It took me a long, long time to finally stop crying. Mr. Henderson held me in his hands the entire time. He took me inside his office and closed the door so I could have some privacy. He took a rag, moistened it with water, and did his best to wipe off all the yogurt and spit. I'd still need a shower later. He held me with his hands in his lap and stroked me gently with his thumb to help calm me down, murmuring words of comfort. My sobs eventually died down to hiccups and spasms in my diaphragm.

"What happened?" he inquired softly, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. I sniffled and looked up at him rising above me. He wore a look of deep concern and sympathy on his features. At least he didn't hate me like the others. With his magnanimous heart, he genuinely cared. In spite of the hell I had been through, I felt a warmth in my chest I hadn't felt in a very long time, almost as if the hole corroding my soul from the loss of my father had been filled.

"One of the giant teenagers was bullying me. He threw me into his yogurt and then put me in his mouth. I was so scared, I thought he was going to swallow me," I recounted with a grimace. "He called me a 'disgusting, lowly human.' I don't understand what I did to deserve such hate." My eyes watered at the memory.

"That's terrible. I'm so, so sorry," the giant said, continuing to pet me with his thumb to soothe my pain.

"And even before that, I was having such a horrible day. Everybody acted like I didn't exist. I felt like I wasn't a real person. I didn't have any textbooks for my classes, and nobody was feeding me. I haven't eaten anything today, except some of that disgusting yogurt by force." I flinched and hugged my stomach with my arms, still feeling a little sick from the emptiness. I never wanted to eat yogurt again, or be anywhere near it.

"There wasn't any food for you?" Mr. Henderson asked. He looked deeply disturbed by all my experiences that I had unloaded on him. I shook my head despondently. "Here, eat some of this," he insisted, giving me a sliver of chicken from the tray of food he brought over from the lunchroom. I gratefully accepted, scarfing down the meat like I was starving. He fed me a few oversized grains of rice and followed them up with another morsel of chicken until I couldn't eat any more. I was relieved to finally have a full belly.

"I'll talk with the kitchen staff and make sure they have meals ready for you," the giant assured me. "And I'll talk to your teachers, and bring your textbooks over to your dorm first thing in the morning. Alright?"

"Okay," I agreed, sniffling. "Thank you."

"Now, I need to know. Who was the student who was bullying you?"

"I don't know his name. He had green eyes, freckles, and red hair." As I described him, I winced at the recollection of that monster standing over me, grinning with those huge teeth.

Mr. Henderson stroked his chin as he ruminated. "I don't know who you're talking about. But when I find out, he will regret it." His face hardened as his eyes stared off into the distance. He was lost in thought for a moment before snapping out of it and gazing down at me. "If you see him again, let me know right away." I nodded. I hoped I would never run into him again, but a repeat encounter was highly likely, since we inhabited the same campus. I knew from experience bullies enjoyed stalking and harassing their prey, and I wouldn't be left alone for long.

The giant cocked his head as he leaned over me. "By the way, did you want to contact your mother? Let her know what happened?"

"No," I answered bluntly. "She would just yell at me and tell me it's my fault for getting kicked out of school."

"Oh." He looked sad. I got the impression he wanted to say something, but didn't want to pry. I appreciated his discretion. He knew I had been through enough today.

"Can you... walk me back to my dorm?" I asked. I was fatigued and didn't want to have to traverse the long distance back on my own.

"Of course," the giant agreed warmly. He stood up, still holding me in his hand, and circled around his desk to leave his office. As he walked, he added, "Are you going to be okay? Do I need to worry about you?"

"I'll be fine," I assured him, wiping my eyes. "I'm tough, and I've dealt with a lot in my life. It'll take more than a little bullying to keep me down." I gave him a weak smile. I don't know if I really believed my own words, but I didn't want him to worry about me. I'm sure he had more important things to deal with at his job than a teenager going through a crisis.

As the vice principal walked through the halls of the school, I noticed the classrooms were empty. The school day must have finished while I had been crying. I hadn't noticed the bell, perhaps because I had been so distraught at the time. I doubted I'd be in any trouble for skipping my last class. Heck, the previous two teachers didn't even know I existed, so what difference did it make anyway?

We passed the cafeteria, and I remembered something important. "My bike! It's still in the cafeteria," I informed the giant. He strolled into the room over to the human section. Yet again, I was amazed how different everything looked from a giant's perspective. The human tables presented as nothing more than tiny plastic squares from this height. The giant bent down and delicately picked up the bike with his thumb and forefinger. He slipped the bike in his pants pocket and walked back out.

Down the hall, I spied the principal coming towards us. He strode forward with power and purpose, confident in his formidable strength and stature. He was an imposing figure with his broad chest and hardy limbs. As he passed by us, already sporting a sullen expression, he spotted me shrinking down into the vice principal's hand and glowered. The implication was crystal clear: I didn't belong at this school. Dejected, I sank down further into the curve of the giant's palm.

"Why do so many giants here seem to hate me?" I questioned Mr. Henderson.

He seemed uncomfortable with the question, and hesitated before finally answering, "Some giants—not all, but a significant number—believe that humans are an inferior race of people, unfit to associate with giants and destined for subservience. They see themselves as better, superior beings, fit to dominate the lower orders." He looked down at me sadly. "It's a dangerous ideology. Those who believe it want to destroy the protective wall separating our societies and violently subjugate humans with an iron fist. I hope to quash these erroneous beliefs by integrating humans and giants together, and teaching the younger generations to be kind and understanding to humans."

He stepped outside into the rays of the setting sun and continued, "You may feel insignificant, but your presence here is far more important than you realize."

I processed what he said with some apprehension. I hadn't come here to change hearts and minds or be a champion for humanity. I hadn't even been aware of such a struggle. Just being around giants filled me with terror. The responsibility weighed on me heavily. On the other hand, I had to admit I was comforted by the notion that I had a purpose, that I wasn't insignificant after all. Additionally, I naturally possessed a fiery spirit: I wasn't the type to give up. Not that I had much of a choice, considering I had basically been abandoned here.

"I should mention as well, it's not normal for a giant to eat a human, even for the giants who view humans as inferior. They also see humans as... unclean. It would be the equivalent of a human eating a cockroach," the giant explained to me. I felt somewhat relieved to hear that tidbit of information, at least.

"Of course, I'm not saying you're like a cockroach! Not at all! But eating a human is considered among us to be uncivilized and barbaric. It's illegal too, like murder." Ah, and of course murders never happen, right? Because they're against the law? While I saw the obvious flaw in his logic, I didn't say anything out loud. He was trying to make me feel better, and he was literally the only one on this whole campus so far who was kind to me. I didn't want to disrespect or alienate a nice man like him with my usual contrarian sassiness.

He escorted me over in hushed tranquility to the human dormitory. I leaned back into the cushion of his hand and enjoyed the soft warmth of his skin. I wished I could just close my eyes and make it all go away. I was bone tired. I was almost lulled into slumber's sweet embrace with the rhythm of his steps. The journey ended all too soon, however, and the giant set me carefully down on the pavement. He took my bike out of his pocket and placed it neatly in the bike rack, then straightened himself back up. I stared up at the colossus extending high into the sky with wide eyes. Even with the time I had spent with him, I still marveled at just how big and tall he was.

"I'll meet you back here early in the morning with your books, alright? And if you'd like, I'll even take you to the cafeteria in the morning, and confirm that you get breakfast," he reassured me, tilting his head to the side.

"Okay," I called up to him. He gave a curt nod to acknowledge he heard my puny voice and then left. I watched him as he lumbered off, until his lofty figure was no longer visible. Sighing, I turned around and returned to my new home. I was glad I was the only one who lived there, because I knew I was a mess, and I wanted to be alone. I stripped off my filthy, sticky clothes and threw them in the washing machine. I didn't bother to start laundry now, since I had multiple clean uniforms I could wear in the interim. I jumped into the shower and vigorously scrubbed all the foul slime off my skin and out of my tangled hair. The hot water felt amazing. I was so glad to finally be clean, and not stink like the inside of someone's disgusting mouth.

I dried off, put on my pajamas, brushed out the knots in my hair, and laid down in my bed. I was too tired to reflect on the events of the day. It wasn't even night yet and I was ready to sleep. The light from the windows was just beginning to soften. I curled up and rapidly faded out of consciousness.

Since I went to sleep so early, I woke up just as the sun cracked at dawn. Still groggy, I stumbled out of bed and went straight for the bathroom. I started brushing my teeth when I felt the rumble of giant footsteps approaching. The earthquakes increased in intensity until whoever was stomping around was right outside the building. Was Mr. Henderson here already? I recalled he said he'd be early, but I didn't realize he meant this early. I wasn't ready yet. I hastily spit into the sink, wiped off my mouth, and went to look out the nearest window.

There was nothing on that side of the building, so I went to another window, expecting to be greeted by the giant's distinctive formal black shoes standing outside. Instead, I saw a giant pair of worn sneakers crusted with dirt. I froze. Those shoes seemed vaguely familiar, but I had come across tons of shoes just yesterday and I wasn't able to recollect where I had seen them before. I felt uneasy. Something wasn't right about this. But as long as I stayed inside my little fortress, I'd be safe... right?

With a resounding thump, the giant outside, whoever he was, got down on his knees. I heard shuffling and banging as his hands explored the exterior of the building. I saw his fingers brush against the windows. He must be trying to get inside. Based on the fact that he hadn't made an effort to call out to me or get my attention, I doubted there were innocent intentions involved here. Did he know the roof could be lifted open? A wave of panic hit me. I needed to hide, fast. But where? There was nowhere to go. If the entire top of the building was removed, everything inside would be clearly exposed and visible.

My worst fears suddenly morphed into reality as I heard a loud click, and the roof started to fold open with a groan. I had no time to think. I dived under one of the beds and scrunched up into a ball, to be as inconspicuous as possible. My heart pounded fast and hard. I felt the cool morning air from outside sweep into the room.

"Where are you, little human? I know you're in here!" a giant voice boomed, dripping with malice. I saw an enormous hand drop down and fumble with the furniture, searching for me. The fingers tossed aside the beds like they were nothing more than toys. The hand began methodically flipping over each bed, moving closer to my position. I broke into a cold sweat. I would be discovered, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was powerless. The hand reached my hiding spot, and flicked the bed out of the way, revealing my presence.

"Aha!" the booming voice shouted in triumph. I made an attempt to dart away, but the massive hand closed around me completely, trapping me within the hollow of the giant's fist. "Gotcha!"