chapter 1

Caroline was a redhead, a full, flaming head, Weasley look-alike, redhead. So much so, in fact, that her nickname at school was carrotline. She didn't mind however, she loved her hair, it made her unique and thought it was cool. She let it grow till it reached the middle of her back, giving the appearance of a river of fire (albeit slightly frizzy).

She was a junior in high school, although technically she was now a senior since school was out. It was a week into the summer and already she was bored beyond belief. She laid spread eagle, staring at the ceiling in her room, absentmindedly tracing the design of her bedspread with her long, nimble fingers. Also present was Zoe, Caroline's best friend from school, spinning in Caroline's desk chair.

The two girls could not look more different, yet shared quite similar personalities, prompting them to often think the same thing. Caroline was tall, though not abnormally so, with a gentle pear-shaped body that accentuated her hips and backside. She liked high heels and pumps and often wore them to school.

Zoe on the other hand, was short, but she had a slender figure, in fact, it was rather elfin in form, resulting in an hourglass shape that she was rather proud of. Zoe preferred flats and rompers to Caroline's heels and sundresses, yet these two were almost inseparable.

"How is it only one week into summer and it's already boring?" Caroline complained, "we should be at the beach partying not stuck here in this humid swamp!" she exclaimed, throwing a pillow at the ceiling.

Zoe caught the pillow and threw it back as she spun around, "well there's nothing we can do about it now, might as well make the best of it!" she said, standing up. "If we're going to have any fun this summer we'll need money, so step one is getting jobs."

Caroline propped herself up with her hands, curious as to what Zoe had in mind. "Well yeah, but all the good summer jobs are going to be taken! We're gonna be stuck mowing lawns all day!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe," Zoey said, frowning slightly at the thought of mowing some huge lawn, " but it's gonna be worth it if we can have one more great summer before college!"

So the girls went searching for jobs, driving around town looking for help wanted signs or applications until after some time they decided to take a break. Caroline suggested going to a local hangout for the kids that went to their school, The Tea Bazaar.

It was a tea shop downtown, off the main street; that sat above an antique store. As soon as the girls walked climbed the steps the calming smell of brewing tea washed over them. Inside, it was lit by chains of glass orbs hanging from the ceiling, a fake tree that had been sculpted in such a way that it blended into the wall and its branched clung to the ceiling, transforming the small tea shop into a fairy forest.

Couches and tables were sparsely populated by people on laptops, couples chatting quietly, and groups eating lunch in booths on the wall. "I'll grab us a couch, you order the tea," said Zoe. "Oh sure, make me pay for it!" Caroline said, grinning. Taking a menu from the stack leaning against the column supporting the counter.

Skimming the menu, Caroline's eyes landed on a small ad for servers at the shop. "This would be a great place to work! We love coming here and we'd be able to see everyone!" She ordered the tea and looked around for a moment, then finding where Zoe had chosen, made her way back to the couch where Zoe sat scrolling on her phone.

"Zoe check this out!" Caroline shoved the menu in front of Zoe's phone, pointing at the ad. "We could work here!"

"What? What do you mean?" She asked. Zoe read the ad and her eyes lit up. "This is perfect! We'll work here! You're great at baking and I love tea, this is gonna be so much fun!"

Both girls were hired and put to work the next day, They eagerly ran up the steps for their first day, not wanting to be late. The manager, Nick, was a wiry man in his mid-twenties who always had a pencil behind his ear ready for an order.

They spent the afternoon learning the brewing times for each of the 54 teas available at the shop, by the time they closed, Caroline thought she might not be able to smell anymore. The next day was all about cooking, something she enjoyed thoroughly more than watching water boil.

The Tea Bazaar had a Mediterranean and middle eastern menu, Caroline had never tried to cook anything like that before but she threw herself into learning the ins and outs of each dish.

Zoe and Caroline soon found themselves at home in the shop, Zoe was a tea expert and even found herself recommending teas to customers based on just talking with them! Caroline loved the kitchen and loved her new coworkers. She wanted to learn how to make everything on the menu and often had Zoe eat what she was cooking that day.

The pair would often sit down at one of the couches, drinking Zoe's tea and devouring on whatever Caroline was practicing that day. But another week in and a small problem had emerged, one that had gone unnoticed by Zoe and Caroline. "What the hell? These are my favorite jeans!" Caroline grunted, finally tugging them on with a final pull.

She was used to not fitting in pants, painfully aware of her larger than average rear, it was usually an asset to her, but in clothes, it could be a nuisance. But these jeans fit perfectly on her, up until now that is. She glanced at the mirror and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, everything looked the same. Her butt was perhaps a bit bigger, but to her it was unnoticeable.

At Zoe's house, she was facing similar problems but in a much different area. Buttoning up her shirt Zoe felt a small tugging at the bottom and had to stifle a gasp as she looked down to see a small pot belly pressing against the tight shirt. "I must be bloated or something," she said, poking her belly.

Both arrived at the shop in bad moods, not wanting to say anything about for fear of getting teased by the other. As the day went on, it was clear that it was going to be a slow day. Having nothing else to do the girls sat down on one of the couches, but something unfortunate happened as Caroline sat down.

As she bent over to sit on the couch, a loud popping came from the strained jeans. Zoe looked up to see a red-faced Caroline checking if her jeans had ripped. "Somebody's been sneaking food from the kitchen haven't they?" Zoe said, grinning.

"Oh shut up!" Caroline exclaimed, her face the same hue as her hair. "I have to taste everything to make sure I get it right!" she said defensively. "Whatever you say, as long as you can still fit into those by the end of the day!" Zoe said, still grinning.

As she looked up, however, the tea spilled onto the table and her shirt, "Shit, now I have to clean this up" Zoe grumbled, wiping up the spill with a towel. "Do you need a new shirt?" Caroline asked, forgetting the teasing of moments before.

"Yeah, do you have one I could borrow?" Zoe said, unbuttoning her flannel. "Sure, you can change in the back," Caroline said, walking back into the kitchen and taking a spare shirt out of her bag. But as she turned around to hand it to Zoe she saw the pot belly sticking out and cracked a smile. " My ass may have gotten bigger but at least I don't look pregnant!" she grinned, reaching out and poking Zoe's belly before she could put the shirt on.

"Seriously? I'm just bloated, it's barely noticeable compared to you Kim Kardashian!" Zoe shot back mischievously.

The two girls had been friends so long that both knew that the other didn't mean it, knowing exactly what buttons to push to make the other embarrassed or mad. "Zoe, there is no way your bloated, it's squishy!" Joked Caroline. "I know," Zoe said looking down at her belly, "I was just hoping it was."

"Well I mean we have been eating a lot at the shop," said Caroline as Zoe put the shirt on. "I guess I've been working more than I've been exercising too," said Zoe.

"Well, I guess it's time to start working out again before I don't fit into any of my jeans!" Caroline said, shuddering at the thought.