Chapter 4 - mac's

4.
Cathy and Michael had put on some pounds too, of course. Emily noted the beginnings of a double chin from Jessie's boyfriend, and was more than a little surprised at how much Cathy had grown. Out of everyone, it seemed she was the biggest. She leaned over to give Emily a hug when she got in the car. When she sat back, Emily could see a small pot belly resting over her plumped up thighs. Cathy grinned at her and told her how excited she was to hang out with Emily over break. Emily smiled back. Maybe she had Cathy wrong; she was pretty nice once you got to know her.

The friends went to a local American restaurant for dinner: Mac's. Emily had been there once before, but that was before she left for college. The first thing she noticed was how much bigger the wait staff was. When a massive hamburger and whole plate of fries was set in front of her, she realized why. These portion sizes were massive compared to what they'd been a few months ago! Throughout the dinner, Emily struggled to keep up with her ravenous friends. Cathy was having no issue with the burger of her own, and though Jessie and Michael had shared a bowl of nachos when Emily was there last, they were now easily devouring plates of their own. Halfway through her burger, Emily decided to give in. She leaned back in the booth and sighed. Jessie looked up, her mouth full of cheese and corn chips. "Not hungry?" She asked.
"No," Emily said. "Just taking a break." Jessie had promised to pay for Emily's meal and she didn't want to see inconsiderate.
Jessie ate another chip. "Well, let me know if you want some help with it!" She turned back to her massive pile of nachos and kept gorging herself.
"I might have to take her up on that," Emily thought. Then, her stomach gurgled. She was still a little bit hungry. "Maybe I could get a few more bites down."
A few minutes later, the burger was gone and the Emily was finishing off the fries. She looked down and her eyes widened. "Did I really eat all that?"
"Deserts!" Cathy exclaimed. Michael and Jessie cheered in response. Emily had no idea how any of them still had room for food.

The hefty waitress came back over and took orders for the table. Emily managed to convince Cathy to split a piece of chocolate crème pie with her, instead of having to order her own. She would just let Cathy have most of it anyway. However, the waitress came back with two slices. "There must have been a mix up," Emily started.
The waitress laughed. "You looked hungry!
"There's no way I can eat that, I'm stuffed."
"Hey, it's on the house. Besides, there's nothing wrong with putting a little meat on your bones," the waitress said, patting her jiggling stomach.
Emily sighed, and took a bite. She didn't want to waste food and she was still a bit peckish. Her first bite was heavenly. She took another and another and soon devoured the whole slice of pie. Emily's face lit up red with embarrassment, but she saw that all her friends had eaten their deserts with just as much gusto. Cathy caught her blushing and winked. Emily blushed even harder.

After dinner, everyone went to Jessie's house to hang out and play board games for a bit. Emily got home at around 12. She was about to go upstairs and sleep, when she decided to get a midnight snack. Despite the giant dinner and the snacks at Jessie's, she was still a little hungry. It was weird, but she didn't think much of it. It had been a long day and her appetite was just a little larger because of that. She scooped herself a bowl of ice cream and sat down at the kitchen table with it. Emily's mom came in, grabbed a candy bar out of the pantry, and sat opposite.
"Did you have a fun time tonight, sweetie?"
Emily smiled. "Yeah. We went to Mac's."
Her mother clasped her hands together. "Oh, your father and I just love that place!"
"It was great. I got a burger and some pie. It was a good time."
"Burger, pie, and now some ice cream? And I'm sure you had some snacks over at Jessie's."
"Mom, c'mon, it's just a cheat day."
Emily's mom smiled. "Sure. Just a cheat day." She stood up, revealing her the potbelly that was pushing the fabric of her nightgown. "That's what I said at first too. You should be careful you don't end up with a 'mom bod' like me." She stroked the top of her belly and patted the side for emphasis before going back upstairs. Emily could see it wobble a bit. She looked down at her own, which was beginning to poke out a bit. It was only taut with food, but her mother was right. If she kept up, this would become a permanent addition. She took another bite of her ice cream.
"I'll have to start a diet," she thought, taking another spoonful of ice cream. "Tomorrow."