Chapter 11

"What about you?" I asked as I watched Cam pull a fourth burger out before crumpling the bag into a ball and leaving it on the coffee table. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Heh, I wish." Cam laughed to herself and then let out a deep sigh. "Oof, that came off as desperate, didn't it?" Seeming a bit embarrassed, Cam unwrapped what I hoped was the last burger she'd eat in front of me and speedily took three bites in rapid succession.

"Desperate? No, not at all. Dating is... It's hard out there sometimes." I said, going out of my way to be nice. Finding someone to hook up with or have something more serious with while in college felt easy for me. Not to be mean, but if Cam had said she was anything other than single, I would've been shocked.

"Yeah, dating isn't *bwap* what it used to be anymore, that's for sure." Cam complained, taking a large bite from her burger.

"Totally get what you mean." I agreed, at least pretending to relate to her in whatever way I could. I knew deep down what Cam must've meant, but instead, I focused on the parts of modern dating that irked me. "Call me old fashioned, but dating apps weird me out."

"That's sweet of you to think that dating apps are my problem." Cam smiled, then gave her upper stomach a gentle pat to convey what she thought the 'problem' for her was. "*Bawp* It's a little harder for me to make a case for myself these days with this big thing attached to me."

In response, I forced a laugh, not sure how to respond to her self-deprecating humor about her belly. At the very least, I was glad that she was self-aware that the dramatic increase in body fat she'd accumulated was the reason her love life had probably started to tank.

"I swear, you'd think even with a bigger chest... I'd at least be getting the boob guys hitting on me." Cam joked halfheartedly, patting the top of her cleavage. I had to give it to Cam; her tits had grown considerably, sticking out in front of her almost as much as her large belly.

There was a part of me that wouldn't be opposed to seeing Cam topless as I took a moment to check out her fat tits, prominently on display. It may have been presumptuous, but I felt like she'd take her top off for me if I asked to see them, maybe to even play with them or lick them. But this was more curios intrusive thought rather than lust. Perfection for me was a perky set of C or D cups, which sounded much more appetizing than whatever size Cam's fat udders were.

Cam continued on, even with my lack of response. "Well, whatever. Apparently, my weight isn't even the only issue getting in my way. My roommate keeps telling me I'm too picky, which is probably true, but she also says I have terrible taste in guys, which I think is a bit unfair."

I laughed, wholly agreeing with whoever Camryn's roommate was. "If you're still into guys like Drake Callister, I'd say you have bad taste."

"Ha, Listen to you." Cam smirked, letting out an amused laugh at my playful jab. "Well, can't say I disagree when you say it like that. I guess I'm glad that unhealthy relationship is over."

"Seriously." I agreed. "Like I said before... Drake was a major douchebag. Heck, I'm sure he still is."

"I know." Cam said with a pang of regret in her voice. "It really got worse between the two of us when I started putting on weight. He just... changed."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, already having an idea in my head as to how toxic things must've been.

"Yeah. Drake really wasn't happy about me putting on the freshman fifteen, and he constantly let me know every time he saw me. Even when we were out in public, he'd say stuff." Cam blushed and squirmed a bit. "Rude comments, inappropriate remarks about my body or clothes I was wearing, forcing me to weigh myself in front of him, and just some vile and controlling shit. I was barely over 140 pounds, and he still made me feel like I was a blimp. Seriously, I don't know why I stayed with him up until the end... but I did." Cam paused for a moment, looking like she didn't want to say what she was about to say. "And the worst part is if he didn't break up with me... I probably would've convinced myself to stay with him." After Cam finished talking, she gave me a bashful look, trying to figure out if she'd just overshared, but Cam was quick to douse any concern she may have had by once again shoving her burger into her face.

"Fuck, that sucks." I expressed with as much empathy as I could muster. No doubt, I was feeling genuinely bad about what she'd gone through with Drake and what sounded like a nightmare relationship. "What did you even ever see in him in the first place?" I asked, genuinely keen on hearing what it was about Drake that Cam liked. She'd chosen him over me all those years ago (not that I think she ever considered me as a serious option).

Cam chewed, thinking for a moment. "God... I don't know. Drake was everything I wasn't. Arrogant, dominant, and rude.. but also so sure of himself, so confident, and the life of the party. Who knows... maybe I was just blinded by his popularity, but more likely his forearms... Maybe I liked how he seemed like he had everything figured out. And like... It sucks to admit this, but... when we were at our worst, and he'd make comments about my weight, I didn't argue with him... I saw where he was coming from... and I guess that's why I justified letting him treat me like shit."

"Damn, I'm sorry, Cam. That sounds difficult." I said sympathetically, getting a window into what sounded like a nightmare relationship.

"It was." Cam agreed before looking a bit bashful. "... it was also confusing. Really confusing."

"In what way?" I asked, not fully understanding what was so confusing about being with someone so shitty.

"Ummm..." Cam considered that question, looking a bit embarrassed, but decidedly shrugged it off. "It's complicated." Ignoring my question, Cam pivoted. "You asked me what I saw in Drake... I knew who he was and the negative parts of his personality. Honestly, though, I think I was stupid enough to think I could fix him somehow."

"I doubt anyone, even someone as nice as you, could fix that jerk." I said. Cam's reasons for ever being in a relationship with Drake were less than satisfactory to me. From what I'd seen and what she'd just told me, Drake treated her like trash, and I'd always hoped there was some more validating reason as to why she'd date someone who'd do that to her. "You're too sweet of a person for him."

"Aww, thanks. But you're probably right." Cam resigned, taking a few more bites of her burger, nearly finishing it. "Guess it's for the best that guys like him aren't interested in big girls like me. That may be the only silver lining in getting fat. I can only imagine what he'd say to me if he saw me now." Cam said, blushing, again bringing up that hypothetical scenario she'd brought up once before earlier outside the burger place.

"You can do better than him." I offered, partially meaning it. On the one hand, Camryn was right. In terms of physical appearance, she'd eaten herself out of a dating pool that included jock-like guys (like Drake), as well as anyone like myself that gave a shit about physical fitness. On the other hand, in terms of personality, it was hard for Cam to do any worse than Drake.

"Hope you're right." Cam sighed, sounding like she didn't believe me, focusing instead on eating the last few bites of her fourth burger. "Given how much weight I've put on, I'm not holding my breath. I mean..." Cam looked at me, paused, considering her words, and then looked away. "If you know anyone cute that doesn't mind a very single girl with a little... extra, send them my way." Cam said, burger now finished, leaning back and putting both hands on her stomach.

"I'll... keep that in mind." I said, curious as to what Cam thought 'a little extra' actually meant.

Even if I was trying to play matchmaker, There wasn't a friend or acquaintance I knew that would've thanked me for trying to set them up with someone as enormous as Cam. The only person that came to mind was one of my friends, Tom, whom I partied with a lot during our Sophomore and Junior years but had lost touch with a bit.

Tom was known on campus as being a bit of a chubby chaser. Though I disagreed with what he thought was attractive, there was no serious judgment on my part. Mainly because I selfishly liked teaming up with Tom when we went out to bars or clubs to pick up girls. Tom left all the skinny girls for me, making him one of the greatest wingmen ever. More importantly, Tom would take one for the team and occupy any of the heavier girls that happened to be hanging around any of the hotter girls I typically pulled. Yet Tom's definition of a 'bigger girl' was someone closer to half Cam's size. On one or two rare occasions, I'd seen Tom hook up with a girl who looked to be somewhere just north of 200 pounds, maybe 220 tops. Self-admittedly, Tom said he liked a girl with big tits and a big ass. Even though I didn't meet eye to eye on his preferences, I at least objectively understood what attracted him to the girls he thought were hot.

Chubby chaser or not, even Tom was a guy that I doubted would go after someone as blobishly whalelike and piggishly gluttonous as Cam. Even if the proposition was for a one-night stand, I found it hard to believe that Tom could enjoy himself with that fat of a woman. No part of me wanted to even picture it. Unfortunately for Cam, I refrained from even considering bringing him up or offering his number. Cam was probably one of the biggest female students (if not the biggest girl) on campus, and I was confident even Tom had his limits. If Cam was serious about getting back into the dating world, she'd need to hit the treadmills first.