Chapter 54 - the sleepover: part 4

"I, um ..." stammered Annie, her cheeks stinging with shame. "I mean ..."

"It's all right," giggled the golden-haired girl as she sauntered over to her chubby, chestnut-haired friend. "There's no need to be all flustered. It's not like I'm your mom. As far as I'm concerned you can stuff this big flabby gut with as much food as you want."

Annie's cheeks grew even redder as Lettie gently jabbed her jellylike middle. While she stood as if frozen, the golden-haired girl grabbed the piece of cake she'd been about to devour and pressed it against her lips.

"Go on," she said, "you want this, don't you?"

Annie didn't answer. With her gaze cast down, she took one nervous bite and then another. Soon Lettie had shoved the whole piece in her mouth.

As the golden-haired girl drew back her fingers, a burp escaped from between Annie's lips. Mortified, the chestnut-haired girl put her hand to her mouth.

"God, I really have let myself turn into a pig, haven't I? You must think I'm so pathetic."

"Well, I don't know ..." Lettie studied Annie for a moment, allowing her gaze to drift along all her drooping bulges and flabby folds. "I think it kind of suits you."

Annie frowned and scrunched up her nose as she grabbed herself yet another slice of Lettie's rich cake.

"Seriously?" she said between bites, a slightly incredulous look on her face as she grabbed a handful of her gloopy gut.

"Yeah," said Lettie and ran her fingers through her golden hair. "I'm not sure how to put this, so sorry if it sounds a little weird, but somehow it just never felt right to have you all fit and thin. I think this is more you."

Annie's cheeks grew a shade redder as Lettie jiggled her growing gut.

"Remember back when we were kids?" she asked. "You used to be such a tubby little thing, always chewing on some treat or other. We all used to say that you'd probably grow up to be as big as a blimp."

"Yeah," said Annie, looking down at her sagging gut, "I remember."

"I guess we weren't far wrong after all."

"No," Annie frowned, "I guess not."

As soon as the chestnut-haired girl had finished her fourth slice of cake, Lettie cut her another.

"Here you go," she said, pushing it towards the chestnut-haired girl's full, frosting-stained lips.

Annie stared a moment at the tempting treat. Then she turned away.

"I think I might've had enough already."

"Really?" said Lettie, letting out a giggle like a silver bell or a purling brook. "Are you trying to watch what you eat all of a sudden? You've already had five slices today, stopping now isn't gonna make you any less of a pig. I mean," she continued, running her fingers along Annie's jiggling jellypot of a belly, "just look at this poor stuffed thing. You've already got enough calories in there to last you for the better part of a week. You're gonna end up with a good bit of extra padding whether you have this piece or not, so you might as well. After all, you want it, don't you? If you're gonna be a blimp anyway, you might as well eat."

Annie stood still a moment. Then, without looking at the golden-haired girl, she turned back towards her and opened her mouth.

"There's a good girl," said Lettie once Annie had eaten every last crumb out of her hand. "At this rate you'll soon look like a pig ready for market."

Some part of Annie wanted to object, to tell the gorgeous, golden-haired girl off. But, somehow, this all felt so very right. Somehow, it felt so very good to be treated like the pig she knew she was, especially by a girl as perfect as Lettie.

As the golden-haired girl ran her lean, elegant fingers along Annie's overripe and overly round cheek, the chestnut-haired girl finally looked up at her. Lettie was smiling, her expression somehow both so very wicked and so very gentle. Slowly, without even quite realising it, the two girls found themselves leaning in towards each other.

But just as their lips were about to brush, Annie drew back. This all felt so wrong. It felt so very right, but also so very wrong. This wasn't who she was.

Or was it?

This wasn't what she wanted.

Or was it?

She wasn't ready for this. She was too conflicted, too confused.

Lettie looked at the chestnut-haired girl for a moment, her expression surprisingly wide-eyed and vulnerable.

"I ... um ... I," stammered Annie.

The golden-haired girl swiftly collected herself. As her mischievous smile returned, she shoved another piece of cake into her chestnut-haired friend's face before any other words could escape her. Over the next few moments there was not a sound between them other than the smacking of Annie's lips as she munched on her fattening treat.

Then, suddenly, the silence was broken by a pair of approaching footsteps. As the steps grew louder, Lettie swiftly vanished out of the kitchen's other door, leaving Annie, chin covered in cream and crumbs, to face the approaching stranger.

Before long, Caroline appeared in the very doorway where her daughter had so recently made her entrance. As her eyes fell on Annie she stopped, looking the girl over for a moment. Then she shook her head and headed over to grab herself a glass of water.

"I see we're enjoying ourselves a little snack?" she said coldly.

"Yeah, I guess," Annie let out a nervous laugh.

Having been subjected to a five minute lecture on the dangers of obesity, Annie headed back upstairs. Lettie was back under her covers. Annie wanted to keep on talking to her, but somehow she just didn't have the courage. Instead she pulled her blanket over her head and rubbed her tightly packed gut until, a few minutes later, she was sound asleep.