Chapter 2 - Taste of Freedom

“Ughhh!” screamed Hadley from the bathroom. The door clicked, and Hadley’s willowy body appeared around the corner in a bright blue bra and underwear that didn’t match.

“Why is this so hard?! What are you wearing?” Hadley’s typically fair skin was bright red in frustration. The cool, confident girl Ava had been in awe of earlier was showing her true colors- quite literally she joked to herself.

“This.” Ave casually gestured to the clothes she had been wearing. She was now playing the calm and confident role Hadley had hogged all afternoon. Truthfully, Ava preferred more of a relaxed look. She liked dressing up from time to time, but a tight-fitted tank and cut-off shorts seemed perfect for a party. Besides, it made her tits look great and that’s all that mattered in her mind.

Hadley eventually settled on a black miniskirt and a very cropped white t-shirt that you could just see her bright bra through. Ava assumed this choice was intentional.

“Ooo finally got the text from David! ‘Party’s at 8:30 but me and my friends aren’t getting there until 9. Need us to pick you up?’ It’d be nice if he drove cause then we don’t have to worry about how much we are drinking. Plus, I sorta wanna meet his friends. Don’t you, Ava?” She peaked around the corner trying to get a rise out of her new roommate.

“Yeah, sure, sounds good.” Ava suddenly felt all the confidence drain from her. She hadn’t been to a true college party and was not sure what to expect. Plus, she wanted to impress the cute senior boy and his friends. She barely said two words at lunch and somehow David seemed interested in her. What if she says something dumb tonight?

***

“If you dont mind we would love that! 😊”

“You got it. Text ya when im otw,” David replied to Hadley’s text. He was at the gym with some of his friends and eager for tonight’s party. Davis thrived in party settings. He was not necessarily outgoing, but he was somewhat attractive and smart, so people liked being around him. It was also important to him to keep his social circle wide in college. He wanted to be known and liked so that when he looked for a job he would have no trouble getting glowing recommendations. Still, David often felt a bit lonely. His wide social circle was also a bit shallow, and he struggled to feel close to any of his many friends. Meeting new people is an opportunity to find someone he truly connects with.

“So are we picking up those chicks you mentioned earlier,” called out a voice across the gym. David rolled his eyes and walked over to a brunette of a similar build to his. Jace was David’s closest friend who probably knew him better than anyone on campus. He was somehow the smartest and dumbest guy David knew.

“Yeah. Told Hadley we would all be there about 9. They’re in the freshman dorm.” David said trying to sound casual. He didn’t want Jace to make him out to be some creep trying to pick up freshman girls.

“Nice! Can always count on you to bring some hot chicks to the party, right?” He teased David.

“Yeah, ok,” David ignored him. He had to admit he was being a bit of a creep. He kept thinking back to seeing Hadley eat so much fattening food so casually without the sense of shame most girls would have. Then there was Ava. He could tell she loved food. More than Hadley, even. The ecstasy that washed over her when she took a bite of that cake and how ravenous she became after… He wanted to see what she could do when she didn’t hold back.

David knew his thoughts weren’t normal, but he didn’t care because everyone’s weird in their own way. Even so, he didn’t dare tell a soul of his preferences. David had only been with two girls in his time in college. Both were drop-dead gorgeous and athletic. The type everyone expected David to be with. The first girl he was with didn’t have the appetite David preferred, and he struggled to enjoy their sex life as much as he did his fantasies. He ended it after some months and decided to go for a girl a bit more within his preferences. She did gain a bit of weight with David’s encouragement and for a while it was good. It was a noticeable gain but not enough to even consider her overweight. Eventually, she became insecure which made the relationship difficult for them both.

David had not seen anyone so unashamed like Hadley which he thought would be fun to encourage. He knew befriending the two was a good choice as long as he didn’t make anything weird.

David looked at the clock hung on the other side of the gym before turning to Jace, “I guess I am gonna head out and get ready. I’ll meet up with you at Matt’s?”

“Sounds good to me.”

***

“They’re here!!!” Hadley squealed. “Do I look good? I mean I know I do, but, like, do I?”

Ava giggled, “Yes of course. What about me?” Ava hadn’t gotten off the couch since her nap while Hadley had been hard at work straightening her already pin-straight hair and freshening up her ‘no-makeup’ makeup look. After a few moments of reassurance and bubbly compliments back and forth, the two stepped out of the dorm and made their way to the parking lot where they found David standing outside an old Honda Pilot.

“Hello again, Short and Tall. This is my buddy Matt’s car. He’s a senior business major who is on the soccer team with me. Jace is in the back with his girl Sam and her friend Maya. It’s a little cramped but you two can hop to the third row.”

Ava and Hadley followed orders and squeezed into the SUV. The party wasn’t far, so they only had to endure a few minutes of awkward introductions and chit-chat. Hadley immediately seemed comfortable making jokes while Ava mostly stayed quiet.

Once they got to the party Ava and Hadley were both overwhelmed by the number of people and noise pouring out of the house.

“This is a buddy of mine's place, so don’t be nervous. He won’t let anything get out of hand,” David said leaning down to Ava. She felt herself tense with his face so close to hers. She turned her head towards him, almost able to see her reflection in his brown eyes. He smiled at her, “Wanna get a drink?”

David took the two freshmen up to the kitchen where the hosts had made a makeshift bar with questionable cocktails. Soon enough two tall drinks appeared in front of them.

“This is disgusting,” Ava coughed out after her first sip. Hadley shared the sentiment but they each continued to sip on the strong drinks. After a few, they were feeling confident and bubbly. Dancing to the music and giggling over small things.

Time passed and Ava began thinking about David. Hadley had inspired her to make college what she wanted it to be, so she threw back the rest of her drink and pretended to go look for a bathroom. She eventually found David with a plastic cup in his hand chatting with Maya outside.

“Hey, Shorty, having a good time?” David said casually. Ava felt her body tense and then relax. The alcohol in her system helped her keep her cool.

“Do you call me Shorty 'cause you’re trying to play off the fact you forgot my name?” She teased.

He grinned as he leaned down so that her green eyes met his yet again, “Do you really think so little of me, Ava?” She felt her heart in her throat suddenly.

“I don’t think anything of you. I don’t know you, really,” she quipped back. They paused for a moment until she broke the tension between them. “What do you do at these parties anyway? Just stand outside and talk?”

Maya cleared her throat, “Eh, yeah. This is a pretty casual kinda party. A bit of dancing, beer pong, more like a taste of a college party. We are going out to something a bit bigger tomorrow. You are welcome to come of course.”

“Yeah sounds like fun. I am sure Hadley will want to come, “ Ava responded suddenly remembering her new roommate she abandoned. “Speaking of, I probably need to find her.”

“I think she has almost found you,” David pointed to the door where Hadley was standing. She eventually spotted the group and ran over.

“Rude! Leaving me to talk to a boy,” Hadley said drunkenly causing Ava to become red and David to grow smug. “Anyway, I am starved. Please tell me I am not the only one with munchies.”

“I could definitely eat,” David responded with a bit too quickly. The group all made their way to the SUV and headed to a late-night spot Jace liked. David felt himself getting excited at the idea of seeing Hadley drunkenly put away a ridiculous amount of junk food.

Eventually, they found a table large enough for the group and began spying the menu. David wasn’t the least bit hungry, but he knew he wanted to order big so that others would follow. Hadley proudly proclaimed she was going to order bacon cheese fries but no one could share (except her roommate of course) and a large shake. David noticed how quiet Ava was being.

“What are you getting, Ava? You must be starving.” Ava didn’t want to respond to David’s question. The alcohol made Ava feel hungrier than she was, and everything on the menu looked incredible. She knew she had too many sweets today, and normally would just get something small or nothing at all.

“I am, but I don’t know what to get.” That was the perfect answer to David.

“You should get the breakfast platter. It is the perfect thing to get when you’re hungry. I think that’s what I am going to get.” The breakfast platter was huge, it came with a chocolate chip waffle, a mound of hashbrowns, a biscuit, three scrambled eggs, and nearly a half-pound of bacon. He had only seen the biggest guys after practice finish it. Ava, not realizing how much food it was, decided it was easier to go with his suggestion than to overthink it.

When the food came out Ava’s eyes widened. The portions were massive for everyone’s meal. There was no way anyone could finish the food in front of them. Then, the smell of it hit her. She began salivating and felt a wave of hunger overtake her senses. She took a bite of the hashbrowns. They were greasy, salty perfection. She felt the warm mound of potato slide down her through into her empty stomach. She was in heaven. She took bite after bite, the alcohol dulling her awareness of how quickly she was eating. Thankfully, everyone was too focused on their own meals to notice her. Everyone but David.

David watched as both Hadley and Ava devoured their meals. He watched Ava slowly let go, giving in to the taste of every bite. Hadley, as usual, ate voraciously. It seemed impossible for her small frame to fit all she was putting inside, but after a few minutes, Hadley began to slow her pace. The thin ginger was obviously nearing her limit.

Ava on the other hand was still steadily making progress on her large meal. As Hadley seemed to slow down Ava almost quickened. She focused on getting more and more forkfuls of fluffy scrambled eggs in her expanding belly. Eventually, she made her way to the massive waffle. The sweet chocolate taste was a satisfying change to the salty foods she had been eating. David adjusted his pants as he watched chocolate stain the corners of her mouth. He couldn’t see her belly over the table and could not wait until the brunette stood up. He focused on the food in front of him trying not to get too aroused at the thought.

Eventually, the fullness caught up to Ava as well. She peered over at her small roommate's plate. She had eaten nearly all her food which made Ava feel justified in her large meal. Her belly was tight with all the food packed inside, but she didn’t want to stop. She felt euphoric eating without fear. Plus, there was still nearly the whole plate of bacon in front of her and half a waffle. Still, she stopped herself from looking like a complete pig and picked away at the waffle slowly. Everyone at the table eventually decided it was time for the checks and to-go boxes were brought. As they all stood, Ava felt a twinge of pain as her gut pressed on her jean shorts. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed before. She looked down to see her fitted tank displaying her little belly. Hadley, though a little distended, barely showed any sign of overeating which made Ava feel more insecure.

David felt his face become warm as he stared at the two over-fed girls. Ava had put away most of her food and it was evident as she adjusted the waistband of her shorts.

As the group dropped off the two girls, David hopped out of the vehicle and grabbed Ava’s arm as Hadley raced, completely unaware of the two, back to the dorm.

“Hey,” he said feeling nervous for the first time in front of Ava. “I never got your number.”

Ava stood stunned feeling dizzy from having too much alcohol and food in her system.

“So… will you give it to me?” he said, not letting go of her arm.

“I- if you want it.”

David without hesitation handed her his phone as butterflies washed over her. Her fingers trembled as she put in the contact.

“I will talk to you later then.”

“You will.”