Ivy.pdf (Part 1 - 2) - BUY STORY!

Ivy was not your typical teenage girl. Sure, she had crushes, dreams of her future, and a love for fashion. But Ivy had one secret that none of her classmates knew - she had a powerful app on her smartphone that could shrink people down to bug size with the press of a button. And recently, that app had begun to feel like a very tempting solution to her problems with her bullying classmates.

For months now, Jake, Brody and the rest of their gang had made Ivy's life a living hell. They constantly mocked her clothes, insulted her interests, and even went so far as to call her names like "ugly" and "weirdo". It was driving her crazy.

That morning, as Ivy walked through the school hallways, the bullies were at it again. "Look at the nerd's weird purse," Jake sneered, elbowing Brody. Brody let out a snort, pointing a finger. "Yo, freak. You actually paid money for that getup?"

Ivy felt her cheeks burning as she quickened her pace. But just as she passed, her purse suddenly opened - and fierce red pepper spray shot out, blasting the boys right in their faces and crotches.

"AHHH! Our eyes! Our eyes!" Jake and Brody screamed, dropping to the ground and flailing as tears streamed down their faces. The other boys soon followed suit, hooting and hollering in pain.

"Oops," Ivy giggled under her breath. She hadn't meant for that to happen! But still, it was hard to feel guilty when the bullies were finally getting a taste of their own medicine.

All day, Ivy's bullies laid twitching at her feet, giving her a smug sense of satisfaction. But by last period, her imagination kicked in. What if...she could shrink them? To teeny tiny little bugs that she could take home?

Ivy smiled to herself, already knowing the answer. During lunch, she snuck the seekers out to the football field and aimed her smartphone at them. "Shrink!"

In three bright flashes, it was done. Where the boys had lain were now only the tiniest specks, like dust mites. Ivy giggled gleefully, scooping them into her purse. This was going to be so much fun!

When she got home that afternoon, Ivy emptied her purse onto her bedroom carpet and watched with a grin as the silvery bugs crawled out. "Hi boys," she purred, wiggling her fingers at them. "Ever see the floor from down there? Bet it's real...eye opening!"

She knelt down and uncorked her water bottle, trickling out a few drops. Immediately, the boys began to scurry around in panic. "Oh, did I startle you?" Ivy asked in mock innocence. "Here, let me give you some more room."

Capping the bottle, she stood up and slowly began to unlace her knee-high buckle boots. The boys froze, staring up at her feet in horror. "Ivy, no!" Jake squeaked from the floor. "We're sorry we teased you! Please, we'll never do it again!"

"Shh!" Ivy hissed, wagging a finger. "My mom will be home any minute. I don't want her to know you're here."

Just then, Ivy heard the front door lock turn, followed by her mother's voice. "Ivy, I'm home!"

"Coming!" she called back. Turning to the boys, she added under her breath, "Remember - not a peep! Or else."

She tiptoed out of the room just as her mom entered, kicking off her high heeled wooden clogs. "Ah, what a long day," she sighed, starting to loosen her belt. "I can't wait to relax."

Ivy bit her lip, watching from the doorway as her mom moved further into the room. She knew her mom's clog shoes made a very distinct sound on the wood floors. But to the tiny boys, the impact was like being caught in a thunderstorm.

For a second, all was silent. Then, as her mom's first clog fell to the floor, a miniscule scream echoed from the carpet.

BAM! Another fell, eliciting a slightly quieter shriek. BAM! BAM! The sounds continued as Ivy's mom kicked off both shoes and wiggled her toes, blissfully unaware of the carnage taking place below.

To Ivy's shock, she felt a pang of guilt. Did she really want to be responsible for something like this? But then she remembered all the times her bullies had mocked her, insulted her, made her life hell. And suddenly, it didn't seem so bad.

As her mother passed by, she called out casually, "I'm going to change and make dinner. Can you set the table, sweetie?"

"Sure Mom," Ivy replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'll be there in a sec."

She waited until she heard her mother's footsteps fade down the hall, then tiptoed back into her room. Kneeling down, she peered at the carpet - and gasped.

Where the boys had been were only dark red smears, like squashed bugs. Ivy's eyes rose to the candid camera on her desk, and her lips curled into a wicked grin. Maybe this hadn't gone exactly as planned...but hey, it definitely made for a wild YouTube video...