As Carol was rounding the corner to go into her P E. class, Callie walked past her gain, this time with a group of her cheerleader friends in tow.

Carol looked at each of them with jealousy. How their hair shined so brilliantly; how much firmer their arms and legs were in comparison with herself. And let's not forget the self-confidence that goes along with being a cheerleader: having guys stare at you as you walked down the hall, being able to get practically anything you wanted simply by flirting a little bit.

The cheerleaders casually brushed past Carol, not noticing such an insignificant person in their school's social order, even though she was on the basketball team. Although, one girl wondered, didn't she used to be taller than she was now?

Carol watched the perfect young women walk down the long hallway, their perfect asses swaying with each step. Carol began to get jealous and she wished silently under her breath that she had the shiny, straight hair, the toned arms and legs, the self-confidence. She didn't care if it cost her additional inches in height; she had to be perfect.

Suddenly Carol felt herself shrinking again as her body transformed. Luckily, no one else was in the halls as she changed. Her hair grew longer and straighter, glowing with an increasing radiance in the process. Her arms became toned, as did her legs, giving her a little extra strength in the process.

Carol's self-confidence was next. For years, she had always suffered from low self-confidence, always being the tallest girl in her class. Being flat-chested didn't help her out any, as she saw other girls develop over the years, going from prepubescent to pretty heavily stacked in a matter of months. She always felt like she was an outcast, an outsider. not pretty enough to be considered average-looking. Carol often called herself "The Ugly Duckling," because she identified so well with that character.

As her confidence grew, however, Carol found that she was more sure of herself. She felt like she could take on the world now. And win.

The process soon ended and Carol found herself no taller than4'10". But it was totally worth it, if she could feel this good.

She strode with the same swagger as she saw the cheerleaders walking with just a few minutes earlier, as she confidently went to her next class, P. E.