Angela's farm, Chapter 8

"I told you it's like a cloning experiment that worked too well," Sarah said, nudging Olivia with her elbow.

Alyssa Sanders was a big girl. She seemed even larger than Jenna. Her massive belly slapped against her pink leggings, and her plump arms spilled out of her white shirt's sleeves. She looked more like Jenna's twin than her best friend.

"But I don't think the crayons we brought will be of much use," Olivia said with disappointment as she looked at Alyssa's cousin. The "little" girl turned out to be their age. This misunderstanding could have been easily avoided if she had remembered that Jenna called her and Sarah "little" on more than a few occasions. Alyssa's cousin was relatively slim, sitting alone in a corner, and currently not paying attention to anything except her phone.

"Unless she wants to chew on the crayons instead of her pretty blonde hair," Sarah remarked.

"You know, Sarah, crayons are actually edible?"

"Obviously, everything is edible to you, Olivia. Non-toxic doesn't necessarily mean it's a great idea to snack on them. But sure, go ahead, don't let me stop you. You'll be shitting Picasso for days."

Olivia shrugged. In all honesty, the red crayon did look particularly tasty, but she'd have to be a bit hungrier than she was right now to put that theory to the test.

"Should we go and say something?" Sarah motioned with her head toward the blonde girl.

"Nah," Olivia wasn't too eager to use her tremendous social skills, especially when the two large girls looked like they were about to start a dogfight. "She seems too uptight to me. Look, she's even wearing a miniskirt."

"That's crossing the red line in sand that broke the Zebra's back full of straws," Sarah agreed.

Jenna was already circling her friend, scrutinizing her from every angle. "Fuck, you've gotten seriously huge."

Alyssa stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking like a stuffed salami, and beaming with joy. "You can't blame a girl for trying," she said.

"Seriously, how much have you gained since winter?" Jenna narrowed her eyes. "Seventy pounds?"

Alyssa grinned mysteriously and bobbed her head from side to side like a Bollywood star or two. "Think bigger."

"Eighty?"

"I said bigger," Alyssa insisted.

"No fucking way! I'm not playing this game with you again. I'm going to weigh you."

"I thought you'd never ask," Alyssa's grin widened. "How about right now?"

"You just came here to gloat!"

Sarah turned to Olivia. "The plot twist is," she explained, "we just celebrated both of them hitting 300 pounds this winter."

"Damn."

"It was an epic week-long party and I highly doubt they were still 300 when we finished. But this is a whole new level."

Like little ducklings, they all followed Jenna and Alyssa out of the kitchen and around the house towards a barn several hundred yards away. When the path widened, the new girl quickened her pace to catch up with Olivia. "Are you Jenna's cousin?" she asked.

"Uhm," Olivia replied absentmindedly, focusing all her attention on the two enormous girls walking in front of them. She tried to imagine them being both 300 pounds only six months ago. Evidently, Jenna wasn't the only one who enjoyed flaunting her growing curves. Alyssa waddled with pride, like an overstuffed turkey.

"No, don't listen to her. She is too preoccupied thinking about food," Sarah interjected. "She's my cousin."

"Really? You two are cousins?"

"I know, who would have guessed?" Sarah gave a nod. "We couldn't look more different even if we tried."

"Funny, It's like an entire cousins reunion. Alyssa told me that Jenna's cousin would be here too. She warned me, though. She said her cousin is a bit weird."

"Why would she tell you that? I thought you were Alyssa's cousin."

"I am. Why?"

"Okay, then everything seems in order," Sarah concluded. "But don't worry, people say the same thing about me and here I am."

"They say you're Alyssa's cousin?" the blond girl asked, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Do they now?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you."

Olivia couldn't take it anymore. "For crying out loud," she screamed, putting her hands on her head and covering her ears. That's what she needed in her life, two flippin' Sarahs!
"I can't even focus on—" she bit her tongue as she cast a quick glance at the two massive girls turning towards the barn. "—on the road. Look, it's simple. This confused baboon is Sarah. She is Jenna's cousin. I'm Olivia. I'm only Sarah's friend. I said only, but increasingly, also a future suspect in her murder case."

"Sorry, sorry," the girl put her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I only  thought you were Jenna's cousin, because of—your, you know—"

"Of my what?"

"Your—" the blond girl's cheeks turned red. She tightly closed her pretty blue eyes, wrinkling her nose. "Can we start again, please?"

"Enormous fat ass," Sarah happily finished for her. "It's a common mistake when you see Olivia's assets walking in front of you. I like the way you think, Blondie. We could be friends."

"Friends usually call me Hannah."

"Whose ass are you calling fat?" Olivia looked at Sarah from under her brow.

"I said enormous and fat, so don't twist my words."

"It's a very lovely one, of course," Hannah said quickly. "But can we start this conversation again? For example, what do young people do around here for fun? Because I can't figure it out."

"Isn't that obvious?" Sarah nodded her head at the two large girls standing next to the barn. Alyssa was explaining something and laughing, while Jenna was shaking her head and pushing the barn door open.

"I see," Hannah said. "Our cousins appear to be having a blast then."

"They do, but I think my cousin is about to be humiliated by yours, and she fucking knows it. I haven't seen her this furious since the day I accidentally set her pony on fire. That was fifteen years ago, mind you. Boulder Dash was it. Or Rainbow Pie or some fucker like that."

They reached the barn. As Olivia walked through the door, the scent of hay and dust filled her nose. The light filtering through the loose boards cast shadows on a few rusty rakes scattered on the ground. An old tractor in the corner had probably seen better days if it was indeed a tractor and not some other mysterious contraption. On the opposite side, next to the wall, was a large metal platform with a big digital readout. Alyssa and Jenna were standing in front of it.

"I don't know," Alyssa was just saying. "Are you sure you can handle it? You'll have nightmares for weeks."

"Shut up and get on with it." Jenna pushed her onto the platform. The display flashed, and the numbers went up and down before they settled at 403 and the scale chirped happily as if Alyssa had just won a grand prize.

"Fuck me with a vacuum cleaner!" Jenna whistled. "What the heck did you do for the last six months? Have you been stuffing yourself with lard every waking moment?"

"Yup," Hannah said quietly. "That's a reasonably good guess."

Olivia turned back, and Hannah gave her a charming smile.

"Oh no. Poor little Jenna is sad now," Alyssa said in a mocking tone. "Onto the scale, you skinny minx! Show me what you've got."

Jenna slowly stepped onto the platform, her head down.

"352," Alyssa read the number. "See? Not too shabby. You have six months until Christmas. You can still pack an extra 50 pounds if you work really hard."

"Right, and so can you," Jenna said in a defeated voice. "By Christmas you'll be 450. How about we just agree that you've won."

"Not so fast, clever clock. We agreed on a year. Nothing has changed; I only made it slightly more challenging but a lot more interesting."

"Damn, you did," Jenna said with a hint of envy in her voice. "Damn, you did."

"What kind of stupid contest is this?" Sarah asked as they started heading back to the house.

"Just your standard fat race," Alyssa replied, making it sound like a typical weekend pastime for young women all across Montana. "We made a bet - whoever gains most in a year wins. But I don't think your cousin took the challenge very seriously. It's a heartbreaking sight when your best friend can't keep up with you."

"I honestly didn't think you would go that crazy," Jenna said. "I should have known better, but still, this is too insane even for a Sander."

"I won't lie; it wasn't a walk in the park. But someone had to do it, and the look on your face made it all worthwhile. Now, let's move; I desperately need to sit down and stuff my face with some chow."

***

The three of them sat on one side of the kitchen table, waiting for dinner. Jenna and Alyssa were in the next room, working on something on the computer and occasionally erupting into laughter.

"I have to admit," Hannah said, "I kind of admire how far they're willing to go for a bet. I hope they have a chart with their weights and everything. For me, comparing the numbers would be the most thrilling part."

"Your cousin was right; you're weird," Sarah said. "But yes, there has always been some healthy competition between those two. When Jenna broke 200, Alyssa did it within a month. And when Alyssa transformed into a pleasantly plump 250-pounder, Jenna went on an overstuffing spree, until she too reached that milestone a month later. They already tried once to see who could get to 300 first but had to call it a draw this winter. Jenna had always joked about going all the way to 400, but I could tell it suddenly became very real when she saw Alyssa's number."

"I know what you mean," Hannah said. "I saw that look on her face when she realised there was no turning back. Defeat and delight. It's kind of hot, don't you think?" She glanced at Olivia, blushed, then quickly looked away.

"Oh, Olivia, I almost forgot," Jenna called from across the room. "I put some of my old leggings in your room. Go change before dinner. If you can't zip your jeans now, you won't be able to zip them after tonight's lasagna, believe me. You can give the jeans to Sarah."

"What would I do with them? I no longer play in a band. And I was a flute, so what would I do with a fucking contrabass case anyway? " Sarah said, and Hannah giggled.

"Do I really have to?" Olivia protested. It was mostly a rhetorical question, but both girls nodded vigorously.

"I've read that exploding jeans are the leading cause of accidents on farms," Sarah said.

"And consider how much more room you'll have for dinner,"  Hannah added cheerfully. "Yum, yum."

There was likely some truth to both statements. Olivia stood up slowly, not ready to give up on her favorite jeans just yet. She tried to zip them up on her way out of the kitchen. How could they have become so ridiculously tight in just a few days? Was it all the cream she had been drinking? Or maybe all that butter? At the end of the hallway she just gave up. Defeat and delight. If she wasn't going to zip them up, she might as well do it with a bang.

Instead of going straight to her room, she went to the creamery and poured herself a large cup of cream from the tank. "You were a good and a loyal friend. Cheers," she said to her jeans. She drank the entire cup at once before slicing a thick piece of butter and forcing it down her throat.

There. A proper sendoff. She won't have to worry about her jeans anymore.

***

"Olivia!" Hannah shouted excitedly across the kitchen, holding a shot glass in her hand. Her cheeks were already flushed. "You've missed a few rounds. To Olivia filling her new leggings with her lovely, lovely ass."

"Funny how my old leggings seem to fit so well around your bottom," Jenna said, smirking. "I could swear those were my 200-pound ones. No worries, I have plenty of bigger ones."

Olivia downed the shot in one go. "Is everyone else getting hungry too?"

"I see," Sarah responded. "No more pretending. I kind of miss the old Olivia who was in constant denial."

"Not everyone eats a carrot and then claims to be bloated and needs to sleep all day. Some people need real food."

"And a shitload of it."

Hannah poured Olivia another drink. "Hungry is good," she said. Olivia was almost sure Hannah winked at her, but maybe the blond girl just had something in her eye.

As if on cue, Aunt Angela brought a massive tray of lasagna and set it on the table.

"There are two more trays in the oven, and then there are a few pies waiting in the fridge. So save some room," she said. She glanced at Alyssa sitting next to Jenna, frowned, then looked at Olivia and smiled sweetly. "On this farm, we don't let our friends starve, right love?"

"I bet I can eat faster than you," Hannah said, placing a generous portion of lasagna on her plate.

"Who, me?" Olivia put an equal amount on her plate. "I'd like to see you try." She began stuffing her face, sure she could easily beat anyone wearing a mini-skirt to a farm.

To Olivia's surprise, it turned out that Hannah wasn't just full of hot air. Or maybe that's what Hannah's belly was full of, because the cheeky girl finished first with a good 10 seconds to spare.

"The loser has to drink," she said, pouring Olivia another glass and handing it to her.

"Are you doing all this just to get me drunk?"

"Maybe," Hannah admitted innocently. "Sarah told me that when you get drunk, you tell everyone how fat you want to get. I really want to see that."

"Stuffing me with food would be a much better way to see me getting fat, don't you think?" Olivia said, surprised by her own words. She must already be getting tipsy.

"I love the way you think. So let's get more food into you then," Hannah said, placing another large square of lasagna on Olivia's plate, followed by an equally big serving for herself.

"Fine, but the loser has to drink two shots this time," Olivia said. She was determined to show that blonde tease who was boss around here.

"Deal."

After five more minutes, two Irish Cream shots put Olivia in a pleasant  semi-drunk state.

Hannah was ready for the third round. Olivia did her absolute best, barely chewing, just stuffing her mouth as fast as she could, and won this time.

"Oh no! My family name has been besmirched. I simply must challenge you again, my lady," Hannah declared. Though she was a formidable competitor, she was a terrible liar. Olivia was convinced Hannah had let her win just to give her a taste of sweet victory and then crush it away in the next round. But she was so glad she had ditched her jeans. While Jenna's leggings were a bit snug around her thighs and butt, there was ample space in the front. She was prepared to put them to the test.

"In memory of the fallen soldiers," she said, reminiscing about her jeans.

They repeated the contest a couple more times until they were both stuffed to the gills and sufficiently woozy.

"I'm telling you, Olivia, it is the loser who has to drink the shots. As punishment. I'm almost sure, like 76 percent."

"That's so ridiculous, Hannah. I'd never agree to that. Why would a perfectly good drink be a punishment? It's a reward for the winner."

"I suppose it makes sense. So who won this time?"

"I have no idea. Let's ask Sarah."

"What? You two are playing a game? I thought we were all just trying to get drunk as quickly as possible."

"Oh yeah, that was it. Cheers!"

Soon, Angela brought out pies. At that point, Olivia expected Hannah to give up because she was ready to give up herself, but the blond girl surprised her yet again. With a big grin, she lowered her miniskirt and placed a large slice of pie on her plate. Honestly, if Hannah keeps eating like this, Olivia thought, she'll be the next one to reach 400 pounds, not Jenna. "Am I right?" She nudged Sarah with her elbow.

But not only could Sarah not provide an answer to her inner monologue, she wasn't even there! In fact, Olivia realized, there had been an unusual absence of witty remarks from Sarah about how the food was going straight to her ass and all those other stupid comments. Only the oddly encouraging blue gaze of Alyssa's seemingly insatiable cousin was present.

"Right about what?"

"I forgot. But where is Sarah?" Olivia looked up from the table. There they were. Jenna and Alyssa were standing in the center of the kitchen, while Sarah was trying to detangle a measuring tape while becoming somewhat entirely entangled in it.

"Do you think big bellies are becoming more popular?" Hannah asked, her eyes fixed on the trio as well, just as Alyssa began rolling up her shirt. "I want my belly to be big and jiggly. Bigly for short."

"Oh, they are super popular in Montana as far as I know.  Super popular. You should get totally massive, Hannah, just like your gigantic cousin. And I should probably get really big too. Jenna's leggings are too loose around my waist, so it's either I fill them up or they'd keep collecting all the crumbs when I'm at the table. I must have an entire pie stuffed down there by now. Although to be honest, in my family history, women usually grow wide asses, not bellies, so I don't know. Everyone's surprised I'm still so darn thin."

She showed Hannah her pinky. That's how darn thin she was.

"Wide asses are so cool," Hannah said dreamily. "But I'm definitely more like my cousin. Did you know I've already gained 9 pounds and 6 ounces since coming to Sanders, and it all went to my tummy? Look." With that, she rolled up her shirt, revealing her food-bloated belly.

Olivia hiccuped and smiled. This girl turned out to be quite charming after a few drinks and not so uptight after all. Although her miniskirt was probably in its last week of service, from the looks of it. So there was some uptightness.

"I know what can help with your belly condom... condomdrum... connan-durum. Do you like heavy cream?"

"I don't know," Hannah admitted. "Sanders farm isn't dairy." She started counting on her fingers. "We have chickens, pigs, three cats, and a wine cellar. Every morning, my aunts feeds me about half a pound of bacon and at least five eggs. If we had any cream, it would probably be for the cats. I think one of them is named Barnacle. What kind of cat name is that?"

"On this farm, the cream goes straight to me. And I haven't seen any cats, but we have Sarah to do those things cats typically do, like sleep or eat mice."

They sneaked out of the kitchen, giggling.

"Did you know, Olivia, that our galaxy has more than 100 billion stars?" Hannah stated as she gazed up at the gleaming stars in the dark night.  The inky blackness seemed to stretch infinitely, making the stars appear as if they were tiny diamonds carelessly sprinkled across a velvet blanket. Olivia's grandma used to have velvet throw like that. It smelled like the inside of a vacuum cleaner bag.

"Did you know, Hannah, that crayons are edible? Especially the red ones."

After a bit of a detour through some unexpectedly placed bushes, they finally arrived at the creamery.

"Is this all cream?" Hannah stared in awe at the large stainless tank tucked in the fridge. "Can we drink it just like that? Wouldn't we get sick?"

"That's what I'm doing every day now. It has something to do with wheelbarrows, but I forgot the details. Honestly, I don't see the point of drinking anything else. It's cool and has no high fructose, so it's practically a diet drink. They should serve this in the UNI cafeteria. As for getting sick, we are likely going to get sick anyway, if this morning was any indication, so... I wouldn't worry too much. Besides, Jenna told me it takes about a week for your stomach to get used to it, and then it feels just like drinking a milkshake."

"I like banana-strawberry milkshakes."

"Then it's like drinking a banana-strawberry milkshake. In fact, I remember Jenna telling me precisely that."

Olivia poured a cup, and Hannah tried it. She shivered and made a face. "Ugh. It tastes like grass. Maybe, before the week is over and it tastes like a banana-strawberry milkshake, we can turn it into a banana-strawberry milkshake?"

Olivia thought it was overcomplicating a simple, yet already perfect drink, but hey, Hannah was the guest.

"We do have a mixer. I saw bananas on a coat hanger in the house, and there could be some strawberries in the kitchen. So if you really must have it your way..."

Hannah went back to the house to collect the ingredients while Olivia cleaned the mixer. It still smelled like rum, which gave the placed a remarkably Caribbean vibe. She also finished Hannah's cup. There was nothing wrong with drinking cream straight, in her opinion.

"The girls were asking what we needed it for," Hannah said, returning with a big bunch of bananas and a jar of strawberry jam. "I told them that we were having an orgy and ran out of options."

They mixed two bananas, half of the jam, and about a third of a gallon of cream, and drank it all in less than 10 minutes while lounging on the bench and chitchatting.

"I can't get the idea of the fat race out of my head," Hannah said suddenly. "Maybe the two of us should try it. I'd be totally up for it if you are."

"Yeah, that's a splendid idea. But before we get fat, I want to have more of this delicious milkshake," Olivia licked her lips while stuffing herself with a banana. "You have expanded my horizons."

"There's a lot more horizon to be expanded," Hannah answered.