In the sterile light of the science classroom, Amelia sat two rows behind Ethan, her high school crush. The hum of fluorescent lights above did nothing to distract her from the way Ethan's brown hair fell just over the rim of his glasses. She admired him from afar, far too shy to initiate a conversation. Today, like many days before, she contented herself with watching his animated expressions as he discussed a physics problem with a classmate.
Surreptitiously, Amelia opened her new journal, her fingers automatically flipping past the blank pages until she found a fresh one. She began to doodle absentmindedly, sketching the letters of Ethan's name in a heart. Lost in her daydream, she didn't notice the slight shimmer that passed over the page as she penned his name.
Ethan, meanwhile, shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a puzzled frown crossing his face. "Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" he murmured, tugging at the collar of his shirt.
His friend glanced over, chuckling. "Just you, man. Maybe you're nervous about the quiz?"
Ethan tried to laugh it off, but his discomfort only grew. "No, it's not that. I just feel... weird." He tugged again at his shirt, which seemed to have become tighter around his chest and arms.
Amelia, her gaze fixed on Ethan, barely noticed her surroundings until a low groan of wood caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see Ethan's chair strain under him. With a sharp crack, it splintered, sending him crashing to the ground.
The class erupted into gasps and laughter, but it quickly turned into a chorus of shocked exclamations. Ethan was rising, but not just to his feet. He was growing, slowly at first, but visibly, his clothes straining against his enlarging form.
"Wha- What's happening to me?" Ethan's voice deepened with every word, his confusion and panic palpable.
His shirt seams groaned, giving way under the expanding pressure of his muscles. The fabric tore with a dramatic rip, revealing his broadening chest. His pants were next, seams ripping as his legs lengthened and thickened, the fabric unable to contain his enlarging form.
Ethan's shoes strained against the sudden growth of his feet, the stitching bursting as they tore apart, his socks shredding soon after.
"Someone, help!" His voice boomed through the room, now a deep baritone that vibrated the windows.
Faces around the room were a mix of horror and fascination as they watched Ethan transform. His jaw squared, stubble sprouting visibly as his facial features matured into a rugged look.
By the time the government officials burst into the room, Ethan had outgrown it entirely, his head brushing the ceiling as he crouched among the debris of broken furniture. His clothes were in tatters, barely clinging to his gigantic frame.
"Stay back!" one official shouted, aiming a tranquilizer gun at Ethan. Dart after dart buried into his skin, and with a final, confused gaze at Amelia, he succumbed, collapsing across the school's football field with a ground-shaking thud.
Amelia, clutching her journal, watched in utter disbelief, her mind racing. The journal lay open on a page with Ethan's name encircled in a heart, the ink shimmering faintly. She hadn't made the connection yet, but her world had just changed forever.
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