Chapter 1 - 1/2

"Wake up, El! We overslept! You're gonna miss your flight!" My mother shouted waking me up instantly.

I jumped out of my bed immediately, still a bit woozy. "Crap, crap, crap!" I cursed and started to put on clothes without hesitation. Luckily, I was smart enough to prepare them before I went to sleep. Fully clothed I rushed into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face and tried to untangle the mess of my long ginger hair. I let out an unsatisfied noise. It will have to do for now. I thought.



I took one last look at my mostly empty room, saying goodbye. It’s happening. I thought. Then I noticed a bag lying on the floor in front of my dresser. "Oh, great job, El, you forgot to pack your new bras! It’s not as if you had spent an hour yesterday getting them…" I said to myself, frustrated by my absent-mindedness. I threw the bras into the bag I was going take with me inside the plane. "Thank god I noticed…"



In the time it took me to make myself at least a little presentable, my parents managed to take all my luggage and fill up the trunk of our car. Yawning I collapsed on the backseat, next to Jessica, my younger sister and closed my eyes, fully intending to sleep through the hour-long journey to the airport.



The sleep didn't come though. It was really weird feeling to know I wouldn't be home for the entire year. I was nervously biting my lower lip, not knowing what to expect from the year I would spend studying abroad. At least the family I was to stay with seemed nice. My stomach growled, severing my train of thoughts and reminding me I didn't have time to grab anything to eat. I laid my hand on my stomach, only to hear it groan once again. My sister glanced at me with a smirk. I closed my eyes. Oh, boy... this is going to be a long day.



I always had quite an appetite and I think it's fair to say I would have been quite obese if it weren't for my mother and the strict diet, she kept me on. It was always so easy for me to gain weight and the way I could eat... Yeah, I would have been huge. I mean my mother tried hard to control my weight and I wasn't exactly skinny anyway! It was partially her fault though, after all I did inherit thick thighs, wide hips and a big bubble butt from her. Besides, I looked up the meaning of my name... Apparently Eloise means healthy and wide, so... yeah. It suited me well, although I much prefer to go simply by El. I'm not so sure where did my boobs come from though. No one else from either side of the family was particularly busty, yet here I was, overflowing my DD-cup bra, with two new larger ones packed in my bag. My stomach was relatively small. I mean I wasn't the thinnest person ever, but I certainly wasn't fat. All in all, I was really happy with how I looked thanks to my mother's meal plan. Still, it was quite frustrating not to be able to eat what I wanted to eat and when I wanted to eat.



I wasn't quite sure why I chose to study abroad. The school's curriculum was certainly what caught my eye, but there were just as likeable options way closer to home. Not somewhere in the middle of Europe. Europe did sound exciting though… I loved my family with all of my heart, but sometimes I felt like I was locked in a cage. Maybe that was the main reason. Maybe I just wanted to finally take control over my own life. My parents were strict with an exact image how everything should be and with a set of rules we were to follow to a T. I was mostly an obedient daughter, but there were certainly times when I didn't like it at all.



The ride to the airport felt like an eternity. My stomach sang the song of its people the whole time, getting louder and louder. Luckily the radio was loud enough not to let my parents hear anything. My sister heard the whole thing though, grinning the entire time. I was glad I was to fly to a different country, because I was sure that the little minx wouldn't let me off the hook otherwise. Don't get me wrong, we loved each other more than anything, but I knew full well, she wouldn't pass on the opportunity to make me the butt of her jokes. I had more than enough butt of my own even without her efforts. I frowned realizing how much I would miss the little sibling rivalry with Jessica we had going on. I wanted to grab her in a hug, squeeze the breath out of her and never let go. I would never admit that out loud, even if I was strapped to a breaking wheel though. I smiled to myself. She doesn’t need me to say it anyway…



We rushed out of the car and ran into the lobby with all of my belongings. Sweaty and out of breath we barged in, only to find out that my flight was delayed by at least an hour. Typical... I dropped down on a metal bench, my plush posterior providing enough padding to make the seating comfortable. Great! I'm tired, sweating and starving and I'm stuck here for another hour... That's just brilliant! Then I smelt it! The unmistakable smell of frying oil and grease. McDonald's!



"Mom, can we get a breakfast?"

My mother followed my gaze. "I don't think that's a good idea... McDonald's is hardly healthy and you know, you got to be careful with your figure. You don't want to get fat, do you?"

"Of course not!" I said shaking my head. There are worse things in the world than being fat though, like starving to death... I thought bitterly. "But I'm really hungry! It's just one time, one McMuffin can hardly make me fat! Pleeease." I pleaded with my hand on my stomach, hoping she wouldn’t notice I knew what a McMuffin was.

My mother didn't look convinced, but that was when my sister chimed in. "Mom, El is really hungry, her stomach was groaning all the way here!" Jessica said.

"Come on girls, let's get you your breakfast." Dad stepped in.

"Alright, if your dad thinks it's alright…" Mom said, happy she didn't have to relent from her conviction.



I got to admit, my curvaceous figure wasn't the result of just my genetics, I had snuck into a fast food here and there throughout my years. Not often though. It wasn't the first time eating in McDonald's for me, but by the way Jessica's eyes lighted up when she took a bite, it was the first time for her. In a record time she devoured her meal and was sucking her fingers clean, obviously wishing there was more for her to eat. I, on the other hand, tried to savor my meal, trying to convince my stomach there was more food coming in than there really was. Still, it didn't take long before I was in the same position as my younger and skinnier sister. Jessica was sixteen, four years my junior, and she looked so much like me, people often mistook us for twins. We shared the same pale and freckled complexion, same pale blue eyes, even our noses were almost an exact copy! Her hair was a shade lighter than mine and only reaching her shoulders, where mine fell below my waist. Our figures were where most differences lied. Where I was thick and curvy, Jess was thin and skinny. Jessica was flat chested with only a hint of mother's child bearing hips and with a wasp waist I could only dream about. I guess it's not as easy for her to gain weight as it is for me... Once again, I realized how much I was going to miss her. I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat. Stop it, you’re not a little kid anymore!



"I can't believe this is it. I can't believe I won't see my little girl for the whole year!" My mom whimpered and wiped tears from her eyes.

"Stop it, mom." I said with a strangled voice. "You're gonna make me cry." I hugged both of my parents, enjoying the one last tight embrace I could get from them.

"I still can't believe you're really leaving." Jessica said, fighting back the tears. I'm really gonna miss you!" She squealed, finally succumbing to the emotions.

Seeing her was what finally broke me and I started crying as well. We hugged and I held her tight, afraid she would disappear if I let go of her.

"Call us sometimes, ***." Jessica whispered in my ear and I broke into laughter.

"Sure thing, Twiggy." I said before planting a kiss on her tear-streaked cheek. "See you all in a year!"



I haven't flown in a plane since I was little and I certainly didn't remember the plane to be this cramped. The aisle was literally smaller than my hips and so I had to go through sideways! The thing is, my big fat ass sticked out so much behind me, I was afraid it wouldn’t change a thing! Luckily, it wasn’t the case and the aisle was wide enough for me to walk through without any other issue. Guess my ass isn’t as big as I thought.

At last, I was at my seat and I gladly sat down. I'm filling this seat rather well, aren't I? My butt was wedged between the armrests without a single inch of free space. Damn, this plane is small. I can barely fit in and I'm not even fat! I know my BMI might disagree with my assessment, but I'm just curvy! I'm not just some blob of fat! I was quite relieved that the seat next to mine was still empty when the plane took off and so I could raise the armrest and let my butt spill onto the seat next to me, taking up the extra inch my ass needed. Finally comfortable I could at last close my eyes and get some sleep. 



I woke up just in time for lunch, unfortunately the "food" that was served could barely be called that. But at least I wasn't hungry anymore. Well, not that hungry anyway, but I was used to being hungry most of the time.  



As the flight moved into its second half, I’ve started to become increasingly nervous. What if the family isn’t as nice as they seemed online? To be fair I only communicated with one member of the family. I only messaged with Betty who’s going to be my classmate… What if her parents aren’t as thrilled to have me there as she is? I don’t even know how they look like! I started to look through Betty’s instagram, but I couldn’t really find any picture of her family. To be fair, even her latest picture was from a couple years back and it only showed her face. She seemed really nice though with her curly brown hair, plump cheeks and soft double chin. I assumed she was a bit on the heavier side, but that was quite alright. I wasn’t like my mother who judged people by their weight.



Just as I was to put away my phone, a message from Betty popped up. 'Hey! Dad and I are gonna pick you up at the airport. We’re all so excited to finally see you in person! Mom’s been running in the kitchen since morning to make sure you’re gonna get a proper welcome! :D'

I quickly typed back a response. ‘Hey, can’t wait to get there! The flight was delayed though, so I’m gonna arrive a bit behind the schedule.’

‘Yeah, we know. We’ve been following your flight since morning. We’re all really excited to have you here. :)'

This little exchange was exactly what I needed to calm my nerves. Even so I felt like there was something wrong, though I couldn’t quite place my finger on what it was. I shrugged and put my phone into my pocket anyway. I closed my eyes again, sleeping through the rest of my flight.



Once again I woke up just in time, when the plane had landed and I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I guess I’m still just a bit nervous… It’s a big change after all. I took my bag and purse and started to walk through the narrow aisle.



"What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?! All my clothes were in there!" I almost yelled, barely able to control myself.

"We’re very sorry for the inconvenience, miss. We’re doing all we can to investigate the situation." Was the dry, bored reply I got from the clerk.

"Inconvenience?! I’ve just spent 10 hours on a plane here! This bag is literally all I own right now! Do you think I can afford whole new wardrobe?! I’m just a student!"

"We’re sorry. I can assure you we will let you know if your luggage appears, but there’s nothing we can do for you right now."



"Fantastic!" I said to myself out loud, covering my eyes in desperation. I was on the verge of crying my eyes out. "That’s just fucking perfect!" I hissed instead. Apparently, it was normal for suitcases to magically disappear, never to be seen again. This one unfortunately carried all of my clothes. Exhausted and defeated, I slowly started to walk towards the meeting point with Betty and her dad. My stomach growled and I put another item on my mental list. Exhausted, defeated and absolutely starving!