As she waddled closer, Piper's spirits lifted ever so slightly from the familiar sight of her friends. As much as she would have preferred to stay in today, it did feel nice to be in good company.
"Yo, Piper!" Sam sauntered over, one hand raised in a wave and ready for a high-five. "Glad you came!"
"Glad I did," Piper laughed weakly, still winded from the trip. She met Sam's raised palm with her own, the action causing her arm to quiver and a sea of ripples to travel past her limb and to all over her body.
"What up, P?" Jay drawled, raising a casual fist.
"Hey Jay," Piper returned the fist-bump.
So that was Sam and Jay. That only left...
"Piper!" Madi cheered, her footsteps making the old wooden planks creak alarmingly as she all but jiggled over, her giant belly hitting Piper's globular paunch first before she threw her arms around the other girl in as much an embrace as she could manage. "Good to see you!"
"Y-You too..." Piper said, returning the embrace as best as she could.
The pier floor groaned beneath them, and for a second Piper was sure it was going to collapse right under them.
Why shouldn't it? Both Madi and her were the resident fatties of the group, both weighing in the same range, with Piper still the heavier one of the two.
It hadn't always been like this. Granted, Madi had always been on the chubby side, even back when Piper was still thin. Then she began to frequent D's Donuts & Malts, where Madi worked. The two quickly struck up a tight friendship, bound by a mutual love of the high-calorie sweets, and the fact they found the time to emotionally support one another. Piper would order an entire box of donuts when feeling down or just very hungry, and Madi was happy to be her "big eater bestie". Madi would need a friend when distraught from either a relationship fallout with an ex-boyfriend, or work being particularly stressful, and Piper was ever a loyal, present friend.
And they just liked to eat out a lot, their combined appetites making most of their hangout plans one of the many eateries around town. It was no wonder they'd both gotten so big. Yet Piper couldn't help but feel responsible for Madi's ballooning waistline. She used to be just chubby, plump even.
Now Madi's belly had grown from a noticeable, yet cute with its tininess, pot to a multi-rolled gut that was pushing mightily against her sweatshirt and hanging out of her sweatpants, leaving a big pale slab of blubber exposed. Her arms and legs looked like they had been inflated with lard, completely puffy and saggy with fat fingers and toes on chubby hands and feet. Her thighs were quite big, her behind looking to be about the second biggest part of her, everything else, chest included, paling in the face of her dominating belly. Even her face, once simply round, was now coated with fat cheeks and extra chins, her neck nearly covered by that layer of facial flab.
Even now, Piper wasn't sure what to feel. It was a bit comforting not being the only landwhale in the group, a truth that left her feeling guilty. She felt even more guilty Madi may have gotten this fat because of her. She would never want to wish the discomfort of enormity on anyone. The struggle of just getting up and stay standing under her own power, the exhaustion from even the simplest walks, the need to find bigger clothes after outgrowing them, the seemingly endless hunger...
"Uh, Pipes?" Madi said, fat face creasing in concern. "Are you...okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, just...spaced out. Tired, is all."
Madi smiled sympathetically, giving Piper's meaty shoulder a tender pat.
"Right, we're here, so let's get this party started!" Sam announced, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention.
"What about Max?" Jay asked.
"What about her?" Sam rolled her eyes. "Not our fault she can't manage time. So, what are our options?"
"Carnival just opened up," Jay held out an arm to indicate the other side of the pier.
"Sounds great, but..." Madi made a face and brought her hands down to rest on her belly. "I don't really want to walk around much. It's too hot out, today..."
"Well, what would you suggest, then?" Jay asked, reaching into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes.
"How about we go for a bite? Y'know, sit down, air-conditioned building, eat and talk..." she shot a meaningful look at the bassist, whom didn't notice at all, much to her disappointment. "Like Nitoli's. Anyone up for pizza?" she finished dully.
Sam merely rolled her eyes and turned to Piper. "What do you say, P?"
Piper blinked, thinking over the options, and deciding to add her own. "Uhh...movie at your theater?"
"Ooh! Movie!" Madi squealed, jiggling where she stood as she clapped her hands together. "I'm down for that!"
"Eh, I've seen the listings, and they're all crap," Jay retorted, lighting his cancer stick after a few flicks of the lighter.
"Judging by what the reviewers say instead of seeing it for yourself?" Sam snarked.
"Hey, excuse me for wanting to save us from wasting time and money," Jay shrugged.
"Yeah, well, we can still have a good time laughing at a bad movie," Piper offered, shifting slightly on her feet. They were getting sore, and no matter what they agreed on, she just wanted a place to sit. Madi did, too, judging by the look on her face and how she was similarly subtly shifting her feet ever so slightly.
"Your call, girl," Sam smiled, reaching over and patting Piper on her fluffy backside. "What do you want us to do?"
Piper took a moment to think it over, finally deciding on...
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