Bellflower Part 13 (Patreon)

What?! You read right!

In this installment, Rachel & Holly each have their own bad ideas on how to cope with a very hot day. 

Not going to lie, the last chapter was kind of hellish in a few ways. And so I want to try altering the format just a little, by maybe doing quicker little installments maybe a couple times a week. The plan is to get you all another chapter this size (or maybe slightly bigger) by Sunday as well. And I know I keep saying I'm going to be hopping ahead but I keep getting ideas for little moments & things to do in the short term. But also too, that's why I figure it's better to do them in these quick hits. If you're not into it, let me know!

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13

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This couldn’t be happening. Not today! She was going to be late!

“C’mon! C’mon!” She growled at the buttons, trying her damnedest to suck it all in. Give herself just enough room to cinch the button & buttonhole together. Her neck was fine. And she was just able to bring it together over her bust. But going further down? “Dammit…” she had to exhale, her usually alabaster skin having gone a bright, beat red trying to hold her breath.

“Miss Holly, are you aware of the time?” Penny seemingly panicked a little.

“Quite!” Holly snapped, thinking she sounded like one of the British people on that one fancy drama show she watched. “I’m just… having… some... issues is all.” She grit her teeth & continued to struggle.

“Anything I can be of…”

“You’ve done enough already, Penny! Thanks!” Holly huffed, vaguely alluding to the dinner of two she had been treated to the night before. But somewhere during the “thank you,” Holly had already started feeling kind of bad for snapping at her digital assistant. After all, Penny was simply just an amazing cook. But ultimately, she was the one that completely pigged out last night. Ending up made a complete cow of herself! Why did she have such a hard time controlling herself lately? Like, it was good. Really, really good in fact! But it was like, she used to eat & then… hit a wall. Last night? It was almost as if there was no wall. And that prospect sort of mortified her, honestly. But right now? She seemed to really be paying for it, exactly as she expected she would. “Hhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrch!” She strained in a burst of fury, wrestling to get the button closed by trying to wiggle a little at her hips back & forth. Almost as if to “work herself in” somehow. The worst part was, this was the fourth top she tried so far.  None of them were fitting. Perhaps the fifth would be the charm?

The sound of Holly’s bedroom door shutting loudly, just short of slamming, is what ultimately woke Rachel. At some point overnight, the battery of her headphones must’ve died, & all they seemed to do now was slightly muffle the room tone. 

“Morning.” Holly grumbled, seeing Rachel stir slightly. She squinted & peered down, noticing the red notebook on her sister’s chest. Rachel had fallen asleep jotting things down. Holly’s face coiled back into a sinister little smirk. The same look she used to get whenever she was the one making fun of Rachel being the chubby one back in high school. Her “bully” face. “What’s that? You have a diary?” She seemed to snort.

“It’s… don’t worry about it.” Rachel quickly shut it & sat up on the couch. But not before noticing her sister.

“Are you… wearing a sweater?” She blinked, her eyes still adjusting.

“Yeah… And?!” Her bullying confidence evaporated quickly. Almost as if Rachel had just picked up on something sensitive. Holly’s hair was gorgeous, her makeup a little rushed. But she wore a flowy skirt, impossibly tight leggings, & a big bulky patterned sweater as a top. She usually put together outfits that matched a little better than this. This seemed more like her wardrobe exploded at her. Not to mention the fact that it didn’t seem to make much sense.

“It’s supposed to be like… downright hot out there today.” Rachel’s mouth was now the one curling up into a bit of an incredulous smile. “Aren’t you going to be… too warm?”

“The National Weather Service forecast IS calling for a high of 86 today,” Penny jumped in. “Although if I may be so bold, I’m not entirely convinced by their models, & feel like a more accurate, localized prediction would bring Oakmont a bit closer to 88, when all things are said & done.” Rachel waved her arm at the robot’s assertion. “And it will probably feel closer to at least 93, with the humidity.” Rachel REALLY didn’t like taking the thing’s side, but it had a solid point to make here. And it was seemingly speaking on the side of Holly’s overall well-being. 

“I like the way it… looks on me!” Holly insisted defensively, smoothing it out. “It’s cute.” It was thick. Bulky. And something for late Fall at best.

“It’s probably going to give you heat stroke.” Rachel tsked to herself under her breath. She thought it was subtle enough, but apparently not.

“What?!” Holly called out from the kitchen, getting her purse together.”
“Nothing.” Rachel said softly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Hey though!” She remembered, pushing herself to her feet. “Thanks again. For everything you did for me.” Talking about help suggesting her for the position. Rachel pursed her lips into tight, but genuine smile. “And…. you know… everything you ARE doing.” She flapped her arms, inferring letting her stay. But this Holly seemed to be in a drastically different mood than the one had sent her dozens of texts yesterday afternoon.

“Yeah, whatever. I’m going to be late.” She kind of bobbed her head. She turned towards the door. “Enjoy your last day of freedom. You’ve got orientation tomorrow, remember!” Penny frantically whizzed into action.

“Before you go! A smoothie, Miss Holly?” an arm reached to hand her from the kitchen as she passed.

“Sure, yeah, thanks.” She snatched it but didn’t break pace. The door once again shut loudly, just short of a slam.

“D’fuck’s her deal?” Rachel scoffed.

“She was very worried for you last night, Miss Rachel.” Penny weaseled in. “She had absolutely no idea where you were!”

“Yeah, I get the feeling no she wasn’t, & by the way, fuck you don’t talk to me.” Rachel asserted steely, all as one quick thought. She realized she got a text, picking her phone up from on the coffee table & fumbling to unlock it.

“Nothing to report, but what you showed us was crazy.” Fran had texted in the first of three messages. “Mikayla was actually talking about renting gear & repelling down! Almost knocked on your door.”

“Oh jesus!” Rachel laughed out loud. As if to half worry about what had she gotten into showing them this. She had no idea if the ropes or cables would be enough to support someone of Mikayla’s… heft. And while laying claim to the skinniest among them, Rachel herself wasn’t about to volunteer for something so insane. She also wanted to let Fran know a bit about the state she had found Holly last night, almost impossibly stuffed by Penny. She just didn’t know exactly how to phrase it in a response without...

“Miss Rachel?” Penny inquired. It dawned on her that Penny could probably already see the message she received, but wondered if she could grasp the context.

“What did I just SAY?” Rachel snapped without diverting her gaze, fumbling again to relock her phone. If that even mattered with the prying eyes around here. If Holly was gone for the day, she figured she needed to get out of the building too. Not that she had much of a plan. But it was just… safer, not being there.

Holly sipped her smoothie. It was more pink than mauve today. More strawberry flavored. Not that she minded in the least. In fact, it was delicious. She made her way across the Bellflower’s lobby, putting on her sunglasses as she did. Through the glass, she could see the crowd outside, waiting for the shuttle, but no one she immediately recognized. As she went through the first set of doors, the chill of the climate controlled air faded slightly. It wasn’t bad but manageable. She could get away with this sweater. It was going to be fine. The part she neglected to inform her sister or her computer was the fact she NEEDED to get away with it. As it was the only thing that seemed close to fitting her properly. She continued through the vestibule, the automatic doors to outside started open.

“Oh goddammit.” It hit her like a wall of muggy, sticky hot air. She wasn’t walking, she was practically wading through it. She tried to put on a tough face, but this? This was really going to suck!

“Oh goddammit.” Rachel muttered, looking herself over in the mirror.

“Miss Rach...?” Penny timidly tried to pipe in.

“SHUT UP!” she hollered. With her headphones charging, she had no semblance of protection from the constant barrage of incessant “Miss Rachel’s.” She had more important things to worry about at the moment. Like the prominent muffintop these workout shorts were giving her. Pulling up the black tanktop she went to bed in, you could see a definite dimple circumnavigating her middle where the compressing elastics of the shorts displaced… flab. Ech! This is exactly why she had to go for a jog. Immediately! No matter how hot it was supposed to get out there today! She needed to nip this in the bud, before… yeah. She let go of her tanktop, smoothing out the material. You couldn’t really see it unless you were really looking for it. She figured she’d probably be able to get away with it. And she hated being so self-conscious about it. Especially in the grand scheme of things, here, of all places. But Fran with the “I wasn’t going to say it but… yeah” in response to her “I feel like I gained ten pounds already” remark kept playing over & over in her mind. She wasn’t going to become just another victim! And after today? She’d really only get the weekends. She had to go do this! Today!

“Hey Hol!” Courtney perkily sang from her workstation, looking up. When she caught her in her gaze, she immediately scanned her friend up & down. “Chilly enough out there for you?” she chortled to herself sarcastically. Over the course of the ride in, Holly had been reduced to a fat, sweaty mess. Mostly on account of her own poor wardrobe decisions. Even her hair, which was the one thing that she had taken pride in, the one thing that had remained immaculate walking out the door this morning, had devolved into its own disaster, with half the strands frizzing out into flyaways while the rest sopping with greasy sweat. What’s worse, while the office did always have a slight AC chill to it, the sweater was still just a little too warm for it. Meaning she was going to be uncomfortable all day.

“Ech.”

“What’s with…?” Courtney asked pretty lowkey, giving her own top a tug at the shoulder before nodding her round bulge of chin in Holly’s direction. Holly, who was ready to flip out took a huge, deep breath. If there was ANYBODY who she felt she could confide in over something like this…?

“Nothing… fit.” She mostly just mouthed in a husky whisper, pained to admit it. She put her smoothie down & let her purse droop off her shoulder next to it on her desk.

“Oh!’ Courtney seemed slightly taken back, before settling into something of a halfway sympathetic smile. She wiggled her girth in a little tighter, but put on a warm, semi-reassuring smile. “One of THOSE mornings. Been there!” She was being open, but if she was truly 100%, one of those mornings came for her as recent as yesterday. In fact, she was trying to hide the fact she was rewearing the same skirt.

“Did… anyone notice…?” Holly, noting that much like yesterday, they were the only two at their little office pod at the moment.

“What? You being a little late?” Courtney filled in. She shook her head, wobbling her cheeks a little. “No one was looking for you really. I would’ve probably just told them the shuttle was too crowded & you volunteered to take the later one. Which, you did anyway so… don’t fret, it all works out!”

“You rock!” Holly exhaled.

“I can do you one better,” Courtney grinned, her voice still soft. “I have a whole closet full of stuff, most of it practically brand new! Like I wore some of it just once or twice probably before…” She didn’t finish the thought. Anyone else would’ve probably gotten what she was getting at, but Holly’s brain was still just a little too fried from her extremely warm trip in.

“Huh?” she puzzled.

“You should come over,” Rolled her eyes for having to spell it out, Courtney snickered. “I have all sorts of stuff that will probably fit you.”

“Oh-ho,” Holly skeptically smiled. Courtney had always been significantly bigger than her. From the day she had first started & they met. Holly realized she might’ve put on a few pounds, sure. But the idea of growing so much, her much larger friend just giving her clothes? “Thanks but I really…” She would’ve tried to hide behind some sort of bootstrapsy “I don’t need handouts” sort of stance, if only to mask her denial. But Courtney was insistent.

“Why not?!” She almost sneered. “They’re just going to waste in the back of my closet! And it’s not like I’m going to be wearing them any of them anytime soon.” She reluctantly smiled, with her hands landing on her large, round belly for emphasis. “Oooh! We can get those ribs! Like we were saying!” Leave it to Courtney to never forget a conversation about food. Still, Holly had less & less reason to say no. For the second time in two days, the ribs sounded amazing.

“Okay, fine.” Holly caved. “But I’m just going to borrow a few things, if they’ll even fit! At least until I can get my subscription box at the end of the week. Or get a chance to go shopping or something.”

“Of course, of course,” Courtney smiled, faux-seriously. “But don’t worry, I know I for sure have at least a few things in your size. I’ve got you covered, girl!”

She wanted to blame the heat. She had no idea it was going to be this hot this early. At the same time, she knew it wasn’t JUST the heat. Other factors conspired to make sure she had broken a sweat & started panting much much earlier than before. Well before she did last time, that day she tried to get Holly to go for a jog. But now, Rachel had made it to the shopping arcade or whatever fancy name they called the upscale shops. The sun was still relatively low enough to cast some shade between some of the buildings. It helped cool things down at least some. But not by much. Besides, whenever she was truly ready to throw in the towel, she could limp her way over to the coffee shop & get the biggest, coldest, most goddamn refreshing frozen coffee in the world after this! She was looking SOOO fucking forward to that moment!

She turned a blind corner, following the shade. If only it did anything to help this blasted humidity. She was dripping, pouring with sweat. She felt like she had to be making some sort of headway! Burning at least a couple of calories. Oh, but that was the thing. Even back in high school, Rachel always had the tendency to put on weight so freakin’ easily! And it was murder trying to get it off. That was why she used to be the chubby one! When it came to metabolism, it seemed like between the two of them, Holly had been blessed with the better genes. And a fat lot of good it was doing her now! Literally.

But now? Given every one of her fears about the building seemed completely justified? It also made things a lot more dire too!

She started thinking that the first thing she should get once she had money coming in, should be a gym membership. Since the Bellflower's was “closed for renovations” in very dubious fashion after all. But then again, there wasn’t anything like that at all in all of Oakmont, it seemed. Probably by design somehow. So she’d probably need a car too, if only to get a little further afield. Hell, she could just put the money towards getting her old one back? If even only temporarily, seeing as it was fixing to fall apart. Then again too, Rachel was always super practical. Being financially strapped all the time kind of made her see things differently. Did she really need a gym membership? When she could just go on runs like this? No sooner did she think this before stepping out of the shade & into a span of unimpeded, direct, scorching sunlight. Oh. Right.

She didn’t manage to get much further before slowing, & eventually coming to a stop. She lurched forward, hands on her knees, staring at how the outline of her shadow throbbed with her heavy breathing. Drops of sweat started to dot the ground underneath her. She felt ready to die.

Just then, she heard the bells wrapped around the door next to her rattle. An employee looking dressed like a 40’s milkman was unlocking it to open up shop for the day. Slowly, Rachel’s eyes wandered to the sign above the door, hoping to gain some insight as to why anyone would be dressed like that.

“Oh fuck!” she rasped, knowing instantly her entire jog was probably about to be not only canceled out, but possibly worse. The sign was of an intentionally crudely drawn anthropomorphic cow, which is to say with messy line work, like a 90’s nicktoon. The bovine woman was dressed almost like an eccentric 60’s aunt, complete with beehive & horn rimmed glasses coming to exaggerated points. The text flanking the character? “Mis Mootilda’s Creamery,” while underneath that “Ice Cream, Shakes, You Name It!” It literally almost pained Rachel how much better a milkshake sounded over a dumb frozen coffee. She couldn’t help herself as she took a shaky, panting step towards the door.