Chapter 6 - anticipation

"Frida's been gone for so long..." Sophie sighed, using her fingers to trace the picnic table's wood grain surface.

Though her droopy eyes stared off into the buzzing crowd that surrounded her, the slim girl was barely aware of it. Instead, she was more focused on what she saw in her mind's eye.

Her new love: Fair food.

Delicious, savory, scrumptious fair food. Food that she never could have dreamed of tasting in such abundance before today.

She smacked her lips, teasing herself with the memories. If she did so in just the right way, she could still taste a tiny burst of any of the dozens of new flavors Frida had introduced her to.

It didn't matter to her that she had no idea what she was eating, what it was called, or where it came from. It didn't matter how many looks she received from random passersby as the evidence of her gigantic meal jiggled about with every step she took. The only thing that mattered to her was that she loved it, she wanted more, and she wanted it now.

"How long does it take to buy a few treats?" Sophie sighed again, louder this time, somehow hoping Frida would hear her plea and rush over to fill her up with even more bread and butter. "I'm still so hungry..."

The instant the words escaped her lips, however, Sophie stood up straight.

**Oh, look at me, whining like a spoiled princess!** She thought, scolding herself. **What's wrong with me? I used to dig through the trash for food scraps, and I'll be back to doing that in only a year! I should be thankful for what I've already got, not demanding even more!**

**Besides,** she thought, scanning the crowd for any sign of the return of her benefactor, **She's probably only gonna come back with one or two things, anyway.**

* * *

Moments later, that benefactor came into view. Sophie's jaw, if it were possible, would have hit the hard, frozen ground at the sight.

In the distance, Frida waddled over to the table, tired arms burdened with what could have easily amounted to multiple meals worth of greasy fair food.

"Oh. My. God." Sophie mumbled, smile growing wider every time Frida took a step closer. As if in a trance, her eyes remained glued to the feast in her friend's arms, following the sight until she had finally reached the table.

"H-Hi!" Frida huffed, carefully setting each steaming, sweet-smelling item down on the table. "So sorry for the wait! Some of the lines were really long. I hope you didn't lose your appetite!"

Before Sophie could answer, her stomach decided to do the work for her: Emitting a quiet, yet noticeable *gurgle* as its owner stared in amazement at the fattening feast before her.

Now, the noise wasn't exactly a growl, so its exact meaning was unclear. On one hand, it could have simply been a byproduct of Sophie's overworked stomach struggling to process the massive amount of food already inside her stomach. On the other, it could have been that same overworked stomach joining forces with the girl's ravenous appetite to beg for even more.

"Oh my goodness, Frida!" the hungry girl gasped, swallowing a glob of drool before it had the chance to dribble down her chin, "I don't think I can eat all this!"

"Well, duh!" Frida chortled, sitting down next to Sophie. She slipped off her glove and picked up one of the more modestly-sized items on the table: a small powdered doughnut. "I thought we could share! You didn't think this was all for you, did you?"

Sophie forced out a fake laugh. "Uh, n-no! Of course not!"

"Hehe. Suuure." Frida replied, giving Sophie's arm a playful punch. "In any case-"

Suddenly, both girls hunched over, cupping their hands around their rosy ears. Along with everyone else in the vicinity, they clenched their teeth as the obnoxious din of church bells rang out across the plaza, signaling the passing of yet another hour.

"Bleh." Frida groaned, cautiously lowering her hands again once the chimes had finally ceased, "Maybe we should’ve picked a spot a bit further away from the chapel."

"Probably." Sophie giggled, still protecting her ears in anticipation of another deafening tone. Once a reasonable amount of time had passed, she, too, lowered her hands. "Twelve means it's noon, right?"

Mouth full of doughnut, Frida could only respond with a nod and an unenthused "Mmhmm...". It was only when she finished chewing that the frown between her cheeks was evident. "Which means we should probably be back at the bakery by now."

"I was gonna say something, but I didn't wanna be rude." Said Sophie, following Frida's example by politely biting into a powdered doughnut of her own. Slightly less trained in table manners, however, the girl threw away any points she had earned by continuing to speak, even with a full mouth: "Isn't Mia gonna be mad at us if we're out for this long?"

"Technically we only have an hour-long lunch break. It's noon now, and we left at half-past ten, sooo..." Frida's gaze wandered away as she counted on her lightly-powdered fingers. "...Uh-oh."

A cold shiver, one that paled in comparison to the frigid air that already clawed at her face, shot up Sophie's spine. "F-Frida!" She yelped, shoving the remainder of the doughnut into her mouth, "She already doesn't like me! What's she gonna think?! And this is only my first day!"

"Aww, Sophie..."

Seeing the terror on her short friend's face, Frida put a comforting arm around her and snuggled up close. "Don't worry. I do this all the time! She probably won't even notice. And if she does..."

With her free hand, Frida picked up an apple strudel and held it up to Sophie's lips. "...You can blame it all on me. Okay?"

In lieu of words, Sophie simply nodded, staring down at the sweet-smelling pastry under her nose like a curious animal.

It made Frida's heart flutter.

Something about the way Sophie lazily parted her lips. Something about how quickly the tension in her posture melted away when the apple filling hit her tongue. Something about the way Sophie's bony hands brushed against Frida's as they moved timidly to grip the pastry for herself, then greedily snatched it away like a spoiled child.

The taller girl was utterly fascinated to watch her eat, though she couldn't quite explain why. It made no sense on paper, but, nonetheless, she loved watching the skinny girl's eyes shine brighter with every bite she took.

Perhaps Frida was just weird. Perhaps the strange desires that tickled the bottom of her stomach shouldn't be indulged.

**Oh, well...** she thought, a dreamy smile on her face as she watched Sophie's second bite travel down her throat. **I'm happy, and Sophie's happy. Nobody else has to know.**

Sophie took another bite.

Frida sighed, leaning slightly closer.

**Wait a minute!** Frida thought, shooting up straight. **Weirdo! What if she sees you staring again? She's gonna think you're a total creep!**

Instantly, Frida's face turned even redder than it already was. Shaking her head, she tore her eyes off the other girl.

**You've got to stop doing that!** She thought, heart thumping away as she stared down at her feet underneath the table. Thankfully, when she heard nothing but a pleasured moan from the girl next to her, she could be safe to assume that, this time, at least, she hadn't been caught.
**What were we talking about again?**

"Uh...not that you don't have a point. We DO have to go back as soon as we can." Frida stammered. "But we can't just let all this food go to waste, right?"

"Mmhmm." Sophie mumbled, mouth filled with her third, fourth, and fifth bite of strudel all at the same time.

"Ohhh! I have an idea! Why don't we see who can eat the most in ten minutes?"

A few moments passed while Sophie packed away the last of her strudel. As soon as her mouth was free, a mischievous smile spread across it. "Like, a contest?"

"Exactly. An eating contest!" Frida winked, leaning towards Sophie with a devilish grin of her own. She pointed up at the tall clock tower looming over the bustling plaza. "Time's up when the long hand is on the 'II'. And whoever loses...has to fulfill both of our afternoon duties!"

Sophie licked her sugar-smeared lips. "You're on!" She chirped, placing her hands on the edge of the table and leaning forward.

"Get ready to lose, skinny! On three..."