Chapter 4 - growing pains

An edgy, but low-key alternative-rock song emanated from the speakers as Chelsea helped herself to another nacho smothered in cheese, meat, and jalapeno peppers. She found herself at the weekly C.O.W. outing, which took place at The Boar's Head, a local bar with quality drinks and food. Over the past three weeks, Chelsea had spent more time indulging herself with her co-workers at these kinds of events and her gluttony was finally beginning to have an effect on her waistline.

From an outsider's perspective, any change in Chelsea was subtle, if not imperceptible. However, for Chelsea, the snugness of her ever tightening clothes served as a constant reminder of her growth. As soon as she forgot the feeling it seemed to return with the slightest of movements - even resting her hand on her leg made her aware of the tightness of her pants clinging to her expanding thighs. Her breasts constantly felt suffocated, so much so that her first act of business upon returning home was always to remove her bra, often with a huge sigh of relief.

With the simplest activities bringing forth new sensations, distraction became a problem, especially at work. Chelsea would often lean back in her chair only to see her top riding up, revealing her growing pooch. At first, she reflexively pulled her shirt down, but as summer drifted into autumn she became less and less concerned about what she might be revealing to her fellow co-workers. After all, they were among the biggest proponents of her gain.

"Hey butterball! Save some for the rest of us, would ya?" Michelle exclaimed, playfully chastising Chelsea. "You've been in a trance for the past 15 minutes, mindlessly munching on those nachos."

"Oh, uh...yeah, sorry," Chelsea said day-dreamily as she snapped back into reality.

"No worries. A growing girl needs to eat, after all," replied Michelle. She gave Chelsea a quick once-over and added, "You've really been going at it lately, haven't you?"

Chelsea, now fully aware, was able to quickly reply in an exasperated tone, "Yes, I've been like a human garbage disposal, just eating, eating, eating all the damn time. I'm starting to feel like a stuffed sausage in these clothes too."

Michelle was sympathetic. She had the same thoughts and felt the same way not that long ago. Right now, she knew that it was critical for Chelsea to have some encouragement.

"Well, we can fix that, can't we? How about a girl's day this weekend where we can 'upgrade' your wardrobe? You know, get you some new clothes for the new you?"

Chelsea smiled at Michelle's apparent attempt to cheer her up - it was nice to have such a caring friend. She snickered and replied, "You mean the new fatter me?"

Michelle was somewhat taken aback but Chelsea playfully stuck out her tongue and added, "Sure, I'd love to go, but only if we also get a Cinnabon!"

~*~*~*~
"I think it's working...what do you think?" Chelsea said as she stood modeling herself in front of her laptop wearing nothing but a newly purchased bra and panty pairing.

"I can't see from the angle...move back a bit. Okay. Now to the right..." Jason's blurred picture but clear voice came through Skype as Chelsea positioned herself so that he could get a full view of her figure. "Okay, there we go," Jason said with finality.

"Well...how do I look?"

Jason pretended to ponder the question and then added, "Chunkier. Definitely chunkier. Is that what I'm supposed to say these days? I'm so confused..."

"Oh shut up you!" Chelsea said, feigning anger. "Seriously though, I've been eating a dump truck worth of food each day and I'm only up five pounds on a 'good day' so far. What am I doing wrong? I've stopped exercising but I guess this fast metabolism just won't quit."

"Chels, it's only been a little over a month and half since you started this plan. You'll get there, you just need to be patient," Jason said encouragingly. "I can't believe I'm asking this but, has that slimebag Brent commented on it yet?"

Chelsea felt a twinge of anger as Jason spoke her nemesis' name. She hotly ran her hand through her shoulder length sandy blonde hair, pulling it back into a pony tail. She let out an exasperated sigh and said, "He's kept up with the creepy comments and made a few glances but he hasn't specifically mentioned my weight."

Jason frowned at the realization that Chelsea's plan to ward off Brent hadn't taken hold yet. "Just keep at it babe..." he said dejectedly. He quickly changed the subject, "Hey, I can't wait until we see each other on Thanksgiving. It'll be here soon!"

His ploy worked as Chelsea perked up at the thought of seeing her boyfriend in person for the first time in months. "Yeah I can't wait either... You know, I'm going to make it my goal to eat more than you at Thanksgiving," she said, looking down at her modest midriff and softly patting it. "Now wouldn't that be embarrassing for you - having your little girlfriend make a complete pig out of herself in front of your family!"

Jason smirked. "Embarrassing for me? Chels, you'll be the one stuffing your face. And by that time you'll probably be nice and plump too. I can only imagine what my mother will say when she sees how living in the big city has made you so much bigger."

"Ha! She wants me fat and you know it! Remember how she always forced extra helpings on me and dessert when I used to come over for dinner? No, I'm sure she'll be pleasantly surprised that I'll have finally 'put some meat on my bones'."

The couple shared a laughed, but Chelsea still felt uneasy. "But that's all assuming I can actually accomplish what I've set out to do."

"Hey, you've got this. I'm sure you'll round out in no time with the way you're going...I love you Chelsea."

Chelsea smiled and felt truly comforted. "I love you too Jason. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"You know it."

The young couple blew goodbye kisses and ended their digital connection. Chelsea went to the kitchen, got a scoop of ice cream, and then clamored into bed. As she savored each bite of the deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream she glanced at her wall calendar and saw that Thanksgiving was three weeks away.

"I'm going to live up to my promises. Jason is going to be shocked at how much I can put away on Thanksgiving. And as for Brent, well, he's going to run away the second he sees that his prized girl has turned herself into a prized pig," she thought to herself.

Chelsea dropped her spoon and heard it clank against the empty dish. She smiled contentedly and laid down to sleep.