Chapter 6 - section 6

'Nothing,' comes a disinterested mumble.

Holding the packet close to her chest, she shuts the fridge. The pale light vanishes, leaving only candleyellow ambience of the stovelight and darkness. Ruby's body is cast half in shadow. Without answering, she circumvents the kitchen bench and walks past Georgia completely.

Eyes bleary with unfinished sleep, Georgia leans against the doorframe and tries to piece things together. But her eyelids are heavy. In her mind she can see her bed, feel it, the warmth all over, and inside her limbs. She stands off the doorframe and shuffles like a zombie to her bedroom, leaving Ruby to wherever she went with the packet.

Leaning onto the sheets, she feels their silkiness on her palms, how warm they've stayed from waiting, just for her, and then sees in her mind the TV screen. It's still on.

Her slug soul dragging, she shuffles back to the lounge room with a groan. Peaking over the couch is the back of Ruby's head. What the... Some sort of late night show involving a mastermind bunny-man and his sidekick perpetually stoned construction worker is on at a very low volume. Georgia makes her way around the couch to stand in front, Ruby's form revealed, rotating like a display piece. No one would be proud to display that, though: she's slouched back at a ridiculous angle, chin almost on chest, stomach puffed up like rising flour, food packet in her left hand, right hand fishing inside. She takes out a cookie and sends it towards her mouth.

Then she looks up from the corner of her eye. The cookie falls down into her lap. She gapes like a drowned fish. 'O- I'm- I'm just watching TV- I couldn't sleep...'

Georgia comes around to stand between her and the screen. Ruby leans aside to try and see around her, then leans the other way, but gives up. It's clear what Georgia's doing. She casts a puppy-eyed up gaze at Georgia, then looks down at the ground, like she might forget her friend is there by avoiding eye contact. Georgia looks her up and down. There are hints of crumbs at the corners of her mouth. Her posture is terrible, one hand still holding the packet and the other with the cookie in her lap. Conscious of Georgia's eyes on her midsection, Ruby shifts her forearm so that it obscures her stomach.

Georgia nods in the direction of her arm. 'What's under there?'

Looking off to the side, at a far corner of the room, Ruby purses her lips and shrugs. '...I dunno...'

Georgia observes her friend's waist. It really is wider than usual. Lower down, her hips are visibly swollen beneath the shirt. In her mind's eye, Georgia forms imaginary lines where Ruby's sides used to be, and estimates the depth of the new layer of chub. There has to be at least an inch or more on her hips. The cookie sulks in her hand, uneaten and slowly crumbling in distress. Georgia stares at it. Is that really what's caused Ruby to gain this weight? It seems so strange to her, now, how it all works, how easy it is to overeat, to eat more that you need, and finds yourself sporting a potbelly. Somehow those disks of dough and chocolate chips transform into... that, the puffed-out object which Ruby's tummy has become. Georgia wonders just how soft it is, just how deep the chub in her belly goes.

She looks at Ruby's arm again. 'What're you hiding under there?'

'Nothing. Go to back bed, it's like, two in the...'

Georgia squints at her friend. Neither of them are fooling each other. Georgia knows what Ruby is hiding, and Ruby knows what Georgia already knows. There's no way Georgia is about to give up and leave. So Ruby simply sits still, forearm across her belly hoping she can obscure her newfound dome of a tummy, and tries to avoid eye contact long as she can manage.

Wondering just how out of shape Ruby is, Georgia reaches down, grabs her forearm and shoves it off. Ruby resists, lips curled in a weak fighting snarl, but gives up. Her arm is pushed aside, the bulge is shown. She hangs her head as Georgia contemplates the belly. Georgia can remember when it was flatter, when there was no roundness. Seems it was only yesterday. But now it's bigger. It almost looks fake, except for the fact that Ruby's jaw resting on her chest has exposed the newborn crease of a double chin, as if to confirm, yes, this is fat. Otherwise, for all she could know, Ruby has tucked a small cushion under her shirt and padded her thighs. But sure enough, the tiny bump of her ring can be seen pressing against the fabric. It's real, alright.

Georgia feels something warming rapidly in her chest. Then, without warning, she snatches Ruby's shirt and shoves it up to see what's underneath. It is the palest muffin top Georgia has ever seen.

Swollen hips budge for room over of the sides of her waistband, all the way around in a ring to the front of her waist, where a stubborn paunch sits puffy and smooth, deep navel pierced at its center. The thing vaguely resembles an oversized donut. Never before has Ruby looked like this.

'Jeez,' Georgia says, inspecting Ruby's naked belly. She shakes her head. 'You're getting fat.'

Feeling her face flush for no reason, Georgia probes Ruby with her index finger. It sinks up to the second joint. The surface of Ruby's belly shimmers just from the impact of Georgia's finger grazing away. Georgia's toes tingle as she wonders how much jiggle is in that belly if she were to really give it a shock. Seeing Ruby's head hung low and her eyes so fixated upon the ground, Georgia scoffs in amazement. 'Wow... So like, did you grow that little gut while everyone was away?'

Ruby doesn't respond. Georgia leans in and prods her, then gives her belly a crossways slap. It does a jiggly dance, side to side, belly button swinging around.

Pulling her shirt down, Ruby's strength breaks, 'Can you stop!' She bends over to hide her belly and shoves the cookie into her mouth. It needed to go somewhere. She chews slowly, glancing up now and then. Her eyes ask: what? Then she looks back down at the television. There's a dark resentment in her eyes, ignoring Georgia who is standing above her with hands on hips like a disapproving parent.

'Stop looking at me,' Ruby pleads without looking.

Georgia cocks her eyebrows. 'Seriously? I mean, come on. I was only gone for a month and a bit.'

'Stop it. Go to bed.'

'No seriously, what were you eating?'

'I'm trying to watch TV, just-'

'Have you been doing this every day?'

'Doing wh-' Ruby pauses, then huffs like a kid. 'God damnit Georgy! Just go to bed!'

'You really need to watch what you're eating, fatty.'

'Go back to bed.'

'As if I haven't noticed before -'

'Can you please shut up?'

'As if you're eating cookies right now.'

'It's just a small midnight snack, come on!'

'Small snack... Riiiight. And that's not how you got this at all, right?' Georgia pokes a love handle playing peek-a-boo from under her tight-hugging shirt.

'Piss off-' Ruby beats the hand away.

'Give us a look at those arms.' Georgia forms pincers with her thumb and index finger and lines them up against Ruby's thickened upper arm, sizing it up, gauging. She gives the layer of fat a whimful pinch. Then her gaze falls to Ruby's thighs. She examines them. The loose pyjama cotton does a good job obscuring, but it's still sad and obvious how much girth has been added to her fatspreading thighs. Lips pursing, she gets an idea. 'Any idea how much you weigh?'

Ruby looks off to the side. Shrugs.

The corners of Georgia's eyes crease, evil with glittering glee. 'You've gotta get up.'

Ruby knows figures out what's coming. 'No.' The two lock eyes.

It's 2:00 am. Both are well awake, now. Neither will budge. The tension builds, compounding until there's an atmospheric static, charged high enough to pop your stand-out vein. The apex of the moment gives in under pressure, and snaps. A tug-o-war ensues.

Grabbing her forearms, Georgia pulls at Ruby, who is putting all her feeble might into leaning backwards in counterforce. But Georgia is taller. She also works out, now and then, and she is the one standing up. Really putting her back into it, Georgia hangs backwards off Ruby's arms, planting her feet against the lounge for leverage. Differing strengths battle. The force slowly gives in one direction. Georgia hauls Ruby off the lounge and it's all over. To stop from falling face first into the carpet, Ruby has to stand up at the very last minute - she awkwardly plants her feet on the ground and staggers past Georgia, who, glancing up from where she has fallen onto her elbows, witnesses in slow motion the glorious sight of Ruby's paunch bounce past overhead. Before Ruby can flee, Georgia leaps up and seizes her by the upper arm. Georgia's hand sinks into softened flesh. Ruby writhes like a criminal under arrest as she feels both wrists being forced behind her back. The more she resists, wriggling, shaking and jumping, the further she feels her shirt ride up. Before long, there is the sensation of air against her stomach. Georgia's chin comes over her shoulder, demanding she stop resisting. Ruby can feel her body heat, honeywarming all over her back from contact. Struggling against Georgia's hold, Ruby leans desperately forward, but has nowhere to fall. Georgia steps along behind her, keeping Ruby in the lock. Hands behind her back, belly in front, Ruby can feel herself jiggling as she plants her feet in an awkward stagger. All she can see in her mind's eye, all she can think of, is the way she probably looks right now. Cheeks flaring red, ashamed, she submits. Her limbs sag and go limp.