Chapter 58 - the women of their dreams: part 4

131.
"I don't know about this," said Faye, her soft rolls pressing against Niall as she clung to him for support.

As the fiery-haired girl took another couple of steps away from the stage, she could feel the eyes of the crowd upon her. All around her, people were staring, whispering and snickering among themselves, obviously excited to see her make a fool of herself as she tried to move all her cumbersome layers of jiggling fat.

"Oh, come now dear," whispered Caroline. Putting a comforting hand on Faye's shoulder, she frowned as her fingers sank into the girl's spongy flesh. "Lettie has told me all about what a talented dancer you are. In fact, according to her, she's never seen anyone better. And, as I'm sure you're aware, that girl knows her stuff."

"Yeah, well," said Faye, her cheeks red as she ran her hands along her hanging gut. "But that was a while ago. I think I might be a bit, um, rusty, these days."

Hesitant though the fiery-haired girl was, it was clear that some part of her was tempted by Caroline's offer. From time to time her gaze would drift longingly towards the rickety stage where Lettie had, only a few minutes ago, put on such an impressive show.

"Is that so," Caroline jabbed a finger into Faye's doughy gut. "So, you've let all that talent of yours go to waste?"

"Now listen here," said Niall, pushing Caroline's hand away from Faye's bulging belly.

But before he could say anything else, Faye stopped him.

"I don't know," she said. "It's just, well, it's been a while, is all."

"Now, now, sweetie," said Caroline, "you did promise to help out, remember? These people are all waiting for you. You wouldn't want to let them down, now would you?"

"No," said Faye, hesitantly, "I guess not."

"And anyway," continued Caroline, "when one has a talent like yours, it'd be a shame not to show it off. I bet you could teach everyone here a thing or two. Come on, you'll do it, won't you? It couldn't hurt to give it a try, at least."

Faye's gaze was locked on the stage now. As he looked at her, Niall could see all too clearly the burning desire in her eyes.

"Well, ok," she said, at last. "I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try."

"Sweetie, are you sure about this?" asked Niall as Faye set off towards the rickety-looking stage.

The fiery-haired girl answered him with a calm nod. "I think so. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well," said Niall, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. But you're not exactly as lithe as you used to be. I just don't want it all to go wrong."

"Oh, sweetie," said Faye, planting a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek, "I'll be fine, just you wait and see."

Niall drew his lips together, then he nodded and let out a sigh. "As you wish. Just be careful, please."

Faye responded with a warm smile that caused a pair of dimples to form in her fat cheeks. Then she turned and headed off.

Watching as his fiery-haired fatty waddled onstage, her flabby buttocks quivering with each step she took, Niall found his stomach filled with a strange mix of apprehension and excitement. There was no way this was going to end in anything but disappointment. But, even so, some part of him couldn't wait to watch his beloved butterball shaking all that flab he'd put on her as she tried and failed to move her blubbery body like she once had.

"That girl sure has been enjoying her food."

Glancing to his side, Niall found Lettie there, her shapely face still red and glistening with sweat after the performance she'd just put on.

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement, "that she has."

"Anyway," the golden-haired girl said, smiling nervously, "sorry about all this. You know how my mom can be. Once she gets a notion in her head..."

"Yeah," Niall smiled, "I've noticed."

"Still," said Lettie, her voice casual, yet probing, "that girl of yours sure has blown up. It's hard to believe she's even the same person anymore. As far as I can tell, there's no way she could have put on that much weight from just a couple of extra snacks."

Niall said nothing in response.

"You must make some very good food," continued the golden-haired girl. "Would you mind if I asked you for some, well, tricks sometime?"

Niall studied Lettie a moment.

"Sure," he said at last, smiling ever so slightly. "Feel free to ask anytime you like."

132.
Faye's gaze drifted across the crowd gathered around her. They were all looking at her, their eyes wide with disbelief, their faces distorted into pitying frowns or sneering, mocking smiles. Already, her short burst of confidence was fading. The boards of the stage creaked ominously under her feet as she waddled to its centre.

"That girl, really?" came the voice of the woman Faye had bumped into a few minutes ago. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

Near to the stage, a gang of teen boys were laughing and elbowing each other as they pointed at her. "Get a load of that whale," said one of them, a thin, ice-blonde man Faye found strangely familiar. "This'll be some show."

Closing her eyes, Faye shut the taunts and snickers of the crowd out as best she could. Right now, they were the last thing she needed to be focusing on. She had to concentrate, to look deep within herself for the knowledge she knew was buried there.

The music started up. Faye could feel its rhythms echoing through her body, guiding her to those strange parts of her mind that she had, for so long, been allowing to fall into disuse.

"Go on porky, get going already!" shouted a jeering voice from the crowd, but Faye barely heard it. She was almost there. Almost...

The fiery-haired girl started to move. For one short, perfect moment, she was, once again, filled with that strange, all-encompassing joy that dancing had used to bring her. She still knew her art inside and out. Her muscles remembered every step, every swirl and pirouette. There was no need for her to worry or even to think. She had only to listen to her body, to follow where it led.

As, with a surprising grace, she took her first few steps across the stage, the crowd fell silent. Her dancing was slow, yet for a few seconds, at least, some trace of her old elegance seemed to shine through all her heavy layers of jiggling flesh.

But, unfortunately, Faye's body was no longer anything like what it'd once been. She was no longer lithe and fit, she could no longer control her vast, fat-laden limbs the way she once had. Now, every step she took set a quake of flab running through her body. Her boobs and belly were swaying wildly, bouncing up and down; her thighs and buttocks rippling and shaking with even the slightest move she made; her drooping layers of soft padding moving as though they had a mind of their own.

Soon, Faye found herself gasping for breath as sticky rivers of sweat ran down her quivering rolls. Her steps were getting heavy and clumsy, her heart was pounding in her chest, her knees and ankles screaming in pain as she struggled to get through a set of moves that had once been, to her, as easy as breathing.

Any hint of the pleasure that dancing had used to bring her was long gone. Now, she found, it brought her nothing but misery and pain. She was simply too heavy, her body simply too vast and cumbersome. She had to stop, she was too tired, too out of breath. Her body was aching so very badly. She simply couldn't go on.

As Faye had, swiftly, started to lose control of her dancing, the less pleasant members of her audience had once again started to laugh, to whistle and jeer at her.

"Give up already, fat ass!" one of the ice-blonde man's friends shouted as Faye stumbled around, struggling to catch her breath.

All this while, the thin floorboards had been creaking forebodingly under Faye's feet. As she took one last, awkward step, the fiery-haired girl, for a short moment, rested the entirety of her considerable weight on only one foot. Suddenly, all her three-hundred-plus pounds were weighing down on a single plank. As it snapped like a twig, sending her rotund calf plummeting through the stage floor, a collective gasp ran through the crowd. For a moment, they all stood frozen in silence. Then, as Faye's face turned beet red, they started to laugh.