Downsizing by MXP

Mateo arrived earlier than usual at school that crisp morning. The dawn air bite his exposed skin, leaving behind goosebumps. He sat on an empty wooden bench, his jeans soaking the morning dew on it, while he wrestled to take off his backpack. He thumbed through stacks of papers until he found the sheets he was looking for and pulled them out of his pack. That stack between his fingers had Bethany Palmetto’s name written at the top in pencil in her handwriting. Despite not being an advanced algebra student himself—Bethany was—hence him completing a lower level math class homework.

Mateo sighed, watching his breath fog in the air. He took advantage of this rare moment to rest, fully aware of the packed day ahead: six classes, catching up with friends, schoolwork, and family drama. A gentle hum in front of him took him out of his brief respite. His eyes focused across the campus’s pristine grass field to see the downsized train arriving at the school full of miniaturized students.

The downsize train, nicknamed the Puny Express by some of the callous human students, was not your standard model hobbyist train set. The Puny Express looked futuristic, like something humans in the US would have in 50 years, or like a bullet train in modern-day Japan. A clear tube encased the entire length of the train tracks, and the train rode inside comfortably, protected from the outside elements. It almost appeared like those tube transports in warehouses, where workers could stick a cylindrical parcel inside and watch it get vacuumed up in a flash.

The tracks differed from the human-version of trains. They looked like Hot Wheels tracks, except they were flat and painted white with blue hexagonal elements on them. Mateo learned about them in physics: they used freezing magnets, timed perfectly, to launch the missile-looking train through the tube network. As an outside observer, the entire train ride looked violent for a two-inch downsizer, but Emma assured Mateo that it was smoother than riding over a bed of clouds.

Still, Mateo couldn’t help but feel sorry for downsize students. Their commute from a downsize community to public school was a formidable trek they had to take every school day. They bussed from their miniature homes to the train station, took multiple trains, and ended up at the school’s station. From there, they then had to hike to their classes using more means of downsizer locomotion—otherwise, their two-inch selves would never reach class on time.

The train station for the Puny Express was in the downsize district of the school. An area protected by an array of glass, brick walls, and more tubes designed to protect the downsizers from the human-world. Mateo looked at the district as if it were a menagerie. A miniature world protected like a museum diorama with live students scurrying for their first class of the day.

An enormous shadow interrupted Mateo’s thoughts. 

“Got my homework, nerd?” Bethany Palmetto asked. She was the star athlete for the school’s varsity volleyball team. Bethany towered over Mateo, standing tall, well north of six feet in height. She set her foot, clad in black-and-white Converse, on the bench next to Mateo’s hip. She wore clothes that suggested she was going straight to practice: volleyball shorts that hugged her thick long legs, and a buttoned long-sleeve shirt over her jersey.

Mateo didn’t say a word. He held up her homework in his hand, and Bethany snatched it from him.

“You better’ve answered all these correctly. I need to pass this class or they’re kicking me off the team.” Her eyes quickly scanned the work which Mateo completed in her handwriting.

“Should be.”

Bethany placed her foot on his thigh and pressed down. “I don’t like should. It better get me a 100%.”

Mateo wasn’t exactly big. The Latino student stood hovered around 5’8” and had a slim build. His rugged facial features and charm outshined any perceived notion he was weak because of his stature. The girls in school found him handsome and friendly. “What the hell, Beth?” Mateo asked as he heaved and pushed her massive foot off his leg. A patch of dirt left on his blue jeans as she slid her foot back to the bench.

“Come on, that didn’t hurt, baby.” She sat next to Mateo. Beth’s athletic body added weight to her already staggering build. As she sat on the bench, Mateo felt his seat quake and give in to the girl. Even seated, she was taller than him. “Push me, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

“We done, Beth?”

“One more thing. I found out Mrs. Johnson is making us partner up for some stupid chemistry project. Volunteer to be my partner, m‘kay? I would do it myself, but I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to be your friend or something.”

Mateo rolled his eyes. “You want to partner up with me? Why, so I can do all the work and you take all the credit?”

Bethany hugged him and pulled his shoulder close to her chest. Of all the women to take an interest in him, it had to be Bethany Palmetto. “Now you’re getting it. What the hell are you looking at anyway?” Bethany followed his eyes and saw that he was staring at the downsized students. The last student off the train was a young female student, jumping off the train and heading to borrow an electric golf cart that would take her the rest of the way to class. She was probably under an inch-and-a-half tall. “Oh look, the mini-weenies arrived!”

“I gotta go,” Mateo said.

Bethany didn’t relent from her hug. She held Mateo in place with the slightest of effort. Mateo gulped as he looked at Bethany’s arm, her biceps bulging even through her clothing. Her eyes caught him admiring her muscular arms before turning back to the menagerie of downsizers and daydreamed. “Aren’t they adorable? They’re so tiny and fragile. God, I want to play with them so bad. Why did the school have to put all these glass walls up, anyway? They’re stopping me from making friends with the tinies.” Bethany looked at Mateo. “God, I wish your munchkin-ass got downsized. You’d be mine, y’know? I’d carry you around school like a little keychain.” She giggled. “I’d have so many plans for the two of us.”

Mateo trembled as the mental images entered his mind. “I know.”

The towering athlete continued to restrain him as she sighed and continued talking about the downsizers. “Look at those precious tinies. I wonder what it’s like for them going to class in hamster tubes? They could just give up on school, y’know? Those downsizers could just sign themselves away to me and not bother with an education. It’d be a simple life for them. I’d take real good care of them—if they take good care of me, of course.”

“I don’t get it, Beth. Why are you so obsessed with downsizers? They’re just trying to live peaceful lives. What would you even do with them?”

“What wouldn’t I do?” Bethany asked as she turned Mateo’s shoulder so he faced her. “Get downsized and I’ll show you. I promise, it’d be the best decision of your life. Little, itsy-bitsy you at my mercy.” Bethany shivered, causing Mateo to shake under her embrace. “Oh, it gets me so worked up thinking about it.”

“Not going to happen.” He shrugged and pulled back from her.

“You’re no fun, I swear.” Bethany moved her lips close to his ears. “Please, Mateo? Downsize for me. Sign your life over to me. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Sounds like slavery to me.”

“I don’t consider making you clean my sneakers after a game, slavery. I bet you’d love that.” She smirked before whispering in his ear seductively. “I’ve seen you looking at my feet. Wouldn’t you want to get real close and personal with them?”

Mateo shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Hell no. I don’t want to be near your feet. Especially if I was small.”

Bethany punched him in his kidneys. Mateo yelped. “You’re already doing my homework, so what’s a little back-breaking labor?”

Mateo rubbed his sides. “Because you make me do your homework.” He grunted, trying hard not to wince or show pain in front of Bethany. It was probably a playful strike on Bethany’s part, but she was so strong without trying, it felt like a powerful blow.

Bethany smiled. “We both know that’s not true. I’ve never asked you to do my homework, yet you always seem to have my assignments ready for me every morning. You like worshiping tall girls, and I appreciate that. I just think it’ll be more fun if I was much, much taller than you.” She released her grip on his shoulders.

Bethany stood up, her homework in hand, and looked down at her victim. Mateo was still rubbing his side.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I, Mateo?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Beth.”

“Okay. Think about what I said, my little munchkin.”

-

Hazel rolled into school on her skateboard and headed straight for Mateo, who was back alone on the bench. She held her downsized girlfriend, Emma, in her hand. Emma was just under two inches tall and was holding onto her friend’s massive fingers.

Hazel was a stereotypical carefree skater girl. Her clothing matched the lifestyle and that morning she wore baggy trousers and a tight shirt that hugged her slim waist. Her light brown hair peeked out from the sides of her hat, worn backwards, framing her face in playful wisps.

Emma contrasted her friend’s appearance and enjoyed wearing leggings, boots, and a sweatshirt. She often dyed her, and at that moment, was sporting a brown with blonde highlight style that splayed under her pink helmet.

“Yo, Ma-mato. What up?” Hazel asked, as she jumped off her board in front of the bench, expertly handling her girlfriend throughout the move.

“Sup, Haze. Sup, Emma.” He waved at the tiny girl in Hazel’s palm. 

“Wanna see a trick me and Emma have been practicing?” Hazel didn’t wait for a response. She placed her board down and set Emma down at the far end of the deck. Hazel then positioned her DC sneakers on the opposite end and then pressed down quickly. Mateo’s eyes bulged and his hands shot out in front of him as he saw Emma get catapulted into the air. Emma was hysterically giggling the entire time she was airborne. Hazel caught her girlfriend with extreme care, as if she were catching a thrown egg. “Tada!” Both girls said in unison.

“Holy shit.” Mateo said. “That’s kinda dangerous, no? That’s gotta be against the MHIP rules.”

Hazel sat down next to Mateo and placed Emma on her knee. “It is, and you better not tell anyone about our little trick. If they take away my permit, then Emma and I wouldn’t be able to hang out together.” Hazel’s eyes then went threateningly big. “And you wouldn’t want that to happen, would ya?”

“Of course not,” he said in a genuinely friendly tone. He loved both his friends, and the last thing he wanted was to be responsible for the government to split them. “Great trick, guys. You’re a lot braver than me, Emma.”

“Not a big deal,” Emma said, “when you have complete trust in your girlfriend.”

“Hey,” Hazel said to Mateo. “We saw you talking to Beth.”

Emma shuddered. “Oh, I hate her.”

“What did she want?” Hazel asked.

Mateo took a breath. “Standard Beth stuff. She wants me to partner up with her on some science project.”

Hazel laughed. “That bitch is making you do what now? Jesus Christ, Mateo, stand up for yourself, for once. She’s just taking advantage of your niceness so she can get out of work.”

“I know.” He idly rubbed his hands and looked away from his friend.

“Want me to talk to her? I’ll beat her ass for you.” Hazel said.

“Me, too, I’ll help.” Emma squeaked.

“Hear that?” Hazel asked. “Me and Emma will beat up Beth for you.”

“It’s alright, guys. Seriously.” Mateo smiled, visualizing the downsized girl trying to fight off Bethany. “Beth will get bored with me soon enough. She’ll find someone else to bother—eventually.”

“Haven’t you been saying that for like a year now?”

Mateo shrugged. The school bell rang, and they rose to their feet. Hazel slipped her miniature girlfriend into her shirt pocket and kicked up her skateboard. As they were walking away from the bench, Jack, Mateo’s best friend, came jogging up.

“Fuck, I was almost late,” Jack said. “What’s up, dude?” They slapped their hands together and then bumped their shoulders together in a typical bro gesture. “Did I miss anything?”

Hazel shoved Mateo out of the way and said, “Mateo’s being a bitch again. Beth is just walking all over him and making him do her science project.”

“Again with this? Bro, do you need me to talk to her?” He walked over to Mateo and wrapped an arm around his shorter friend. “Fuck that bitch. I’ll go tell her right now.”

Mateo grinned. “Guys, it’s fine. It’s not like she’s bullying me.”

All three friends stopped and stared at him with heavy eyelids.

“It’s fine, I swear. It’s not like she’s stealing my lunch money.”

Jack grunted like he just realized something. “You like her, don’t you?”

Mateo let out an unconvincing laugh. “Course not. I’m with Trish, remember? In fact, we have a date tomorrow night.”

The three human friends, plus Emma riding with her girlfriend, continued walking to their first class of the morning.

Jack said, “I’m still confused why you’re doing Beth’s homework.”

“I’ve told you already. If I don’t, she’d—she’d bother me more. But this way, helping her out here and there, she leaves me alone most of the time.”

“So, she’s bullying you.”

“Dude, I’m not being bullied.”

“He’s in denial.” Emma said from Hazel’s shirt pocket.

“No, you don’t understand.” Mateo said, his frustration clear in his tone. “It’s like a mailman giving a bone to a guard dog, so that he can make his delivery in peace. I’m throwing a bone to Beth, and in return … she doesn’t harass the shit out of me. I think of it as—the path of least resistance.”

“Bro, whatever.” Jack stopped in front of his class. “Just say the word, and I’ll make sure that dog doesn’t ask for a bone again.”

“Don’t say that, Jack,” Hazel said. “Ma-mat-o needs to learn to stand up for himself.”

Mateo let out a short laugh. “I don’t need protection and there’s nothing to stand up to. I can handle Beth. And I am.”

“He’s in love.” Emma said with a giggle.

Mateo rolled his eyes.

“That’s fine if you are,” Jack said. “Beth is, like, scary hot. But that’s no reason for her to stomp all over ya.”

Mateo sighed. “I gotta get to class.”

-

Five classes later, Mateo found himself in chemistry. He shared this class with Bethany, Hazel, and Emma. Mateo sat in the back of the classroom, with Hazel one desk over. Bethany sat in the front row.

Sure enough, Mrs. Johnson announced a project coming up. Everyone was to pair up. Naturally, Hazel and Emma paired up promptly. Mateo spoke up and asked for Bethany, to the relief of everyone in class. Bethany looked over her shoulder and gave Mateo an approving wink.

Mateo ignored her and let his eyes wander to the side of the room. In his public school, there were some classes that catered only to humans. Other classes were downsize-students only. But there were the rare classes, like his science class, that were mixed.

An acrylic box installed on the wall of the classroom housed the downsized students. The glass box looked like a complete miniature classroom, complete with desks, furniture, and some twenty students.

Their teacher was Mrs. Johnson, who taught thirty human students and the downsizers simultaneously. The downsizers had tablets and microphones they used to interact with the teacher and class. They paired up amongst themselves for the project.

Emma was in a unique position to be sitting with her girlfriend in the human-section of the class. She had signed a Consent to Handling (CoH) certificate with her girlfriend as soon as Hazel got her permit. Only Hazel had a CoH with Emma, and therefore, was the only person in the entire school that could legally touch Emma. Hazel guarded her tiny girlfriend like a fierce mother bear and had the backing of the government to ensure no one inappropriately got close to Emma. Hazel and Emma were the only mixed-size group in the class.

Mateo daydreamed and looked at the downsizer structure. He wondered about that phrase Bethany used earlier: hamster tubes. It’s exactly what it looked like too; it didn’t help that the school color-coded the tubes. So, depending on their function, the tubes were bright colors like purple, green, and yellow. The box that housed the actual class was clear, however, and allowed the downsizers to peer into the human class with little to no obstruction. Even the floor of their box classroom was made of that clear acrylic. Mateo wondered how they could get used to that; to look down and see the floor hundreds of feet below their feet.

Although the tube network that linked them to the school looked like an elaborate hamster cage, it was an ingenious way to integrate two-inch students in the public school system while guaranteeing their safety. But the distance between classes in human-scale was literally miles for the downsizers. That’s why the school supplied the downsized students with many means of locomotion. From a combination of walking escalators to elevators that traveled vertically and horizontally; they also had little transports that looked like electric golf carts. It wasn’t uncommon for Mateo to hear the carts’ whiney noises as they raced through the tubes in the hallways that were bolted overhead. It looked like fun, if Mateo had to be honest. To zip between classes like Mario Kart, traveling through futuristic, rainbow-colored tubes.

Bethany slammed her fists on Mateo’s desk, breaking his trance. “Good job, nerd. I want an ‘A’ on this project. That should go without saying.” She had taken off her long-sleeve shirt and was sporting her jersey. She put on a show for Mateo and subtly flexed her arms and lats for him to admire.

Hazel, already irritated by Bethany, said, “Leave him alone. Don’t you have a village to terrorize or something?”

Bethany turned her head and in a mocking tone said, “Don’t you have a two-inch dildo to fuck?”

“You fucking—”

“Haze,” Mateo spoke up, putting his hands up like he was taming a lion. “Please, I don’t want you to get in trouble again. This is exactly how you got detention last time.”

Hazel sat back as her face turned red. It was true. She was quick to lose control of her emotions and would certainly yell and curse at Bethany without volume control. And then the teacher would send her straight to detention, and Emma would have to spend the rest of the day with her downsized peers instead of glued to her big girlfriend. Bethany grinned as she watched Hazel sink into her seat with arms crossed.

Bethany turned back to Mateo and said, “I heard Mrs. Johnson is having money troubles. She’s gonna downsize and keep teaching. Isn’t that hilarious? How are we gonna take her seriously when she’s the size of my pinky?”

“Why?” Emma said from on top of Hazel’s desk. “You hate downsizers or something? You think our voices are not equal to humans?”

“Au contraire, little one. I love downsizers.” Bethany walked over to Hazel’s desk. Her crotch was above Emma’s head and directly in front of her. Both Hazel and Emma whimpered as Bethany’s thick thighs, which were popping out of her shorts, captivated their senses. “If I was into girls, I might ask you out,” she said to Emma.

Hazel placed a protective hand over her girlfriend and gripped her loosely.

“But I’d prefer if Mateo downsized for me. I’d fuck him the way your girlfriend does to you. Now, does that sound like something someone who supposedly hates downsizers would say?”

“You just want to use him!” Emma shouted. “You’re a mean, giant bitch to him and everyone in this school.”

Bethany grinned. She then raised her shirt and showed her toned, athletic stomach to Hazel and Emma. Again, both girls whimpered. Bethany pointed at her faint abs.

“See that?” Bethany said to Emma. “Wanna take an inside tour? Might be a fun science project for you. Hazel, you too, if you downsize for me.”

“Fuck you,” Hazel said. “You come anywhere near Emma, and we’ll make sure the cops lock you up forever.”

“Oh, that.” Bethany let her shirt drop back down. “I’m close to getting my MHIP permit. Emma, you’d sign a CoH for me if I got it, right?”

Emma grunted and shoved her girlfriend’s fingers out of the way so she could confront Beth. “You’re dumb! You don’t say MHIP permit, because you’re essentially saying Micro-Human Interaction Permit permit. Dummy. You’re like people who say ‘ATM machine.’ And even if you had an MHIP, I’d never sign a CoH to you. Never in a million years.”

Beth closed her eyes. The three friends could see this irritated Beth to no end. “I will pass those stupid tests. I will get my MHIP. And you will sign a CoH to me.”

“Even if, by miracle,” Hazel said, “you got an MHIP, it’d be pointless, because no one in their right mind would ever agree to come close to you.”

Beth let out a huff, chewed on her inner-cheek, and looked away. “Better watch your toy,” she said to Hazel. Bethany turned to walk away. Her enormous ass not only filled Emma’s entire field of view, it also did so for Hazel.

Mateo almost felt bad for Beth. He could see the pain she was trying to mask when Hazel said no one wanted to be close to her. He wondered if that carried over to humans as well, or if she was upset no downsizer wanted to be close to her? Weird obsession with tiny folk, he thought.

“Why are the hot ones always fucking bitches?” Hazel asked.

“Forget her,” Emma said. “I got an idea for our project.”

“What?” Hazel asked.

“A volcano.”

“Volcano? Seriously? What are we, seven?”

“Think about it. A model volcano. And I can dress up as a hula girl with a straw skirt and coconut bra.”

Hazel bit her lower lip. “Yeah? What else?”

“I’ll do a little dance.” Emma smiled as she easily entranced her enormous girlfriend.

“Fuck the volcano. You’re dressing up like that and doing a dance for me tonight.”

Mateo chuckled. He rested his head on his hand as he watched Bethany on the other side of the classroom. She sat alone with no one to talk to. Mateo tried to think of anyone that hung out with Bethany, but couldn’t come up with a name. People didn’t like her. She was tall, intimidating, and mean. The other kids made fun of her, calling her she-hulk or Godzilla, and she’d fight back with either words or physical altercations.

Mateo never fell into the hive-mind of attacking Beth. He saw her struggling academically in school while trying to compete hard in her volleyball games. He helped her, with no pressure from anyone. Started with simple tutoring in-class. Then correcting her schoolwork. Now he was simply doing all her homework. Maybe all that ‘bullying’ she did was brought upon himself?

Whatever, he thought. He felt sympathy for Beth, with her being the outcast of the school. He felt good helping her and noticed she only smiled when she was around him.

His awkward relationship with Bethany Palmetto was strictly platonic—if what they had was even considered a relationship. His romantic interest was with Tricia. A dream girl he’d never trade with Beth.

-

Mateo arrived home to his apartment later that day. He dropped his bag near the front door and headed straight for the kitchen for a snack. It surprised him to see that both his parents were home sitting in the dining room and not at work.

“Hey guys,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Mijo,” Sofia said. His mother wore a bright smile and sat up straight upon seeing her son. “Your dad and I have great news.”

Miguel gestured for his son to sit at the table with them. Mateo joined them and sat between his parents.

Sofia cleared her throat. “We’re getting downsized next week.”

-

The arguments went on for about an hour. At one point, Mateo was hyperventilating and was near a panic attack. Miguel, coming from a background of Latino machismo, encouraged his son to relax and take the news like a man.

“I’m an adult,” Mateo pleaded with his dad. “You can’t shrink me.”

“I’m not shrinking you,” Miguel said. “But you’ll have no one to take care of you once your mother I downsize. Because we’re downsizing, with or without you.”

“I don’t need you guys to take care of me. I’m an adult.”

“Not until you're 21,” Sofia said.

“I’m practically an adult. You guys don’t need to take care of me. I can live on my own.”

“And what then, mijo?” Sofia said in a sweet, motherly voice. “You’re going to find a place to live on your own? Get a job to support yourself? You’re still in school.”

“I can do it. I’ll live on my own! But there’s no way I’m downsizing.”

Miguel let out a short laugh. “Rent is five thousand a month for a studio apartment. Can you afford that? You think you’re going to get a six-figure salary while in high school? Your mom and I are working professionals, and we can barely pay rent. The landlord is raising it next month and with this city being so packed, I can’t even find a shack to rent. We have to downsize. It’s our only option.”

“I can’t believe this shit.” Mateo buried his face in his hands.

“Aye, watch your language,” Miguel said.

“Hijo, no te preocupes,” his mother said with a lilt in her voice. “Downsizing is going to be so good for us. We’ll move to a house instead of an apartment. We’ll have money for vacations. Most of our family is already downsized. We can meet your tio and tia on the west coast—“

“Downsizing is permanent!” Mateo shouted, with tears coming out. “What if we regret this?”

“We won’t,” Sofia said as she placed her hands on his. “I promise, we won’t. Even the poorest downsizer has a life ten times better than what we have now.”

They argued more. Any point he brought up, his mother and father had an answer ready in their hip pocket. It was as if she were reading from a script. Point was, his mother and father were adamant with downsizing and there was no convincing them out of it. Downsizing brought a higher quality of life, less work, less stress, more time for hobbies, more time with family, and the added benefit of helping the world by reducing their carbon footprint. But most importantly, downsizing meant survival. Human world was getting harder to live in with each passing day.

Sofia pulled out a stack of pamphlets from her purse and laid them out in front of Mateo. He lifted one of them that had Lilliputian Lakes printed on the front. He opened it and looked at the fabulous mansions they advertised. Despite the money conversion, the Rodriguez family couldn’t afford the mansions most middle-class families could. They would have to settle for a two thousand square foot home on a half an acre of land. It was still a gorgeous home. Something people from 50 years ago would’ve called the American dream.

“You’d still have your friends,” Sofia said. “Because you’ll still have to finish school with them.”

Mateo’s eyes bulged, his stomach dropped to the floor. “School?”

“Yes, school,” Sofia said. “The same one you’re going to now, so you won’t have to make new friends all over again.”

“I—I can’t see my friends when I’m two-inches tall.”

“Why not?” Miguel asked.

“They’ll make fun of me.”

Sofia went to the kitchen to brew coffee. “They don’t sound like friends to me if they’d make fun of you for downsizing. You don’t hang out with sizeists, do you, mijo?”

“No, of course not.” Mateo started breathing rapidly again. He couldn’t get Bethany out of his mind.

“You’ll have one last day to spend with your friends as a human,” Sofia said. She came back to the dining table with her coffee. “Then we’ll downsize on Saturday, and on Monday, you’ll be back at school. Just tinier.”

Mateo felt dizzy and almost fell from his seat.