Chapter 6 - 4-2 where there

Ben thrush himself though the double door of his chemistry class, heaving and sweaty from carrying around his huge meal across campus and up three flights of stairs. He could see leering eyes dart to him from all corners of the room, but all he really noticed was the intense stare of his professor, eyeing him the whole way to his seat. Aaron gulped nervously, he expected a hard glare but Ms.Woods just seemed to stare him all over. She cleared her throat and began again, going over the periodic table and other related topics.

Ben tried his best to follow along, but his recent glut caused him to become quite bloated and uncomfortable. Belch after belch surfaced from him, distracting him and annoying the students nearby. Ben tried to rub his belly to relieve some of the pressure his feast had caused, but still found trouble staying on task. Before long class neared it's end, Ben mainly thankful he wasn't hungry yet. Ms. Woods handed out the results from last week's quiz, stopping by Ben's seat in the back to share a word.

"You could still use some work on the periodic table Ben, some of these questions are really basic..." Ms.Woods said with a concerned tone.

Ben's eyes popped out of his skull when he saw his result, a 65%, and that was one of his better scores of the month. He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. Ms. Woods continued, sounding rather bored.

"You know the drill right?"

Ben sighed, somehow more dejected than before.

"Yea I know, I can make this a 70 if I stay after... I just..."

Ms.Woods only response was a raised eyebrow as she looked him over. Ben awkwardly continued. "I just wanted to hit the gym, it's been awhile you know? I spend most of my days here with you in extra credit."

Ben tried looking for some sympathy, but found only a smirk. Ms.Woods chuckled.

"You can always go another time, besides, it's not like you need it." Ms.Woods gave Ben a hard stare, but her smile never wavered. Reluctantly, Ben realized he needed the test score more than anything, and agreed.

"Good." Ms.Woods said matter-of-factly. "The pizza's are on the way, here's your water."

Ben grabbed the bottle and took a large swig, then followed Ms.Woods toward the bottom of the lecture hall. Most students had left already which was normal, but typically at least a few did as poorly as Ben and stuck around for the free pizza Ms.Woods provided. Today seemed like no one needed the extra credit. Ben spoke up sheepishly. "I, uh, don't think we need the pizzas today professor..." Ben waived waived around the room. "looks like it's just us today."

Ms.Woods scoffed, she turned and put up a diagram of different chemical structures. "Nonsense, more for us then!" She put flatly. "Now let's go over the quiz from the top..." Ben nervously gulped. He would only have a slice, he told himself, though after the incident from earlier he didn't really believe it. The next half hour sped past, Ben getting quizzed on element names and interactions. For once, he noted happily, his hunger wasn't distracting him. Maybe that big meal would last him awhile this time. Ben smiled briefly, breathing a sigh of relief when a sudden knock was heard on the lecture hall door.

Ms. Woods smiled a toothy grin, striding towards the door with unnatural grace. Her slim form plucked the two pizza's from the delivery guy, and the door slammed shut as she plopped the cheesy boxes of dough in front of Ben. "Help yourself!" Ms.Woods said with a smile, handing him a paper plate. He began to sweat, his heart beating wildly. He tried talking himself through it one more time as he started to smell the heavenly meat lovers pizza's. "You do NOT need this food." Ben shouted internally, trying to convince his stomach not to do what it had become accustomed to. "You have had way too many calories today, you need to focus on your studies!" Ben stared at his attractive teacher and the whiteboard, desperately trying to absorb information about chemistry, but it wasn't happening.

It was as if a fog had filled the room, and Ben couldn't see further than 5 feet in front of him. The whiteboard and his professor faded away, enveloped by the haze. The haze smelled wonderful, Ben thought, lost in his own head. He could pick out each topping without even opening the box; sausage, sliced ham, burger, and bacon were surely awaiting him. But there was something else... something sweet he couldn't put his nose on. It couldn't be his favorite pizza could it? Ben had never told Ms.Woods what his favorite was, but he distinctly could smell an aroma of fruit coming from the boxes. Ben looked forward once more, Ms.Woods voice seemingly so far away, his mind began to drift. Maybe he could just open the second box to see if it was really there? Ben reached out his hand and snatched it back. He didn't even want to look at the pizza for fear for what he might do. But soon temptation beckoned him. He felt there was no harm in just taking a little peek.

Ben slid out the second box and took a cautious look inside. There it was, a stuffed crust Hawaiian pizza with garlic butter glaze. Immediately his stomach felt like a never ending void, an audible rumbling filled the room. Ben's hand shook as he struggled to not pick up a slice. Another roar echoed around the hall as Ben began breathing raggedly. Ms.Woods strode over and without a word plopped a thick slice down on his paper plate. She addressed him with a stern tone. "I can hear your stomach from over here young man, now eat this slice so we can finish up." Ben replied weakly. "Really, erm, I'm not that hungry." Ms.Woods offered him a sarcastic smirk as she swayed her shapely behind back towards her desk. "Ok, fine." She said flatly. "Just take one bite, I don't want this pizza getting cold without anyone trying it. "Ben nodded and proceeded to allow himself one bite, but that one bite was all it took.

If this was his already his favorite type of pizza before, the flavors approached orgasmic levels with his new hunger. Ben shuddered with pleasure as he tasted the cheesy treat, the sweetness of the pineapple melding perfectly with the saltiness of the ham and the warmth of the gooey cheese. The garlic glaze was the cherry on top, and before he even noticed the rest of the slice was gone, and Ms.Woods was telling him class was over. She left without another word, leaving Ben by himself with the rest of the two pizza's. He tried to leave the hall alone, but it seemed he was a slave to the flavors. Reluctantly Ben grabbed both pies and shuffled out of the building, trying to find his bike in the darkness that had spread over the campus during his lecture.

Eventually Ben found his bike, and next to it a trashcan, and for a second he found his willpower. "Enough!" Ben shouted to no one, and tried lifting the lid of the can to dispose of his fattening packages. As he moved the large boxes to the trash the lid of the first box popped open, revealing the meat lovers pie. Ben's nose filled with delight his stomach growled intensely. He tried desperately to throw away the food, but Ben didn't even seem to be in control anymore. He hurriedly shut the trashcan and sat on a nearby park bench. His willpower deserting him, Ben began stuffing the still heavenly warm and tasty slices into his mouth.

Ben didn't even stop to clean himself up, he was too busy getting as much of the pizza inside of him at one time to care about anything else. Grease flowed out of the corners of his mouth, seeping into his shirt and getting all over his face while he moaned in pleasure. One slice meat lovers, one Hawaiian was the order, each slice being inhaled like it was nothing. Ben didn't even feel his stomach begin to fill and stretch outward, all his senses cared about was the sensation of eating more and more. Only after the last slice found it's way down his throat did Ben understand the weight of his gluttony. After trying to wipe his face Ben looked around disgusted, wishing he had some paper towels. He brushed off what he could of the remains of his meal, and stopped when his hands brushed against his middle.

Ben at first didn't recognize his protruding belly as his own, rater thinking a bowling ball had been placed under his shirt. He couldn't get over how much he stuck out, more than any point in his life. He knew it was just food right now, but he grew pale in knowing that his belly could soon look like that permanently if he didn't get back under control. Ben attempted to stand, but needed to steady himself, the weight of the pizza combined with his interminal belches made moving quite awkward.

Biking was out of the question, so Ben called his buddy Jim to try and crash at his on-campus apartment. Jim laughed happily when he heard why his friend would need to spend the night, but Ben was more worried than ever.

Something had clearly changed about him when his hunger went crazy, but what could have happened? Ben's mind was racing, this couldn't be 'his body catching up' as the doctor so curtly put it. Something, or someone had inflicted this on him, and Ben needed to figure out why, and how to stop it before it was too late. He walked awkwardly towards his friends house, careful not to upset his tender gut and in incredible discomfort. Ben wondered with dread if he was ever going to get to the bottom of this or if he would just fatter and fatter forever...