chapter 4

Zoe Smith tugged desperately at her gown. She tried to pull a little harder, to suck her belly in a little further, but it was no use. The waist was simply too narrow, her own midsection simply too vast.
It'd been months since the girl had last tried to squeeze herself into any of the many dresses Patrick had bought her. With nothing to do but sit around and eat there had been little reason for Zoe to dress herself up.
But now, with Christmas fast approaching, the Aldridges had decided that it was time to hold a party. Finally Zoe'd found the chance to don one of her new dresses. But, as she tried them on, none quite seemed to fit.
Pull though she might Zoe could not get the tight waist over her doughy midriff. The dress had been tailored to accentuate a tapered waist that the raven haired beauty had long since lost. It simply had no room for her rounded belly, or her drooping love handles. It could not contain what months of mindless gluttony had done to her figure.
Zoe'd expected that her clothes might prove a little snug. She knew she'd been eating more than she probably should. But there was no way, she thought, that she could've gotten that big. There was no way she could possibly have let herself get that fat. The dress had to fit. It just had to.
Sucking her belly in with all her might Zoe gave the fabric a desperate tug. But it was no use. As soon as she drew in another breath the dress slid right back up her sloping midsection.
Finally defeated Zoe turned to Mrs. Aldridge.
"Um, I can't quite seem to get it to fit."
Though she did her best to sound as if the extra pounds were no big deal it was not hard for Mrs. Aldridge to tell just how distraught Zoe truly was. The girl's dismay was written all over her sullen face, her shrinking posture, and her quivering voice.
"So I see. Looks like you've been enjoying your food a little too much."
Zoe's puffy cheeks turned red as Mrs. Aldridge grabbed a handful of soft flesh from the girl's bloated midriff, her already rosy countenance now a bright scarlet.
"Why don't we see if there's something else that might fit you? There must be something in here you can wear."
Mrs. Aldridge knew perfectly well that none of Zoe's dresses would fit. Even so she did as best she could to feign both sympathy and surprise as the girl inevitably failed to squeeze herself into garment after garment. With every gown that failed to fit Zoe became increasingly desperate. Finally, as her last dress was thrown aside, the girl seemed near to tears.
"Oh god, I've really gotten fat haven't I?"
Mrs. Aldridge had always known that this day would come. The day when Zoe, finally, could no longer deny what she'd done to her slim figure.
"Well, yes." She agreed. "You can hardly be surprised, what with the way you've been eating. I don't think I've ever seen a girl who enjoys her food quite as much as you."
Zoe sighed, her chubby face a miserable frown.
"Maybe, but I didn't think it was that bad. Have I really been eating that much? You should've told me. Why didn't you warn me what a pig I was turning myself into?"
"I'm so sorry dear. I thought you already knew." Reaching out her slender hand Mrs. Aldridge gave Zoe's well-padded hip a light pat. "It's hardly easy to miss all this. I saw how much pleasure you took in all your tasty treats and I simply couldn't help but to assume that you didn't mind being a bit heavy."
"That's just great." Zoe whined. "Now what in the world am I gonna wear to the party tomorrow?"
"Well..." Mrs. Aldridge said, her smile deceptively kind. "I'm sure we can think of something."