The Thin College

[>_< 0_0]

This is a chapter where I do my best to make mathematics erotic 🤤

Chapter Thirty-Four

               When Buxley neared the cheer squad, she suddenly quickened her pace into a jog, passing them all in quick succession as they gawked in disbelief.

               “Follow my lead,” her voice carried enough that I could hear its echo against the Sports Building behind me. “And hurry – I’m speeding up.”

               This caught more than one cheerleader by surprise, including Emily, who scrambled from a butterfly stretch and stumbled over the edge of the track. Even I was caught off guard, because rather than sticking to the track, Buxley cut straight across it in a beeline for the woods.

               “Huh,” I hovered my hand over my eyes as I squinted into the distance. “She’s taking the path towards the horse barn.”

               Unfortunately, this meant that I wouldn’t be able to see the effects of my new hex take shape. Oh well, time to pull out my phone and stare at the old, reliable fattening app. I was met with instant gratification; the pounds bar was climbing at a fast, rapid rate. Meanwhile, several weight values by the names of various cheerleaders were switching up and down, two at a time. Damn, I felt like a day-trader!

               “Yes…” I hunched over my phone while propping a leg on the lower guardrail by the track. “I’m in the dough!”

               At this rate, I’d earn yet another hex in no time! At this rate, how long would it take? Curiosity goaded me to do a quick mental calculation: two pounds per minute “lost” from one cheerleader into another meant a wait of about twenty-eight minutes. Only twenty-eight minutes!    But something was amiss. There should only be two values changing so quickly, but at the moment there were three. I scrolled hastily through my list with a straightened thumb. Was one of them Ms. Buxley? Was Brooke fattening her even more? As a matter of fact, she wasn’t. After all, that would mean Brooke’s weight would be changing too, which would mean four fluctuating numbers.

               Who were the three in question? One was Mary, and I rolled my eyes. Of course she’d be one of the names, considering how chubby she was… wait, that was it! I had hexed that girl in the student union store after she’d sold me this very phone! What was the hex, exactly? I hastily opened the hex menu and looked at the list to find the answer: Karen will absorb Mary’s body fat until she’s absorbed half of it, and will maintain that ratio indefinitely. Ah, of course! Her name was Karen! If Mary was losing weight, that meant that she was losing weight too, which meant that I was getting even more profit until Mary wasn’t the biggest cheerleader anymore. It all made sense now…

               But then it hit me: I had made a potentially grave miscalculation. What were the consequences of my hex on Buxley? Essentially – among other things – it meant that all the weight on the cheer squad would shift around until every cheerleader weighed exactly the same. Okay, so far so good; that was part of the plan. But I had forgotten that Karen was linked to Mary. Was Karen the Store Clerk in danger of dying from anorexia?

               With some careful thought, I concluded that Karen would probably be safe. If anything, she’d have abs for days, at least for awhile, until I found a way to introduce more weight to the cheer squad, then she’d slowly thicken-up.

               But what about Brooke? Her power to push her weight onto others might come into play in the most unexpected way. What if she decided to try pushing her weight onto another cheerleader – or Emily again? Ah, damn it all! I missed my flow charts! It was a shame everything I owned was still secured as a crime scene. Maybe I could find a way to retrieve the charts after things cooled-down – and some fresh clothes…

               In the meantime, I did my best to ignore the grimy sensation all over my body and continued to watch my pounds bar creep forward.

              

               Buxley was the first to emerge from the woods, with Brooke close behind, elbows nearly bumping into the coach’s ribs. For a woman that used to be well-endowed with an ample bosom, Brooke had already been a fast runner. Now, with her chest no longer jiggling, she was free to run quicker than she ever had, even if her bottom half was considerably meatier.

               One by one, then in groups, the rest of the team followed close behind, noticeably winded. From the hand movements Buxley was making, I could tell she was making them march in a slow circle around her, and as I watched, that’s what they began to do, even as some of them bent down over their knees to catch their breath. But as I squinted towards them, I noticed why they were having so much trouble: their biggest and smallest members were already noticeably transformed.

               Mary’s transformation was the first to pique my interest. For a girl who had been trying her best to hide behind crowds of people so they wouldn’t see her cheeks and lovehandles hanging out of her miniskirt, she had slimmed to a respectable size once again. Once I caught sight of the shortest cheerleaders, however, they stole the show. Being so short, they were the smallest by default. Just a few pounds would be instantly noticeable, and they were all packing more than a few. Not a thigh gap could be seen from anyone below five foot five inches, and their breasts had noticeably inflated a couple cup sizes, with potbellies to match. The tall girls were just the opposite, while being tall made them naturally skinny, they had needed to maintain some amount of muscle and definition to perform. The hex had sapped them of such strength, thinning the layers of muscle wrapped around their limbs, and even exposing some ribs. Even so, there was still more weight to be distributed for the hex to take full effect, and I had many more pounds of profit to gain. I smiled at the sight; everything was going according to plan.

               Buxley forced a sharp shrill sound from her whistle, ordering her struggling cheer squad to conduct her latest whim. As I watched, the girls began to go through their routines. I leaned closer over the railing, eager to see how the sudden transfer of weights affected their performance. I was not disappointed; it only took a couple minutes for the cheerleaders to start struggling with moves they had memorized by heart. Whether it was a loss of muscle or a gain of flab, it was clear that Ms. Buxley would have her work cut out for her.

               Once again, the whistle sounded, and the team gathered around their sour-faced coach. With a few choice words, she reprimanded their performance, and though I was too far away to hear her speech, I could see from the way the girls were looking down at the ground and running their hands over their altered torsos that morale was low.

               Then came the greatest sight of all: the team withdrew from their coach, scrambled to positions, and began to form a classic pair of pyramids. The way their weights were shifting, this was the worst manoeuvre for them to attempt, for the tall, strong girls would naturally be the ones who lifted the small, light girls to the summit. Now the pyramids were top-heavy as well as foundationally weak. Girls at the base of the pyramids grunted as they performed, staring up with disbelief at the swollen ass cheeks above them as they shook and sweat with effort. It wasn’t long before one pyramid crumbled. The remaining pyramid took it as a queue to dismantle itself.

               “Sweet victory,” I smiled to myself. “Now to chat with Emily about the whole thing.”

 

               “So how was practice,” I asked Emily as the cheer squad shuffled shamefully towards the locker room.

               “Absolutely terrible,” Emily didn’t stop walking. “This new coach is pretty harsh. I miss Zoltan.”

               “Me too,” I followed her towards the locker room. “But can you blame her? She’s trying to fix the team. Speaking of which… did you notice anything odd about what was going on today?”

               She looked at me knowingly before pushing the door open and stepping through. “It was genuinely shocking… are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

               “Definitely,” I followed her inside. “Everyone’s weight shifted all over the…”

               “Shhh! Not so loud! I’m not sure where Brooke is!”

               “She’s not here,” I glanced behind myself nervously.

               “We have to be careful. We can’t just talk about these things when she could come walking around the corner at any moment.”

               “Good point; we should talk back at your place,” I said hopefully.

               “Well, I got laundry on the floor. Could we talk at yours? I bet it’s closer.”

               “Uh…” I slid my fingers together nervously as we approached the locker room. “Me and my roommate aren’t on speaking terms at the moment.” It was the lie I had concocted in the back of my mind as I plotted my latest scheme to maximize my pound profits, and having originated from the back of my mind, it was characteristically half-baked. I wasn’t sure how Emily would respond.

               She cocked her head. “Is she in your room often?”

               “You don’t understand,” I continued as we went to her locker. “I’ve been… kicked out.”

               “It’s that bad? What happened? What did she do to you?”

               “I don’t feel like talking about that,” I said quickly. “But yeah… that’s why I’m so grimy right now.”

               “So use these showers.”

               “Huh?”

               “You can shower now. Here.”

               “Ooh,” I inhaled sharply. “Here?”

               “Yeah,” she nodded helpfully.

               “But it’s… don’t you think it’s too dangerous to shower here?” I leaned in closer. “You know… with Brooke nearby?”

               “She won’t bother you if I’m around,” she crossed her arms over her stomach, gripped the hem of her shirt, and flipped it over her head, exposing turquoise B-sized bra cups strapped over a modestly-toned torso. “Don’t worry about it.”

               “I’m not so sure,” I blushed, desperately averting my eyes, only to catch sight of other cheerleaders slipping out of their miniskirts.

               “Relax. I’ll shower with you.”

               “What?” my heart pulsed powerfully.

               “We’ll go together,” Emily pushed her legs out of her sweat bottoms one at a time, thigh flesh bouncing slightly with each step. “Brooke won’t bother us. I promise.”

[bahbah]

Oooo that shower scene...I can only imagine how Emily and Jane will take in the upcoming “changes” together. You sir never disappoint with the suspense 

[Jotunthewriter]

Interesting, now that all cheerleaders basically have one united weight, all of them will feel any new income. 

And considering that Zoltan is stable source of income weight, it is bound to be interesting. 😸

[swahilimonkfish]

You move from one scene of intrigue and suspense to another, like a showrunner. Good job!

[Batman76]

Prediction:

Cheer team reaches an average weight of plump and tubby. Jane is pulled onto the team. Jane is the thinnest cheerleader for about twenty minutes.

 

also, she should black mail the dean. She'll be given Jason's old room, classes, Id etc and charges will be dropped in exchange for the dean losing weight. 

A couple pounds a week at least.

 

and Zoltan... She'll still be gaining the lost cheerleader sweat won't she? With no weight loss conduit she'll balloon!

[greinskyn]

Just a couple random thoughts...

In all but one of the HEXES Jason/Jane has made,  the person gains the weight where they naturally would have.  Like the police officer, which had her early gains in the ass & thighs.  Only through Brooke's voluntary transfer process has she been able to determine WHERE they end up. 

A fun HEX would be to have a monthly transfer through a person.  This could involve having the Hexee receive 25 pounds from the heaviest person on campus once a month. But, have the weight added to the same places it was received from the donor.  When the next month rolls around, she donates those 25 pounds to the skinniest person on campus and receives a new 25 pounds from whoever is the heaviest on campus at that time.  How odd it would be for her to stay the same weight, BUT, have her shape vary dramatically. 

[bahbah]

I’m just imagining Jane and Emily showering while Brooke sneaks up 🥵

[>_< 0_0]

20 hours ago, bahbah said:

Oooo that shower scene...I can only imagine how Emily and Jane will take in the upcoming “changes” together. You sir never disappoint with the suspense 

The trick is to treat a ridiculous concept as seriously and realistically as possible 👈

15 hours ago, Jotunthewriter said:

Interesting, now that all cheerleaders basically have one united weight, all of them will feel any new income. 

And considering that Zoltan is stable source of income weight, it is bound to be interesting. 😸

They'll actually feel it less because for any of them to gain, they all have to, so to gain one pound would mean the entire team has to gain it. This, however, is where the real mischief begins 😈

13 hours ago, swahilimonkfish said:

You move from one scene of intrigue and suspense to another, like a showrunner. Good job!

I'm basically writing fanservice for myself. That's the secret hehe

8 hours ago, Batman76 said:

Prediction:

Cheer team reaches an average weight of plump and tubby. Jane is pulled onto the team. Jane is the thinnest cheerleader for about twenty minutes.

 

also, she should black mail the dean. She'll be given Jason's old room, classes, Id etc and charges will be dropped in exchange for the dean losing weight. 

A couple pounds a week at least.

 

and Zoltan... She'll still be gaining the lost cheerleader sweat won't she? With no weight loss conduit she'll balloon!

Ah, but his room is still under investigation by the police, which means that the Dean would, in turn, have to blackmail the police to get that room cleared, which is a no-go. Besides, Sucky forbade him (wait... her) from revealing anything, so that's double-negative there. As for Zoltan...

6 hours ago, greinskyn said:

Just a couple random thoughts...

In all but one of the HEXES Jason/Jane has made,  the person gains the weight where they naturally would have.  Like the police officer, which had her early gains in the ass & thighs.  Only through Brooke's voluntary transfer process has she been able to determine WHERE they end up. 

A fun HEX would be to have a monthly transfer through a person.  This could involve having the Hexee receive 25 pounds from the heaviest person on campus once a month. But, have the weight added to the same places it was received from the donor.  When the next month rolls around, she donates those 25 pounds to the skinniest person on campus and receives a new 25 pounds from whoever is the heaviest on campus at that time.  How odd it would be for her to stay the same weight, BUT, have her shape vary dramatically. 

That would be fun to see! I'm trying to picture the scene now...

6 hours ago, bahbah said:

I’m just imagining Jane and Emily showering while Brooke sneaks up 🥵

What would Brooke's reaction be? It's probably different from what most are thinking.

[>_< 0_0]

We now have an excellent shower-scene, but all I'm wondering is how to outdo it 😁

Chapter Thirty-Five

               “Are… are you sure it’s safe?” I asked half-heartedly.

               “It’s fine,” Emily said casually.

               She was standing before me in nothing but a sports bra and panties, acting as if she were fully-clothed outdoors rather than nearly-naked in the locker room. I nervously looked left and right, too shy to stare at her directly, lest my eyes linger on anything but her face.

               “She’s not here,” Emily rubbed my arm comfortingly. “She’s too shy.”

               “She’s too shy?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

               “Of course,” Emily leaned closer. “She doesn’t want anyone to see how small her chest is,” she whispered. “She’s been showering after everyone leaves for the last few days.”

               “Really? What’s the point of that when everyone sees… uh, sees her during practice?”

               “She stuffs her uniform with tissue paper,” Emily’s eyes glinted.

               “What, really?” I smiled.

               “I’m ninety percent sure,” Emily tugged my arm, drawing me back to the showers. “Come on. You got a towel?”

               “No,” I gasped silently, heart pounding.

               “You can share mine,” Emily offered helpfully. “I know you’re pretty shy, so you don’t have to take your clothes off.”

               “What?”

               “I mean, not until we’re in the shower room,” Emily stepped across the line between two patterns of flooring, and just like that, we were in said shower room (though I was still being tugged backwards). “I’ll get the water running. You can throw your clothes in that corner and I’ll keep an eye out for Brooke.”

               “But what about the other cheerleaders?” I asked as I tried to slow my breathing.

               “Something tells me they’ll be just as shy,” Emily twisted the water knob and held her hand out under the torrent. “Maybe they’ll even skip showering.”

               Of course. I was so anxious that that I hadn’t realized that every single cheerleader was coming to terms with their slightly changed bodies. If anything, they’d avoid the showers as much as each other. It was just the two of us, then. I could probably handle that if I looked at the wall as we stood under the water.

               “You ready yet?” Emily swept her hair over her toned back as she stepped under the waterflow. “Hurry and get your clothes off.”

               For a split moment, I caught sight of her ass cheeks glistening with water droplets, and I bashfully turned away. There was no avoiding it now; I had to strip myself. A shower would do me some good.

               First, I unzipped my jacket. It was the first time I had dared do so, for I feared what I would find underneath. Sure enough, I had boobs. They weren’t that big – B-cup, almost a C – but to me, they looked absolutely massive. To think that the human body would pack so much fat around two nipples – yes, I had those too. I could see them poking through my shirt…

               “Just take them off already,” Emily coaxed me on. “The water’s warm now. I’m almost done.”

               Quickly, I unlaced my hiking boots and tossed them onto my jacket, along with my black socks. When my hands came to my belt buckle, I hesitated, once again afraid of what I would see.

               “I’m done,” Emily stated. “You can start now.”

               Only then did I unbuckle the belt. This had to happen sometime. After all, it was my body, and I shouldn’t be ashamed of it… even if I felt perverted just by looking down. As quickly as I could, I pried open my denim jeans and slipped out of them. Now I was down to a T-shirt and underwear, and it was all I could bear to do for now.

               Emily pursed her lips as I walked towards her. “You’re keeping your shirt on?”

               “I don’t have a bra on,” I blinked, bewildered at the words I was saying.

               “Is that… what are you wearing?”

               “Underwear?”

               “Are those boxers?”

               “They fit real good,” I muttered as quietly as possible.

               “You… okay, get in the water. One thing at a time. You can use this shampoo.”

               “Thanks,” I took hold of the bottle she gave me. It was pink and feminine. At least my hair would smell good. Squeezing a handful into my palm, I rubbed my hands together and began rubbing the lather into my scalp. It wasn’t long before the frothing, creamy mess was cascading over my face, and I closed my eyes to protect them.

               Then Emily hugged me tightly, squeezing her breasts into my back.

               “Emily?” I gasped, helplessly blind, holding my own head for dear life.

               “Shhh, be still my pet.”

               “Sucky,” my voice calmed. “I should’ve known you’d jump me. Why do you always come when no one –”

               “Shhh,” she tucked one forearm between my breasts to lay a finger over my lips as her other arm rubbed its way under my shirt. “Sometimes, you think when you should feel.”

               As I stood transfixed under thousands of hot, sensual water drops, I felt her arm slide up my torso like a snake on a tree trunk, until it found the nearest, ripening fruit and took a bite.

               “How does it feel to be in your real body?”

               “My real body?” my chest rose and fell with deep breaths as her hand gripped my right breast. The snake held firmly even as the tree swayed with the wind. “What do you mean – unh…”

               “Well, not quite,” Sucky twisted my nipple between two fingers. “You’re not ready. Not yet,” then her face leaned against me, nuzzling my cheek. “But you will be, won’t you?”

               “I don’t know what you mean,” I squinted as shampoo leaked into one of my eyes.

               “You can’t. Don’t you see?” With her free arm, she reached down for my sex and gripped it tightly. “I cannot tell you. You cannot teach a child to gasp its first breath. All you can do, is pull it out, and let it breathe.”

               And as she squeezed every part of me, I gasped as if I were drowning. The shampoo was leaking into my mouth, making me gag, but even as my eyes began rolling further back into my head, the pressure was gone, and the arms were squirming away.

               “Oh my God, I am so sorry!”

               Trying to squint the shampoo out of my eyes, I turned to see Emily back to normal, backing away from me with a mixture of shame and terror.

               “I – I don’t know what happened! I…”

               “Emily,” I wasn’t sure what to say.

               “I’m sorry! I got to go!” then she turned and ran.

               “Emily, wait!” I took a single step before realizing I was barely clothed. “Come back! There’s a reasonable, logical explanation to… argh…” I rubbed my eye, trying to scrub the shampoo out.

               When I managed to open my eyes again, Brooke was standing in front of me.

[Batman76]

Oh, Jane is gonna get it good.

[swahilimonkfish]

You are a story-weaving magician. Sucky is a carnal monstrosity - but in the best possible way. And the way you've managed to make a shower scene feature character, narrative, sexual undercurrents and hygiene, that's impressive

[bahbah]

JFC man that was so good and it’s about to get VERY interesting. I agree with the above, you’re a goddamn sorcerer.

[Guest Stratosphere]

I’m going to need you to finish that next chapter today because dang!

[bahbah]

21 minutes ago, Stratosphere said:

I’m going to need you to finish that next chapter today because dang!

I know right, I wish

[>_< 0_0]

21 hours ago, Batman76 said:

Oh, Jane is gonna get it good.

You have NO idea!

11 hours ago, swahilimonkfish said:

You are a story-weaving magician. Sucky is a carnal monstrosity - but in the best possible way. And the way you've managed to make a shower scene feature character, narrative, sexual undercurrents and hygiene, that's impressive

Speaking in terms of story-telling, Sucky is the embodiment of not just Jane's suppressed lusts, but the audience's as well. Just like Jane, we wilfully and unquestionably get drawn into her metaphorical embrace, even as Jane loses everything and several astute readers question the morality of the situation, until we realize that we, too, are just as enthralled by our own lust as Jane is. Once one realizes this about themselves, they can see that they are also suppressing their emotional yearnings in real life just like Jane is here. Then the true existential questions begin 😈 Oh yes, and Jane is clean again.

3 hours ago, bahbah said:

JFC man that was so good and it’s about to get VERY interesting. I agree with the above, you’re a goddamn sorcerer.

Yass

3 hours ago, Stratosphere said:

I’m going to need you to finish that next chapter today because dang!

I try 😌

2 hours ago, bahbah said:

I know right, I wish

 

[Batman76]

good gif choice.

[>_< 0_0]

This chapter, I'll have you know, was delayed a full hour by the sound of a dozen huge bangs right outside my window. I legitimately thought there was a shooting, but as I hid behind my wall with a meat knife, I heard a little kid yelling "fire!" excitedly, and figured it was just fireworks. On a different note, I got two short stories coming your way this month. One is for a writing group, with the theme being an old Pig stuffing cartoon, and the other is a "bimbo-fication" beer story. In the meantime, here's the next chapter! I won't give away anything, but let's just say things are about to explode (and soon hehe). By the way, who do you think will gain first? Jane, Brooke, or a random girl?

Chapter Thirty-Six

               She folded her arms impatiently over her small breasts. In spite of my impending danger, I couldn’t help but notice that they were flat as ever. Even her curvaceous hips had slimmed considerably as the cheer squad’s weight continued to fluctuate.

               “May I use the showers?” she asked as she rubbed one foot against the floor.

               “Sure?”

               “Well, hurry up, then. I don’t have all day.”

               I almost replied that there were five other unused shower heads, but she already knew that. Brooke, queen bee that she was, wanted the entire thing to herself. Then again, I knew that she was self-conscious about her weight, and considering that she’d apparently just lost the last of her coveted curves, she must’ve been feeling vulnerable. I was in a very dangerous situation; she could strike me with unwanted poundage…

               “Hurry up already!” she whined with all the authority of a dazzling princess.

               Instincts guided my hasty response, reinforced by a vague thought trailing through my consciousness: if Brooke was shy about her body, she was vulnerable. Somehow.

               “Did you see that girl running off?” I asked, desperately rubbing the shampoo out of my luscious locks. “What is up with her?” when Brooke didn’t respond, I spoke the first sentence that came to mind. “She kept going on about some kind of curse. Said you were behind it.”

               “What?” Brooke dropped her arms, masking her shock with indignation. “What did she say?”

               “Something about cursing everyone and making them fat. But that’s just crazy,” I attempted to chuckle.

               “Yeah, true,” Brooke chuckled just as awkwardly. “Stupid bitch.”

               “I know, right?” courage returned to me as I shook my hair under the steaming water. “Like, you can’t just run around accusing your teammates of being witches.”

               “She’s jealous because she’s some new brat who didn’t even qualify for the team. Now she’s allowed to practice with us and thinks she can just squeeze in. She’s just a worthless cunt.”

               Ouch. The word made me cringe inside, especially when it was used against a girl I liked, but I played along and mocked surprise. “No! She failed? That is not what she told me.”

               “She’s never cheered before, what do you expect?” Brooke shrugged confidently. “I’m not worried about her. She can tag along all she wants; there’s no way she can learn our routines before the semester ends.”

               “And I’m not worried either,” I smirked, unable to resist prodding her. “You’re not, like, going to curse me, right? Make me fat, or whatever?”

               “Uh… no?” Brooke replied passionately. “Shit, is that what she told you?”

               “It totally was,” I stepped out of the shower, confident in the situation. “Sorry for taking so long, you can go ahead now.”

               “Thanks,” Brooke brushed past me.

               I couldn’t believe my luck! Of all the things I could’ve said, my stupid mouth spat out the best possible sentence! Not only had I indirectly called her out on her intent to fatten her enemies, I had also managed to do it while talking shit about her least favourite person – all without revealing my own secrets… or worse…

               But then she gripped my wet, upper arm and stared at me over her shoulder.

               “When you get dressed…” she glanced down my body with the hint of a smirk. “You should come with me.”

               “Sure,” I could feel my fingers beginning to tremble and my heartbeat throbbing in my neck. For some reason, I was intensely aware of my nipples sticking against my wet shirt, brushing up and down with each rapid breath. “W-what for?”

               “For… some shopping,” Brooke said with all the false intimacy of a mafia hitman. “We’ll get you some clothes. You’ll need them.”

               “O-okay…”

               “We’ll talk. I’ll be seeing you.”

 

               A few minutes later, I was following Brooke through the college store’s clothing section.

               “Thanks again for taking me out here,” I said for the third time. “It’s really nice of you.” Unusually nice, I neglected to add.

               “Don’t worry about it,” Brooke brushed her hand through a row of shirts hanging on rails. “A makeover will do you some good; trust me.”

               “Are you sure? Clothes are expensive…”

               “Girl, listen: you. Need. Clothes. We’ll start with some bras.”

               “But…”

               “Please. You’re still wearing your wet shirt – and don’t tell me you’re wearing the boxers too? Do you even have other clothes?”

               “Okay, fine,” I sighed.

               Brooke approached a row of bras, holding up a pair of pink cups and rubbing her fingers against its fabric. I fidgeted nervously; looking at lingerie more than a moment always made me feel perverted. Was I really about to wear some?

               “What size are you?”

               “B…” I said thoughtfully.

               “What number?”

               “…there’s a number?”

               “For your circumference? Duh!”

               “Oh, that number,” I laughed. “Sorry, it’s just been awhile. I mean… yeah.”

               “Are you serious?” Brooke rolled her eyes and craned her head to look over the clothing stands. “Hey… lady? You work here, right? Come over here.”

               To my surprise, Karen the store clerk zipped between two clothing stands to see us. She was slightly thinner than before, but her khakis were still straining to contain her curvaceous hips. “Coming… oops,” her plumpened ass bumped against a rack and knocked it awry. Still, she managed to compose herself before us. “Yes? How may I help you?”

               “Can you help this lady with her measurements? I need to make a call.”

               “Sure,” she turned to me as Brooke walked away with her phone already in her hand. “So what do you need?”

               “Everything,” I shrugged. When she pursed her lips in frustration, I hastily added. “But could you start with helping me find a bra that fits? I don’t know my measurements.”

               “Sure. Come follow me and I’ll get the tape out.”

               From a seat next to the changing rooms, Karen wrapped her cold tape around my chest from behind, all while my eyes darted left and right like a hunted animal. This was not my domain. There was nothing about this situation that was under my control. Why had Brooke brought me here anyway? Was she going to buy my new clothes? Was I going to wear my new clothes?

               “Thirty-six,” Karen proclaimed.

               “Inches?” I asked.

               “Have you ever worn a bra before?”

               “Sure. Just… not lately. I’m pretty small, so I hadn’t bothered in awhile.”

               “You’re not so little. I’d say you’re a B-cup, so you should be wearing bras for support.”

               “Sure. If you say so.”

               “Let’s get you a few sets to try on with matching panties. If your chest is thirty-six, I’d say your hips are a couple inches less than that.”

               “Okay,” I stood up, feeling as if I were about to strip in front of a crowd. “I’ll follow you. Let’s get some ling-ger-ee.”

               “It’s lingerie.”

               “Oh. I mean, I know! It’s a joke.”

 

               Several painful minutes later, and I had a pile of clothes to try in a changing room. Brooke had returned now, leaving Karen free to leave.

               “So you found what you need?”

               “I guess,” I shrugged. “Karen mostly chose random clothes while I tagged along.”

               “So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and start changing.”

               “Right,” I stared at the open changing room before me like it were the gaping maw of a secluded bear cave. “Well, here goes. I’ll be out in a minute.”

               “Oh, don’t worry. Take your time,” Brooke didn’t sound impatient, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of some sort of malicious intent.

               Dumping my clothes pile onto the bench, I turned and locked the swinging door. At last, I was safe from prying eyes and secluded – or at least safe.

               “So let me ask you something… Jane, right?” Brooke’s voice carried over the door.

               “Yes. I’m listening,” I said as I began stripping my still-moist clothes.

               “That’s so familiar! Where have I met you before?”

               “I don’t think so?” I answered cautiously, turning my naked back to the mirror.

               “Well, anyway, let’s talk about Emily while we’re by ourselves here… Jane?”

               I was distracted by the sight of my nipples. At first, I thought I could avoid seeing them, but then the cold air brushed against them and I felt them stiffen, and before I could close my eyes… there they were, naked, large, and circular. Could this body truly be mine? They looked so real; I dared not touch them.

               “Jane! Earth to Jane!”

               “Sorry!” I jumped, and my breasts jumped harder.

               “Look, we need to talk and we don’t have much time before someone walks past, so listen up, alright?”

               “What did you want to talk about again?” I held a teal-coloured bra in front of me. How exactly was I supposed to slip it on? Who designed this thing?

               “About…” Brooke lowered her voice. “What you told me about Emily.”

               “Oh, that,” this was quite a development, but my stupid attempts to fasten the bra behind my back were extremely distracting. I couldn’t even see my fingers! Maybe I could twist around and look back at the mirror…

               “So you’re telling me that Emily’s spreading gossip about me? That somehow I – Brooke Deeters – can make people fat?”

               “Well…” I sighed as I tried to readjust the way my boobs were resting in the cups. “That’s basically what she said, yeah.” Damn! Was it supposed to be so tight? I almost wanted to try the others on, but I just wanted to be done with it all.

               “See, I find that very interesting,” Brooke spoke smoothly. “Because lately, things have been, like, super weird.”

               “I’ll say,” I grimaced as I stumbled my way into panties I thought would be way too small. Luckily, they were designed to stretch and fit nice and snug. They were pretty comfortable too, and were definitely easier to – damn it! I had them on backwards!

               “And not just weird, but also totally out of control.”

               Now that  teal underwear shielded my eyes from my sexual organs, I could focus better. “So what you’re saying is…” I thought how to proceed tactfully as I snatched a white, cotton shirt. “Emily’s causing trouble?”

               “More than trouble,” Brooke continued. “It’s funny that she’s telling people I’m making my teammates fat, like that makes any sense at all! Why would I do that?”

               “True,” I chuckled, tugging my shirt over my breasts. Now to try jeans – girl jeans. Damn, they looked tight. Maybe I could buy one pair and keep my old pair too.

               “But you know who would do that? Emily would. Let’s face it, she totally sucks at cheer practice, always tagging along and copying our moves because she doesn’t know them. But what if she fattened up the team? That would make her look better in comparison.”

               “Huh,” I hoisted my jeans over my ass and began to zip the front. It wasn’t difficult, but I could feel every square inch of denim hugging onto my skin. “That’s… wait. Are you saying you think Emily’s the one making people fat?”

               “Okay, I’m not saying she cast a spell or nothing. I mean, hel-lo? I’m not a moron. I get A’s in my classes.”

               This almost made me laugh as I slipped into some faux leather boots; I knew that Zoltan had been hinting at Brooke to boost her grades while she was still the cheer squad’s coach. “But you think that maybe she’s… up to something?”

               “Girl, I dunno. But maybe since you’ve been hanging out with her and all, you might’ve heard or seen something? I mean, something’s been going on. I’m sure you’ve seen how some of the cheerleaders have been getting a little chunky.”

               Oh, this was an amazing turn of events! Brooke seemed to think Emily was behind the plumping effects on the cheer squad! Of course, she knew she had powers to shift her own weight to others, but clearly, she wasn’t disclosing this knowledge with me. Little did she know how wrong she was! I could use this situation to my advantage somehow, so long as I played along.

               One last item of clothing: my old, worn jacket. I easily slid my arms into its sleeves, letting the back drape over me like a cape. I adored my jacket, wearing it every day for years. It defined me more than my own face (especially now, being so girly). Just before opening the door, I inspected myself in the mirror. I felt uneasy wearing such feminine clothes, but the more I looked at myself, the more I realized that it was a pretty good look. Being clean was an added bonus.

               Brooke almost made a face when I came out, but eventually smiled. “Not bad. We have to do something about that jacket, though.”

               “It’s too bulky to carry,” I held the unzipped ends in my hands. “So I might as well wear it.”

               “You should totally ditch the jacket, though. Trust me, you look like some punk, emo boy at a screamo concert.”

               The barb stung, but I still loved my jacket. “I think it looks pretty badass though.”

               “Whatever. Anyway, you were going to tell me if Emily told you anything else?”

               “Actually, I think she did.”

               “Really?”

               “But why are you so interested? This is all so… it’s just crazy.”

               Then Brooke leaned in, wrapping her arm around me, trapping my arms. “You don’t understand. It’s Emily that’s crazy. I just need your help finding out what she’s planning so that I can… I mean, so that we can…”

               “Keep everyone safe?”

               “Yeah, that. So let’s buy you these clothes, we’ll get you on fleek, and we’ll work this out.”

               “Does that mean you’re buying?” I asked hopefully.

               “Uh… no? I’m doing you a favour as it is.”

               “But I only have five hundred dollars.”

               “Okay, fine. I’ll help you buy the lingerie. Just pick, like, two of your favourite of each one.”

               “Oh, thank you!”

               “Yeah,” Brooke smiled like a used car salesman. “We’re going to have a great time! Trust me. How about we eat at the chow hall after this? You can meet the rest of the squad.”

               “That sounds cool.”

               “Alright, hurry up. I mean… chow starts in half an hour.”

               As I plucked items from the pile of girly clothes, I contemplated the whole strange chain of events. Brooke clearly wanted information from me; she must’ve known that even with her power to shift her weight to others, that didn’t explain her initial gain and subsequent loss. Additionally, she wasn’t blind. She could see Zoltan gaining and losing weight, she could see that her friend Mary had suddenly ballooned, and she could see her peers' bodies changing by the hour. From her perspective, something had to be causing all this, and her air-headed brain had decided on Emily as the culprit. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it made sense that she would instinctively suspect the person she hated most; it was just human nature. The question was: how was I supposed to handle this situation without losing Emily as a friend – or worse, getting jinxed by Brooke?

               A greater question, however, was how to use the new hex I had no-doubt earned by now?

[swahilimonkfish]

Real suspense in the snake pit that is Brooke. But even though she's clearly trying to lie and scheme, Brooke doesn't seem the villainous caricature here. Self-important, vindictive but slivers of human frailty too. I guess you're really... rounding out your characters

[superweightgain]

17 hours ago, >_< 0_0 said:

A greater question, however, was how to use the new hex I had no-doubt earned by now?

 

Spend it on giving your self the ability to change people's weight at will. That way Jane/Jason won't be raised by his own petard.

Still think it was pretty dumb on Jason's part to outright reveal that knowledge to Brooke/Emily. The only way Jason could draw attention to himself now is to have knowledge that he shouldn't have. If he kept his mouth sealed nobody would ever suspect him. He's really holding the idiot ball sometimes.

[>_< 0_0]

3 hours ago, swahilimonkfish said:

Real suspense in the snake pit that is Brooke. But even though she's clearly trying to lie and scheme, Brooke doesn't seem the villainous caricature here. Self-important, vindictive but slivers of human frailty too. I guess you're really... rounding out your characters

If course! Brooke is a terrible human being, but that still makes her a human being. I actually prefer to flesh out the characters I write because the motives and personalities of people are fascinating. Plus, making a childish plot with static characters for an adult audience would be pretty insulting on the part of their intelligence, don’t you think?

8 minutes ago, superweightgain said:

Spend it on giving your self the ability to change people's weight at will. That way Jane/Jason won't be raised by his own petard.

Still think it was pretty dumb on Jason's part to outright reveal that knowledge to Brooke/Emily. The only way Jason could draw attention to himself now is to have knowledge that he shouldn't have. If he kept his mouth sealed nobody would ever suspect him. He's really holding the idiot ball sometimes.

Nice idea, but the hexes have to work in a way that shifts existing weight around, whether between people or from the pounds bar. Otherwise, this epic would be, like, a few chapters long. 

Common sense would be to keep secrets, but by indirectly calling Brooke out, he essentially put her into a temporary position of check: if she tried her fat power, she’d prove the rumor true — note that Brooke doesn’t know who’s heard this hearsay, and she certainly doesn’t want to be unpopular or anything 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

[bahbah]

https://i2-download.imgflip.com/36g10c.jpg

[>_< 0_0]

I’ll be honest, I’m writing a one-shot for a deviantart contest atm. It’s almost done, so I’ll be posting that here soon. Just something to look forward to while I plot the next chapter of “Thin” College

[>_< 0_0]

The good news is that I get paid a lot. The bad news is that I've been working overtime to get things running smoothly. Not that I haven't been writing at full-speed tho. Next chapter's incoming in a couple days.

[bahbah]

22 hours ago, >_< 0_0 said:

The good news is that I get paid a lot. The bad news is that I've been working overtime to get things running smoothly. Not that I haven't been writing at full-speed tho. Next chapter's incoming in a couple days.

 

[>_< 0_0]

You have NO idea of the scale of adventure I went through to get this chapter done! Yesterday, I didn't even have wifi, so I just kept writing! Behold! This is where it really starts getting interesting (I've already said this haha; I mean MORE interesting).

Chapter Thirty-Seven

               I had to hand it to Brooke, she had a good sense of style, even if she was a hateful spawn of Satan. I’d never thought that clothes mattered that much; it was just an extra step of waking up to slap them on. But these clothes were different – all soft, smooth against my skin, breathable, and smelled fresh. Not to mention that I was finally dry and clean again…

               “So we’re eating at the chow hall?” I asked as the scents of fresh fruits and roasting meats wafted past us.

               “Uh, yeah?” Brooke strode with the grace and confidence of a model.

               “Could we… do you want to eat at the café instead? I lost my meal card and…”

               Brooke didn’t even reply as she strode into the check-in line to get her meal card swiped. I stopped nervously in the doorway, the sight of a feast’s-worth of buffet food taunting me. It wasn’t true that I’d lost my meal card – I still had my old one – the problem was that it had my old photo. Using a meal card with Jason’s face on it would raise far too many questions. So far, I’d managed to use my cash to feed myself with café food, and I hoped to keep doing that until I thought of a better plan. As for now, I had to maintain my secret identity.

               “Uh, Brooke?” I called after her. “Brooke? Can you swipe me in? Brooke?”

               “Watch it,” someone soft bumped me from behind.

               I stumbled slightly, turning to see one of the cheerleaders giving me a look. She was out of uniform now, opting for a simple shorts and T-shirt combo. I knew she was a cheerleader, however, because her eyes were level with my collarbones, and her body was considerably plump. Tanned flesh bulged over her shorts like roasted bread, and resting beneath a loose T-shirt were the tauntingly-hidden forms of two orbs of fat.

               Doing my best not to stare, I secretly revelled at the sight. She was probably twenty pounds heavier than she was this morning. It wasn’t that much, considering how common the freshman-fifteen was in other colleges, but here in Biltmore College, she was just fat.

               “Move!” she glowered at me. “Stop standing in the doorway so I can get in!”

               “Sorry!” I hurried away from the mass of bodies trying to cram inside, dodging girls with full trays of food and islands of buffet food. Then, as my nostrils caught the scent of shrimp pasta, I stopped. Just like that, I had snuck inside completely by accident.

               Now my attention traced the wafting scents of nourishment before me. Food of all kinds from wall to wall, from healthy salads to the ice cream machine in the far distance. The sound of knives knocking against wood betrayed the presence of the student chefs, working part-time in the adjoining bakery. How I had missed chow hall food! Most find it amusing to complain about chow hall food no matter where they are, but I never had – especially now, famished as I was. Had I even managed to find food for breakfast? Or dinner? It had been so long…

               I fetched a tray from the wall, adorning it with a grand assortment of food. Honeyed ham and mashed potatoes, green beans and corn, gravy and meatballs, a splash of shrimp pasta, and a hefty square of brownie. Oh yes, and a glass of my favourite soda: Dr. Pepper, just to see how long it would take before someone told me how bad soda was.

               Now then, where was Brooke? I’d almost forgotten why I had come in the first place. As I entered the dining hall, I despaired at the sight of a couple hundred students huddled around tables circling the central fireplace. Honestly, she could be anywhere. Except… all I had to do was find the chubby girls. Yes, indeed! No doubt she would sit with the rest of her team, and tonight no one was as out-of-shape as the cheerleading team…

               “Jane!”

               I started, glancing behind me towards a corner booth with three girls in it. One of them was Brooke, who waved impatiently.

               “You coming or what? I saved a seat for you, come on, come on…”

               “Sorry,” Sliding awkwardly into the booth, I nodded at everyone. One of them was Mary. Interesting. “Hi everyone.”

               For some reason, I expected Brook to introduce me, but then again, I also expected the cheerleaders to be sitting at one table.

               “I mean…” she continued a story she had begun minutes ago. “You saw how she was sucking-up to her? Honestly, I don’t care anymore. She can bribe her way into the team for all I care. Once we get our first game? She’ll fall flat on her face.”

               “Totally,” Mary nodded, forking her salad. “You can’t expect to miss half a training cycle and know which end is up.”

               “And she was so fat,” a tall, noticeably-skinny black-haired girl added. “Did you see her the first day she showed up? She looked three months preggo.”

               “Right?” Brooke smiled evil-ly as she stuffed a large helping of brownie into her mouth. “She must be sucking it in hard to get it so flat. You can’t just lose weight in a few days like that…”

               An awkward pause ensued. Mary glanced sharply-down, probably wondering if her body would start swelling out of control again. The hex had been kind to her, leaving her body slim, a thin blanket of fat coating her arms and belly. Her breasts, however, had hardly shrunk at all, practically heaving against her chest with each breath.

               “Well…” Brooke shrugged. “Unless you’re me, that is.”

               “You were talking about Emily,” I blurted, too late to break the silence. “Right?”

               Brooke glanced sideways at me, chomping away at her food. “Yeah? Who else would we be talking about?”

               There was something sinister about the way Brooke stared at me that made balk with hesitation. Was she going to keep pretending to be my friend? Or would she suddenly turn on me and humiliate me in front of the girls? Or would she do something still worse? Maybe if I could stroke her vanity, she would spare me. I had to play the part of a yes-man.

               “I mean… of course!” I giggled pathetically. “It couldn’t be anyone else! She’s so weird.”

               “She never talks to anyone,” the black-haired girl chimed-in. “I wondered why no one wanted to be her roommate, but now that I’ve seen her, I’m like, ‘no wonder!’ So creepy.”

               “And you know what else?” Brooke spoke between bites. “She accused me of fuckin’ witchcraft. Right Jane?” she elbowed my arm. “That’s what you said isn’t it?”

               “Ow… uh, yeah! Totally. Like, total… total nutcase,” I stuttered at my best attempt at valley-girl lingo.

               “What was it she told you again?” Brooke’s smile was distorted by a second mouthful of food. “Something about a spell…?”

               “Oh yeah,” I nodded cautiously. “She said you were making people fat.”

               At this Brooke broke into witch-like laughter, nearly losing some of her food as she gleefully arched her face towards the ceiling. Meanwhile, the black-haired girl merely chuckled while Mary’s eyes bulged at her plate of food.

               “Ah, how does she even breathe?” Brooke’s shoulders shook as she scooped more food onto her fork. “Me? Some kind of witch? Who accepted her college letter?” After another thoughtful bite, she glanced up at the rest of us and calmed herself. “I mean… that’s crazy! Why would I do something like that? Make the cheer squad fat? That’s retarded.”

               “There’s some pretty fat cheerleaders around here,” Mary said slowly.

               “Well, it’s not my fault they’re eating so much.”

               “At least you’re thin,” Mary eyed Brooke’s loaded food tray.

               “Thanks,” Brooke muttered between mouthfuls. “You look thin too.”

               “For now…”

               Sensing disaster, I opted to speak again. “These clothes you picked-out are so nice Brooke.”

               “Thank you. I picked them myself.”

               “Yeah. So how did you get so good at fashion? I mean, I would practice more, but I don’t have that much money…”

               “That’s a lot of food,” Mary said firmly, eyeing Brooke’s tray.

               Brooke glared upwards, her gorging session rudely interrupted. “Huh?”

               “Are you really that hungry? It just looks like a lot.”

               “Excuse me?” Brooke simmered.

               The black-haired girl absentmindedly ate her salad, unaware of the hidden meanings in the conversation. “Well, it is a lot of food, isn’t it? If you can’t finish it, can I have some? I think I lost weight recently; I had trouble holding the pyramid today.”

               “You’re not the only one who lost weight,” Brooke’s reply was cool and measured. “I need to stock-up on as much calories as I can.”

               “I’m just saying. You’re stomach’s only so big.”

               “I think I’ll manage.”

               “Yeah,” the dumb-witted girl laughed. “At least we aren’t fatties like some of the girls. Like, I’m surprised I didn’t notice before, but a lot of the squad kinda let themselves go! Maybe it was because I was so distracted by Zoltan’s fat ass.”

               “Oh my God,” Brooke perked instantly. “She gained so much weight! I heard the Dean called her to her office and basically roasted her like the pig she is.”

               “She…” I stuttered. “What? No! Zoltan’s not a pig!”

               “You didn’t see her during her ‘bulking’ phase,” dimwit girl smirked. “I swear, if I had to hear one more mention of ‘dirty bulking,’ I’ll puke this meal.”

               “But she was doing it on purpose,” I explained. “Because bulking’s part of the strength training process. She was telling me about it once in the gym… are you listening?”

               Dimwit was hacking and groaning like she’d smelled a fart. “Dirty… bulking… hugghhhh…”

               “Remember when Jason came in to the gym?” Brooke grinned. “Oh… my gawd… you should’ve seen him! Had no idea how to use the weights. Zoltan had to babysit him the entire time.”

               “He didn’t even have workout clothes on!” Mary added, laughing maliciously.

               “And the whole time,” Brooke continued. “I was like: ‘I can’t work like this!’ I can’t be walking around with him glancing at us.”

               “You…” I inhaled slowly. “You sure he wasn’t just trying to learn how to use weights?”

               “Uh… no!” Retard tittered. “Does he look like a guy who cares about working out? He’s just a nerdy geek that plays video games all night.”

               “He was probably trying to hit on Zoltan’s fat ass,” Mary suggested.

               “Dude!” Brooke slapped the table with her palms and leaned in. “Oh my God! That is totally what he was doing!”

               “He’s such a loser.”

               “He’s a creep. That’s what he is.”

               “No wonder he finally snapped.”

               “I bet he had peddo porn on his laptop.”

               “Eww!”

               “He’s probably jacking-off in a cave somewhere, thinking of Zoltan…”

               That was it! I’d had it! This was my utmost limit. My tolerance was gone! Sitting next to Brooke, my most hated enemy, it was all I could do not to unleash my anger and scream at the ceiling. Instead, I balled my fists in my jacket-pockets, pursed my lips, and stared straight ahead – towards the dim-witted, black-haired retard as she laughed at Jason – at me – a man who only yearned for love he had never had! She was going to pay.

               Pulling a hand from its pocket, I pointed my Hex-Ringed finger under the table straight between her legs and towards her gut, and… hold on, what was her name?

               “What’s your name again?” I asked suddenly. “Sorry, but we haven’t been introduced, and before I forget…”

               “It’s Jacky,” she held her hand out until I shook it. “Short for Jacqueline.”

               “I’m Jane,” I nodded happily. “Short for Jane Wick.”

               Right. Now then: I pointed my Hex-Ringed finger under the table straight between her legs and towards her gut, and unleashed a hex as full of poetic-justice as I could manage on-the-fly: Jacqueline will gain five pounds every time she talks about someone’s weight, and then transfer the weight to a random girl within a twenty meter radius.

               Excellent. Now to spring the trap. Just for fun.

               “At least he was cute, though,” I smiled confidently. “Jason, I mean. Pretty athletic and fast – still kind of small…”

               “Ugh, how can you say that when he was always wearing that stupid jacket? He wears it literally every day.”

               “No wonder you like him,” Mary sniggered. “You have the same jacket!”

               “Um,” I glanced nervously towards Brooke, who was thankfully not paying attention as she stuffed her face. “I just wear it because I’m small and get cold easily! It’s because I’m so thin,” then I smiled. “Not like some of the other girls.”

               “I know, right? Like, when I came in here, I saw Sophie just loading her tray – as if she needed to! Her abs are completely gone – hic – ‘scuse me.”

               She laughed it off, but from the way she was adjusting her shirt, I knew that my plan had worked. Besides the subconscious movement, little changed. Had she even noticed her sudden gain? As a matter of fact, she didn’t look any different. Maybe five pounds wasn’t high enough?

               Suddenly, Mary slammed her fork into the table, leaned back, and screamed, fingers curled with rage.

               We all stared at her. Even Brooke stopped chewing, though she looked just as bitchy as before.

               “What the hell?” Brooke asked.

               “This was my last pair!” she slammed her palms against the table and groaned towards the ceiling. “This is impossible! How many times do I have to go through with this shit?”

               “It wasn’t my fault,” Brooke shrugged.

               “You know what? That’s it! I’ve had it with this! I’m not eating again until this fucking bloating problem stops. Jackie, let me out…”

               Jackie left the booth, and as Mary scooted her way out, we could see that her pants button had flown off. Jackie shared a look with me and Brooke, mouthing “oh my God” as dramatically as possible.

               “I’m going back to study,” Mary huffed. “You can meet me at our usual spot Brooke. We’ll talk.”

               “Sure,” Brooke shrugged.

               No sooner than when Mary was safely out of earshot, Jackie couldn’t resist the chance to gossip.

               “Holy shit!” she whispered excitedly. “How did she squeeze into those jeans? She is so not a size zero – hic –”

               “Damn girl!” Brooke laughed. “Take it easy! You gotta slow down when you eat.”

               “Seriously,” Jackie continued excitedly. “What is wrong with our squad lately? First Zoltan lets go, then half the team just decides they can eat whatever they want! Not – hic – not to mention our new coach is a total, airheaded dumbass…”

               “The new coach looks like she’s thinking about letting go herself,” Brooke added slyly.

               “Let go of what?” Jackie took the bait. “She knows about as much about our routines as Emily Witch-hunter over there,” she nodded towards the far corner of the chow hall. “And honestly? They’re both about as soft as… whatever. They got a lot of catching-up to do if they wanna get abs like us… hic.”

               As they gossiped together, I eagerly watched my surroundings, curious if I would ever catch a glimpse of someone gaining those first five pounds, but try as I might, nothing as obvious as Mary’s wardrobe malfunction happened again. Like a lion watching the rustle of tall grass, every movement caught my attention, from one girl’s t-shirt shifting against her breasts, to another girl scooting in her seat, to still another glancing down herself. It was too hard to tell who was gaining weight, but I relaxed in my seat, satisfied that somewhere nearby a few girls were gaining five pounds.

               “We’re gonna be so screwed next game,” Jackie sighed. “Hopefully something turns around soon.”

               “Hopefully,” Brooke nodded. “Maybe the new coach will get fired too.”

               “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Jackie chuckled. “Especially if she let’s go like you  -- hic – like you said…”

               Suddenly, I was struck by a crippling wave of pain emanating from my stomach. I bent over the table, crying-out helplessly as my abdominals pulsated with wave after wave of cramps.

               “Jane?” I could hear Jackie leaning over my bent head.

               “Agh, it hurts! It hurts so bad!” I had never felt anything like this! What was happening to me?

               “Oh gawd,” Brooke muttered. “This cannot be happening to me… Jane? Jane tell me what’s wrong. Do you need to go to the hospital or… something?”

               “I… don’t know! It just hurts!”

               Maybe I really did need to go to the hospital, maybe not. If this didn’t let-up, I’d need a coffin.