This choice: Kevin gives Johnny all the self-confidence he desires • Go Back... Johnny’s mind is still swirling with possibilities. He really doesn’t know what to do, while Kevin considers his next move. He stares down at the top of Kevin’s head and notices for the first time his thick, light brown hair. Just beyond the dense forest of follicles is a mind in agony. Kevin knows what he has to do.
He closes his eyes and wills self-confidence into Kevin. Almost instantly, Kevin can feel the change occur. However, this change was different. Rather than his body tingling, his mind literally felt like it was growing. Kevin could feel a warmth that wasn’t really there. Without meaning to, he held onto Kevin tighter and tighter as his mind began to change. He could feel all the confidence he barely knew existed just moments ago flooding his entire being. Johnny was changed, and Kevin could feel it.
“What happened Kevin?”
Kevin silently noted that Johnny had just called him by his first name. That was a first. “I gave you the self-confidence you had been searching for.”
Johnny and Kevin slowly released each other. Johnny took a few steps back. The two stood in silence. Kevin could feel Johnny’s increasing excitement overtaking his confusion. Although Johnny wasn’t moving, nor smiling, Kevin knew that Johnny was happy.
After another few moments of silence, Johnny finally looked up at Kevin and smiled. “This is great! I feel—I feel—“
Everything was starting to sink in. Youthful energy was returning to every limb of Johnny’s thin, eight year old body. It was becoming difficult to contain. “You feel?” Kevin asked knowingly.
Johnny started pacing in circles around his room. Excitement continued to grow. “I feel just like you said! I’m just so sure of myself. I know this was the right thing to do and I have you to thank Kevin!”
“I’m glad you like it Johnny. Now have the confidence to choose what to do next.”
Johnny wasn’t listening. His mind was still swimming. Kevin actually had to block out many of the thoughts to keep from overwhelming him again. He saw images of people he didn’t know trying to flood his mind. “And the next time I see Lucas! Oh! He really thinks he is big stuff just because he’s almost five feet tall. Always pushing me and the others around.”
Johnny paced faster. His eyes bolted in every direction. He was clearly lost in thought. Kevin took a step back towards Johnny’s desk. He needed to give Johnny more room to think. Kevin also was curious to see what effect changing a person’s mind would do to them.
Johnny continued. “And what about dad? Yeah, I know he’s a big man. So what? Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you get to boss people around. I shouldn’t be treated like I am a five year old. I’m eight! I put away my clothes. I brush my teeth. What more does he want from me?”
Kevin could feel all this hidden pain spilling out of Johnny. Fear had kept him in line for all of his life. This was the first time he had ever explored these feelings of oppression.
Ever.
“Why can’t more people be like Dylan!” Johnny paced even faster. His voice was getting louder with each breath. “He’s a junior in high school. He’s the captain of his wrestling team. He says every girl in the school follows him around wherever he goes. Oh gosh! Why do I never say anything to him? It makes me so happy to have a big brother, but all I can do is smile. Why do I never tell him how I feel? Why do I always keep it locked inside of me?”
Suddenly, Johnny stopped. To Kevin, it looked as if someone had thrown Johnny’s off switch. Johnny then slowly turned to Kevin. Kevin wasn’t quite sure what to do. Johnny’s mind was still going a hundred miles per hour. He knew Johnny was excited, but this excitement felt different. It felt—smoother—than just a moment ago.
“At least I can tell you how I feel,” Johnny remarked, taking a step closer to Kevin. “My whole life has been me living in the shadows. In the shadow of my dad, my friends—even Dylan. But you saw me for me. You picked me out of a store and changed my life. You could have done that for anybody. You could have gone anywhere. But you chose me.
“I just wanted you to know Kevin—what you did— what it meant…“ Johnny lost the words. He took another step closer to Kevin. Kevin could see tears welling up in Johnny’s huge, baby blue eyes. “—that meant so much to me Kevin.”
Johnny took another step, head still up, eyes getting larger. “You—Kevin—“
Kevin couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.
“—you mean everything to me.”
Johnny lunged his tiny arms around Kevin once more, holding him as tight as possible. Kevin could feel the tears falling on his stomach, moistening his shirt.
Kevin was stunned. His own mind was in a tailspin. No one since Nuncio had ever been this grateful for Kevin’s inexplicable need to help others. As he stood there being held by Johnny, he couldn’t help but think of more ways to help him. Johnny had overcome him. Kevin had to help in any way he could. Obviously confidence had been a great start for Johnny. Where could he go from here?
All of the sudden, the image of Kevin in his 6’ foot frame came back to Kevin’s mind. Johnny had been so happy in the car on the way home. Only his lack of confidence had held him back. Neither of them realized in the first few moments that Kevin’s thoughts were quickly becoming reality.
Johnny had begun to grow once again.
Kevin was the first to notice. Johnny’s grip felt tighter. Also, it was slowly ridding up his body, getting closer to his chest. Kevin looked down and saw that Johnny was getting larger. His clothes remained the exact same size, but all of his limbs were slowly enlarging. His arms stretched like a hose out of his sleeves and wrapped their way around Kevin.
His legs lengthened and pushed Johnny’s body higher in the air. Johnny’s shirt was slowly ridding up his torso, exposing his flat stomach to the cool of his bedroom air. He was almost eye level with Kevin now. Kevin held onto Johnny as best he could, but his whole body was thickening. Even though Johnny was thin, he was growing over a foot and a half taller. In fact, Kevin just realized that this would make Johnny taller than him. Kevin was only 5’9”.
Johnny had already realized that he was growing, but this made him want to be even closer to Kevin. After all Kevin had done for him, he was doing even more. All the emotions and gratitude he felt just made Johnny want to hold Kevin even tighter.
Johnny’s head slid past Kevin’s shoulder and was now resting on it. Kevin’s arms were being forced wider around Johnny’s body. He could feel his clothes tightening around the growing eight year old once again. Both heard the snapping of fabric from the floor. Johnny’s feet finally felt the taste of freedom after tearing down the oppressive walls of his sneakers. His clothes began to stretch in other places as well. Johnny’s shirt tightly wrapped around him, but couldn’t even reach down to his navel anymore. Johnny could feel the cool air of his room brushing his skin, but he didn’t care.
When Johnny’s growth finally came to a halt, the two of them just stood there. Kevin was awed by Johnny just as much as Johnny was awed by Kevin.
Johnny didn’t dare let go of Kevin. Even with all this new found confidence, there was still a tiny part of him petrified all of this was a dream. If he let go, that would be the same as waking up. Kevin could feel this in his mind and reassured him by tucking his arms under Johnny’s and holding his torso with a light, but steady locking of arms.
After what felt like an eternity of standing in Johnny’s room, Kevin gently rolled his shoulder. Johnny cautiously rose his head up and was silently amazed as it kept rising past Kevin’s eyes.
Eight year old Johnny was looking down at Kevin. Eighteen year old Kevin was looking up at Johnny. What happened next?
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