chapter 3

Michaela woke up far too early the next morning. The light bled through her basement window with sharp, warm intensity as she rolled over. She kept her eyes closed to preserve her sleep, and rolled over onto the other side of her bed. Something crunched under her as she did.

Michaela reached from underneath herself and pulled out an empty Doritos bag. Barely any crumbs tumbled out, and she stared agape at the empty Family Size bag of treats. She sat up quickly and let out a deep, rumbling burp. Her hand grazed her stomach as she felt the gas leave her body. She felt bloated and…soft.

She rolled over in bed, her oversized top displaying a soft nacho-cheese pattern around the collar. She took off her sweater and stared at her body in the long, body length mirror.

She still looked like herself, she thought. Tired, maybe with a bit of a tummy bloat, but still Michaela. Turning on profile, she smiled proudly at the size of her backside. But curiosity was creeping in…

She snuck into her bathroom and stood on the scale. The numbers spun…and then: 158lbs.

Michaela blinked and shook her head. She stepped into the harsh light of the bathroom and looked. Did her chubby cheeks seemed wider? Her resting face seemed to have lost definition - no double chin, but no jawline either. Her arms seemed just slightly rounder. Her boobs hung on her chest the way they usually do, but her bloated tummy seemed to be tricking her. She was in a dilemma - the scale said she had gained, but the visual changes on her body were barely noticeable? Maybe she had put on some more at college than she remembered…

Sarah knocked on the door to her room. “We’re making pancakes! Hurry up if you’re hungry…after meeting your appetite last night, I would assume you are!”

Michaela blushed. And her stomach rumbled.

She caught her sister at the top of the stairs. Sarah seemed pleased with Michaela’s slightly hungover state. “Man, you were unstoppable last night.”

“I learned from the best,” said Michaela softly. Her sister looked as she usually did. She hadn’t put on weight this week? They had been eating the same things…

“Yeah, but even I couldn’t polish off that entire box of fudge.” Sarah poked her sister’s stomach.

Michaela’s stomach dropped. “I ate that whole thing?” 



“Yeah, right before bed too. Surprised you aren’t sick to your stomach! That’s a lot of rich food, girl.” Michaela suddenly remembered the bag of Doritos in her bed. What had she done last night?

Brunch at the Gardeners was no laughing matter. Pancakes were merely a part of the buffet of eggs, sausage, bacon, fried tomatoes, home fries, and mimosas. Michaela stared at the spread, and remembered the red numbers burned into her brain on the scale.

But when she sat down at the table, all hesitation seemed to melt away. She had three plates of hearty, carby food. Her mom looked at her, “Best cure for a night of drinking is a greasy breakfast.”

Michaela blushed as she finished off her sixth pancake. “I don’t like wasting food.”

That afternoon, she dug out her running shoes and went in search of the family treadmill, which she knew was hidden somewhere in the basement. She searched for twenty minutes, and slightly exasperated, and slightly out of breath, confronted her father.



“The treadmill?” Steve snorted. “I threw that p-o-s out a while ago. Hasn't worked for years. Lack of use I think!”

Michaela returned to her room and considered a floor workout. She had never really been “fit” before and didn’t know many exercises off the top of her head. She grabbed her phone, lay in bed and scrolled Instagram for some routines. After watching several fitness instructors and trainers walk through some simple at home workouts, she suddenly felt the softness of the comforter on her bed. She shut her eyes for a short moment…and everything slipped away.



Michaela was woken with a hard smack on her prone behind. She had passed out, face down on her bed. When she rolled over, she saw Sarah standing over her, grinning, and with a big red bowl of cake batter in her hand. 

“Did you go for a run or something?” her sister asked from above, eyeing her workout clothes.

“Oh, yeah. Just to the end of the street and back.” Michaela lied groggily. She caught a glimpse of the clock - it was almost 4pm. Shame rippled through her body - did she really just stuff herself and then sleep all afternoon?

“Well, good. That mean’s you’ve earned this then.” Sarah thrusted the bowl into her hands. It was easily enough batter for a two-tier chocolate cake. Michaela eyed it incredulously. 

“What is it?”

“It’s going to be my showstopper at the store I think. I call it Pre-Bake Cake. It’s cake batter, but it’s completely edible. No eggs or any raw ingredients. I’m gonna sell it in tubes!”



Michaela took the spoon out of the bowl and brought it to her lips. It was the most decadent, rich thing she had ever experienced. She closed her eyes orgasmically and dug back in for more, licking the splatters off her hands.



“You like it? That ones for you. There are two more in the fridge. They don't last very long, so make sure you eat them by Tuesday okay?”



“I barely will finish this one by Friday I think! There’s so much!” Michaela said through a thick mouthful of cake batter, scooping the sides politely.

“Yeah, okay kiddo,” said Sarah as she pointed at the empty bag of Doritos on the bed. “Dad was looking for those this afternoon. Don’t tell him you ate them all…” 



She left. Suddenly and strangely, Michaela felt this sensation in her gut - like she couldn’t wait anymore. She picked up the bowl of batter, and forgoing the spoon, poured the contents of the bowl down her throat. She gulped and gulped until it was all gone, and licked it clean with her chocolate stained tongue. 

Bringing the bowl down from her face, Michaela caught her reflection in her full body wall mirror.

Her messy up-do, her chocolate stained mouth, her flattened chest in the sports bra - and a little tummy flopping out over her waistband. 



She didn’t even recognize herself.