chapter 5

When he woke up, Brandon knew immediately something was wrong. He felt weird when he tried to get out of bed. When he sat up, he looked down to see belly forming a few small rolls.

His belly.

Brandon had never had a belly before. Sure, he'd lost a little definition over the last week but he'd never had anything but a flat stomach. He pressed his fingers into the soft flesh at his middle and began to freak out.

He got up and pulled his jeans on, hoping they somehow still fit him. It was no use. He could only just get them up his thighs; there was no way on earth he was going to be able to get them to button.

He looked in his closet for a pair of sweatpants and the largest shirt he had. He didn't really do baggy clothes but he had a shirt he'd borrowed from a friend once that had been a little loose on him. Now, it barely covered his belly.

His sweatpants were uncomfortable, but at least they fit.

Brandon tries not to panic. He pulls out his phone and tries to google things about sudden weight gain but all he finds are some medical conditions that don't happen over night and some fetish websites.

His phone pings and he sees that he has a Facebook notification. He has a friend request and a message request from Meadow.

Brandon wants to scream. He doesn't need a stalker at a time like this. He rejects both and then considers leaving to get new clothes. He looks in the mirror. He's not huge or anything, he's just a little chubby but it's definitely noticable. He's pretty sure that if he got clothes that fit him better, he could hide it for a while.

Then he hears footsteps down the hall outside his door. There are too many people about. There's no way he can go outside. What if he ran into someone he knew?

His stomach rumbled with hunger but he did his best to ignore it. Maybe he should just go back to sleep. He really didn't feel ready to face anything in the state he was in.

Brandon slept for a few hours, hoping that he would wake up with everything back to normal. The only normal thing he saw when he woke up, though, was a note under his door.

"If you seek information, do not reject those wishing to give it to you. Friends can help."

Brandon frowned. It sounded like a fortune cookie. His phone pinged again and he looked to see another friend request from Meadow.

Friends... do not reject...

Something really weird was going on and he had a feeling this girl had something to do with it. He accepted the request.

Within moments, she sent him a message.

"If you want help, you only need to ask," she said.