chapter 6

"So?" Rebecca places her lunch tray down on the canteen table and slowly lowers herself down beside me onto one of the sturdy wooden chairs.

"So...what?" I return a quizzical look whilst trying to suppress a smile. I know full well what she wants to know but don't want to let on just yet.

"So how did you get on 'Size and Weight' class this morning? Come on, reveal all!" she grins.

I can't help laughing, "No you first."

"You first!" she almost shouts in her excitement, making me think I'd better tell her before she explodes.

"Well..." I pause for effect, "19 stone 12 pounds."

"Oh my God!" she throws her hands up covering her cheeks, "You're almost 20 stone!"

I'm grinning, flattered by her reaction, "How about you?"

"18 stone 10 pounds" she says more solemnly.

"Well that's nearly 19 stone" I try to perk her spirits back up, "and I'm sure you'll catch up with me in no time, especially if you manage to eat all that lot."

I'm indicating to her dinner tray which she's absolutely piled high with food from the buffet including two large portions of dessert. I don't want her to feel upset that she doesn't weigh as much as me, but at the same time I can't help feeling secretly pleased that I'm over a full stone heavier. I put the extra weight down to my height, since she doesn't really look that much smaller around the waist, although I do stand a couple of inches taller. We continue to share our weights and measurements with other girls that join our table, and I'm relieved to find that I'm second heaviest in our group, being beaten only by Claire on the end who's over 24 stone and with whom I don't stand a hope of competing. I try to remind myself what we must have been told at least four times now in the short time we've been here, and what already seems to be becoming a bit of a mantra, that 'being physically large is only a fraction of our role'. Deep down I know it must be true or I wouldn't be here at fattening school, but for now at least it's comforting and reassuring to know I'm up there amongst the larger girls.

I notice that some girls seem to be doing rather more chatting than eating, and whilst I'm keeping myself involved in the conversation, I'm at the same time making sure my fork remains heavily laden. When my plate is empty I make my way back up to the buffet bar for a second large helping, which I then bring back to the table.

"My word! Save some room for the floatation pool. Have you looked at your timetable?" Carol, the girl sitting opposite me blurts out in a voice loud enough to make the table go quiet.

"No, why what's the floatation pool?"

The girls all laugh simultaneously and I get the feeling I'm about to feel stupid.

"Haven't you heard?" she giggles. "We're in the floatation pool all this afternoon so I don't think you're going to need all that lot. You're likely to burst your stomach!"

"Well I think if we weren't supposed to eat too much, the teachers would have warned us." I try to make light of it, "Besides I'm sure I'll have enough room for both."

I chuckle to try and relieve the tension, but I'm the only one that does so. The other girls look at me unsure and it takes a moment or two for the conversation to start back up again. To avoid loosing face I now realise that I'm going to have to eat everything on my plate. Why was I so stupid to go and get so much more food when I've already had one large helping? While the other girls carry on enjoying the chatter I concentrate on eating the large mound of food in font of me, shovelling large forkfuls into my mouth in an attempt to reduce the pile down at bit. I notice I'm the last one eating, even Rebecca has finished, leaving half a plateful of food after having obviously been put off by the conversation earlier. By the time I push the last forkful into my mouth my stomach is feeling painfully stretched and my skirt feels like it's about to rip at the seams. I smile, wiping a napkin around my mouth as if I'm just comfortably full, although really I absolutely can't eat another thing. I don't know how I'm going to cope this afternoon nor even what to expect, and although I'm trying not to show it I'm feeling very worried. What if Carol's right and my belly does split? Surely the teachers would have warned us about such a danger wouldn't they?

The school bells rings, reverberating around the canteen walls, which is followed by a scraping of chairs on the floor and a general noise of hustle and bustle as the multitude of hefty girls raise themselves too their feet and make their way to their next lessons.

"Are you ready then?" Rebecca looks down at me, to where I'm sitting, knowing that I have to get up, but feeling so stuffed that I feel I may be sick if I attempt to do so.

"I've been really looking forward to the floatation pool" she grins. "Apparently they have feeding tube that comes down from the ceiling that pumps your stomach full of liquid while you're in the water. You'll love it!"