

Without another word, Vain reached down, lifting up the plate holding my cake.

"Hey!" I shouted, jumping to my feet angrily.

I reached up, but Vain held the plate lazily just out of reach.

I glared at him fiercely. "What's the deal?!"

His red eye twitched, the only outward sign that he was pissed. "Let's make a deal then, shall we?"

This can't be good...

Vain nodded towards the cake. "If you can get the plate off me, you can go to school alone."

Getting straight to the point, huh.

Biting my lip in frustration, I glared at him long enough for it to become all too obvious that he wasn't joking.

If that's how you want to play.

"Fine!" I snapped, using my jump boots to leap into the air. Vain saw it coming and shifted the plate higher before I had even left the ground, causing me to miss severely.

"Bring it back!" I hissed as I landed back down, causing him to raise his eyebrows.

"No." He said bluntly, reaching over to grab his spoon from the table.