Original subtitles

Is, uh... everything okay upstairs?

Ruthie's hogging the bathroom.

She locked herself in... again.

Before or after

your sisters had a chance to get in there?

Before. Before.

That's, that's not good.

If they don't get a move on,

you guys are going to be late for school.

Can I ask you something?

You can always ask.

How does a guy get 38 people to kill themselves

so they can get on a UFO with him?

Well... hmm.

Sometimes when you're with a group of people

who believe something very strongly,

you can be influenced by that

and then you start to believe what they believe.

Oh, so, so it's kinda like church.

No, it's not kinda like church.

See, cults frequently isolate themselves from people

who don't see things the way they do.

The church doesn't do that.

In fact, it's part of the church's job

to be involved with the community.

And we value the quality

of a person's character and heart,

so we still have room for them in our lives,

even though they might not share

all of our specific beliefs.

Yeah, Dad, but 38 people killed themselves

so they can get on a UFO.

And some guy got them to believe his specific crazy belief

that that was gonna happen.

How'd he do that?

Well, Simon... when people keep telling you something

over and over again, it starts to seep in,

and you start to think something is wrong with you

if you don't believe it, too.

It's like your mind isn't your own anymore.

And it's sad for them and for their families,

for everybody involved.

Yeah, 'cause if those alien guys want you,

they come down and get you.

Everybody who watches X-Files knows that.

Yeah, but that's fiction, see?

That's, that's made up,

although sometimes it's hard to tell fact from fiction.

So what do you say we try an experiment?

Really? Like what?

You'd have to play it cool,

but I'll bet

if you subtly insist that, uh... you're shrinking,

you could eventually get the other kids to believe it.

You think so?

Oh, yeah. Except for Ruthie.

It wouldn't be nice to trick her.

Of course not.

I'm not a monster.

Besides, if you, if you let Ruthie in on it,

then she can help you, and then you can see

how cult leaders use other members to help spread the word.

Yeah.

Cool.

Charismatic.

That's me.

I'm pretty sure.

Where is everybody? We gotta get going.

I'll go hustle the girls up.

All right.

What?

I don't know.

Either you're getting taller or I'm shrinking.

I'm the same height as always.

I must be shrinking.

♪ 7th Heaven ♪

♪ When I see their happy faces ♪

♪ Smiling back at me ♪

♪ 7th Heaven ♪

♪ I know there's no greater feeling ♪

♪ Than the love of family ♪

♪ Where can you go ♪

♪ When the world don't treat you right? ♪

♪ The answer is home ♪

♪ That's the one place that you'll find ♪

♪ 7th Heaven ♪

♪ Mmm, 7th Heaven ♪

♪ 7th Heaven. ♪

♪ It's hard to say what it is I see in you ♪

♪ Wonder if I'll always be with you ♪

♪ Words can't say, and I can't do ♪

♪ Enough to prove, it's all up to you ♪

♪ Rainbows pouring down ♪ ♪ Pouring down ♪

♪ Falling from blue skies ♪ ♪ Falling from blue skies ♪

♪ Words without a sound ♪

♪ Coming from your eyes ♪

Dad packed our lunches today.

Yep.

And... she's off.

Hope she makes it

before any of that orange starts to digest.

What are you talking about?

Word is, Shelby Conner's bulimic,

and I'll bet she just blasted out of here

to get rid of that huge lunch she just ate.

You don't know anything.

Maybe she just got bored

with your scintillating conversation.

Trust me. It can happen.

See ya.

You know he's right... you don't know anything for sure.

All you have to do is look at her.

She's thin. So's she.

It doesn't mean anything.

Maybe not. But Lucy doesn't eat like a bird

and then race off to the bathroom after every meal.

And you don't know that Shelby does.

No, but we could.

Shelby's in my algebra class,

so I'll ask her if she'd like to come over to study

and have dinner tomorrow.

And we'll see what happens afterwards.

That'll totally work, Lucy.

You're a genius.

If I hadn't driven by

Odile Hinkle's and seen that "For Sale" sign in her yard,

I never would've known that she was moving.

Wait, you stole her official

change-of-address card from the mailman's truck?

You are focusing on the wrong part of the story.

Odile's moving so quickly without telling a soul

can only mean one thing.

That's right.

Her children forced her into this place

and she's being held here

against her will.

Maybe we should talk to Mrs. Hinkle

before we jump to any big hostage crisis conclusions.

Fine. I just hope that you have better luck

getting through to her than I did.

What do you mean?

I've phoned and I've stopped

by here several times,

and I could never get past the front desk.

Well, maybe they just misunderstood you,

or, or maybe...

maybe you didn't ask in the right way.

Uh-huh.

Hello.

Hello.

Uh, we're guests of Miss Odile Hinkle,

and we we're wondering, could you just point us

in the direction of her apartment?

Hinkle?

Hinkle...

"H-I-N..."

Here we are.

I'm sorry.

Mrs. Hinkle has requested that she not be disturbed.

That's all I've got. I'm through here.

Just...

Excuse me?

Hi, hi.

Would you mind calling Mrs. Hinkle?

Because I'm pretty sure she would want

to see her best friend, Mrs. Bink and her minister,

Eric Camden, if she knew that we were here.

I'm sorry. We respect our tenants' wishes,

and she's requested that she not be disturbed.

Well?

Would it be okay if we left a note?

Of course.

Mm-hmm, uh-huh, mm-hmm.

I'll see that she gets this.

That'd be great. Thanks.

Front desk.

Okay, Room 219.

Hey, Shelby, did Mr. Root say anything

in algebra class today that made sense to you?

Um, just the part where he said, "See you tomorrow."

Listen, if you're not doing anything tomorrow,

would you like to come over to my house

to have dinner and to study?

Yeah. I mean, I'll have to ask my mom,

but I'm pretty sure it'll be okay.

Great. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Okay. I'll see ya later.

Bye. Bye.

I can't believe you're actually doing this.

Me, either.

We'll talk later.

What?

All I'm trying to do is find out

what's really going on with Shelby

and maybe help her.

I'm concerned, that's all.

Oh, my mistake. I thought you were being catty and nosy.

Well, I'm not.

I'm just being concerned

and not afraid to get involved.

He's coming!

You should've kicked the remote to me

so I could be the one to be in charge of the TV.

Sorry, but it's not like I could reach it.

That's weird.

My feet never touch the floor,

but yours...

I'm shrinking.

Just scoot forward a little. You're sitting too far back

on the cushion.

You need to see a doctor.

"You need to see a doctor." Nice touch.

I thought it would be good.

Doctors are important, and everyone believes them.

Well, I think it worked on Matt.

Yeah, it worked for sure.

He got huffy, and I got the remote.

It's official, then.

We're geniuses.

Yeah.

Hey, Mom, is it okay if Shelby comes over

to study and have dinner tomorrow?

It is if you tell me who Shelby is.

She's a friend in my Algebra class.

We've become very close, very fast.

Oh, an Algebra friend? Good thinking.

Um...

Shelby's more than welcome.

I'll just set another place

at the table... Or one of you will,

or somebody will.

I-I could reach these yesterday.

Thanks. There was no way

I was gonna reach that on my own.

I must be shrinking.

Not fast enough.

You need to see a doctor.

Thanks, Mom.

Oh, don't mention it.

We got him!

Matt's mind isn't his anymore.

It's practically ours.

They wouldn't let me or Mrs. Bink in

to see Mrs. Hinkle, but I left a note for her

with the receptionist.

Well, what are you going to do if Mrs. Hinkle doesn't call?

I'm not sure. I haven't gotten that far yet in my plan.

Oh... Look, I gotta go. I'll call you later.

Okay. I'll see you later.

Okay.

Yeah.

Didn't you get my beep?

I tried to call you, and your line was busy.

Yes, I got your beep, and I tried

to call you, but your line was busy.

Oh. Well, I was calling you.

Do you have any idea how many times you beeped me?

Well, you know, that's not important.

Uh, have you had any word from Odile?

No, not yet.

Well, that's it, then.

I'm going over the wall.

What are you talking about?

Odile Hinkle

is my best friend, and I'm gonna

get her out of that place, one way or the other.

Now, you can either come along and help

or you can read about it in the front page after I'm done.

Now, it's up to you.

I'm on my way.

Here we go.

Okay. Now, just be prepared.

I've read about these places

that children force their parents into.

She'll probably be in restraints, drugged up

and eating some kind of dog food.

We'll handle whatever we have to

once we find out what's going on, okay?

Yeah, agreed.

Nice try, Odile.

You coming?

This place is lovely, Odile.

Thank you.

I-I still have some things to move in,

but I'm getting there.

Oh, yes, I-I can see.

If, uh...

If I didn't know better, I'd say this was, um...

just too good to be true.

Well, I'm just glad to see that you're okay.

I-I hadn't heard about your move,

so when I saw the "For Sale" sign

on your lawn, I got a little worried,

and you're a tough lady to get a hold of.

Well, I'm sorry about that.

There was an opening here, and I had to jump immediately

or risk losing out on it.

I would've told you both,

but there just wasn't time,

and I've been pretty busy since the move.

Mm-hmm.

My refrigerator makes ice.

In-in little crescents.

Right in the door.

Oh.

That's great.

Yes.

Congratulations.

So is there anything

we can do, anything you need?

I mean, we're your friends

and we'd love to help.

No, no.

I'm fine. The kids were a great help,

and now I'm just rearranging small stuff

and getting the feel of the place.

Speaking of the kids,

did they have anything to do

with your fly-by-night,

seat-of-the-pants decision to move?

Gladys,

give it a rest.

You and I have talked a hundred times

about my house and lawn

being too big for me

to take care of by myself,

and, lately, I-I've been feeling vulnerable

in that big house alone, at my age.

Well, you know what you do, Odile?

You get a big dog or a big... boyfriend,

but you don't sell your house.

You don't. I do.

Well, we're just glad to see that everything's okay.

Well, it-it's nice to have friends

who care enough to, uh... drop by,

even if they don't have the manners

to call first.

We're sorry about that.

So you'll call.

If-if I need anything, yes.

We never

talked about your house being too big

or your security issues. Never.

So I know you're not telling us the whole story about this move.

And you know what? I don't like it.

Any of it.

I know.

That's why I didn't tell you.

I could never be bulimic

like Shelby.

I don't have the self-discipline to throw up like that.

You know, this conversation

might not annoy me so much

if you actually knew that Shelby was bulimic.

But you don't, so you and this conversation

have gone way past annoying

and into the land of I-might-have-to-kill-you

if-you-don't-shut-up.

Oh, please. Everyone knows that she is.

Everyone says she is.

There's a big difference.

You know, sometimes word of mouth

gets around because it's true.

And sometimes word of mouth gets around

because there are a lot of mouths.

I don't believe everything I hear.

You should give it a try sometime.

Like I don't.

How much longer do we have to keep this stuff on anyway?

"15 minutes a day is all it takes

"to watch the stress of the day melt away.

"15 minutes and you'll see a dewy glow

"you thought was lost forever.

15 minutes to a new you."

All that in 15 minutes?

That's what it says.

Cool.

Yeah.

Ah, there you go.

You're right.

These make me look much taller.

Good. So when you stand next to me,

that makes me look smaller,

which means I must be shrinking.

Okay, I've got a dishwasher to unload

so I'm gonna cut to the chase.

You two have been huddled in here all day.

That means you're up to something.

I haven't seen much of you

tonight so that means you don't want me to know

that you're up to something,

and everyone's door is open but yours.

That means you think you're getting away with

whatever something it is you're up to,

but you're not, so spill it.

You're good.

She's good.

Okay, we're not up to something.

We're conducting an experiment.

Really?

See, this morning I was asking Dad about cult stuff

and how they work and everything,

and he said that if you really believe something,

sometimes you can get other people to believe it, too.

It's called "subtle insistence."

He's right.

And he also said it helps

if you're charismatic, and he said I was.

He's right again.

I'll have to take your word for it

'cause we tried looking up "charismatic" in the dictionary

and we couldn't find it.

Try looking under "C-H-A-R."

Oh. Well, that helps.

Anyway, he told us to do this experiment

to see if

we can get everyone to believe I'm shrinking.

Everyone except me.

I'm being a cult member and help spread the word.

Oh. Wonderful.

See, we tried it on the girls in the kitchen.

With the glass.

Yeah. But that didn't go so well.

So we decided to concentrate on one person at a time,

and I figured, since Matt's the oldest,

if I can get him to believe I'm shrinking,

I can use him to get the other kids

to believe it, too.

Yeah. And we want Matt's mind.

Hmm.

So are you gonna rat us out?

Not yet, but I-I'm not going to help you, either.

That would be abusing my authority.

Oh, well, see, that's okay.

Because Matt's

practically ours already.

And he doesn't even know it

because we're playing it cool.

Yeah.

Real cool.

Now, I don't care what Odile says.

Those kids have something to do with her move.

Well, why would they do that?

For the money that she'll get from selling the house.

She loves those kids.

They know that, and they're using

her love for their in.

Mmm... I don't know.

Oh, listen. I know Odile better than you do,

and I know her kids better than you do.

Why can't you just take my word for it?

Because Mrs. Hinkle's reasons for moving make sense.

It is a big house.

She is by herself.

Oh, pl... That may not be reason enough

for you or me to sell our homes, but for her, it is.

Look, we checked on her.

We talked with her.

We gave her every opportunity

to ask for help or drop a hint

that she might want or need some. She didn't.

And she seemed fine,

Well taken care of,

of sound mind and body.

There's nothing we can do.

You're right.

There is nothing we can do.

Not with an attitude like that.

Call yourself a minister?! Huh.

Well?

I left another message on Mrs. Bink's machine.

I know she's home... She just won't talk to me.

She won't talk to me, Mrs. Hinkle won't talk to me...

I'll talk to you, and if you lift

that end of the sofa, I'll even listen.

You know, Gladys Bink hates change,

so she's convinced herself

that there's some kind of conspiracy

behind Mrs. Hinkle's move

that she can expose so things can go back

to the way they were before.

You know, there was an open house announcement

for Mrs. Hinkle's old place today in the paper.

Yeah?

I know things change and...

people have to move on,

but... it makes me sad to think of her selling

and someone else living in that house.

So a part of me really feels for Mrs. Bink.

Yeah, me, too.

She's one of my favorite people.

It just kills me to see her reacting this way.

I know, and I feel for you, too.

Thanks. But it's not okay for Mrs. Bink to barge in

on Mrs. Hinkle every day

till things go back to the way they were.

What are you going to do? I don't know.

Probably just barge in on Mrs. Bink every day

till things go back to the way they were.

Good luck. Thanks.

I'm gonna go downstairs and get us a snack.

Do you feel like anything in particular?

Um, no. Anything would be great.

Uh, Lucy, where's your bathroom?

Down the hall, first door on your right.

Okay, so get this.

I asked Shelby if she wanted a snack,

and she said okay, then she asked me

where the bathroom was.

How much more proof do you need?

Proof of what?

This is all yours. Run with it.

There's a rumor going around school that Shelby's bulimic.

And because other people say it, you believe it?

No, I knew we needed more proof than that.

Like maybe inviting her over for dinner

and seeing what happens afterwards?

That's not the only reason I invited her over.

It's just part of it.

But if it turns out that Shelby is,

maybe I can help her. Oh, really?

What do you plan to do, besides, you know,

confirming the rumor for the entire school?

You know, bulimia is a very serious problem,

and it requires more training and more...

frankly, more maturity and sensitivity than you've shown.

I would think you were capable of knowing

when someone is in pain

and showing them compassion instead of curiosity.

I know my motivation wasn't great.

Okay, it was probably more like horrible.

But can't we try to make something good out of this?

Like what? I don't know.

But you'll think of something, right? Please?

You should've known better.

I did know better.

I just didn't know how to stop it.

Oh, uh, here. You just... you missed the real estate agent,

but I think you can catch up with him in the kitchen.

Oh, it's okay, I... I know my way around.

Oh, I'm Mrs. Hinkle's minister, Eric Camden.

Oh. Kevin Hinkle.

Oh.

And this is my sister, Dana.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Ah. Nice to meet you.

So... must be kind of sad

seeing your mom sell this old house, huh?

I mean, I feel that way, and I didn't even grow up here.

Well, it... it is a little sad,

but, you know, it's what my mom wants,

so we're trying to be supportive and stay out of her way.

Yeah, she's been saying over and over

for the past few years the house and the lawn

are too big for her to maintain by herself.

That's-that's pretty much...

actually, that's exactly what she told me.

Plus, she's starting to feel vulnerable.

Living in this big old place, yeah, all alone, at her age.

Well, whatever the reasons, she... she wants this baby sold.

Yeah, and if that's what she wants,

that's what we're gonna do.

Well, she's... very lucky to have both of you

working so hard on her behalf.

Well... we love her.

And she loves us, very much.

So...

What's wrong with your lucky pants?

Nothing.

They've always been this way.

I like them this way.

Whatever. I just thought maybe your legs

were shrinking or something.

You need to see a doctor.

We're doing great!

Yeah.

I dropped by Mrs. Hinkle's open house.

Really?

How was it?

Well... you know,

there were people there, and...

Well, people go to open houses... That's why they have them.

Well, two of the people at the open house

were Mrs. Hinkle's kids.

Something just doesn't feel right.

I'm going to head over to Mrs. Hinkle's apartment.

And I'm supposed to interrupt my day,

tag along with you, barge in on my best friend

for another chat just because you said so?

Yeah.

Let me get my bag.

Hey, the clothes bar seem a little high to you?

I always stand on a chair to hang up my clothes, so no.

Oh.

Can I borrow your red marker?

Sure.

What?

You know, I thought you were just being weird at first,

but now I think you're right... You are shrinking.

What? Uh...

I know.

That's weird...

You used to come up much higher on me.

You need to see a doctor.

That's probably a good idea.

I mean, you don't want to shrink down to nothingness.

We did it!

Matt's in our cult!

My head used to reach the door handle.

And now

it's at the bottom of the tires.

I know. I know.

You want to know why Matt thinks I'm shrinking?

Because we influenced him and took his mind?

No. Because I am shrinking. For real.

You need to see a doctor.

We should try and be subtle with what we suspect.

I know.

This is a fluid situation.

I... I can handle that.

Okay.

You are such a liar!

Subtle never really worked for me.

Odile, I'm-I'm sorry for, uh, intruding like this...

but you haven't been truthful

about this move, and, uh...

as your friend of 20-odd years,

I think I deserve better.

And... so does he.

You know, just on principle.

Now, I may not agree

with your real reasons for this move...

Whatever they are...

But we have been together

too many years in this life

for you not to have the guts

to tell me what they are.

You know, I stopped by your place today.

Yeah. Your kids were there.

Really? How were they?

Committed to selling your house.

And... for reasons that sounded

like you'd all studied for the same test.

Well, i-it isn't like we studied them.

It's more like we talked and agreed upon them.

And they're not bad reasons.

They're just... not the whole story, are they?

No.

The whole story is much simpler.

I wasn't a very good mother.

I didn't teach my children to be

strong and independent people,

and now when they get in trouble or want something,

it doesn't occur to them to do anything but run home.

Kevin's run up his credit cards again, hmm?

And Dana and her husband

want to travel before they get too old

to do it.

And I figured, well,

they're gonna get the money someday.

Yeah, but it doesn't have to be today.

Not if you've changed your mind about moving.

Well, of course she's changed her mind.

It wasn't her mind to begin with.

Well, the truth is, it was.

I just lost it for awhile.

But... I do miss my house.

And, uh, for another thing,

the security at this place is not all that great.

Come on, take me home.

Come on.

I hope you guys are ready to eat

because dinner's almost ready.

What's going on?

Well, I don't want you to worry, but I'm shrinking.

So I want you to take a good long look at me now

'cause like Matt said,

I'm probably just going to shrink into nothingness soon.

Maybe you should take a picture of him.

I'd like one.

Last I heard, the experiment was for you two

to convince Matt that you were shrinking.

Something must've happened

to make you think that you're shrinking.

Yeah, you know what happened?

I started shrinking.

Simon, listen to me carefully.

You are not shrinking.

It's not possible, and it's not happening.

I expected you to say something like that.

Thank you for trying though, Mom.

Simon, don't you see

that your own subtle insistence and charisma worked...

just on yourself. Not Matt.

That's the point, Mom.

I didn't think I was shrinking.

Everyone else did.

Including Matt.

Really?

What else did your big brother say?

Well, he said that I used to come up higher on him.

He just hugged me, so he should know.

Uh-huh... Matt!

There's nothing Matt can do.

There's nothing anyone can do.

Maybe you and Dad should just adopt another son.

Call him Simon II.

A little blond kid with... magnetism and charm.

Magnetism and charm?

Charisma. We looked it up in the dictionary.

Oh.

What's going on?

Well, the trash needs to go out,

dinner's almost ready, and your brother is shrinking.

Really shrinking.

Simon, you're not shrinking.

I already been down that road with Mom, Matt.

Thanks for trying.

Simon, I overheard you and Ruthie

telling Mom about your big experiment last night,

so I decided to turn the tables on you

before you could get to me.

You know about the experiment?

The whole family does.

I told Mary

to say something to you about your height.

Clothes bar in the closet?

Raised it.

And your posters.

Lucky play pants?

Lowered the cuffs.

You're just saying that to make me feel better.

I need to see a doctor.

Take him.

Where?

To the doctor's.

Dr. Peterson's office is still open.

If you hurry, you can make it back

before we're through with dinner.

I'll go get my jacket and wait for you in the car.

I'll go with you, in case you can't reach your jacket.

You probably should bring a few weeks of allowance, too,

since I'm not certain that height confirmation

is included under our insurance

and they'll probably expect payment

at the time of service.

You've got to be kidding. He's not shrinking.

I know that, and you know that.

But Simon unfortunately does not know that,

thanks to you.

You know, I don't... I don't get it. You didn't have a problem

when they were playing with my mind.

That's because I knew

there was little to no chance that an 11-year-old

would have the sophistication and resources

to convince his 17-year-old brother that he was shrinking.

And even if he did,

it's one thing to believe that your brother is shrinking,

it's another thing to believe

that you, yourself, are shrinking into nothingness.

I know, and you're right.

You're his big brother, Matt.

And it's your job to make sure that he doesn't buy any bridges

or magic beans or myths about shrinking.

I know, and I'm sorry. But the doctor?

I mean, you know they freak me out.

I can't handle sitting in the waiting room.

Convince yourself that you can.

Right... Doctor.

Hey, Mom.

Things are looking good.

Because you and Dad took such great care of the house,

there's a lot of interest in it.

Yes, there is.

First and foremost, my own.

I've changed my mind.

I'm not selling.

Not selling.

Mom, what are you talking about?

I thought this was all settled.

Yeah, It's not like we haven't talked about it.

We're counting on you.

And I'm sorry about that.

I guess you'll just have to count on yourselves

a little more.

Your father and I worked very hard

to build this place.

And it's filled with memories and familiar noises,

and much of me.

It's my home, and I'm not ready to leave it yet.

You'll be the first to know when I am.

Well, that's all well and good, Mom,

but what about your safety?

You're an older woman living alone,

in a big house.

What if someone breaks in

and tries to hurt or rob you?

Do you think some stranger could hurt me worse

than my own children trying to scare me out of my house

so they can pay off their credit cards and travel?

I'll take my chances with the stranger.

It'd be less hurtful and frankly, less embarrassing.

You're lucky I'm not carrying my pepper spray.

Oh, I have mine.

No, no, I don't think we need that.

And uh...

We don't need this, either.

Sorry about this.

Don't worry about it.

These things happen all the time.

I'll call you tomorrow.

And you, too.

Not too early.

Yeah, not too early.

I've never been prouder.

Oh... you want to get something to eat?

Yeah.

Yeah, let's.

I could use a beer, too.

Okay.

I'm buying.

I'll be the designated driver.

Big surprise.

You're a good friend.

So are you.

You're not a half-bad minister, either.

Oh, it's hell getting older.

How would you know?

Oh, that's...

That's so sweet.

So, what did the doctor say?

Simon's not the same height as he was this time last year.

I'm an inch and a half taller.

Oh.

Uh, did she charge you?

Uh, no...

I'm also broader around the chest.

I wasn't surprised. I work out.

I still have half of mine left. You want it?

Mmm... no, that's okay, thanks.

Um, I just need to excuse myself for a second.

Excuse me.

Sure...

I'm glad she didn't take

my roll, 'cause I was just offering it to be nice.

Oh, hi. You left so suddenly

I, uh, I-I wanted to make sure you were okay.

Usually the kids run to the bathroom

on the nights their dad cooks for them.

You think I just threw up.

I'm not sure what to think.

No, I was just brushing my braces.

Oh.

Um, but, you know, it's okay

that you think I have an eating disorder.

It's less embarrassing than the truth.

Which is?

I'm hungry.

What?

You know my-my mom's welfare and stuff

got cut off, and... things are tough.

So tough that you don't have enough to eat?

Sometimes,

but you know, it's okay.

No, it's not okay,

and we're going to do something about it.

No, no, I don't want you to do anything about it,

and I don't want people to know that I'm poor.

Nobody has to know anything.

Even Mary and Lucy?

Yes.

They're really nice,

but I know why they invited me over.

Word gets around.

I figured whatever you were having for dinner

would be better than what

we were having,

and I'm really sorry that I used them. And you.

You're not using anybody.

You're accepting an invitation

that you and your family have here any time,

and we can work something out,

starting with the church's Meals on Wheels program.

Make sure I have your address before you go home.

Okay.

Who's up for dessert?

I could probably force a little something down.

Me, too.

I like a little something sweet after dinner.

Then I'll see what I can do.

Let me help you.

Is everything okay with...?

Yes.

Shelby wasn't throwing up.

She's not bulimic.

That's it?

That's what you can tell your friends.

What do you think

went on upstairs?

I don't know.

So what are you going to tell

your friends tomorrow at school?

What I do know... That Shelby's nice

and funny and really good at algebra.

Oh, yeah, that's what they want to hear.

Oh, well.

I wonder if Shelby wants to go to the volleyball game tomorrow.

Hey, one of those are for me, right?

There's more of me to feed these days, you know.

Yes, I heard,

and your ice cream will be waiting for you

when you get back from taking out the trash.

Ha!

So will yours. Help your brother.

Ha!

Hey, guys.

What's going on?

Well, the doctor said I'm an inch and a half taller

and broader around the chest.

Something went wrong with the experiment.

Well, sort of.

You see, Matt convinced me I was shrinking,

which pretty much proved your point

about people convincing other people weird stuff's true.

But I was supposed to convince Matt I was shrinking,

so the experiment did go a little wrong there.

Matt convinced you that you were shrinking?

Yeah.

So much so that you went to the doctor?

Yeah. For some reason I had it in my head

I needed to see the doctor.

Yeah. You know, when you look up to or love someone,

you-you put your trust in them,

and that makes them an authority figure.

Even if that person is just your brother or sister.

Yeah, I know, Dad.

I-I get it.

Good. I hope so.

You have my word.

I will never use my big brain

to mess with his little one again.

So that's it, then?

No more mind games?

It's over?

Completely.

Yeah.

Good.

What?

I thought your hair looked different

in the back, but it doesn't.

Different, how?

Well, like less hair.

But it doesn't. It was probably just the light.

It looks... It looks like I'm losing my hair?

Well... not like Grandpa.

Wait a minute.

Yeah, I see what you're doing.

You're playing with my head again, aren't you?

Yeah. Yeah, you got me.

Hair looks great. Really.

Not bad for a little brain.