Chapter 19A - Nicole

With a renewed purpose for her day, Nicole proceeded to make her way to the mall for some activewear. Entering the mall through the food court entrance, it was hard not to be assaulted by all the incredible smells. One of her new favorite fast-food chains, Burger King, was the first to grace her eye. Making her way over to the burger stand, Nicole pushed her initial objective to the back of her mind while she ordered her heats content. One whopper, a large order of fries, and a chocolate milkshake were enough to sate Nicole.

More and more, it seemed as if Nicole was able to push her appetite to its furthest limits. Since the start of her Sophomore year, it was as if Nicole had wholly taken her foot off the brake and let Kate slam her foot down on the gas pedal. Habits had taken a while to develop, but it was by no means an understatement that Nicole ate what she wanted when she wanted, whenever she wanted. Consequences were never weighed in Nicole's mind. Others had worried about those consequences for her in the past, so It was by no means a surprise that Nicole had no proper grasp on what eating responsibly actually meant.

Even though she was full, that didn't stop Nicole from grabbing a Cinnabon after her meal. Merely because it smelled fragrant, not because she was hungry. She walked and window shopped as she ate, occasionally stopping to rest since her winter coat was making her sweat and get out of breath.

After finishing up her massive Cinnabon, Nicole had arrived at her favorite activewear store Lululemon. Other than Victoria's Secret and Forever 21, Nicole had spent most of her freshman year shopping at Lululemon. Usually, she and Jess would come here to get some cute outfits for cheer practice or the gym. They'd try things on, showing them off to each other for long stretches of time. They were always getting clothes that appealed to both of their figures and outfits that would attract the most eyes. Jess had always been top-heavy, so Sports bras, tank tops, Racerbacks were eternally center stage in her shopping experiences.

On the other hand, Nicole was always on the prowl for outfits that best showed off her ass. She was attracted to Leggings, Yoga Pants, and booty shorts. It had always been a very mutually beneficial experience for both girls to shop together, which made this particular excursion a slight letdown. Instead of using Jess as her mirror, she'd had to rely on her own eyes.

Nicole browsed through the garments on offer for several moments, picking out a few in her size to try on. At several points, she had to politely bat away a persistent sales clerk trying to be helpful. The only thought going through her mind was Carl and how he'd react to her outfit. That being said, Nicole opted for choices that showed off as much skin as possible. Collecting herself, Nicole grabbed her first group of selections and headed to the dressing room.

There was an empty dressing room in the back of the store that she entered. It was pretty spacious, with full-length mirrors lining two of the walls. Nicole wasn't entirely looking at herself in the mirrors, though. She was too occupied with arranging her new outfits, deciding what to try on first. Her small tummy flopped down slightly over the waistband of her yoga pants as Nicole unbuttoned and pulled her top off. Next came the yoga pants, which clung to her ass and thighs forcefully. They gave resistance with every pull down, but they finally came off.

A teal booty short and sports bra combo caught her eye first. The top went on without a problem, but it was the shorts that gave resistance. They got up to her knees without a hitch. However, As she pulled them up her thighs, the material fought the body they were too small for. Confused by this, Nicole bent over and pulled up with all her force, giving little yet forceful tugs. They slowly went up, but the seams started audibly popping in protest.

Still bent over and oddly exhausted, Nicole pulled up with all her strength and finally got the shorts over her ass. Looking up at her reflection, Nicole was greeted by her beautiful face. She couldn't help but smile at herself. It was a smile that didn't last long once her eyes traveled south. Nicole froze. Though her face looked familiar, the body below it did not belong to her.

Nicole let out a short and shallow shriek, leaving her mouth hanging open in shock. This couldn't be right! There was some mistake. This wasn't real!! She was dreaming. Her head was filling with doubt as she looked at her reflection. Her legs were thick? Her thigh gap was gone? She had a tummy with.. gross flab everywhere. Tears started to well in her eyes, and her lip started to quiver. It was all too much to take in.

She looked to her left and saw her profile. When had this happened?! Her bare belly stuck out slightly further than her small breasts. Slowly she placed a hand on the mass of flesh accumulating where her abs had once been. Within seconds she withdrew, unable to handle the foreign squishiness that existed around her middle. Nicole's eyes started to water, seeing the truth in front of her. She had gotten bigger. But how? When? Sniffling, she turned her head over her shoulder and immediately began to actually cry at the sight. Her once-famous firm & fit ass was now wide and globular. It was convulsing with her sobbing. The shorts she was wearing looked ridiculous, stretched over the expanse of her swollen bottom. It looked as if her ass crack was slowly consuming them.

Utterly lost, Nicole nibbled her finger nervously as she continued to observe herself. This moment was outside the bounds of any reality she imagined. Trembling, Nicole pulled down her shorts, feeling sick to her stomach at the sight of herself. With morbid curiosity, Nicole wiggled her legs and watched her chunk filled thighs jiggle and quake. She turned back to her front to face herself again. She was absolutely disgusted. Half of her wanted to ridicule herself, and the other half was ashamed and scared. Nicole had never been anything other than skinny. She couldn't be this chubby. As much as she tried to keep convincing herself, the proof was right before her. Carl had not said a thing! Sally had never said a thing! Nobody had said anything! Had they not seen her?! How massive she had gotten?! How could Carl stand to be with her?! Nicole closed her eyes, willing this to be a dream.

Nicole sat in the dressing room for a quarter of an hour, continuing to cry softly with her face in her hands. After seeing what she had become, Nicole no longer wanted to look at herself. She was too afraid to leave the safety of the dressing room. The world couldn't see what she had transformed into. Finally, Nicole bit the bullet and pulled her clothes back on. They fought her at every curve and bulge as she pulled and tugged them on. Before leaving, Nicole looked at herself again. The clothes she was wearing were incredibly tight. How had she walked around campus looking like this? Nicole had never thought she would ever have love handles, but there they were. They bulged out over the sides of her yoga pants. Desperately Nicole tried to pull her shirt down over them, but it was fruitless.

It was absolute insanity to see herself looking like this. The sight of Nicole's muffin top sent disgust through her body. In the past, Nicole had made fun of countless girls for having the very thing she now had.

The girl that exited the dressing room was a husk of the girl that had walked in. Nicole's eyes were red, and she was still sniffling. The pain of the discovery numbed her to any further feelings her bloated body gave her as she walked. Her brain shut out all the jiggles in a last-ditch to conserve her sanity. It was a long walk and ride home as a completely different girl she had woken up as.