Constance winced and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She turned around and watched Hailey recoil at the sight of her split dress.
“Woah, what happened there?” Hailey asked, pointing at Constance’s flab poking through the gap.
“I think I ate a little too much for my dress,” Constance replied coyly.
Hailey’s face lit up with glee. “That is just perfect! Come on, tubby. We have to capture this for all eternity!”
Hailey grabbed Constance’s hand, but in her overstuffed state, Constance was too sluggish to follow fast enough. “Let’s get that flab moving, Constance! People are waiting for us. I’ll go ahead and get everyone prepared for the shot. See you in a minute,” Hailey said as she hurried off.
Constance waddled after her as fast as her painfully overstuffed belly allowed her to. She felt like her dress split further with every heavy step she took. Her cousin’s loud words had again shifted the whole room’s attention to her, and her wardrobe malfunction was met with open spite.
When she arrived at the picture location, Constance saw her parents begrudgingly listening to her cousin’s excited chatter. She watched for the second time this evening as her mother’s face distorted in horror upon seeing her. Constance’s tiny amount of shame was overshadowed by the intense tingling between her thighs that instantly made her yearn for more.
“There’s my porky cousin!” Hailey exclaimed and gestured for Constance to come closer. “I had to change the standing order slightly to adjust to your unique wardrobe feature. But I just had to make sure it would be nicely displayed. You’re going to stand in the front row right next to me. Don’t forget to turn your side towards the camera!”
As Constance waddled into position, Hailey pinched her exposed roll through the torn dress and laughed as she gasped in surprise. She used this opportunity to tug at the fabric and tear open the dress further so that part of Constance’s hanging belly could be seen.
“Now, uncle, stand behind your daughter and put your hand on her shoulder. Show us how proud you are of your little girl!” Hailey said to Constance’s father and smiled.
Constance felt her father’s hand tense up once it came in contact with her soft shoulder. She knew that this humiliation would haunt him for many years. Still, when the photographer got ready to take their picture, Constance put on a broad smile without any effort. She had never felt more like smiling, imagining how ridiculous she would look in the picture. Knowing her cousin, Constance was sure she would get a copy in the mail as soon as they were done. As the camera flashed, she decided to hang it up in her apartment as a reminder of her new, exciting life.
“Awesome,” Hailey said when they were done, “I have a feeling that these will be my favorite pictures of the evening.” She winked at Constance and smiled. “Now that we’re done here, you’re free to go and get out of that poor dress. Your feet must be so tired carrying all that weight. I think events like this are just not made for big girls. I’ll have someone prepare a plate of food in case you get hungry again during your ride home. Bye, porky!”
Hailey gave Constance a hug and used the opportunity to give one of her rolls a squeeze. Then she grinned and slipped into the crowd.
Looking around, Constance found that her parents had disappeared. She made her way to the exit and was presented with a heavy bag of snacks by a server. Constance smiled politely, well aware of the server’s disgust as he looked her up and down.
A row of cabs was waiting outside, and Constance was about to enter one when she heard her mother’s voice behind her.
“Constance! Wait a minute!” Her mother hurried outside and gave her another disapproving look when she saw the food bag in her hands.
“I need to have a word with you before you leave. Your father and I have been talking. Up until today, you’ve always been an adequate daughter to us. So, we’re willing to give you another chance even though you’ve been a disgrace to the family today. Lose that nasty weight and relearn your elegance, and we’re willing to forget about tonight. Of course, until you’re back to your old self, we will not have you with us at any events. We cannot risk more embarrassment like this. But we will continue to pay your tuition and lease, so you can get your life back on track. I urge you to take this generous offer and not waste all the work we have put in to get you on the right path.”
Not waiting for an answer, her mother turned and pranced back inside.