Chapter 5

"Oh my god, this is soooo good. I love food, I love it so much. Mmmm"

Emily was laying on the couch, a large pizza box sitting in front of her and a bottle of Coke at her side. Her belly was swollen, pushing out over the waistband of her jogging bottoms and she was rubbing it.

The flat was starting to become a bit of a pigsty. They hadn't been keeping on top of cleaning or tidying recently. It had been weeks since the two girls had stepped outside. There were piles of plates and takeaway containers, wrappers and bottles and the bin was overflowing.

Steph was sitting beside her friend, a plate of chips in her lap and a bottle of cola in her hand. She was also eating pizza, but was taking it a bit slower.

"We can't keep doing this, we're getting fat"

"Don't be stupid, we're not getting fat. Look at me, I'm still a skinny bitch"

"No, look at us, look at me, look at your belly. You're not going to say that you're not getting fat?"

"Okay, so we've put on a few pounds, so what? It's not a big deal. Come on, eat up. We've got ice cream and cake to finish off. And that whole bag of chocolate biscuits. Don't let it go to waste"

Steph knew that she should stop, but it was hard. She was becoming addicted to indulgence and indolence. It felt good, it was like a drug.

---

"This is the last day. This is the last day. This is the last day" chanted Steph, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She could see her breasts were fuller and her tummy had rounded out. Even her face was looking a little bit rounder.

"This is ridiculous. This has gone too far"

She pulled her top off and studied her body. It was soft, her skin felt like it was stretched. Her belly was starting to feel squishy to the touch and her thigh gap was narrowing. To her dismay, Steph found she could grab a handful of flab on her softening belly and knead it like dough.

"We need to stop. We need to start exercising. I don't care how much I like food. This has gone too far"

She heard Emily coming and quickly slipped her t-shirt back on.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Emily.

"What are we doing?"

"I'm having a shower"

"No, I mean, what are we doing? Like, what are we doing to ourselves?"

"I'm taking a shower, so that's what I'm doing"

"You know what I'm talking about. I've put on so much weight. We're getting fat. We're going to become fat pigs"

"Will you calm down, for god’s sake. Look at me. Am I fat?"

"You're getting there"

"Am I fat though? Seriously"

"No"

"Right, so there you go. We're fine, we're still skinny"

"We're not skinny, though, are we? I would call us average now. Average weight"

"But we're not fat, are we?"

"Not yet"

"Then what’s the problem?"

"We shouldn't be eating like this. It's bad for us"

Emily ignored her, took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Emily had been indulging harder than Steph and it showed. Her belly permanently had a bloated look to it, even first thing in the morning. Her thigh gap had closed and she even had little folds starting to appear on her back; the beginning of what might become back rolls. She began soaping down her body, her hands pressing into the increasing softness and squish.

"It's not that bad, is it?"

"You have a bit of a belly"

"But it's not fat, is it? Come on, be honest"

"No, I suppose it's not"

"And you have a belly, don't you?"

"I think I have a bit of a pooch"

"But it's not fat, right? It's not a fat tummy"

"No, it's not. Not really"

"Exactly. I've been eating so much, my tummy's just a bit bloated, that's all. My boobs are a bit bigger too, don't you think?"

"A little bit"

"I can't deny it. I love food and my body loves it too. Look at these boobies"

Emily grabbed her breasts, lifting them up and letting them fall down again.

"They are getting bigger. But they're not fat boobs. They're full, not fat. Come on, we can't be getting fat, can we? We're still super skinny"

"Well..."

"We're still skinny. We just look a bit bloated. We could use the gym and exercise, tone ourselves up. Make the weight we have look more toned and defined"

"We're going to have to"

"Let's order a Chinese tonight, and watch a movie. Let's enjoy the rest of the night"

Steph wanted to argue, but she couldn't.

"Come on, you need a shower. You stink"

Emily stepped out, her body glistening with moisture and her belly looking full and bloated. Steph's eyes were drawn to her friend's breasts, which were larger now and hanging a bit lower than before.

"Are you going in, or what?"

Steph looked at herself again in the mirror. She had put on weight, but it wasn't too drastic - yet.

"Yes, I'm getting in, don't worry"