Chapter 9 - can't hide it

In the weeks that followed Piper's birthday feeding, neither Scott nor Piper openly acknowledged the event. Scott found the whole thing almost too surreal to believe whereas Piper wanted to remain coy about the increasingly likely possibility that she was enjoying gaining weight.

Before long, it was the beginning of June and the weather had warmed up. Piper's family decided to host a cookout to celebrate the beginning of summer. Piper felt a tinge of nervousness as she realized that most of her family, whom she hadn't really seen since Christmas, would be at the party. She had clearly ballooned since then...what would they say? Piper groaned as she imagined her sister Natalie's reaction. For a brief moment she considered buying some larger clothes in an attempt to hide her growing body, but she abandoned the plan when she saw herself in the mirror. With her puffy cheeks, she looked a bit like a chipmunk stowing acorns and her face overall was noticeably softer and fuller. No amount of clothes would hide the fact that she was fattening up all over.

"Screw it. If I can't hide it, I might as well flaunt it," Piper said aloud to herself. She found a pair of size 4 jean shorts and pulled them up until they caught on her growing bubble butt. She hopped while pulling the shorts upward until they finally clung tightly around her waist. She took a deep breath, buttoned them, and then watched her gut bulge forward as she exhaled. The tight shorts compacted her potbelly, forcing it upwards and causing it to pooch out over her waist.

Piper sighed, somewhat exhausted from the struggle. "Hard to believe that just a few months ago these shorts fell off me. I guess I really am filling out..."

She put on a low cut top bearing the "Supergirl" logo; the shirt clung so tightly to her midriff that the outline of her ever-deepening navel was plainly obvious. Piper examined herself in the mirror and saw how she was on the verge of bursting out of her clothes. It was an observation that would have horrified her months ago, but looking at the way her body curved and bulged made her realize that she never felt more attractive than she did now.

"Look at these!" Piper said aloud, fondling her now sizeable breasts contained by a D-cup bra. She bounced softly and watched her breasts and belly jiggle in response.

"God, I feel like a real woman." She rubbed her middle and dug her fingers in her soft flesh and grabbed the small rolls that formed on her sides.

"Such a soft, indulgent, and sexy woman," she added lustily. "For so long I kept myself trim, but for what? It never made me feel like this. Now I'm getting bigger and feeling better each day!" Piper swelled with confidence and pride as she talked herself up. "It's time to show everyone the new me and if they don't approve they can kiss my ***!"

Piper and Scott arrived at the party and began walking toward Piper's parents' house. Scott couldn't help but stare at Piper's skin tight outfit. Although he had avoided commenting on her weight lately, the way she stuffed herself into her clothes made him feel enticed but also uncharacteristically anxious. After all, he thought, what might her family think when they saw her practically bursting out of her clothes? They might begin to believe that he was a bad influence on her...

"Don't you think that outfit is a bit, well, revealing? I mean, you're really packed in there."

"Scott Bridgeman! Don't tell me you're embarrassed by your chunky girlfriend! After all, it's your deal that's doing this to me, remember? By the way, I hope you're prepared to stay put at our place. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm getting pretty close to clinching this deal..."

"Is that so?" Scott's mind raced with thoughts of where Piper's weight might be and he felt compelled to inquire. "So how much..."

"Yeah, it seems like lately each pound I've gained has gone right here!" Piper interrupted as she quickly grabbed Scott's hand and placed it on her backside. "I mean, my big butt is just swallowing up my little panties these days!" Still holding on to Scott's hand, Piper forcefully slid it down her own shorts so that he could feel her bare bottom. "Be a dear and fix this massive wedgie I've got would ya?" By this point, they had reached the doorstep and just as Piper finished speaking, she rang the doorbell.

"What the..."

Scott panicked as he tried to simultaneously untangle Piper's bunched up panties and remove his hand from her shorts. The door opened just as he slid his hand out.

"Hiya mom!" Piper exclaimed, as though nothing had just happened.

As Piper moved in for a hug, Scott, who himself was still in shock of Piper's antics, saw the look of surprise on her mother's face.

"Piper! You're looking...well," her mother said delicately. She quickly looked Piper up and down, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "I hope you two are hungry because we have a lot of food in the backyard. Go ahead and help yourselves!"

"Good. I'm starved!" Piper exclaimed.

As they walked into the backyard, it seemed like the party came to a halt. Piper's relatives did a poor job of being inconspicuous, as they plainly ogled Piper as she strolled by; whispers seemed to follow her wherever she went. Piper was approached by Madeline, her 4-year-old niece and daughter of her sister Natalie.

"Hi Auntie Piper. I like your Superwoman shirt."

"Aww, thanks sweetie."

"What's this?" the little girl asked innocently as she pointed to Piper's stomach. Scott felt the back of his neck get hot. This was going to get ugly...

"That's my belly, silly! You noticed that it's gotten a lot bigger since I saw you last, huh?" Piper replied in a childlike tone. Madeline nodded adorably. Piper rubbed her prominent middle with one hand. "This is what happens when you eat too much ice cream!"

Madeline giggled and said, "You're funny!" A moment later, she skipped away to play with her cousins.

Scott breathed a sigh of relief and marveled at Piper's restraint. "Wow, you really took that one in stride, babe. I'm proud of you."

A look of confusion appeared on Piper's face. "What, was I supposed to freak out on her for being curious? Also, you can keep your faux sympathy," she retorted sharply. "C'mon, let's get something to eat."

The food spread was composed of the usual picnic suspects. Piper sampled heartily, grabbing two hotdogs, one hamburger, a giant dollop of potato salad, and an ear of corn which she lathered in butter and salt. She scoffed dismissively when Scott asked her if she wanted any salad; her plate was filled to the brim.

They picked a table and Piper began to chow down as soon as they were seated. She didn't say much as she focused on devouring every last bite of her large meal. When she finished eating, she took a large sip of beer, stifled a burp, and said, "Ah, I just love summer. It's the time of year you can really let yourself go, you know? Speaking of which, I think I saw a dessert table over there. Be right back."

As Piper left the table her sister Natalie seemed to appear out of nowhere to take her place. Like Piper, Natalie had black hair and a vibrant personality. However, she was slightly taller and, since getting married and having a child, much heavier.

"Damn Scott, what are you feeding that girl?" She asked rhetorically as she pointed toward Piper. "More like what are you not feeding her, right? Maybe it's time to think about putting her on a diet."

Scott was stunned at Natalie's bluntness but it was the way her comments intimated at his current situation that made him uneasy. It was almost as if she knew about the deal he and Piper had made.

"Uh, I, um..." he stammered. "Well, Piper's an adult and she can eat whatever she wants." He felt like kicking himself the moment the clumsy platitude left his mouth.

"Ah, so that's how it is!" Natalie exclaimed. She looked as though a lightbulb went off in her mind, but Scott struggled to understand why. "That's very gentlemanly of you, Scott. Just be careful..." She stood up and placed her hands on her wide hips. "...You might get more than you bargained for..."

"What..."

"Well, I'm going to catch up with Piper. Nice talking to you!"

As Natalie walked away, Scott felt overrun with panic and confusion. Why was Natalie so cryptic and what did it all mean? Moreover, was her use of the word "bargain" a clue that she knew about the deal? Scott's mind raced with paranoid thoughts. It was all made worse by the fact that Natalie was talking up Piper at the dessert table; they glanced in his direction several times over the course of their conversation. He hated the way he felt in that moment: out of control and nervous, not at all like his usual calculating and calm self.

After a few minutes Piper began walking back to the table. Scott braced himself for Piper's anger. He was willing to bet that Natalie tore into Piper about her weight and now she'd be furious. However, much to his surprise, she returned sporting a wry smile and carrying an assorted plate of cookies.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Oh it was nothing, just catching up. We did make plans to go out to eat sometime soon though. You know, for girl time," Piper replied.

"...Really?"

Yeah , it was her idea." Piper caught wind of the uneasiness in Scott's voice. She didn't want to overwhelm him any further. After all, he had played right into her hands. "You think too much. Go grab a beer and eat some cookies with me. You'll feel better."

After such a bewildering series of events, Scott was compelled to agree. He spent the rest of the night drinking (more than he should have) and gorging himself with Piper. By the end, his head was spinning. It was a fitting ending to such a topsy-turvy day.