Chapter 1 - blackberry jam

Bethany rested her chubby arms on the weathered wooden concession stand counter. She looked across a long empty field. A couple ducks were preening on a faraway pond. She let out a soft sigh. She subconsciously swept away decaying wood particles from the dilapidated wooden board under her arm. One finger ran through the crescent moon shaped curls of her strawberry blonde hair. Strands of warm peachy pink blonde mingled with sun bleached blonde highlights. Her thick hair curled around the lowest point of her ear lobe but fell no further. Her ears were studded with black spade earrings. All of her curls coiled in crescent moon shapes building a soft round curly cloud around her head. Two fat freckled cheeks curved down in irritation as Bethany saw a figure approaching. A medium built blonde walked up from a dirt path winding from the North East felid. A bright apple shaped timer began ringing. Bethany breathed a relieved sigh grateful for the interruption. She tapped her apple shaped timer to shut it off. The girl on the path approached quickly and as she became more visible the anger that marred her face became obvious. Bethany pivoted on the balls of her feet to face an old oven. She grabbed some pot holders and slid a baking sheet of strawberry scones out. The gentle whiz of a car passing by made her jump. She was already tense with anticipation knowing the girl on the path would reach her soon. With a pastry brush Bethany coated the scones in melted butter. A loud thud of a fist hitting the decaying wood counter made Bethany jump. The pastry bush in her hand splattered butter as she shook from the loud noise. Missy, the blonde in the window, looked enraged.

“Welcome back Missy. How was your vacation,” Bethany’s voice creaked as she spoke.

“You can stuff it Bethany! What was Cotton doing down here?”

Bethany gulped nervously, and turned back around. She began trying to coat the remaining scones in butter but her shaking hands were making a mess.

“He was getting a pastry for breakfast,” Bethany tried to feign confidence.

“Seems like you two were talking for a long time,” Missy growled her nails digging into the grey weathered wood.

“He wants to buy some fresh apple fritters for a picnic with his girlfriend..” Bethany’s throat closed in on itself.

“Girlfriend?” Missy shrieked “When did that happen?!”

“While you were on vacation?” Bethany said although the doubt in her voice was apparent.

“He said he’d wait for me.” Missy’s angry tone broke and became crestfallen. After a moment she started up again, “Why didn’t YOU stop him!”

Bethany had to turn away to hide the angry expression on her face. Cotton, the farm’s resident veterinary student, was one of her least favorite people. She couldn’t imagine what reality Missy lived in where she would ask about his dating life. He was toned, tall, and had wheat colored blonde hair. However, Bethany was not impressed. A cold chill went down her spine when she thought about his obvious ease when cutting on, administering shots, and putting down animals.

“You’re going to have to talk to HIM, Missy.” She finally sighed.

“Give me one of those!” Missy demanded reaching in the booth window for a scone. Bethany shook her head, “you’ve got to pay.”
“I’m a farm employee just like you,”
Missy hissed.

This was only partially true. The farm was a large historical preservation inniative. Somewhere in all the open land was a historical house turned into a museum. There were orchards, and berry bushes for tourist to pick and pay. In the fall there was a pumpkin patch. There was a snooty stable where award winning horses were boarded by rich families. Cotton did most of his work at the stable, along with a petting zoo. Bethany sold farm fresh fruit and veggies and whatever she could cook up from the farm grown ingredients. She had once been saving up for culinary school but that dream had long withered.

Missy had a fancy degree for investigating environmental effects on wildlife and trees. However, all Bethany had ever seen her investigating was Cotton. Wanting to minimize damage to her ear drums, Bethany pushed the tray in Missy’s grabbing range.

The thinner girl grabbed a scone faster than expected. She broke it open causing steam to puff from the center.
“So warm and buttery,” Missy hummed with her mouth full. Her blonde pony bobbed happily as she ate. She swallowed And grabbed two more scones with each hand. Bethany felt herself tense. That was more than Missy had ever eaten in the past.
“It’s like a hug for your mouth,” Missy said before shoving another in her face.
“I could really use a hug,” she croaked trough bites.
Bethany felt a conflicted pang run though her chest. She liked the baking compliments but not giving away food for free. After a couple more scones met their end in Missy’s belly Bethany began to want to retract the platter.

“I need to stop eating these,” Missy moaned. Her fatter counterpart had to bite her tongue to keep from agreeing.

Finishing off another scone, Missy leaned back against a tree.
“Do I look fat to you?” Missy whined. Bethany felt her heart rate speed up. She immediately shook her head no, which was the honest truth.
Leaning on the tree, Missy rolled up her loose tshirt. The khaki shorts underneath were clasped by a rubber band tied from the button to the button hole. The zipper had no hope of zipping. Her belly was pushing its way through the zipper pouch. Missy gave the bottom roll a little lift causing it to jiggle.
“Apparently vacation calories do count,” Missy groaned.

“It’s not noticeable,” Bethany’s eyes jiggled following along with the budding paunch.

“Good. I don’t want to look this way especially with Cotton bringing a new girl around.”
Bethany felt her heart sink. She had completely forgotten about Cotton.

Missy pulled her shirt back down and patted the the top of her belly.

Bethany gulped, and tried to recall all the tormenting Missy had done in the past. She hated feeling anything but mild irritation towards her.

“What are you baking next?” Missy suddenly chirped as Bethany pulled some flour out of a cabinet under her work station table.
The truth was apple fritters for Cotton’s romantic picnic. Bethany did not want to upset Missy any further.

“Blackberry thumb print cookies. If you aren’t busy you could pick the blackberries?” Bethany raised an eyebrow hoping the request would scare Missy off.

“Oh that sounds lovely. I don’t mind. I could use the exercise,” Missy rubbed the center of her stomach making it visible through the baggy shirt. “ Don’t want to end up looking like you.”

As Missy walked off Bethany gritted her teeth thinking about the extra work she’d created for herself.
“Yeah looking like me would be awful.” She groaned angrily poking into the dough she was kneading.
——-

“Black berries don’t have too many calories, do they?”
Missy put a full bucket of berries down on the concession stand counter.
Bethany eyed up and down the thinner girl. Her juice stained lips gave everything away.
“Snacking while you work?”

“Just a little,” Missy’s tone was soft but guilty.

In a sauce pan Bethany began heating up the blackberries. Missy sat under a tree and tapped away at her phone. When the blackberry reduction was completed Bethany poured a couple spoonfuls into each thumb print cookie.

As she was spooning berry reduction into the last cookie she heard tires grinding into the gravel beside her booth. The slam of opening and shutting car doors and young energetic voices filled the air. Bethany looked up. The had a daycare’s emblem on the sides. Several kids rushed to the booth. One of the employees asked for directions to the other side of the farm, so they could visit the petting zoo. Most of the kids were treated to one of Bethany’s cookies. Missy didn’t get up till the daycare had loaded back up into the van. After they were gone she helped herself to the remaining cookies. Bethany silently wondered how much more Missy could eat.

“Don’t you have a job,” Bethany thought aloud as Missy slumped back under the tree.

“I’m studying the trees and wildlife here today,” Missy responded back adamantly.

With that Bethany started on some raspberry buttercream cupcakes. Missy’s body slumped against the tree after a long period of silence. She’d fallen asleep. Unconsciously clutching her tummy. She must have been full of scones, cookies and berries Bethany mused. She heard Missy let out strained burp in her sleep, and she tried not to giggle.

Bethany checked the timer. With forty minutes to spare she wandered away from the fresh produce concession stand. She found her way to the rock face of a cave opening behind the pond. Creeping it’s way up the rocks was a honeysuckle vine. She plucked several blossoms. After gathering the fragrant blooms she headed back to her booth.

Upon her return she found Cotton and Missy standing at the concession booth window.
Bethany felt her breath catch in her throat.

Cotton turned around to face her as she approached the two of them.
“Hey! I saw the kids at the petting zoo. They were raving about some cookies, where are they?”Cotton called out.
Bethany couldn’t help but stare at Missy’s tummy.
“Sold then all,” Bethany lied. She heard the timer for her cupcakes go off and she hurried back into the concession stand kitchen. Whisking the cupcakes out of the oven she put them in the window to cool.
“Oh I’ll take one of those instead,” Cotton eyed the cupcakes set out to cool. Missy laughed enthusiastically as if Cotton had said something profound or amusing.