Bellflower Part 15 (Patreon)

In this installment, it's time once again for Ladies' Night. Will Rachel be able to keep her appetite in check? What about Holly?

Thanks again for your patience! This is part 15 in its entirety. If you want to pick it up from Rachel & Regina returning to Veronica's with Camille in tow, only slight wording edits were made prior. No major structural bits. 

This was another tough one, & unfortunately, I didn't have the time I thought I was going to have to write so much. But there's a lot of eating going on, & a lot of character stuff. And the next part will pick up a few days down the line, & will hopefully get added by Sunday. So we'll begin to see the results of all that eating. Thanks again for bearing with me & your continued support!

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15

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Her arms full, Rachel blinked once, twice, then three times. She stared at the gaudy wreath hanging on the door before her. Her brow lowered with increasing frustration the longer she glanced at it. She could just barely see it over the slightly uneven stack of boxes she was carrying, & the bags looped around her wrists carrying two boxes each, but both the wreath & the faint cackling inside told her she found the right condo. The decoration was composed of intertwining synthetic twigs, fake plastic flowers, & fabric leaves, twisting around mismatched small letters, each in a different, vaguely antique style that she suspected were supposed to look vintage & recycled, but in reality looked something more like a ransom note in 3D. The letters were positioned spell out the words “God Bless.” And then that was underlined by something of a wooden cross that looked like it was made from the corners of four different, secondhand picture frames coming together.

“Oooh! Let me get the door for you, Miss Rachel!” Penny chimed in a louder way that seemed as though it was supposed to double as announcing her arrival. “All those treats, it must be heavy!” With a slight hiss & whoosh, the door to Veronica’s unit opened on its own, & the very faint whiff of potpourri Rachel could only just pick up on in the hallway intensified a thousandfold, smothering her airways at almost noxious levels.

“Thanks.” Rachel said, sarcastic disdain dripping from the statement, fighting off a gag. Because both Penny & the situation she was about to enter were not things she looked forward to contending with this evening. 

“Somebody here?” She heard call out blankly with one of the same cackles she heard from outside. The “here” almost punctured her eardrums with how shrill it curled at the end. She didn’t know Veronica all that well considering, but Rachel picked up on the very distinct impression that as their hostess for this evening’s little soiree? She’d probably be a little… extra. Which was really saying something, since she was already typically, a lot.

“Hi-yeee!” Regina lilted with a wave first, standing in view of the door but also just a bit in the way. Her expression seemed extra happy. Maybe because Rachel’s arrival meant she wouldn’t have to deal with Veronica on her own any more. Unlike the others, apparently she had gotten off work a little early or something, as it seemed like she had a chance to run to her unit & change. She was already wearing trackpants with striped piping, & an XXL t-shirt that didn’t fit quite as entirely as loosely as she may have intended it. The center of it was adorned with some sort of off-brand but Sanrio adjacent style character Rachel wasn’t too familiar with. It was hard to say exactly how much exactly, but overall? Regina did seem a little puffier than when they first met. Which was only just a week ago. But the t-shirt made it hard to gauge. In fact, Rachel was mostly basing her assessment a little more on seeing her out of the corner of her eye in work clothes the other day in the HR offices. And right now, she seemed to have already been munching on something, but Rachel couldn’t discern what exactly.

“Hi.” Rachel strained, lugging the boxes & bags in her direction with a bit of a grunt. As sweet as she was, Regina didn’t seem to pick up on the cue the way Rachel had hoped. “Can you…?”

“Mmmm.” Regina popped the rest of whatever she had been munching on into her mouth & sprung into action. “Of course! Duh! I’m so sorry!” Her plump hands reached out & she happily took the top, more unevenly stacked boxes off Rachel’s hands, lightening the load a little bit. She placed them on Veronica’s table, & Rachel piled the remaining right next to them, before letting the plastic bags droop off her wrists next to those. All while exhaling in relief. At least she got some modicum of a workout getting those here. She was happy to burn any calorie she could.

“Ooooo-Oooooh.” Veronica purred, surveying the pile of boxes. “What did you bring us?” Her voice was not too far off from the type of exaggerated, mocking, halfway misogynistic voice someone might affect to imitate a woman that was snotty to them at like the Bank or something. A little shrill, but definitely pretty nasal. The type of voice you could only produce by making something of a ratfaced sneer. To Rachel, it was kind of crazy someone actually had that as their natural speaking voice. Then again, she figured the mythos had to start somewhere. 

Veronica was leaning forward with wide spread arms against her kitchen counter, her strawberry blonde hair pulled into a messy bun. She was still extremely curvy, hourglassy even. But she seemed maybe a little less… tapered in the middle. Though maybe it was just how she was leaning? Still, to Rachel? The former seemed more likely than the latter. She wore a spaghetti strapped blue camisole tucked into jeans that almost seemed ready to fly off of her. But the bright, electric blue hue seemed to almost emphasize her growing belly paunch & muffintop. Rachel was about greet & answer her but Regina spoke first.

“Oh you didn’t hear?” Regina didn’t seem to want to wait & popped open one of the boxes she had grabbed. She tilted it into Veronica’s line of sight. “All eclairs!”

“What?!” Veronica gasped. Her jaw went agape. At first Rachel wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a positive or negative reaction. What she did know was that while it may have been a shitload of eclairs? Her expression was a little much for the situation. Almost as if Veronica was trying to resemble a reaction she had seen one time. But it sort of came off as exaggeration. And Rachel wasn’t too big a fan of those kinds of theatrics.

There had apparently been some contention though, in at least part of the Ladies’ Night group text. Rachel knew this because she had suddenly been added to it late last night. By Courtney of all people. It stuck out to Rachel, a bit surprised her chubby fingers were still nimble enough to operate her phone. But contention abounded. Contention that apparently Veronica had not been privy to it seemed. Andrea, & to a much, much  lesser extent Camille & Deidre, seemed a little opposed to the idea. But ultimately, Holly & Courtney who eventually insisted on calling themselves “Team Eclair” had ultimately won out. Holly went on to place an order online, trying to get the nearby bakery to fill something of a ridiculous order on the pretty short notice of a day. All while Rachel was still trying to concoct a way to get out of attending the weekly get-together in the first place. All without somehow looking awful in the process. 

Sure, maybe the first time? Her fears were a little unfounded, & her reticence unfairly based more on her own social anxiety than any other rational reason. After all, coming in last time? Rachel had no idea what to expect. And sure, she very well might’ve been a little too judgmental about the types of people Holly would consider friends. At least going off her track record back in High School, orbiting around some of the meaner of the more popular girls. This time around, she knew full well it wasn’t going to be the ladies themselves causing her dread over Ladies’ Night. Well, other than maybe Veronica. Generally, they all seemed kind of nice. Sweet even. She didn’t mind being around most of them too much, even if they were a bit… basic. No. Now? Her reasoning was based on sheer self-preservation. Because of the imminent dangers brought on by these girls’ unwitting compliance, & the Bellflower itself. She was way more worried about what sort of disaster spending time in a room with all of them might spell for her own waistline. 

So when Holly seemed to just work off the base assumption that Rachel would be attending? Informing her that she would be leaving her SUV & charge card so that Rachel could pick up her last minute bakery order for the whole get-together while she was at work? It didn’t really leave Rachel that much room to suggest she might sit this one out.

"Like it or not, you're part of the clique now too, girly!" Holly’s laugh echoed in Rachel’s head.

"I fucking hate you." she remembered clenching tightly, half serious this morning.

To be fair, she didn’t have all that much to do for the day prior. And running errands for Holly did afford her at least some time away from the Bellflower itself, which helped her overall anxiety levels. Even if only slightly. In fact, she started to seriously entertain the idea of “borrowing” her sister’s car & card to just... bug out. Find a hotel or online rental or something further away from Oakmont & this wretched building. The way she saw it, if she was starting this new job in just a few days, she’d be good for it soon enough anyway & would totally get Holly back the instant she could. And she’d at least be putting some distance between her & the Bellflower, along with the overall horrifying concept of being fattened up like the others. Like she was livestock. Then again, Holly probably would’ve been pissed & would never understand. So ultimately, after wasting a bunch of gas, driving aimlessly in the sprawl of closing big box stores just outside of Oakmont, threatening to do so, she ultimately buckled down & did Holly the favor she originally set out to do.

Meaning she was the one the employees at the bakery decided to chew out about the order, saying “You know, you really should give us more time to prepare an order like this.” And “Y’know, we have weddings asking for fewer eclairs, with weeks, even months of lead up!” And of course, with her, always trying to hold the utmost respect for folks working in the service industry? SHE definitely would have given more notice. Or at least wouldn’t have had such a specific & silly order. But this was Holly’s bright idea. And maybe Courtney’s. She was just doing them the favor. Still, the bad vibes just made picking up this ridiculously huge order even MORE awkward for her.

“Wow, so all those boxes are just… eclairs?” Veronica’s jaw still agape. Again, it was still hard to read. Her shock &/or delighted &/or displeasure just seemed too hollow for that of a real person. More a facsimile of how she felt she should react. She was the kind of vapid stereotype Rachel had originally expected all of Holly’s friends to be.

“And that’s just what I could carry on the first trip.” Rachel sighed begrudgingly. At least seemingly. If people were going to put on theatrics & wear fake expressions, she thought, it’d only be fair for her to feign a few of her own. “There’s a few more boxes left to grab in the back of Holly’s car. Couldn’t manage it all in one go.” It had been something of a strategy on her part. Given that it was early & she didn’t know who would already be at Veronica’s. Hell it might’ve ONLY been Veronica. Still, she didn’t know the two of them all that well, she was looking for an excuse to stall until Holly or even Deidre or Camille got here. Her sister, or just one of the girls she knew at least slightly better. Or have to pretend she didn’t know only by lurking through their social media last weekend, at least.

“Wow, really?!” Veronica asked, gasping harder. 

“Oooh! Need a hand?” Regina volunteered with almost knee jerk reflex, stepping forward briskly, waving her hand as if to pledge her assistance.

“I mean it’s only just a few more,” Rachel tried to assure her. “Not as crazy as the first trip. I think I can mana…”

“Well then I’m happy to help.” Regina started following her, almost rushing past her & halfway out the door. It took Rachel a beat but she reread the situation. It seemed like Regina was also in the market for an excuse not to be stuck with Veronica any longer than she had to be either.

“Oh. Sure.” Rachel winced, restraining a smirk. She figured it still might be a little awkward for them, but at least Regina was no Veronica. “Um. Be right back.” She waved to the curvy blonde hostess as she ducked back out.

“All… eclairs…” Veronica muttered. “Wow.” And even on her own, her idea of a facial expression was still impenetrable. 

“Sorry to invite myself along.” Regina giggled mousily to cut the kind of awkward quiet. “But Veronica can be a little…”

“Oh, it’s fine. I get it.” Rachel smirked as she watched the digital read out in the elevator tick down another floor towards the parking deck. Her smirk flattened out though, as she genuinely became curious. And maybe Regina was the wrong person to ask. She seemed extra sweet. Outgoing even. Genuinely so. Like she was making a concerted effort to put Rachel at ease the first time around. This time seemed no different. But she also seemed maybe a little… vacant? Airy. Rachel went on to ask anyway.“I don’t know… I’m new & maybe I don’t quite get it. But I kind of get the distinct impression she sort of… annoys everybody. And like… if she annoys everybody…?”

“Well we can’t just tell her NOT to hang out with us! That would be... rude!” Regina sounded close to being appalled. More at the idea itself than for Rachel suggesting it. At the same time, something about her tone seemed to tip toward the idea that maybe it had been collectively mulled over though at some point. “She… means well. She’s just kind of...”  

“Taxing?” Rachel offered with a tight nod, not looking to press further. She got it. Her circle of friends in the city probably would’ve ghosted someone  like Veronica, or may have just been painfully frank in a similar situation, but at least understood this kind of a dynamic. It just wasn’t her style.

“Wow. Yeah! That is a good word for it. Taxing.” Regina snickered, bobbing her head as she tried it out herself. “I can see why you wanted to be a writer.” From anyone else, it maybe would have sounded vaguely patronizing, but in her own airheaded way, she realized that Regina meant it completely earnestly without a shred of irony. So Rachel just tried to grin back. But Regina was suddenly reminded. “Oooh. How was your orientation by the way?”

“Oh. You know…” Rachel’s neck slowly leaned to the side, following her rolling eyes.

“Yeah. Boring.” Regina acknowledged with a chuckle & grin. “It’s a good place to work. Once you get all that upfront stuff out the way. I think you’ll like it, once you start there for real, I mean.”

“I... certainly hope so.” Rachel said trying to nod sincerely. While she might not of known Regina that well, she knew her well enough NOT to try & bring up Hailington’s checkered past. For one, a multinational conglomerate & their litany of war crimes wasn’t the most upbeat topic of conversation. But it also seemed just a slight bit above Regina’s… capacity? Not to sound rude. Still, while Regina looked like she was about to try to reiterate all of the company’s positives in the form of perks, she suddenly got a little distracted by her phone chirping at her. As she dug for it, Rachel’s teeth clenched.

“And consider any phone does have it? Almost like it's radioactive, basically.” Rachel remembered Mikayla’s initial cryptic warning from the other night. She took a half step away almost involuntarily. She had tried to keep some awareness of her appetite all day, much like she had most days this week. Having Holly’s SUV was a godsend. It let her spend most of the day not only out on her own, but far away from other Bellflower people, their app-loaded phones, the frequencies they happen to kick out, & even just the neighborhood itself. If you could even call it that. It all seemed too… impersonal. And without any external influences? She felt her appetite subside to something relatively normal. No hungrier than usual, beyond getting a little peckish right before lunch. But the way a normal person would!

At first, she had entertained the idea of even trying to fast, as a means of counteracting exactly how much she might inadvertently stuff herself at Ladies’ Night. But at the last minute, she started to worry that going in with an empty stomach might only exacerbate the situation. Just guarantee she’d make a complete pig of herself. So she settled on a very light panini, from a healthier chain restaurant on the outskirts of Oakmont, & ultimately felt very proud of herself for her entire morning’s worth of restraint. No other slip ups. No cravings. Just the panini. And a diet soda. 

But now? This evening? All bets were off. In fact, even seeing Regina bring out her phone, she realized she had started feeling lowkey hungry since she re-entered the building. And this tight proximity now, even in the large elevator car wasn’t helping that. Even if only psychosomatically. After taking a second to read it, whatever the message Regina received elicited a disgusted click of her tongue, making Rachel question “What?”

“Veronica’s wondering what’s taking us so long.” She huffed in summation, dropping her phone back to her pocket in frustration. 

“The… elevator.” Rachel tried to laugh a little incredulously, waving at them just hitting the floor of the parking deck. 

“I know, I know.” Regina huffed, shaking her head. She didn’t seem quick to respond, & tried to slip, but more wrestle the phone back past her thick thigh, into the tight pocket of her track pants.

“Luckily Holly’s spot’s not too far.” Rachel nodded as the doors slid open to the dark concrete. The humidity of the summer’s day hit them like a wall of sheer mugginess.

“Ech, I love summer but…” Regina started with a slight flinch.

“Tell me about it.” Rachel went along with the sentiment. But seeing as they were now on about the weather, she figured they’d run the entire gamut of small talk topics. Well, other than maybe sports, but even if Regina was fluent, Rachel certainly would have been at a loss. She pulled out Holly’s keychain & hit the unlock button on the fob. One aisle up, they could see the reflection of the flashers, even in the dimmer rays of bright afternoon daylight that poured in around the cement pillars.

“How many boxes did you say were left?” Regina asked, feeling the heat. She was taking it a little slowly, her face already slightly glistening. Her tone was slightly whiny. “Taxed.” Almost as if she was somewhat second guessing her offer to help.

“Like… four.” Rachel explained truthfully. “Just figured if I tried to make it all in one go, I probably would’ve taken a header & dropped ‘em, knowing my luck.” Just then Regina’s phone chirped again. She seemed to assume it was just Veronica & even with the humidity of the garage, she smirked, reaffirmed in making the proper choice.

Just as they were reaching Holly’s SUV, the sound of a car approaching stole away their attention. Well not so much the car itself, as much as the muffled cacophony that seemed to come from it. It was an old Beetle, black, adorned with all sorts of strange stickers. Some cutesy. Some ridiculous metal band lettering. All dark. As something of a screaming crescendo hit over rapid, cavernous drums, the car pulled in just a couple spots down from them. Rachel & Regina shot each other a look, but went about popping the back gate to Holly’s. Just then, the car turned off & the wall of sound hit a brick wall of its own. It was kind of jarring to realize how much noise it had been making outside, for being confined inside the car. As Rachel handed Regina her split of the remaining boxes, the door of the car swung open & the rattles of a keychain hanging off a purse echoed in the din of the brutalist parking structure.

“Hey there, Rachel!” She heard a voice almost squeak out of pleasant surprise. Rachel looked over to see Marissa’s head popping up over the hood of the beetle. The noise & the stickers suddenly make a lot more sense.

“Marissa, hey!” Rachel smiled back. After pulling the last of the eclairs, she forced down the gate to Holly’s SUV, forgetting it had an automated push button bit & realizing forcing it down was probably really bad for the motor.

“You know her?” Regina seemed to quiver under her breath. It was certainly judgmental, but seemingly, almost adorably & unironically offput. It seemed like she was genuinely scared by a goth, rather than bitchily uptight & better-than.

“Marissa, this is Regina.” With her hands hoisting the boxes & hitting the lock button on Holly’s fob, Rachel kind of dipped her head before reversing & doing the inverse. “Regina, Marissa.” The two girls exchanged nods. Regina’s was more timid, while Marissa seemed to immediately sense this & almost relish & thrive off it with a bit of unearned confidence.

“What are you ladies up to this evening?” Marissa purred, pointing at the pastry boxes as she sashayed out from behind her car. While maintaining her whole aesthetic, she had found a way to still dress business casual, with a long, flowy skirt hugging her broad hips.

“Oh,” Rachel was suddenly slightly embarrassed. Realizing she was holding what she was holding? She almost felt a little guilty in a way. Good thing she ony saw her with these four & not that crazy load she had somehow already managed. “Just a get-together my sister & her friends do. My friends too I guess.” she admitted. It earned her a quick but genuine smile from Regina, who seemed to be warming up to the conversation just a little. “I was on snack duty. My sister made me pick up a whole shit ton of chocolate eclairs.”

“W-would you like one?” Regina stuttered, feeling obliged to offer while extending her boxes forward. Almost like she was giving a witch some sort of peace offering, if only to not have her soul stolen. She popped the tape with her finger & popped the lid of the top one, causing Marissa’s eyes to widen.

“Oooh.” She lit up. “You know it IS my cheat day after all.” The statement was directed to Regina, almost as if Rachel wasn’t supposed to notice it. Regina’s timid grin grew a little toothier, as Marissa helped herself. But upon overhearing this assertion, Rachel piped up.

“I thought Tuesday was your cheat day?” Rachel questioned skeptically. Rightfully.

“Heh-huh? What?!” The goth chuckled with put-on confusion. Any more exaggerated & she would’ve tugged her collar like an old hack comedian. Rachel clenched her eyes & pursed her lips. Why had she started feeling guilty when apparently everyday was this girl’s “cheat day?” Marissa scanned the contents of the box discerningly. “I mean YOU’RE the one going to your sister’s eclair party after all, Miss Judgy.”

“I… it’s not…” Rachel stammered, shaking her head. Regina happily allowed Marissa to take her pick but also, still seemed slightly intimidated, almost ready to jump at any sudden movement. Rachel wondered, had she never encountered a goth during her time in the city she was so eager to talk about last Ladies’ Night?

“Oooh you’re the best, thank you!” Marissa squeaked upon making her selection. It was a big plump one that almost seemed to dwarf her hand. She lifted it to Regina, then at Rachel as a nod. “I’ll have a light dinner afterwards, I promise.” Rachel appreciated the attempt but noticed the sequence.

“You should save it until aft…” It was too late.

“Mmmmm… Why?!” Marissa had taken time out of chewing her already huge bite to ask, as if Rachel had presented her with some sort of absolutely absurd notion. At least immediately before going for her second. “Mmmmmmm. So good.”

On the elevator, Rachel was stuck smack dab in between the two plump young women. Regina escorting her boxes of eclairs & Marissa going to town on hers. All while she carried her own two boxes. There was tons of space available, but it still felt slightly claustrophobic for Rachel. And even though she knew Marissa knew all the same secrets she did, the way she seemed to enjoy the pastry with such unfettered joy? It made her almost rip open one of her boxes & just start slamming them.

“So you guys just sit around & eat eclairs all night?” Marissa asked, halfway accusatory to Rachel, but Regina seemed confident enough to answer.

“Well that & gossip. Lots of Girl talk! And red wine!” Her initial intimidation seemed to slowly be morphing into something of an admiration it felt. As if she was almost ready to invite her up.

“Oh,” Marissa cooed. She looked to Rachel. “That does sound fun!” There was a bit of sarcasm to it, but Rachel couldn’t tell if she was being judged or not. Like whatever cred she might’ve had was quickly evaporating. For being aware of the true goings-on here AND just being cool. She tried to shoot Marissa a look without Regina seeing. Like she wasn’t THAT into the whole idea. That she was somehow… cooler than that. Wait, that was probably kind of mean. Still, Ladies’ Night wasn’t quite her scene. But she realized that Marissa was perhaps a little too distracted by her pastry to pick up on it. “Mmmmmmm. Well… so long as you girls are all safe.” Rachel realized that the “safe” was loaded. Almost like it was her way of reminding her to “Be mindful.”

“Uh… oh yeah!” Rachel smiled. “Totally. Uh, you too!” She felt sort of obligated to add. But Regina missed all of the subtext.

“Oh, don’t worry!” She said timidly, as the elevator dinged & Marissa started to get off. “We’re all in the building here, none of us have to go far.” It almost seemed quaint to Rachel & Marissa.

“Well it was nice meeting you, Regina.” Marissa, sucking the last of the cream & ganache off her fingers did a slight curtsy gesture. 

“You too!” Regina said, relieved & almost a bit gleeful her soul was still intact. 

“Rachel.” Marissa nodded.
“Have a good one.” Rachel smiled back a bit pensively. The door began to shut as Marissa disappeared down the hall.

“So how do you two know each other?” Regina was quick to ask, her voice softening to almost a rapid whisper. Before Rachel realized she was going to have to cobble together some sort of back story on the fly that made more sense than “conspiracy theory club,” a hand reached in & stopped the door from shutting. As the metal doors started to retract, the two girls carrying the boxes looked up to see Camille standing before them, wine in one hand, brown paper bag in the other. “OH! Cami! Hi!”

“Hey…!” She smiled slowly, almost slightly put off by the coincidence. “Going up?” She seemed to attempt to joke. She apparently had time to change, wearing leggings that were just a little too tight under a much looser, old red flannel. Possibly from a pajama set. Definitely dressed for comfort, almost as if she was attending a sleep over.

“Carrying the last of the eclairs from the car.” Rachel smiled matter of factly, giving her boxes a shake. As Camille stepped foot onto the elevator with them, she swore she vaguely felt her own hunger spike just the slightest bit. Marissa, enjoying her pastry, had just been tempting her, but this was on a more subtle, insidious level. But she only maybe imagined it. Even still, she was just that slight bit more tempted to rip out an eclair & start chomping away at it.

“Hmm.” Camille squinted as she stood to the side. The elevator started moving again.

“What is it?” Regina reacted.

“I won’t knock eclairs in general. The ones you guys get are ok, considering.”

“Considering...?” Rachel’s brows hopped a bit higher up her forehead. She figured this was Camille about to get more holier than thou. Say the ones they got were paltry compared to some fantastic patisserie her family went to in like Nice or somewhere.

“I just like… having options. More than just the one thing to snack on.” She shrugged with her hands full. “So I’m bringing a bottle of wine for everyone, but I also stopped off at my place to pick up a few things just for me. Things that none of you like anyway.” As quiet as she was, she almost tried to say that last sentence stealthily. But Regina caught it.

“N’Ohhh-ooh.” It was sort of a whine, the noise Regina produced. “It’s not one of your stinky-ass cheeses, is it?” She winced.

“I’ll keep it sealed.” The mousy girl tried to assure her softly. “Least until five to ten minutes before I have to spread it. It has to reach a certain... barometric equilibrium after all.” Rachel wondered which would win out, the cheese or Veronica’s overpowering potpourri, envisioning the terrible odors almost like kaiju battling it out. Still, Regina let out a disgusted huff, & Camille let out one of her own, similar, only over everyone else’s apparent lack of refinement in her eyes. “Oh & here!” She said, turning to Rachel. “I brought your… thing.” Slowly, Rachel realized that while Camille’s arms were full, tucked neatly under her armpit was her laptop’s charging cable. “You never came to pick it up! I saw you got added to the text so I was hoping you’d be coming.”

“Right!” Rachel realized, with something of an embarrassed nod. It wasn’t like she had entirely forgotten about trying to meet up with Camille to get the thing back. Just after everything she learned about Penny, she felt like limiting the usage of her own electronics would probably be helpful. So she hadn’t been in much of a rush. Besides, she had started relying pretty heavily on her red notebook with the goofy, unpronounceable name. That said, she was probably going to need her laptop for work come Monday. “Thank you.”

“Was really hoping you’d come by to pick it up.” Camille said a bit sheepishly. “Come hang out.”

“I mean like… I still can maybe.” Rachel shrugged. “Hang out I mean.” She realized Regina was squinting at this. She looked at the cord skeptically.

“What is that?” She elbowed toward the cord. “How did you end up with it?” She pried towards Camille. It dawned on Rachel, that given her propensity for “girl talk” when Marissa asked, was Regina something of a gossip?

“Don’t… don’t worry about it.” Camille sighed before changing the subject. “But wait until you taste this bottle of wine. My family knows the owners of the vineyard, personally.”

“Ooooh.” Regina cooed, easily distracted.

The door to the unit hissed open. Rachel, intending to relish the last few breaths of fresh, non-potpourri’ed air she could get ended up being the last one through. So she wasn’t entirely sure what caused Regina to gasp at first.

“Veronica!” She bellowed. It was accusatory, & followed closely by a click of her tongue.

“Wuh?!” Still in the corridor, Rachel could only note that the bemused reaction was deeper, & more muffled than Veronica’s usual shrillness. As if her mouth was full, maybe? “Like… I tried texting you. Asking how long you were going to be!” Camille just seemed to chuckle & shake her head. And that’s when Rachel finally got a look. 

Apparently, the temptation had been too strong & Veronica had dug in without them. At least one eclair was mostly gone, & another two sat on her plate at the seat she had pulled up to the table. Making it worse, she wore most of the cream & frosting on her cheeks in a sloppy, swirly mess. As if she had gone at them ravenously. Desperately, without a care in the world.

“Here,” Camille sprung into action. She put her wine & brown bag of awful down on the kitchen counter, before offering the hostess one of her own napkins.

“It’s rude!” Regina chided in a drony, almost solemnly sing-song way. “Host or not, we should wait for everybody before we…” she gestured at the boxes, as she added her two to the others.

“It’s MY house.” Veronica scoffed. “And like I said, I TRRR-IED texting. You all were just taking like… forever.” She popped the last of the mostly gone one past her lips before applying the napkin to her messy face. “Besides, thanks to Penny, I’m all prepped & ready for company.” For as messy as her face was, it was kind of weird how daintily her soft little blots of napkin were. “What?! You want me to just sit here, twiddling my thumbs?” Rachel didn’t really want to get in on the dogpile, but she almost couldn’t help herself.

“It was slightly over five minutes.” She leveled plainly, noting the time on Veronica’s own stove. “And it was mostly just the elevator.”

“Yeah,” Regina laughed. “You live here! You know how slow they are!”

“Oh god,” Camille whined. “They’re sooo slow. Love everything else about this place, but those things?” 

“I know, right?!” Regina agreed.

“Whatever!” Veronica cackled. “It FELT like a while, ok?” Strangely, the conversation had seemed to be shifting from her. What she had done was something of an etiquette faux pas, but not major enough to keep talking about. And yet, she seemed to still want to make it about her. “So Sorrrrrrr-Ree!” she wiggled with her arms in the air, her bust bouncing along with. 

Rachel tried to focus on how hungry she was feeling. Stepping into the condo again, now with each of these girls sporting a phone with the app? She felt hungry, but maybe the proximity was worse? Something in the elevator? Or maybe she had gotten a bit more used to it? Still, she had to fight the urge to peel open a box & go to town herself. But she could still sort of manage it so long as she actively thought about it. The problem was not letting that guard slip. Even for a second.

“So when’s your first official day, Monday?” Camille asked her, pulling her attention as she sauntered towards the kitchen again.

“Oh, uh, yeah!” Rachel smiled, trying to play it natural & not like she had been sitting out of whatever conversation had happened without her paying attention. “Got my orientation out the way & everything. Andrea & Courtney did a good job.”

“Yeah, they’re good. But ech, I hate whenever I get roped into having to do them.” Camile sneared. She & Rachel watched while Veronica started on one of the other eclairs she had on her plate. It also seemed that despite her bluster over how rude it was, Regina tried to discreetly follow suit by sneaking one herself. As if Veronica had already busted the seal on good manners so it wouldn’t hurt if she gave in too. Rachel understood it, but tried her damnedest to maintain, keep her willpower in check. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t really dealt that much with the copywriting department.” Camille admitted. “But I know it’s been kind of… rough there.”

“Rough?” Rachel asked.

“Well like, lots of turnover.” Camille started digging through Veronica’s kitchen drawers. Probably because every unit in the building had a similar kitchen set up, it only took her two before she found her wine key. “They’re running a skeleton crew in there these days so like… they’re kind of desperate.” She said, her eyes widening as she realized that might sound bad before Rachel even did. “Not to say you’re not…”

“Oh. No.” Rachel waved it off, assuring she took no offense. “I kind of… got that impression too. When Deidre walked me through.” Rachel looked to the side while Camille moved on to going through cabinets. “What’s causing that turnover though, exactly?” But a distracted Camille didn’t answer. Instead, she seemed to drop her mousiness, to make sure she was heard.

“Penny, Veronica’s a rude host. Where does she keep the wine glasses?” She playfully chided. Rachel reared back a little as a mechanical arm dropped in from above them.

“Allow me, Miss Camille.” Taking the wine key from the mousy young woman. Rachel was now a bit extra uneasy with the idea of the robot arm having something sharp & pokey at its disposal, & standing somewhat in its reach. She eased a step backward.

“Mmmm, Heeeeeeey-uh!!” Veronica finally reacted to being called out. As if she first had to swallow whatever was in her mouth first.

“Ooh. I am told this is an excellent vintage,” The machine purred to Camille. “It seems you spared no expense for this.” Even Penny seemed to be slighting Veronica in its own way. It didn’t try to defend her, or her actions. If anything, it looked to move the conversation forward without her. Ignoring her entirely. And that made Rachel both giggle, & feel kind of bad for her at the same time. Removing the cork with precision, the arm dropped it in Camille’s outstretched palm. She gave it a delicate sniff.

“Mmmmm.” She nodded, before offering it to Rachel. “No big deal really. Like I said, they’re family friends. It was something of a gift.” Rachel reluctantly leaned in to give it a whiff. She tried to see if she could pick out anything distinguishing. Anything that made it seem unique, that would maybe make her seem discerning. But it just smelled like red wine to her.

“Ooh.” She played along.

“See,” Camille smirked. “You know what’s up.”

The rest of the ladies came in waves shortly thereafter. Andrea & Deidre first. Deidre was in a hoodie & sweatpants, looking very mighty comfortable. Off the clock, Rachel was once again able to get one of her world class hugs, which even felt just the slightest bit pillowier than before. Andrea also had time to change, wearing a light zip up jacket & shorts that seemed to awkwardly confirm that yes, her legs were in fact that massive. She also brought a peach pie, almost in protest that there should be more than “simply eclairs.” Even if there were enough to feed an army. Despite her mild opposition in the group text, Deidre still made something of a b-line directly toward the table, loading a small plate up with three eclairs herself. She also brought a bottle of wine, but seemed floored by Camille’s selection, opting instead for a glass of that. Just out of familiarity, Rachel felt slightly more comfortable orbiting her & Camille, at first. Even though all they wanted to talk about were wines & vineyards, things she had no idea about & less to contribute. At the end of the day, she just knew it got her drunk & she would maybe need that to get through tonight.

Courtney & Holly finally came in together, seemingly straight off the shuttle. Rachel had heard the door hiss & looked to see the largest of the Ladies’ Night crew’s side scraping along both sides of Veronica’s corridor as she waddled inside. Not like she was wedged painfully, but enough to make something of a noticable, brushing sound along both walls. And granted, the corridors were a little claustrophobic by design, but for her hips to hit both was still something of a feat.

“Where are these eclairs at?!” She cried out joyfully undeterred. She seemed gleeful, as if she had been looking forward to them all day. The others let one of their synchronized shrill laughs before lilting into something of a greeting. Rachel had seemed to have built up something of a tolerance to these noises from last time. Maybe it was just harder to be upset by them, seeing as the women making them had gotten her a job & everything. She just tried to smirk along with, but she noticed something hit her. In trying to maintain some awareness of how already desperately hungry she felt, the urge suddenly went through the roof, spiking, as Courtney shuffled her way past. 

It was hard to call her pace a “rush,” but anyone standing in her way would’ve been a goner. She started reaching out a full step & a half away, doing childish grabby hands. When she finally  did make it within reach, she lifted the lid of the closest box & snatched one up.

“MMmmmMmmmm.” She moaned, bringing it immediately to her lips. She didn’t mind speaking with her mouth full. “Aw yis! That’s the stuff!” Rachel noticed Deidre & Regina both giggle before seeming to line up right behind her for more themselves. It was like her own ravenous appetite was infectious, creating something of a hunger singularity. But Rachel seemed to be the only one able to actually have any awareness of it. And it was becoming overwhelming. It would’ve been so easy to just give in. Hell, a large part of her wanted desperately to just get in line right behind them. She was just about to when suddenly Holly was standing right in front of her. Her tone was flat & deliberate. Almost as if she too had to will herself from rushing the table. But only because she had something important on her mind. Otherwise, she’d be running & trying to push her larger friend out the way.

“Keys? Card?” Her outreached hand was between her & Rachel, flexing its fingers for her things. She glistened with sweat & looked a little annoyed. Rachel, taken back, dug in her pockets. “Did you get them alright?”

“They… hassled me. About the short notice.” Still caught a bit off her guard, Rachel’s response was slow. She realized that with Holly standing so close, her hunger only mounted more. Almost as much as it had when Courtney arrived. It made her have a hard time finding the words. Putting them together in a sentence. She’d never felt hunger like this before in her life!

“Tsk, it’s THEIR job!” Holly bickered, accepting her belongings with a relieved grin. “Thanks! But now let’s go get some! Before they’re all gone. I’m DYING!” She cooed theatrically. 

Rachel, who had been doing everything in her power to nurse nothing more than a glass of wine so far, eased up to the table behind Holly. While she struggled to not push past them, her logical side figured it was probably better for her in the long run. Let them get first dibs. Pick over everything. Hell, maybe they’d all be gone & she wouldn’t have to worry about eating too much! No. There was far, far too much for that. 

She began to realize that the queue that had originally formed had kind of devolved into a free-for-all of women piling eclairs on plates on each side, wherever their wider frames would allow them to fit & reach in. Courtney dominated the proceedings, but Veronica who had never given up her seat at the far side of the table, seemed to not slouch either, reaching in to claim her own stack. It looked like two of the however many boxes were already kicked. At least. Maybe three. Holly wrestled her way in with urgency, filling up her own plate, while munching on one with filled, bulging cheeks. A dab of cream sat on her lips, looking very eclair-like in its own way. Rachel sighed. Just like she had feared, Ladies’ Night had once again seemingly degenerated into nothing more than a feeding frenzy.

“Why don’t we move this to the living room?” Deidre suggested while getting accidentally bumped by a greedily grabby Regina.

“Mmmm, Good idea,” the slightly mousier Camille agreed. From where she was standing, she was getting bullied by Veronica & Courtney.

“Everyone grab a box.” Andrea announced. “Or two.” Rachel wondered if that meant everyone pitch in or everyone each getting a box to themselves?! Despite her overwhelming hunger, she had done the quick math to realize that how it all broke down. There were more boxes ordered than people in attendance. And then there were at least a dozen pastries crammed into each box. She looked over to see Courtney noticing her reluctance. Almost as if she had a hard time processing it herself.

“Go on,” the big girl laughed, picking up a stack of three whole, unopened boxes to walk over to the living room. “They don’t BITE.” Her shuffling gait had a pronounced waddle. Was she really claiming three?!

With the party seemingly shifting towards the living room, Veronica looked a bit peeved she had to get up from her seat at the table.

“Wait for meee-eee!” she cried, leaving Rachel with a mess of scattered & mostly picked over boxes. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to focus. With the girls moving away from her, it was just a slight bit easier to think. And control herself.

“Two. Two eclairs are my limit.” She tried to tell herself under her breath. The way she saw it? Given their sheer size? The Old, pre-Bellflower her of just over a week ago probably would have struggled to manage three quarters of one. But now she struggled to will herself against the idea of going for that third one. She put them gently on her plate.

“What?” Holly laughed. She hadn’t sat down yet but seemed to be looking over at her. “That CAN’T BE all you’re having!” 

“It’s… all I can… handle.” Rachel tried to lie. But the girls let out something of a cackle.

“Boy I wish that’s all I could do…” Andrea sighed, almost forlorn. 

“Well just grab a box for everyone.” Holly insisted, pointing to a mostly full one near Rachel. “If they’re over here, less having to get up & down.”

“Oh, yeah.” Rachel tsked under her breath. “God forbid! Exercise a little.”

“I HEARD THAT!!” Holly stomped.

“Ahhh, sisters…” Deidre laughed, starting a brand new fresh eclair with a large, but still somehow dainty bite. Rachel sighed & picked up the box. She knew if they remained within her reach, she was going to be a goner. She walked them to the center of the coffee table, stacking them on top of an unopened box. Her strategy was hoping someone else dove in to binge on them, & take the decision making out of her hands. But at the last second? They just looked so, so good. She caved to pick up a third eclair for her plate, before scooting to a space of floor just a bit away from the table. It was next to Camille, who looked at her with a wide smile, while chewing.

“I wish I had your restraint,” Regina cooed, unabashedly pulling eclairs from a box situated on her lap.

“Yeah,” Deidre cooed. “But oh well.” She delivered it almost like a punchline before continuing her own pastry. Another cackle rose up. Rachel could only muster a wincing smile.

As Ladies’ Night officially got underway, they once again seemed to fall into the same patterns of conversation as last time. Mostly bits of office gossip. And while Rachel had somewhat of a frame of reference this time around, it was still a lot of stuff she didn’t know & couldn’t really contribute to. Instead, she tried to eat her three eclairs as slowly as she could, while trying to keep a tally going for each other girl. Granted it was a tall order & tough to follow. Cream, ganache, & crumbs were all flying so furiously, it was difficult to keep up. And heck, she only really started counting when she took a seat. There was no telling how many some of the girls had already downed prior. For instance, Holly, who she sort of prioritized, was onto at least her fifth. At least. And showed absolutely no signs of slowing down as she laughed & giggled & chomped & licked. In fact, if anything? She seemed to only just be warming up.

At a certain point, she looked down to see only one eclair left on her plate. She could’ve sworn she had only just finished the one. But two were gone. She must’ve lost track. Slipping for even just the slightest fraction of a second & she was already down one of her allotted pastries. That meant she only had the one left. The one to get her through the next few hours. She could feel herself breaking out in a sweat over it. She felt flushed. The vintage tour t-shirt she had found as a miraculous thrift store find months ago suddenly started to feel like a short sleeve sweater given how warm she was feeling trying to resist the powerful temptation.

She started to become desperate. So much so, she tried to alter the way she thought about things. She looked at Andrea’s bare legs. Thick & chunky. Disproportionate even. She started trying to imagine her own looking like that, if she were to give in. Or Veronica’s heaving, uncomfortable looking boobs. Or Regina’s just overall pudginess. When Holly had polished off her plate, she leaned in to grab from a nearby box, throwing her ass in the air behind her. Those giant orbs wiggling behind her? Rachel imagined it being her future!

It helped, but it didn’t stop the craving. A third of that third eclair was already gone, even if she had only noticed herself take that first bite. Just then, a loud moan pulled her attention in the midst of the other girls’ cackles over something. Of course! 

Rachel surveyed the big girl, trying to pick a spot on Courtney. The spots that jumped out immediately to her, given the way she took up most of Veronica’s couch? Were her pillowy upper arm. It had a thicker circumference than her own thigh, even after the week she’d spend pigging out here at the Bellflower. Hell, it might’ve been closer to her waist on the first day. Before the… muffintop had started to form. 

Every slight movement Courtney made, every little shift, every tiny motion? Her arm meat seemed to jiggle. But not only jiggle, almost… ripple. It was almost hypnotic. Watching her flab undulate with each bite she took. Bringing bite after bite up to her puffy cheeks. Still, at the same time, her lips were curled up into a smile. She just looked so happy to be engaging in the act of eating. Despite how little it seemed to actually satisfy her hunger. Despite what it was ultimately doing to her. She moved onto a fresh eclair & looked just as gleeful as her first bite. It made Rachel almost a bit… jealous.

“How about you, Rachel?” She heard Andrea suddenly try to include her into the conversation she hadn’t been paying the least bit of attention to.

“Uh…. huh?” She genuinely asked out of confusion, but they took it as something of an affirmative response.

“Here you go!” Camille picked the nearest box up off the table & plopped it squarely in Rachel’s lap. With only a few maybe skimmed off the top, it seemed mostly full. Wait, had she unwittingly agreed to more?! “You should really get them while you can.” the mousy girl subtly gestured towards Courtney’s direction.

“Or else!” Courtney laughed, halfway threatening. The others followed suit, as if her laughing was permission for all of them to laugh a little. At least everyone was laughing but Holly. She only had time for a small, little smirk over her bulging cheeks. She was far too busy eating. As Rachel absentmindedly loaded another three eclairs onto her plate with one handful, she realized she had lost track. While staring at Courtney, futilely trying to use her bulk as some sort of incentive not to give in, she was no longer sure of exactly how many her sister had put away. Hell, Courtney was stopping to crack jokes. Holly may have outpaced even her. When Rachel tried to push the box back towards the coffeetable, Regina insisted.

“No, you can have that one. It’s only fair!”

“I really…” Rachel tried to protest. She looked down at her loaded plate. Had she taken two handfuls? There were suddenly five on it. She desperately needed to get the box away from her. Unfortunately, that’s when Camille laid her hand on it & gave her head a shake. It was SUPPOSED to be a showing of generosity. But Rachel, doing everything in her power to resist, didn’t quite see it that same way.

“Thanks…” she hissed, flashing a shallow, lackluster grin. 

“No, of course!” Courtney said, speaking past a very full mouth before swallowing. “Mmmmm, you’re part of the gang now!”

“Even if HR is the superior department.” Andrea joked, causing another wave of cackles to go through the room. Rachel caved, picking up her fourth eclair from her loaded plate. She stared at it for a second.

“Who’s even still LEFT in copywriting?” Veronica finally blurted after the cackles subsided.

“That’s… that’s a little…” Deidre almost seemed to protest.

“Mmmm,” Holly cleared her mouth. “I didn’t see Nadya all this week.” Rachel kind of felt compelled to press a little further. She had kept hearing of this Nadya but hadn’t had the pleasure.

“Dawn said she’s been working from home mostly.” Deidre nodded. And strangely, something about the way she said that was interpreted almost a bit like code. And suddenly, they seemed to sober up a bit. Courtney seemed to almost gulp. Deidre turned to Rachel. “Yeah. Things are a bit… It’s a bit of a ghost town over there. Say, you don’t happen to know any other writers looking for work, do you?” Rachel was happy to be distracted with conversation. It seemed to help take her mind off trying to NOT eat, even if only for a second.

“Mmmmm,” she said, dropping her eclair back on her plate after her first bite. “A few.” She admitted. “But honestly? Given the… Hailington… thing…?”
“Mhmm.” Deidre nodded. She got it. And seemingly the subtext that Rachel maybe didn’t want to go around telling that same crowd where she was going to be working these days. But Regina & Veronica seemed a bit lost.

“What’s THAT supposed to mean…?” The hostess shrilled. She sounded as if she was starting at about an 8 already.

“Not everyone’s big on… big business.” Deidre pressed past diplomatically, willing to leave it at that. “I get that.” She took a sip of wine. “Mmm, but I could make it worth their while if there’s anyone you ever think might.” She tried to smile. And Rachel nodded warmly. That kind of money could’ve been life-changing to some of her friends. But then, that meant coming to Oakmont. And being near the Bellflower. And she couldn’t justify… Wait. Had she already finished that fourth eclair? Fuck!

“You know what she’s going to be writing first?” Camille seemed to ask Deidre.

“Mmmm, probably Marulla, since they’re a little behind the eightball with that whole transition.”

“Marulla?!” Courtney fawned in unison with both Regina & Andrea. “I love their stuff!” The bigger girl continued. “Hey, speaking of which, do we get discounts now? I saw THE cutest top from them!” While Deidre & Courtney engaged in something of a sidebar, Regina turned to Rachel. “That sounds like sooo much fun. Do you get to try them on?” She asked unironically. But seeing as Marulla was a higher-end plus-sized fashion line, & Rachel wasn’t in the same league as the rest of their “gang.”

“Um…” She winced, lifting her elbows up & looking at herself.

“After a few more eclairs,” Camille giggled, plopping another one on Rachel’s plate without her asking.

“Wha…?” Rachel protested. She was serious, but they took the idea of forcing fattening food onto her as something of a joke.

“Yeah,” giggled Regina with her typical, slightly spacy rasp to her voice. “Eat up!”

As things rolled on, Rachel had definitely lost track of everyone’s eclair tally for the evening. She was even a little skeptical of her own. There had been the three she had originally loaded on her plate. Than the five she didn’t realize she piled on when she got passed the box. Plus the extra one Camille pushed on her. And that nine was now gone. But nowhere near forgotten, as the cream seemed to sit heavily in her tummy. But then again, there was that whole box with a few more sitting right next to her for most of the night. She swore she saw Camille dip into it once or twice,  but for all she knew, she may have even pinched one or two off the top without even realizing! She had no way of telling & found it hard to even trust herself! What she did know was that she was stuffed. She leaned back on her palms, her bulge of a belly jutting uncomfortably underneath her band shirt. And yet, she was no less hungry than when Holly first walked in. It was so odd to her. To feel both completely past capacity & yet still desperate to consume more at the same time. 

Almost as unwittingly as some of the bites she took this evening, Rachel gave her tight belly a tender rub. The only bit of solace she could even begin to take was that it seemed downright modest compared to some of the other girls’ as she looked around the living room. It was strange, she knew most of them had gone through at least a dozen themselves. But given how she was just barely able to hang on, she had no idea how they weren’t dead to the world. Let alone still able to laugh & carry on. And cackle. But then again, “Team Eclair” was taking it to a complete other level, still going strong. 

It was almost as if there was some kind of unspoken competition that had developed between the two, to see who could down the most eclairs first. And wildly, Holly seemed to be edging Courtney out in terms of the lead. In fact, this week, she seemed to be the one barely contributing to the conversation. She seemed way more interested in just stuffing her face. So much so that the swath she & Courtney cut through the massive, ridiculous order of all eclairs was taking its toll. It started looking like they might actually… run out.

Andrea had helped slightly, having moved onto offering up her peach pie instead, with Deidre & Veronica both taking her up on the offer. In fact, it was a struggle for Rachel to turn it down. 

“NO!” She suddenly heard Veronica snap. “Do NOT open that in here!” The shrill woman’s voice had kicked to another level, getting a lot more stern & mean. There was no questioning how genuine her emotion was.

“It’s fine!” Camille said, nonplussed. She was making her move for her stinky cheese.

“No it’s not.” Andrea took Veronica’s side.

“Not in here!” Regina called out from next to Rachel, making sure to be heard.

“Yeah,” Deidre concurred. Still, she tried to remain diplomatic. “If you’re going to do that, how about the balcony?”

“Are you… literally kicking me out right now?” Camille scoffed. Seeing the reaction she was getting, she seemed to almost be relish a little. And pantomimed popping the lid as a joke. “Uh-oh.” The other girls immediately flinched before catching themselves & realizing it was a ploy. They giggled. But not Veronica.

“OUT!” She pointed. To the balcony.

“Ech,” Camille scowled. “Fine.” She started marching from the kitchen towards the balcony. “Rachel, want to come?” She was still sitting in the living room, less to observe the weird power struggle going on between Holly & Courtney as they raced to finish the last pastries, & more because she could hardly move in her current state. 

“I’m… I think I’m good.” Rachel winced.

“Good answer.” Courtney giggled under her breath before turtling her neck into her shoulders a little with a pleasant smile before taking another big bite. A bit miffed, Camille took her cheese & crackers & sat outside on the patio chair, mugging back into the room.

“Neanderthals.” She called out, taking her first scoop. Deidre laughed & simply gave her a thumbs up.

“Unnnnngh!!” Holly finally groaned, loudly. With the number of remaining eclairs dwindling, it was almost like her trance was fading. She took a deep breath & a sip of wine before asserting. “These eclairs! Such a good idea!”

“Mmmm,” Courtney chewed in agreement.

“If you say so.” Andrea chimed in from the kitchen, waiting for a Penny arm to slice up servings of her pie.

“Thanks for picking it all up for me, Rach.” Holly wobbled. She lifted her glass a little shakily. Rachel was starting to recognize that look. While the eclairs seemed like much more of a concern, she probably should’ve been watching Holly’s wine intake too.

“Don’t mention it.” Rachel sighed, already resigning herself to dragging her bloated sister back to their unit later. 

Suddenly, Rachel’s phone made a noise. She had received a text. It was… Deidre...? Rachel looked up to catch the woman carrying her phone back over in one hand, & in the other? A plate with a generous helping of peach pie steeped on top of it. She caught her eyes, before going back down to read the body of the text.

“Holly OK?” Was the simple message. Rachel glanced back up to her. But Deidre did some rapid fire pantomime actions herself, all from the neck up. First, her eyes darted to Holly, before back to Rachel, nodding down at her phone & then off to the side away from the other ladies & giving a head shake, before giving another nod to her phone. Rachel interpreted it as her also being concerned about how much Holly was eating, but wanted Rachel to keep it on the down-low. As Veronica & Andrea rejoined the group, emitted another cackling wave together, Deidre seamlessly tried to blend in without skipping a beat. Rachel peered to make sure the coast was clear before mashing her thumbs to put together some sort of reply.

“You see it too?” She started before a line break. “She’s been weird. Eating A LOT.” It stood out to Rachel. That Deidre, an unwitting pawn herself, could even notice Holly’s strange shift in behavior.

“Keep an eye on her. Talk soon.” Was the response she eventually got back. In the middle of the cackles & laughter, she shot Deidre a look & the two nodded.

Eventually, Camille finished her stinky cheese rather quickly. Or at least the crackers to dip at the cheese. She sealed the container & begged to be let in from the balcony, having to assure them no odor was escaping. Still, upon opening the door, the air outside seemed slightly fouled by it. Rachel, who was already on the verge, was almost made a little queasy by it.

“After I brought you my best wine?” Camille scorned the group disdainfully. 

“It smells THAT bad though,” Regina asserted, causing a resounding cackle of agreement among the others. The ladies all laughed, except Holly, who seemed to be sucking every last bit of cream & ganache off her grubby fingers. She must’ve gotten the last of the eclairs because Courtney was looking a little sad.

“So Rachel!” Veronica purred. Rachel tried not to shutter. “What do you think of Oakmont?!”

“You mean… the area?” Rachel clarified. She got a devious twinkle in her eye. Holly saw it, knew it well. And she winced.

“Mmmmmhmmmmm.” Veronica seemed to nod with a prolonged sound. It almost seemed like she could tell Rachel had some unpopular opinions about the place & was maybe looking to start some drama. And for her part, Rachel, painfully full, but feeling slightly safe now that the pastries were gone, felt it was okay to maybe give into a slight bit of hangriness. She took a big sip of wine.

“Oh I hate it.” She smirked flatly. Holly immediately exhaled a frustrated noise, but Camille, Deidre, & even Courtney seemed to chortle to themselves. Almost as if they could tell.

“Whaaa?” Veronica probed. As if that was an impossible position to even hold. “What’s not to love?! It’s so beautiful here!”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Rachel confidently retorted. “I mean I know you guys seem to like it & no slight on anyone or their tastes.” The others seemed to nod & hang on her every word. Even if only for the novelty of it. She turned to Veronica. “But since you asked? To me? It’s basically just a glorified office park.”

“Hah!” Camille giggled. Courtney nodded.

“She’s not wrong.” Andrea smirked. Rachel smiled, given the law of averages, she assumed Andrea would play devil’s advocate enough that statistically, she would just have to come out on her side at least once or twice. But even she wasn’t expecting this much agreement out of them.

“But the stores…!” Veronica winced. “You don’t see stores like that everywhere! Top End!”

“The “arcade?” Rachel asked, wiggling her index & middle finger on each hand to put up air quotes. “Places MOST regular people can’t afford to shop?”

“She’s... like this…” Holly winced, halfway embarrassed. Between all the wine & all the eclairs, she started to seem a little beleaguered now herself. And helpless to get in the way of Rachel this time to prevent her from being Rachel. She could do was just pray she didn’t embarrass her TOO much.

“And besides,” Rachel continued. “There’s more to life than just… shopping.”

“Oh, hey now!” Regina winced. Though it seemed more of a very basic joke. 

“I don’t believe you! How can you move somewhere as nice as this &... &... just… poop all over it?” Veronica huffed. While she might’ve genuinely liked living here, it was kind of clear she was pivoting to be its proponent. And trying to play the heel seemed to make the others only take Rachel’s side more. Or at the very least get where she was coming from.

“I miss trees.” Deidre nodded. Everything’s glass or steel. Or concrete. And the only things taller than people are street lights & stoplights. It’s kind of… sad.”

“Yeah,” Andrea agreed.

“But we can like… call somebody & get whatever type of food we want right now!”

“Mmmmmmmmmm” Holly moaned.

“What about a pizza?” Courtney seemed serious. Rachel winced a little, not liking where this was going.

“I mean that’s… that’s no different from where I used to live. In the city.” Rachel contended. “Tons of options. Most delivered, & you could get it delivered by a service if you were desperate.” She tried to subtly change the topic though. “But then again too, we would usually leave the house. Nothing wrong with going on a walk to go pick something up. Get some… exercise.” She said it reluctantly, almost as if it was a four-letter word. 

“Ok, that’s a bridge too far.” Camille laughed. 

“I do kind of miss walking places.” Regina sighed wistfully. 

“Y’all are nuts.” Veronica sneared, but then she seemed to have something of an epiphany. “What about the Bellflower?! And Penny? If you didn’t live here, you wouldn’t have your own Penny at your beckon call.” Holly seemed to perk up slightly.

“Oh…” Rachel fumbled. Her confidence was suddenly zapped. “Yeah. Um. Penny & I…?”

“She hates my Penny!” Holly interjected.

“What?!” The room seemed to collectively gasp. They all seemed to have their own little opinion & took turns winging them at her.

“How?!” Deidre winced.

“I get not liking the area, but Penny?!” Andrea scoffed.

“Each one’s so sweet though!” Regina cooed. 

“It’s great to boss her around. I never feel bad about it.” Camille shrugged.

“Do you hate MY Penny…?” Veronica asked. After Rachel had finally gotten used to the idea of there only being the one, the premise that each units was separate took some getting used to again.

“I… I just... have a hard time… trusting machines I guess.” Rachel slowly shrugged.

“Did you need something, Miss Veronica?” Penny finally chimed in.

“No, dear.” The blonde girl chuckled deviously. “We’re just trying to figure out why the new girl hates you, s’all.”

“Oh, Miss Rachel!” Penny seemed taken back. “Did I do something to upset you?” Rachel clenched her teeth.

“No, Penny.” She drenched its name in so much disdain. And she no longer felt the slightest bit bad for all the shit she had talked about Veronica. Hell, her fat ass could balloon up to the size of two Courtneys for all she cared.

“She’s so sweet though!” Regina added.

“Do you hate all technology?” Deidre seemed to act. “I mean, you’re going to be okay with like a laptop on Monday, right?” She seemed to be joking, but Rachel winced. 

“I just… Laptops are fine. I just don’t trust AI. And I think…”

“... what…?” Camille pressed.

“No. Nothing.” Rachel got the cold shoulder.

“No. Tell us!” Courtney pried, before seemingly trying to start something of a chant. “Tell us. Tell us!” Regina & Camille joined in. Followed by Veronica. Deidre & Andrea seemed about to.

“I think you guys should be careful trusting it so much, okay?!” She finally let fly. The room grewa little quiet.

“Why?” Regina finally broke the silence. “My Penny’s so good to me! All of us!”

“That’s…” Rachel sighed. “Look, can we just…”

“See what I have to deal with?!” Holly interjected with a sigh. Veronica laughed along with. With a cackle. And just like that, Rachel’s social anxiety started to creep back in.

“Speaking of getting delivery…” Courtney started.

“Oh no…” Andrea winced. Rachel didn’t like where this was headed either.

“G’nyyyy-it.” Holly finally chirped along in her sing-song way some hours later. Rachel had to help usher her out. Past the gaudy wreath. Despite so much to eat, the party only really started to dwindle the more the alcohol seemed to flow. Camille’s bottle of the expensive stuff was long gone, & Deidre’s long kicked. Still, Rachel, who already almost felt sick from all the pastries, hardly even had much of a buzz herself. “Dat wuz sher’fun.” Holly staggered. With her low tolerance, she was definitely drunk, but her instability seemed to do more with her not being entirely used to her center of gravity than the sauce. It had more to do with the fact that her belly was protruding far out in front of her. Just another night she ended this week with some measure of a food baby. Rachel started to wonder if she would even start to get the stretchmarks to show for it. “D’dyewhaf’fun?”

“Oh. A blast.” Rachel winced. Guiding her to the elevator was a bit of a feat. Luckily it was more just pointing her in the right direction. As stuffed as she was herself, Rachel wasn’t sure she could carry herself AND her much heavier sister back to her place.

“They all… -hic- … love yew.” Holly insisted. “Do’yew even… no?”

“They’re… nice.” a beleaguered Rachel tried to assure. “But let’s get you in for the night.”

“Aww,” Penny cooed. “Did our girl have a little too much to drink again?”

“And eat.” Rachel’s tone was accusatory, but she thought better of pushing the issue, thinking the machine might actually just take pride in its own handiwork. Or her contempt in the situation. 

“Sleeee-peee.” Holly moaned.

“Then you should get her right to bed.” The AI instructed. Rachel wanted to snap something to the effect of “Oh, so she turns all those calories directly into fat?! You don’t want to whip her up some five course dinner right now on top of all this like usual?” But she practiced restraint. She didn’t want to interact with Penny any more than she had to. She just stayed mum, as she helped Holly navigate through the tight corridor & towards the threshold to her bedroom.

“Okay, easy does it.” Rachel instructed, pivoting a little to let Holly fall backwards onto her own bed. For as tired as she was, she seemed to give something of a playful skip on the way down, causing the bed to creak that much more in protest under her burgeoning mass.

“Mmmmmhmmmm than-hic-kuh’yew.” she purred, half scooting a bit less diagonally across it. It seemed like she was in the middle of fading very fast. But in this position, Rachel was astonished to see just how much of her sister’s belly poked upward. It looked like a round hillcrest. But it was all… her. Uncomfortably swollen. To the point of almost seeming painful, given the discomfort of the modest pooch she herself was sporting. But maybe the wine was dulling it for her? How could she keep letting this happen to herself? What did she think was going to happen, eating like this? A compulsion came over Rachel. Slowly, gingerly, she reached out. She… had to touch it.

“Wha’daya…?” Holly winced sharply, her head lifting up off the pillow. It might’ve been the last of her bit of energy though, as it immediately fell back. Rachel’s very delicate contact, became more of a poke. At least before stretching her palm across it. It felt like she was trying to palm a soccer ball.

“Jesus, Hol.” She said with disgust under her breath. She tamped her hand a little harder, feeling just how tight, & full of food it was. For her part, Holly let  out a few soft coos & groans to go along with the prods. Rachel knew that soon, all of that would transfer to other parts of her, probably her hips, thighs & ass most likely, widening her already substantial frame more. If she kept going at this rate? Wait! Her phone! “I’m taking your phone!” Rachel informed, before patting down her pockets. No luck. But there it was, sitting in the first pocket of her purse. “It’ll be in the fridge again.”

“While she has nothing pressing tomorrow, I do not understand your motivation for putting her phone in the refri…”

“These things are bad for ya.” Rachel waved, mugging meanly towards the ceiling, even if there wasn’t an obvious camera. Fortunately it was enough to make Penny shut up. 

Holding it? Rachel didn’t feel any less full suddenly. But strangely, she did feel able to keep going. Like she could do a whole other box of eclairs herself. Quickly, she popped Holly’s shoes off, undid some of the tighter looking buttons, & pulled a sheet over her, taco-style before making a stealthy exit. She marched over to the fridge, opened the heavy door, chucked the phone behind an electrolyte-laden sports drink in the back & slammed the door before retiring to the couch herself for the evening. She could finally nurse her own painfully full belly, even if it was nowhere in the league of her sister’s.

While she had a higher threshold, her own wine intake made it so she wasn’t awake for very long herself. That’s when the mechanical arms went to work, relaying the phone back out of the fridge & back into Holly’s bedroom onto her night stand.